Opinion
Opinion: In Defence of the DSS
By Johnson Okorogu
This intervention won’t have been necessary if a couple of those who should know had not joined in the cheap criticism of the most decent Security Agency in Nigeria.
In the past one month or so, the Department of State Services, DSS, has been on the negative side of the news for nothing other than doing the job for which it was established.
The negative reports are a product of misinformation, deliberate misinformation, aimed at calling a dog a bad name in order to hang it.
It began, gradually, with the lies and misinformation to the members of the public by Ifeanyi Ejiofor, one of the Counsels to the Federal Government-proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPoB, and its detained Leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. From the first day Kanu was arrested in Nairobi, Kenya till date, Ejiofor has fed the public with false news, false information, mischief-filled, and has succeeded in misleading the people, especially, unsuspecting youths in the South-east.
While Ejiofor is in his house and/or office, enjoying life with the money he has made from IPoB and its leader, he is inciting hundreds of Igbo youths to violence, and leading them to their untimely deaths. I will get back to this shortly.
In the instant case, the DSS is being pillioried for warning the Country of the dangers ahead stemming from the antics of politicians who are angling for an Interim National Government, the evil which was first foisted on us by General Ibrahim Babangida
Following the conduct of the General Elections on 25th February and 18th March, 2023, every Nigerian knows that the Country is on edge. Every Nigerian knows that Politicians are doing everything to precipitate violence and push Nigeria into avoidable crisis. Tension has been unnecessarily high. Fake stories reign, and Politicians are busy planning evil and pushing the Country to the precipice. They are fanning the embers of hatred and fire. They are fanning internal insurrection in the name of protesting the outcome of the General Elections, especially, the Presidential election.
To keep the Country safe, to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, all the DSS did was to warn Nigerians against such behaviors that could destroy the Country. All it did was to tell Nigerians not to spark off violence which could push the Country into abyss, and destroy the it. This, the DSS did by way of a statement issued by its Spokesperson, Dr Peter Afunanya.
By warning Nigerians against the dangers ahead if Politicians continue to heat up the system, the DSS was only keeping to its schedule of duties which is to sniff out internal troubles, through intelligence gathering, and nip them in the bud. That was all the DSS did – warn and alert that we know what you are planning, so stop, keep off, stay off.
In the statement, Afunanya warned that the Service is aware of the activities of some Politicians aimed at causing trouble and, therefore, abort our hard-earned democracy. It warned against activities which could abort a smooth hand-over of power from one Government to the other on May 29, 2023. It warned against protests and frivolous Court Cases aimed at aborting a new Government, and foisting an Interim National Government on the Country.
The statement did not mention any particular persons or Political Party.
The statement did not ask aggrieved parties not to seek legal interventions in Court, afterall it was the Federal Government that set up the Presidential Election Petition Tribunals.
The DSS knew what it was talking about. There are examples to back it. The crisis in all the frontline Political Parties where the Courts are being used to sack the Executive Members of the Parties, particularly, the removal of Chairmen and other high profile members of the Parties prove there is a grand plan to destabilize the Government, and abort 29th May. When all the main political parties are destabilized, using the Courts, then, there will be no 29th May. Before we know it, we will have a a June 12, 1993 situation where the late Arthur Nzeribe used one Abimbola Davies to plunge the Country into unnecessary turmoil.
It follows the same pattern, and, if not checked, will gradually explode.
In the past three weeks, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has removed its National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu. Before that, a number of people were asking for the sack of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu. The push has not been dropped. A few days ago, it infected the Labour Party. A move was made, through the Courts, to throw out its National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure. A Court granted the removal bid. It took the self-will of the Party to save him. The end has still not been seen. Since then, the APC has either been suspending or expelling its high profile members – Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema, Chairman of the Njger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Lauretta Onochie, former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, etc. The PDP did the same, but was quick to recall about four of them including former Senate President, Pius Anyim, and two former Governors. Another former Governor, Chimaroke Nnamani remains expelled from the Party. There are more from other Political Parties. If these are not signs of destabilization, and a bid to precipitate crisis and abort 29th May, 2023, then I don’t know what is.
