The Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon Tahir Monguno, Member representing Marte/Monguno/Nganzai federal constituency Borno State has reiterated the need to bolster up the security architecture with mercenaries in order to bring the issues of banditry, insurgency and terrorism to nought.

In a chat with Informavores’ Ogechi Okorie, Hon Tahir Monguno talked about the just concluded APC convention, concerns for security, his constituency projects among other things.

The excerpts:

Honourable, some people were of the opinion that people were coerced into agreeing on a consensus in the just concluded APC convention. What is your take on that?

Being part and parcel of the process, and being one of the leaders of the party, I can assure you that nobody was coerced into accepting any consensus arrangement. In the first place, the positions were zoned into various geographical political zones and the geo political zones were asked to go and meet and then come up with names that they have agreed for each office that was allocated to them. it was based on this, (for example, the North Eastern part of the country, were given the position of deputy Chairman North. So all the leaders from the North Eastern part of the country met under the leadership of the Senate president and then decided to allocate to the various sets all the offices that were allocated to the North East zone e g We gave Adamawa State the position of Vice Chairman North East while Borno was given the deputy National Chairman North and then in Borno, haven been given that position of deputy National Chairman North, we agreed to give Senator Abubakar Kyari to occupy that position while Adamawa that was given the position of Vice Chairman North East, sat down and agreed on a particular candidate so that is how all the consensus candidates emerged.

Nobody was coerced and nobody was forced to withdraw his contest for a particular position. Everything was done under their freewill and under their own volition. Nobody was forced to withdraw.

So it is purely a consensus arrangement having zoned the offices to various geo political zones and then the geo political zones met and micro zoned these offices to various states. That is how the leadership emerged.

Honourable, with the rate of insecurity and the general situation of the country right now, what do you think are the chances of APC come 2023 election?

The chances APC winning at all level, whether the state Houses of Assembly, the Governorship, the National Assembly and most importantly, the presidency, I assure you that APC will continue to maintain its winning streak against the backdrop of the various developmental programs that APC has embarked upon and also the various programs like N-Power,  SUBEB, MARKETMONI, TRADERMONI etc and all the programs that directly impart on the lives of people and based on these programs, I am convinced that APC is still going to form a Federal government and retains its majority in the National Assembly.

It is obvious we have serious challenges especially with regards to security but again, government is not lying on it’s oars. We are doing everything possible to address the situation just like government dealt with Boko Haram insurgency in the North East to the extent that it has drastically reduced.

I believe government will continue doing everything possible to make sure that the problems we are having in the North Central and North West will also be tackled head-on in the way and manner that it tackled Boko Haram insurgency was tackled in the North East.

Honourable, it seems Nigeria is on a time bomb. Not too long ago, a train was attacked in Kaduna and is in this vein that Governor El-Rufai suggested the use of mercenaries to fight terrorists, Because it seems, every effort made by the federal government has not yielded any result. 

Do you think hiring of mercenaries will solve the problem of terrorist activities in Nigeria.?

Before now, I advocated for recruitment of mercenaries to assist in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency and during the time of Goodluck Jonathan, mercenaries were deployed in the fight against insurgency in the North East and I have consistently supported the idea of recruiting mercenaries. At this juncture the Nigerian military are overstretched. Ordinarily all these functions that are being done by the military, are supposed to be done by the police.

Their duty is to defend the territorial integrity of this country, but now that they are fighting insurgency in the North East, North West, North central and practically everywhere, and i am of the opinion that we should seriously consider the idea of recruiting mercenaries to aide in the fight against banditry, insurgency and all forms of criminality.

Honourable, i am aware this is your record 5^th time in the House of Representatives, what have endeared you to your people in order for you to achieve this feat?

I will simply say it is the grace of God because power is from God. He gives to whom ever he wishes. Secondly you should be closer to your people and should always identify with their problems. You should be responsive and responsible to their yearnings and aspirations and try as much as possible, to resonate with that. That is the secret. Try the much you can to bring dividends of democracy to them, identify with them, empathise with them.

Honourable, Informavores gathered that you did a massive Constituency outreach some months ago in your constituency in Borno State. Can you put through some of the projects you executed?

I had series of trainings and empowerment programs and this was initiated against the backdrop of the fact that my constituency is one of the constituencies that was ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency and also our governor was determined to return our people back to their respective constituencies and the gallantry display by the military of liberating these places from the strong hold of Boko Haram and as a result of this, our people have started going back to their respective communities and as a result, there is need to empowerment so that by the time they go back to their communities, they will pick back the pieces of their lives.

So I embarked upon this empowerment programs to help them get back on their feet. I also did a training on various aspects of Agriculture, Aquaculture etc.

A lot of infrastructure were destroyed as a result of activities of insurgents and I am constructing a big water works worth(560,000 000) five hundred and sixty million naira each in 2 local governments to provide water to the inhabitants of the 2 local governments particularly, the local government headquarters.

I also constructed clinics, schools etc just to bring about normalcy back to the lives of the people.

