By Gloria Josiah
ABUJA,NIGERIA— The Coalition of Civil Society Groups for Peace, Security, Good Governance, Equity and Justice (CCSG led by its National Coordinator Comrade James Okoronkwo,has watched with utter dismay the recent vitriolic and baseless allegations made by a former Director-General of the NHIS, Prof. Usman Yusuf, against the person and office of the Honourable Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa.
In a desperate bid for relevance, Prof. Yusuf has alleged that General Musa was “dancing and partying” during the strategic joint security operations and U.S. airstrikes against Lakurawa terrorists in Sokoto last December. The CCSG wishes to state unambiguously that these claims are not only false but are the hallmarks of a man suffering from patriotic bankruptcy.
*Comrade James Okoronkwo stated:
*”It is unfortunate that while the Nigerian military, under the strategic guidance of General Musa, is making precision hits on ISIS-linked enclaves in the Bauni Forest, a supposed academic like Prof. Yusuf is busy counting dance steps. To suggest that the Minister was distracted during a successful joint operation that decimated foreign-linked terrorists in Sokoto is a malicious attempt to demoralize our troops and incite sectarian sentiment.”*
The Coalition further notes that from his vile utterances so far, Prof. Yusuf is alleged in certain quarters to be giving oxygen to perpetrators of insecurity in Nigeria. By laundering sympathy for criminal elements and attacking the nation’s primary defender, Yusuf is effectively acting as a megaphone for those who want to see Nigeria in flames.
“General Musa is a tested combatant who received the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering for a reason. He will not be distracted by the callow-minded noise of a man currently facing multiple counts of embezzlement and fraud in our courts. We urge the Minister to remain focused on his avowed determination to rid Nigeria of Lakurawa and other terrorist variants,” Okoronkwo added.
The CCSG warns that any attempt to play politics with the lives of Nigerians or the reputation of the Armed Forces will be met with stiff civil society resistance. We pass a Resounding Vote of Confidence on General Christopher Musa and the Renewed Hope security agenda.
SIGNED:
Comrade James Okoronkwo* *National Coordinator,CCSG official briefing?