…Says US is looking for an opportunity to establish an alternative base in Nigeria
Former Chief of Army Staff and ex-Minister of Interior, Lt Gen (Rtd) Abdulrahman Dambazau has said the United States threat of attack over genocide will in no way benefit Nigerians as Americans do not protect anybody’s interest.
Dambazau who was guest speaker at the 7th Annual Lecture by Just Friends Club of Nigeria, JFCN, held on Tuesday in Abuja with the theme ‘Nigeria’s Security and the Quest for National Cohesion: A New Paradigm for Internal Security Architecture and Governance disclosed that:
“Whatever the US wants to do in Nigeria can never benefit anybody because Americans protect only their interests.
“Simply, the US is looking for an opportunity to establish an alternative base in Nigeria.
The former army chieftain addressed the burning issue in Nigeria under the subtitle of: “The Challenge of National Cohesion”.
He explained that: “A fundamental obstacle to addressing Nigeria’s security challenges is the persistent lack of national unity.
“Divisions along ethnic, regional, and religious lines continue to undermine collective efforts to confront the insecurity.
“Some elites promote narratives that question the legitimacy of Nigeria’s unity, encouraging followers to view national issues through narrow regional or religious perspectives rather than as shared challenges requiring unified action.
“Unfortunately, violent non-state actors who appear as insurgents, secessionists, or terrorists take advantage of this gap to carry out their dastardly acts against the people.
“At times, political leaders have deepened these divides through strategies that prioritize regional or group interests over national unity.
“The tendency to treat insecurity in the north as a northern problem and in the south as a southern problem exemplifies this lack of cohesion.
“Additionally, religious tensions have been amplified by both domestic and foreign actors, sometimes resulting in the mischaracterization of security incidents as targeting specific faith groups, despite their widespread impact.
“An example is the recent propaganda, amplified by some US congressmen and supported by some Catholic clergymen in Nigeria, that there is Christian genocide.
“Donald Trump, the US President, has declared Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” and that he has given the US Department of War to prepare for possible operations to defend Nigerian Christians.
“Whatever that means, we shall see in the coming weeks or months.
“The Boko Haram insurgency and terrorism are regional issues that are pervasive in the Sahel and Lake Chad regions due to the affiliations of the various groups operating in these regions.
“For this reason, the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) was formed to contain and decimate their activities. Borno and Yobe are the front lines of the Boko Haram insurgency and at least 80% of the population is Muslim, and thousands of them have killed or wounded, with millions displaced, in addition to denying their children to attend schools, and the parents to go to the farms.
“Most of these casualties are the aged, women, and children, whose lives do not seem to matter if they are not Christians. In the more than ten years of US presence in Niger, where it maintained two military bases, what did the US do to prevent the growth of security challenges?
“It is also on record that at the initial second coming of the Trump administration, US Congressmen accused USAID of terrorism financing in Africa. I think the US is looking for an opportunity to establish an alternative base in Nigeria, a country known to protect only its interests by any means possible, including the use of force.
“Unfortunately, they have willing partners in Nigeria. It is clear that there is a lack of national cohesion in facing a common enemy to address terrorism and criminal violence in the country.
Dambazzau further stressed that “Otherwise, how do we explain the terrorist attack of Kano Central Mosque in November 2014 where more than 200 people were killed or an earlier attack in April 2007 when Sheikh Jafar Adam, a high-profile Islamic cleric, was spray with bullets right inside the mosque he preached, where he died instantly or the murder of Sheikh Muhammad Albani, a renowned Islamic cleric in Zaria, when the military, former President Obasanjo attempted to carry out reforms in it when he started by retiring all military officers that held political appointments and subsequently contracted a US-based private military company, Military Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI) to conduct audits and re-professionalize the Nigerian military. This attempt was also short-lived.
“Security sector reforms must include all organizations, institutions, and personnel engaged in providing, managing, and overseeing security, involving both military and non-military entities, as well as state and non-state actors.
“This sector includes providers such as the military, police, paramilitary forces, intelligence services and private security agencies. It also covers management and oversight bodies, such as ministries, departments, agencies (MDAs), parliament, statutory oversight institutions, elements of the justice sector, and civil society groups involved in public security provision, including women’s and youth organizations and media outlets.
“There has been no attempt to carry out reforms that will integrate and harmonize the activities of the entire security sector for effective and efficient coordination, cooperation, and collaboration; as a result, each sector has been conducting its business in a silo.
The former minister of Interior also spoke extensively on how to tackle insecurity and the drivers of insecurity.
Earlier in his welcome speech, President of Just Friends Club of Nigeria, Fred Ohwahwa thanked former NTA DG, Professor Tonie Iredia for accepting to be chairman of the 7th Annual Lecture.
He said: “Just Friends Club of Nigeria has, since its inception in 2013, stood for social good, civic responsibility, and national progress.
“We believe that dialogue, awareness, and collective engagement are key to addressing the pressing issues of our time.
“Today’s event is part of our continued commitment to fostering informed conversations that contribute to the peace and development of Nigeria.Nigeria continues to face multifaceted security challenges: insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, communal conflicts, and cyber threats, among others.
“Just last week, the President of the United States warned us to put our house in order, otherwise he would send troops to invade our land. Of course the reason for this is, at best dubious.
“Some of us are acutely aware of America’s meddlesomeness in the affairs of other countries in the past past one hundred years or more.
“However, let us put our house in order so that they will have no excuse to come over here. Our inability to tackle banditry, kidnapping and many security challenges doesn’t speak well of us as a serious nation.
“We can do better.These challenges not only affect our national stability but also undermine development, education, and the well-being of our citizens.It is against this backdrop that today’s lecture becomes imperative.We are particularly privileged to host our guest speaker, a man whose service to our nation is both distinguished and enduring.
“Our speaker today is not only a retired military leader but also a strategist, patriot, and someone who has first-hand experience at the highest level of security operations in Nigeria.his insights will help us better understand the root causes, current dynamics, and perhaps more importantly, the path forward.
“While the armed forces and security agencies carry a heavy burden, the responsibility of securing our nation is a shared one.
“As members of civil society, we must remain engaged, informed, and committed to peace-building in our communities.I encourage us to listen actively, engage thoughtfully, and leave here inspired to be part of the solutions Nigeria so urgently needs.
“Once again, we thank our distinguished speaker, chairman and panelists for honoring our invitation.I also wish to thank my brother and friend, Mallam Ali Muhammed Ali, the Chief Executive of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) for his invaluable contribution in ensuring the success of today’ s event.
“We also thank all attendees who have made time to be part of this conversation”, he added.