Add those to the hate speeches by Politicians and their supporters, not to forget the incitement by Ejiofor in the South-east.
It is surprising that the Igbo Leadership and the elite cannot see through the misinformation Ejiofor dishes out all the time on Kanu, especially, each time he visits the IPoB leader at the DSS facility where he is kept. Nobody is interrogating the false information Ejiofor dishes out on Kanu in order to keep himself in business. For Ejiofor, Kanu and IPoB are his meal ticket, his ATM. He deliberately paints a dreary picture of Kanu’s situation to keep himself in business. Kanu and IPoB oil his business. Otherwise, has anybody heard Ejiofor’s name in any other case except that of Kanu and IPoB where his mischief knows no end.
Ejiofor continuously gives the impression that it is the DSS which arrested and kept Kanu in its custody. Or that it is the DSS which requested that Kanu be kept in its custody. The true picture is that it is a Federal High Court that remanded Kanu in the DSS custody for safety. To be in the DSS custody happens to be one of the safest and most decent facilities where anybody could keep him. The leadership of the DSS is polished and professionally carries out its duties.
When the pressure was on, through Ejiofor, to relocate Kanu from the DSS facility and keep him in Prison custody, it was a mischievous ploy. It was a plan to put Kanu in harm’s way and blame the Government so Ejiofor can make more money with his propaganda.
A number of people who Kanu misled, and thus got in trouble, are in prison custody in Abuja over one atrocity or the other they committed, including murder, especially, of security agents. Having realized their folly, and knowing that they were incited into embarking on a murderous journey they knew nothing about, they are filled with anger and regrets. Detain Kanu with them in prison custody, and they would lynch him. The Government is conscious of this. For one moment, think of what could have happened if Kanu was in Kuje prisons when the facility was invaded by terrorists.
Everybody that had gone to visit Kanu at the DSS facility, except Ejiofor, confirms that Kanu is in good hands, good environment, and doing well. He is healthy, well taken care of, provided with everything he asks for, including special meals, provided with good medical care, and exercise facilities. The only minus is that, like any other detention facility, his movements are restricted.
But this is not the impression Ejiofor gives to the public. He gives the impression of a starving Kanu whose health is failing, whose heart is very diseased, and who is going blind. None of these is true. It is based on such stories, on such lies, that the youths in the South-east are dangerously incited. They foolishly embark on a killing spree of their own people and Security Agents, and torch public facilities. Is Kanu being held or being tried by his own people who have now become victims of his unending and fruitless suicidal journey?
The South-east needs to be honest to itself. People like Ejiofor are not allowing it to be honest to itself because of the lies they put out. Ejiofor is not allowing them to interrogate the lies he tells them. Ejiofor knows very well the unprecedented violence Kanu has wrought on his people and Security Agents. Is there anybody who has not listened to Kanu speak. Is there anybody who has not, or did not listen to Kanu order his followers to kill Security Agents? In which other Country is such allowed? Is there anybody who has not, or did not hear Kanu insult the elders of the South-east and call all its Leaders useless (Efulefu)? Is there anybody who has not, or did not hear Kanu call for the outright beheading of people. All the atrocities in the South-east emanated from Kanu. There are evidences. The violence which has taken over the South-east all emanated from Kanu. Neither he nor his followers can control what he started.
Kanu single-handedly brought the economy of the South-east to ground zero. He introduced the sit-at-home order every Monday and had many people killed over it, and their businesses destroyed.
Simon Ekpa is a product of Nnamdi Kanu. When Kanu and IPoB realized their folly in introducing the sit-at-home order, and cancelled it, Ekpa continued from where his comrades and their master stopped. Sit-at-home has become a weapon and a meal ticket. They raid people’s shops and loot on such days. They extort some people of their money and hold others to ransome. Kidnapping booms in the South-east because of their unwholesome activities. Every criminal takes refuge in being an IPOB member. The Region has been taken over by criminal gangs because of what Kanu and IPoB started.
