President Muhammadu Buhari was in Edo State on Monday to commission a number of projects which had just been completed by the administration of outgoing governor Adams Oshiomhole.
The projects commissioned by the President included the New Central Hospital, and the Upper Siluko Road both in Benin City.
The Federal Government on Monday honored the late Lt-Col Muhammad Abu Ali and his colleagues who died in Borno last Friday while fighting Boko Haram insurgents with a state burial.
They were buried with full military honors at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja.
FG's delegation to the funeral of the fallen heroes was led by Chief of Staff Abba Kyari.
See photo below.
President Muhammadu Buhari with Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, Sokoto State Gov. Aminu Tambuwal , Kaduna State Gov, Nasir El-Rufai, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, His Eminence The Sultan of Sokoto, His Royal Highness, the Ooni of Ife, and His Royal Highness, the Emir of Kano at the 10th anniversary of the coronation of the Sultan.
Here's a family photo of the soldier whose bravery, gallantry and commitment in the counter-insurgency operations against Boko Haram his colleagues have been saluting.
He was the self-styled Sarkin Yaki (lord of war), Lt-Col Muhammad Abu Ali who was killed during an attack by the insurgents on Friday.
He was reputed to have played decisive roles in retaking some of Boko Haram's former strongholds. With his T 72 tank, he is reported to have always told his troops to do 5% of the work while he did 95%.
Because of his exceptional bravery, Sarkin Yaki was given an accelerated promotion from the rank of Major to Lt-Col in September 2015.
Troops of 7 Division Nigerian Army, Operation LAFIYA DOLE, led by the General Officer Commanding of the Division, Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu between Friday and Saturday rescued 85 Boko Haram hostages during an operation inside the terrorists strategic hub town of Chukungudu on the southern fringes of the Lake Chad Region, in the northern part of Borno State.
During the operation in which five terrorists were neutralized, the troops recovered significant amounts of weapons including an IED factory.
Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col Sani Kukasheka Usman said in a statement that;
"The troops recovered 4 rounds of Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) bombs, 1 Double Barrel Gun, 349 packets containing various rounds of ammunitions, 3 Magazines, a link belt of machine gun ammunition and 1 AK-47 rifle magazine.
"During the clearance operations, the troops made spectacular discovery of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making factory at Geram. In the factory, they found several already primed suicide bombers’ vests. They also discovered a well equipped motor vehicles and motorcycles’ workshop and spare parts where house at Chukungudu village.
"The troops recovered 3 vehicles and several newly acquired motorcycles.
"Unfortunately, a soldier died during the encounter.In line with Rules of Engagement, IED factory, vehicles and motorcycles were destroyed."
In the pursuit of its goal of improving power supply in the country, the Federal Government on Thursday signed a number of agreements aimed at adding more than 500 MW of electricity to the National Grid.
The parties to the agreements were the FG, World Bank, Niger Delta Power Holding Company, NDPHC, Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading, NBET, and the gas supplier, Seven Energy, an integrated gas company which is investing about $500m in the construction of gas processing facility at the Uquo Field in Akwa Ibom State.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said at the event that the agreements which would open up new opportunities for investments in Nigeria’s gas and power sectors would come into effect within 90 days.
When Boko Haram terrorists attacked the 119 Battalion, Nigerian Army location at Malam Fatori in northern Borno, on Friday, one of the five gallant soldiers who paid the supreme price was Lt-Col. Muhammad Abu Ali, the Commanding Officer of 272 Task Force Tank Battalion.
14 of the attacking Boko Haram terrorists were killed in the encounter.
According to Army spokesman, the fallen senior officer was a fearless soldier who because of his "exceptional bravery and gallantry, was given an accelerated promotion from the rank of Major to Lieutenant Colonel and was decorated by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, at Gamboru Ngala on Sept. 9, 2015, during an operational visit.’’
Below is a tribute written in honor of Lt-Col Muhammad Abu Ali on June 17, 2016 by www.thecable.ng for his exploits in the war against Boko Haram.
TRIBUTE: Abu Ali, ‘intelligent’ lieutenant-colonel who ‘doesn’t brag’ but is killing off Boko Haram in Borno
Muhammed Abu Ali is the name. You may have heard about him before: he is the officer who was granted accelerated promotion from rank of major to lieutenant-colonel in September 2015, for his courageous performance in a series of the army’s engagements with Boko Haram.