Hon Shehu Barwa Beji is a Nigeria House of Representative member representing Bosso/Paikoro Federal Constituency, Niger state. In this short media chat with Informavores in Abuja, Honourable Shehu Barwa, expressing displeasure over neglect to recognize young soldier victims of insurgency, bare his mind on issues bordering insecurity, empowerment, and the COVID-19 vaccine, among others. The excerpt:

Hon. Insecurity in Nigeria, has gotten to an alarming state. Banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery has become the order of the day. Do you think the federal government has not been handling the issue very well?

If you are conversant with the happenings in the house, I moved a motion last year that has to do with removal of the service chiefs and what prompted me to do that was because, I felt that the security structure should be rejigged and when the people at the helms of affair, are not getting the job done, there is a need for a change. adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Again, Banditry, Armed robbery and kidnappings has crept inside FCT and when we have that kind of situation, it is a matter of National emergency.

In the same vein, Niger state which I am representing the good people of Bosso/Paikoro Federal Constituency, has also been victims    of these incessant attacks. When I was campaigning for the removal of the service chiefs last year, I felt that the tactics they were using was not working. The military deploy their planes to fly over the areas to monitor what is going on but I have always believed that the best way to handle this issue, is military base/camp are set up in those areas that are known to be the den of this bandits /terrorist.

Sometime ago, some military personnel were killed by bandits and a colonel was among the people killed but sadly, only the colonel was given recognition. These people are young men who risk their lives on regulation basis to protect the lives of citizens so, when something like this happens, I think they deserve to be recognized and even honored be you a colonel or a junior officer. They have families and friends who they left behind so they shouldn’t go unrecognized as if they never existed.

So when that particular incident happened, I expressed my displeasure and I got commendation by some of these junior officer. The point here is the issue of security is a very serious one. I am a member of the ruling party but security matters, goes beyond politics and in one way or the other, everybody is being affected by this regardless of party affiliation or politics.

Hon. Many people are skeptical about taking the COVID-19 vaccines. What are your thoughts about that?

I am not a medical personnel but I am somebody that reads quite a lot. If people are skeptical, they have reasons to be. In the first place, normally it takes a couple of years for vaccines to manufacture but in this case, it took around 12 months to have the COVID-19 vaccines ready. Although the peculiarity of this deadly virus, it facilitated in the quick and early development of this particular vaccines. Though there has been some theories of reducing the black population, I don’t see any truth in that. As far as I know, 70% of the drugs we use in Nigeria, are imported from the western world so how come they have not used that particular avenue, to reduce the black population and as long as we cannot produce drugs ourselves, anyone (drug) that has been certified internationally by reputable organizations, will suffice.

I am yet to take the COVID-19 vaccines but I will definitely do so because I believe it is everybody’s interest to be vaccinated. I will also take my own vaccine publicly.

Let us come back home Sir. You must have made some campaign promises before you got elected into the federal House of Representatives. What have you been able to do for you people?

Before I came to National Assembly, I have been a Local Government Chairman and Vice Chairman back to back and secondly, I am not the kind of people who make so many promises. I rather believe in action. I believe that because of the confidence and trust my people have in me, I have been able to maintain the position of both vice Chairman and Chairman of Local government (a position I held several times) before coming to the House of Representatives.

The people of my constituency are basically farmers and understanding their needs, I made provisions for farming instruments for them. I made my people understand that the areas I will concentrate on, is Health and Education and also promised to tackle unemployment which I did through various youths empowerment.

This is my first time as a member of the House of Representatives and in my second year in the Ninth Assembly, I am happy to say that I have been able to touch these areas that I have mentioned already. Last year, I did empowerment program for youths and women in my constituency and after the program, I gave out materials to some tailors, barbers, welders and etc. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I realized the immediate needs of my people and quickly swung into action. I purchased drugs worth millions of naira and those drugs were distributed to all the clinics in my constituency to be given free of charge to my people and as I am talking to you, some of those drugs are available in some of the clinics in my constituency. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I started a community clinic in my community and any moment from now, I am going to officially declare it opened.

I have an upcoming empowerment program and I have provided sewing machines, grinding machines etc. I am going to give out those items to the beneficiaries. I am going to concentrate on people who have acquired the knowledge and needs the materials to start up.

Thank you very much Honourable.

Sequel to his fruitless efforts to get crucial attention from concerns authorities in Nigeria, an Abuja based Evangelist, Success Nwankwo is crying out loud, appealing to those in authority that he has an alternate remedy to the deadly coronavirus pandemic, and has since offered himself to be infected with the deadly coronavirus as he vows his medicine would cure him and others in one week.

Identified himself as an Abuja based man of God, unto whom holy spirit had earlier revealed the coming of the novel coronavirus, with attendant curative measure equally revealed to end coronavirus pandemic.

Success Nwankwo as refers in this narrative, told RegentAfrica Times’s fact-finding team how posterity will not forgive him if he cannot stop the scourge, especially as he watches hundreds of deaths recorded in the world. adsbygoogle || []).push({}); He is confident the remedy to save mankind rests with him as instructed by God.