One of the reasons many people came to the conclusion that Ejiofor is not anxious for Kanu to be released is that instead of Ejiofor to sound conciliatory, or, at least, present the correct situation of Kanu, and plead for his Client who wrought poverty, violence and death upon his people, killed Security Agents and destroyed and razed both private and public buildings and facilities, Ejiofor is busy lying against the DSS. He is busy lying about Kanu’s welfare and health. By doing so, deliberately, he hardens the heart of the Service which has been kind to his Client, and the heart of the Government, all because he wants Kanu and IPoB to remain his ATM. Those lies have neither helped Kanu’s case, nor the South-east.
It was because of the threat by Ekpa, Kanu’s disciple, that Obi lost out on the number of votes he could have garnered in the South-east. None of the five States in the South-east registered less than one million voters. But because of the fear of the violence and death threatened by Ekpa on Voters, they stayed away on the Presidential election day. Yes, Peter Obi of the Labour Party won in the South-east, but with how many votes? But for Kanu/Ekpa, nobody would have been talking about Tinubu’s number of Votes with which he defeated Obi. Obi lost over three million votes because of Ekpa’s threats.
The elders and leaders of the South-east should be ashamed. Out of cowardice, they have allowed IPoB, Ekpa and Ejiofor to destroy the Region.
The DSS is not going to succumb to their blackmail, just as it is not going to succumb to the blackmail of those who think the Service is crying wolf over the warning against the plans for Interim Government.
The DSS raised the alarm because something was cooking. It raised the alarm because it knows the dangers of an Interim National Government.
Military President, Ibrahim Babangida, introduced an Interim National Government in 1993 and installed the now late Chief Ernest Shonekan as the Head of the ill-fated Government. It lasted from 26th August 1993 to 17th November 1993 when it was flushed out by the Military. That misadventure ushered in the regime of General Sani Abacha from which Nigeria has not fully recovered till date.
The DSS did well to raise the alarm in order to stop those planning for an ING on their tracks. Knowing that their plans have been exposed, they would abort it. The DSS didn’t need to mention the names of the culprits, or raise more tension in the Country by arresting them. They know themselves, they know that eyes are on them, and have taken note.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Every human being is endowed with natural fitness to perform optimally any given assignment, or endeavour. These capacity fitness are, but not limited to mental, physical, social, academical, financial, spiritual, and emotional. When any of these great areas is lacking, an immediate vacuum which needs to be filled is created. To fill this vacuum therefore, one will need to perform a kind of surgical test to ascertain the source of the leak.
To put it into perspective, imagine a sick person with variety of symptoms, who can’t specifically say what the actual problem is; the best thing for them is to see a doctor, undergo some tests for proper diagnosis. The test will give an informed insight into what’s going on in the person’s body system.
This is simply how the surgical room of success works. All major work is done inside the room before healing takes place. As human beings, we all need to continually visit the surgical room to not only examine ourselves, but also, to develop ourselves. Yes, we need the surgical room to develop not only ourselves, but our craft.
In this surgical room, we don’t need a battalion, no, we just need the right people with the right vision, mindset and attitude. People who share similar values and goals. People we hold in high esteem. In this room, we don’t need much voice, but a lot of silent meditation to aid in fashioning our craft. A much more clearer scenario is the case of a web designer, who works at the backend to fix a website. When he is done, the work is made public.
The same principle is applicable when a blogger is working on an article. During the process of writing the article, he is alone with his thoughts reading, researching, writing and editing, and when he is done, the article will be published.
This is simply how life works; we all need silence to go through our phases. During this stage, we don’t need to be there for everyone, just the important people in our life who understand the surgical seasons, experience, and experience we are going through.
Above all, a critical area that all progressive humans need to pay great attention to is the health and mind. Both of them play a critical role in taking anyone to the next level of life.
Let’s look at the surgical room from another perspective; without good health on your side, there’s little anyone can do. Without a good functioning mind, there’s little anyone can do. And without God on your side, one is literally helpless. That’s why it’s very important for people to take a cursory look into their lives to see where they are missing the dots.