His elevation was first announced shortly after one of the army’s fiercest-ever battles with Boko Haram, in February 2015, culminating in the recapture of Baga from insurgents. But the official decoration was delayed until September when, after another monumental success — the capture of Gamboru-Ngala — Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, visited the war front.
During that decoration, Buratai praised Ali for his “courage, bravery and exceptional performance in the fight against the Boko Haram terrorists”.
Tukur is not alone in his opinion; and it has now emerged that even soldiers, majority of whom have built an unwanted reputation for always criticising the army hierarchy, have tremendous respect for Ali’s professionalism.
PUREST GOLD FROM MIRY CLAY
For all of the army’s hardline public relations tactic, discontent is high among soldiers and officers DIRECTLY involved in the ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’ (peace by force) in Borno state. But as Ali’s example shows, good work and truth require no trumpet; they always find their way to the public.
During TheCable’s recent investigative trip to the theatre of war, the first mention of Ali came at a time a sergeant was complaining about the crude equipment and archaic manner with which the army was prosecuting the war.
“Yes, the problem is that the Nigerian army still has this archaic idea of fighting, relying more in the numerical strength of its troops rather than on equipment,” he had said.
“There is nowhere in the world, a civilised or modernised army, where they want to lose soldiers in large numbers again, and that is where you need these equipment.
“If you have good equipment, it will reduce the number of casualities on your side but if the weapons are not there and you want to use the number of your soldiers, then definitely you are going to suffer casualties.”
He then cited the example of the recapture of Baga, but he was quick to recognise Ali’s “brilliance” in its success — even though the original intention was not to praise the officer.
“In the case of tanks, what one tank can do, 200 soldiers cannot do it; 300 soldiers cannot do it if the tank is functional and serviceable,” he said.
“In the case Baga, when it was recaptured from Boko Haram, the officer who led that operation, Abu Ali, a major at the time, told the soldiers that they should not worry, that they should only do five percent of the job, that he was going to do 95% of the job with the tanks.
“And that was exactly what happened. He did most of the work with the tanks. He was a major at that time and his promotion after the operation was automatic because he performed very well. One smallish guy like that o.
“After they recaptured Baga, the soldiers were so happy that they raised him up, telling the president to elevate him to the status of colonel, not even lieutenant-colonel, because he really performed; he tried. Even recent operations in Sambisa Forest, he led some of them.”
RESPECTED BY SOLDIERS
Ali’s elevation was not just the decision of the chief of army staff or the rest of the army hierarchy; the soldiers fully supported it. According to a soldier who witnessed his “leadership qualities” in Baga, and two others who were with him in Sambisa, soldiers were generally “very happy for him”.
“He led us with the T-72 when we advanced to Monguno and Baga, and he collected those places,” he said.
According to Wikipedia , the T-72 is a Soviet second-generation main battle tank that entered production in 1971. About 20,000 T-72 tanks were built, making it one of the most widely produced post-World War II tanks, second only to the T-54/55 family.
There have been at least three upgrades to the tank, the most popular being in 1988 and 1995, although they are unavailable in Nigeria.
A second soldier who extolled Ali’s virtues said: “After he collected those places [Baga and Monguno] in 2015, they brought someone else to replace him and they took him to Sambisa area; we went with him to Sambisa.
“He is a brilliant fighter. When he began hanging his promotion emblem officially on September 9, we were together on that day and we were all very happy for him.”
A third soldier, who had spent time with him in Sambisa, went as far as touting him as a potential helmsman of the army:
“The man is very active; very active. And he is a very calm and intelligent person. He doesn’t brag, he knows his job and he is very simple.
“He is a future chief of army staff, if I may say, but he has to be wary of the corruption that is the shortcoming of many good hands in the army.”
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
It is interesting to know that Muhammed Abu Ali is the son of Colonel Abu Ali, who was governor of Bauchi state from August 1990 to January 1992 during the military regime of Ibrahim Babangida.
At this rate, no one would want to bet against the younger Ali surpassing his father’s achievements. He is already a lieutenant-colonel and should he continue his anti-Boko Haram heriocs, it won’t be long before he earns another elevation to the status of colonel, which his father was before retiring.
From then on, anything — just anything — is possible!
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