Quizzed if he possessed background experience in herbal medicine, or licensed under any extant law as prerequisite to prove the ingenuity of his medicine beyond reasonable doubts, couple with understanding of the implications of taking the government for granted in a time of global emergency like this, Nwankwo minced no words; he reflects on how the inspiration to cure coronavirus came to him from God as a man of God, which he said transcend his wisdom and anyone on how God works.

Success Nwankwo:

“My Name is Success Nwankwo, I’m an Evangelist but I prefer to be called Brother Success Nwankwo

“The truth of the matter is that I am a man of God, with no background in any of the medicinal practice, tradition, or orthodox. My father is a clergyman, a man of God and my mother also served in the vineyard. This entire thing came to me as an inspiration from God through revelation on the coming of coronavirus, and the alternate way to go when it comes.”

“Everything started last year during long fasting and prayer. God revealed to me that something will hit the world between 2019 and 2020, that this will be the remedy which I have developed according to the direction of the Holy Spirit.”

“Though I forgot the revelation even when the virus is already in place until 23rd of March when some people I shared the revelation with earlier and later reminded me. I return to God in prayers on how to administer the dosage, then came the revelation the second time, and I feel this is the right time to speak up.”

Success Nwankwo did not stop there. When probed further on the ingenuity of the liquid substance presented to the media crew, and of what assurances his efforts are not make-belief to seek attentions using COVID-19 emergency as a tool, Nwankwo rather opted for a suicidal approach.

The middle-age man vows to surrender himself to be infected with the deadly virus as a measure to establish facts behind his alternative herbal remedy to COVID-19.

His frustrations are that no one seems prepared to give him a listening ear, neither would all efforts to reach out to the government yields any result, hence his conviction to offer himself to the Nigeria Centers for Disease Control (NCDC) for experiment.

Success Nwankwo:

“This is the reason I am offering myself to be infected with the virus. Since I don’t have a hospital of my own and cannot apply it on anyone under the law, I call on the government to quarantine me alongside COVID-19 patients for three days or more, let them confirm me positive. Then let them administer my medicine and see if God is not at work.

“I have waxed this my position in a video which I have posted viral on social media, begging to be quarantined for coronavirus as a proof of what God has deposited in me to give to the world on COVID-19. I am one hundred percent confidence in this remedy. And I take from it everyday. He assured.

He further narrated his failed attempts to get attentions from concerned authorities:

“I have been to necessary places, including government quarters, canvassing if my medicine could be administered on any coronavirus patient, but no one is ready to listen to me.

“I was at the Gwagwalada COVID-19 facility to launch the campaign with the authorities at the hospital, but I was told that is the wrong place to go.”

“I later heard the Minister for Health would be coming to Nyayan axis in the wake of this coronavirus pandemic, I waited, but all to no avail. I have used virtually all the social media platforms, Twitter, Facebook, What’sapp. I posted my message to anyone who can listen to me, but all efforts seems not working.

Have you approached the NCDC, which is the right channel to go on this?
Success Nwankwo

“I reached out to NCDC through a telephone line I was given, the number has been dead throughout. I went further to post my contact on facebook, announcing if anyone could help with NCDC active line. That gave me access to the FCT Authority, where I eventually got an NCDC line, but no one contacted me and that effort also failed”

“I have to open a twitter handle for this purpose through where I reached out to many of the Nigerian newspapers. Incidentally, I was contacted via the Guardian Newspaper’s twitter handle by the Voice of Russia, but the only thing that puts them off was my use of language, which if the authorities in Nigeria had listen to me, I would have been advised as appropriate”

What language did you use that put them off?

“I was told by the Russia contact that they could have get along with me, but I keep saying ‘I discovered’, I discoverd’. They said that I cannot just discover a vaccine without a proof of research work leading to its confirmation. So that put them off. I did not know the right word to use due to my none pharmaceutical background. And I blame that on my country, because who will believe you when even your own country could not listen to you, which is quiet unfortunate.”

Can you give us an idea of the formation of the herb, is it purely herbs or with other mixtures that you might not want to disclose for obvious reasons?

“As I said earlier, this package is a direction from the holy spirit, though with the use of herbs and other things revealed to me.

Do you have the significant quantity to take care of many patients at a time, in case you are examined and your medicine is certified genuine by concern authority; and finally, what do you want the government to do now?

“I am appealing to those in authority, especially the Minister of Health and NCDC, to kindly hear me out first. It pierced my heart as days passes by and coronavirus deaths toll rises. Hundreds of thousands across the world are dying, Death tolls rising every day in my country Nigeria while I know the solution to COVID-19 Pandemic rests with me here.

“This is sad, inhuman, and unfortunate. I feel I am shortchanging God who gives me the direction to go. But i have no facility of my own under the law to administer or carry out healing of coronavirus patience, except I go through the due process.” Nwankwo pleads.

Author Profile

Abdulrahman Obaje

Prince Abdulrahman Obaje is a Media and ICT Consultant, Journalist, online marketer, social media strategist, Mathematician and Computer Scientist based in Abuja, Nigeria. He is the Founder and the Publisher of The Informavores!. You can reach me on +234 805 939 5252 or send i-witness report directly to me on news@informavores.com.ng.

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