To effectively do this, one will have to go to the surgical room to critically examine his health, profession, psyche finance, social and emotional output among others to see if there’s a leak anywhere. One may be wondering why this is important; the surgical room is where major surgeries are performed.
In the surgical room, only experts are allowed because mistakes are not allowed, no matter how insignificant. Only people with eye for details, listening ear and most importantly supportive hands are allowed in the surgical room.
In the journey of life, we all need the surgical room to move to the next stage. For the surgical room to be successful, one would need to subject his own personal life to surgical operation, and this entails seeking a place of solace for self examination and reevaluation. In this surgical room, one needs to practice the art of silence and meditation to hear the inner still voice speaking to them.
One of the reasons most people find it difficult to get to the next level of success is because they are surrounded by many dissenting voices, which are living rent-free in their minds. This voice makes it hard for them to hear properly. It should be noted that in the journey of life, nobody knows you more than you know yourself, therefore, it’s important for one to be conscious of what to avail themselves to. This is because if one allows everyone to rent a space in their head, confusion will set as numerous voices will speak simultaneously and incoherently.
Imagine, if you are the owner of a house, it will be difficult for anybody to tell you what to do because they know you have been able to figure out what you want, and this is simply how life works.
Therefore, the surgical room for success is silence and concentration. You speak less, and do more.
In one of my masterpieces, I shared the six pillars of success namely: family, health, finance, spirituality, vocation/career, and personal development. As human beings we must continually strive to attain these six pillars by reevaluating and reexamining our lives on a continuous basis, and to effectively do this, one needs to apply the surgical principle of silence.
Again, one might be wondering how the surgical room of silence works. Let’s imagine a case where God wants to talk to you, he won’t organise a conference call to talk to you, He will speak to you privately, and this can only be done where you are in his presence seeking him silently via meditating or either when one is praying and worshiping him, or one is listening to what he’s saying via meditation.
It’s worthy of note that in the surgical room of success, nobody will be there with you except the doctor and his team. Again, that’s simply how life works, you don’t need much crowd; you only need the right people. In some cases, you need to work alone because it’s better to have one trustworthy friend than one million fake friends.
In conclusion, for the surgical room of success to work efficiently and effectively, one needs to be silent for the operation because nobody, and I repeat, nobody will save you. One will have to purge himself of the toxic substances by way of detoxification to rejuvenate.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
There’s no doubt that everyone wants to make it big in life though it takes quite a lot to achieve that no matter the field. However, some have become famous by starting small, some others made it big with little effort, some made it with recommendations, while some made it big by the work they did, which was greatly appreciated by the universe.
On a personal note, when I published my first book Design Your Destiny, I was literally unknown in any space, but because the book was so good, it got lots of reviews and recommendations from New York City Schools (High Schools and College), government institutions, communities and resource persons. I was even interviewed several times by television stations, appeared on the New York Times and got invitations from the United Nations; all because of one book.
Ordinarily, one would have to write couple of books before trending as a celebrity author, but here I am getting recognition as a first time author. It should be noted however, that before I wrote the book, I have been sharing inspiring articles focused on human capacity development, with the mission of inspiring the younger generation on my personal blog.
In the journey of life, everyone is encouraged to start small if the means of starting big is unavailable. Not everyone will have the capacity and competence to start big; one would have to learn the ropes. That’s why I have always counseled anyone, who intends to make an impact in the society or the world in general. It’s always good to do what you can with what you have. Do not wait for the perfect time to strike because done is always better when best is not done.
Sometimes we want the dust to clear before we begin, but we fail to understand that the ship doesn’t wait for the storm to calm before it sails. Starting small entails learning the ropes of life that are applicable to one’s profession, vocation, academics, career, business, health or general existence.
It’s generally known that the journey of a thousand miles begins with one right step in the direct direction. So, to start small, one needs is to figure out what they really like, and have the courage to begin. The journey and process might not really be easy, but with the right amount of discipline, determination and consistency, a progressive mind will overcome the challenges.
In starting small, preparation is needed. When the needful is done, it’s only normal for the right opportunities that will make one big to manifest all things being equal.
Again, in starting small, failures, disappointments, setbacks, challenges and unforeseen events will definitely creep in, but one must not to give up because of the big picture. The imperfect nature of life explains why rooms must be created for mistakes, and subsequent corrections.
One of my mentors once told me, “done is better than perfect when perfect is not done”, meaning that it’s better to give your best no matter how bad it may appear to be. So don’t wait for the atmosphere to be set before you strike.
One of the advantages of failing first is that it will give you experience which can serve as a story in the near future. According to an author, Sonia Sotomayor, “success on its own is a reward, but failure is a great teacher too, and to be feared”.
As humans, it’s normal for one to always feel bad when they fail or make mistakes, but if we can think out of the box, there are many inspirations and lessons we can learn from the failures. Here is my moral advice: It’s good to fail fast.
According to Dr. Yomi Garnett, a Ghost Writer, “refuse to capitalize on your gains, anyone can do that. The important thing is to profit from your losses. That requires a certain degree of intelligence”. This statement corroborates with the statement of Sonia Sotomayor, which dwells on how failures can shape one if we learn from the lessons. So, Dr. Garnett is basically advising we gain more from our failures than our gains because not everyone can manage failure.
There have been scenarios where some people took their life because of the associated shame they will experience because of the stigma of their mistakes simply because they can’t deal with it. Let’s contrast the case with someone who has experienced success, the ecstasy will be over and beyond. Almost everyone can manage it unless people who allow success make them proud as opposed to being humble.
When we make it big, it’s only normal for friends and family to come around to celebrate success. The mistakes some friends and family make is to allow people who didn’t contribute to their success to take a greater chunk of their blessings more than the people who actually did the work. I’m not insinuating family and friends are bad, no. What I’m trying to say is that there should be balancing.
In my sojourn and experience of life, I have come to understand the importance of starting small, sometimes that’s the best thing to do because it will give a good background of the foundational theories and experience one needs when he gets to the top.
I have always told my mentees that I didn’t get to where I am by being stupid. This means I am very intentional at the way I live my life, and that translates to my business. I didn’t become a prolific and creative writer overnight, I didn’t become an author of two books overnight, I didn’t become a great public speaker overnight, nor did I become a good communicator overnight. I started small and overtime I began to learn from experienced people whose books I read, listened to their speeches and associated with them at close range. All these enabled me to grow in my space. This is one of the benefits of starting small. It will prepare you for the big task.
In conclusion, in whatever one desires to do, please consider starting small by doing the needful. By doing so, one will not have to explain the foundation of their wealth, experience and lifestyle that made them big.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
It is everybody’s desire to be successful in whatever field of endeavour he finds himself. It can be in career, family life, business endeavors or personal development. But there’s absolutely nothing good that comes easy. Everything in life involves a lot of hard work, smart work, dedication, discipline, network, sacrifice, prayers, and determination among a whole lot if one is intentional to succeed.
Of a truth, success is not for the faint-hearted. In all honesty, everyone wants to be ahead of everyone, especially contemporaries and funnily enough, the average human being sometimes have a bit of ill- feeling when competitors arise or seem to outsmart them either with better quality or price. The good thing about this however, is that it makes one sit up.
Now, this brings us to the essence of today’s article. For anyone to be ahead of their competitors, they must fly like the eagle. Eagles are known for their powerful build, sharp vision, and fearless nature. They are highflyers, capable of soaring to great heights, and gliding for extended periods. Eagles are also known for their tenacity, using storms to their advantage to gain altitude. Other notable characteristics include their strong talons and beaks, used for hunting, and their protective nature towards their young. These are some of the qualities that make it unique.
The eagle is not regarded as the king of the sky for fun, no. The eagle flies so high because that’s where it gets a chunk of its strength. This ability enables the eagle to take its prey and predators alike to it’s abode where it will have enough emotional and physical strength to dismantle them.
I will be sharing characteristics of an eagle to enable us know why we ought to be like the eagle if we want to soar.
VISION
The eagle has a sharp vision. Their vision is so precise. They can see farther than any animal. They possess exceptional eyesight, allowing them to spot prey from great distances. As human beings, we must have eagle eyes to know what we really want, and what we don’t want. Vision allows us to go for what we desire and deserve. When we have vision, we won’t wait for anyone to tell us when to strike. We flow through the wind despite the waves and heavy current and associated challenges. When our vision is precise, it will give people clarity to understand how they can assist us.
Let’s take a closer look at great leaders of this world who have come and gone. There are many great leaders that came and went but one characteristic that is common in all is “Vision”.
Vision is a successful leadership characteristic
You must have a vision that guides and leads your team towards the organizations or societal goals. The vision must be big and focused. A big, focused vision will produce big results
FLIGHT
Eagles are known for their ability to soar and glide, using their large wings to their advantage. Eagles can fly up to an altitude of 10,000 feet, but they are able to swiftly land on the ground. At 10, 000 feet, you will never find another bird. If you find another bird, it must be an eagle.
An eagle doesn’t mingle around with the pigeons. It was Dr. Myles Munroe who said that. Pigeons scavenge on the ground and grumble and complain all day long. Eagles are not. They fly and make less noise waiting for opportunities to strike their next prey or glide with the current of the storm.
Great leaders are problem solvers. They don’t complain like the pigeons do. They love to take challenges as the eagle does when the storm comes. As human beings, we all have our strengths and weaknesses.
It’s always good for one to take any fight to their home ground where it will give them advantage over their predators. For instance, a fish is stronger in water, but weak on land, a lion is stronger on land, but weak in water, a monkey is strong on trees but weak on air. Just like an eagle is strong on air and weak on water and land. That’s why it always takes its prey to the sky where they have greater advantage to shine.
As human beings, we also must know what we are naturally good at, the ability to know this will enable us to maximize our strength and work on our weakness. We can only do this when we know ourselves and what we are naturally good at. Our ability to focus on our expertise and what we are naturally good at will make us unique and ahead of our contemporaries.
TENACITY
The eagles are known for their ability to withstand storms and use them to their advantage, rising above the challenges. Watch an eagle when a storm comes. When other birds fly away from the storm with fear, an eagle spreads its mighty wings and uses the current to soar to greater heights. The eagle takes advantage of the very storm that lesser birds fear and head for cover.
Challenges in the life of a leader are many. These are the storms we must face as leaders to rise to greater heights. Like an eagle, a leader can only rise to greater heights if he takes up the challenges head on without running away from it. This is yet another leadership characteristic.
As humans, we all will experience challenges and setbacks, however, the ability to apply strength will go a long way to show how determined we are to overcome the hurdles that pose as challenges.
FEARLESS
An eagle will never surrender to the size or strength of its prey. It will always give a fight to win its prey or regain its territory.
Successful leaders are fearless, so we are expected to fear no man, but respect all men. They face problems head on. We are supposed to have the eagle fearless mindset regardless of how big the problem may appear. Confront your fear and rise or face your fear and run. The choice is yours.
VITALITY NATURE
One of the strongest characteristics of an eagle is their vitality. Eagles are full of life and are visionary, but they find time to look back at their life and re-energize themselves. This happens at about the age of 30. What happens is that when the eagles reach the age of 30, their physical body condition deteriorates fast making it difficult for them to survive.
What is interesting is that the eagle never gives up living, instead it retreats to a mountaintop and over a five-month period goes through a metamorphosis. As humans, we are expected to reexamine ourselves, retreat to a safe zone. We can do this by fasting as Christians, we can also do this by learning new skills, volunteering our time and seeking for mentors who can hold us by the hand to show us how the appearance of life is not the reality of life.
In conclusion, as human beings, we are encouraged to be like an eagle if we want to scale through life.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
