The Periscope Reporter
* It was only in September and early October that we handed the goods over to the various state governments and FCT. It’s therefore a fallacy that the State Governments or Dangote have hoarded those foodstuffs – CACOVID
* NO item looted in the Yola warehouse belongs to the FG but the CACOVID donated and food items procured by the State Government to manage emergencies
* Fintiri led Government has opened it’s warehouse four times and shared food items bought by the State and the ones supplied by FG to cushion the effect of the various lockdown eras in all the 21 Local Government Areas of the State through ADSEMA
* Adding political colour to an outright condemnable banditry in saner climes does no good to any patriotic citizen of Adamawa state
* Throughout the distribution of the palliatives by the Fintiri led government, no grain was found in the market diverted for sale by any public officer
* It isn’t just the failure of government, it is our collective failure and we must all resolve to reverse it lest it consumes us
* It’s OK to politic, It’s fine to oppose politically but it’s undemocratic reducing issues around national security to partisanship – Commissioner
* Significant amount of misinformation are trending on SM. We must be discerning and probing hence we join the fifth columnists in pushing our dear country on to the road to Kigali – CACOVID
#EndSARS protest was suppressed by the strategic thinking youths in Adamawa, lest it degenerated into riots for anarchy. However, the strategic thinking youths would not stop the vandalisation and looting of government silos, storehouses and warehouses.
Some people considered, in nominal or compound name as “Hoodlums” yesterday, vandalised Sangere government silos and state co-operative society storehouse in Bakin Kogi to loot food commodities.
Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa state declared a 24 hour curfew with a view cushion the criminality from extending to people’s properties, prevent further death casualties resulting from stampede and to restore law, order and normalcy to the community.
Before the looting, metaphorically desecrating the Sunday devotion, clerics, Imam in their Friday qutba (sermons) took to discouraging protest against constituted authority to be resulted to riot, vandalisation and looting, the composites of all is summed as anarchy. The clerics’ calls were unfortunately, not to be hearkened to.
The indefinite curfew, banning vehicular movements declared, was to take effect from 3pm yesterday Sunday.
The Fintiri declared curfew, just like in other states, was defied for the looting free as hoodlums took over the streets, vandalising not only the public but also private properties that are close to their target spots. It has been the experience throughout the night, spilling over to today.
The hoodlums claimed that they did not break but have only found the Sangere silos and the state co-operative storehouse opened when they were invited to feast on the food commodities. They would however not tell who opened the storehouses for them to loot.
The following is the list of government and private properties vandalised and looted from yesterday:
– Custom office
– Road Safety office
– Primary Health Care Development Agency
– NEMA office along Airport road
– Covid-19 Isolation Centre at Kofare
– North-East Commodity Association (NECAS) office, Kofare; Tractors among other items carted away
– A warehouse at Demsawo
– Warehouses along Nyako Quarters
– Dr. ABDULLAHI Dauda Belel’s workshop, the hoodlums would have avail themselves for the skills acquisition training instead of looking
– All warehouses – public or private – after Roundabout maidoki that is not guarded by soldiers or close to Air Force.
– Warehouse behind Zenith Bank, Jimeta Market
– Warehouse along Bakin Kogi
– Warehouse close to Mayanka
– Upper Benue, Yola
– Adamawa Agricultural Development Programme AADP, Yola town completely vandalised, properties carted away yesterday in the night.
– Local Government Education Authority, Yola South.
– Red Cross office opposite FMC Yola
– Warehouse at Aliyu Mustafa College, Yola
Contributing to the conversation, the Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Dr. Umar Garba Pella, said that it would be uncritical to think that
“The attempt to add political colour to an outright banditry that should be condemned in saner climes, does no any patriotic citizen of Adamawa any good.
“Today, the hoodlums have succeeded in breaking into Government warehouses with all the security apparatus around it, what makes us all think, tomorrow, their next destination would not be the markets and even our homes?” The Hon Commissioner asked.
Below is the full text of his peace with the title:
Putting The Yola Warehouse Break Into Proper Perspective
1. Government warehouses in Yola were broken by hoodlums on the 25th-October, 2020. The incidence is alien to our collective civilised culture. As ugly as it is, the incidence doesn’t truly define who we are as a people.
2. Political jobbers are falling over each other, using the internet superhighway, to hijack and manipulate the narrative to not only hit at the popular Fintiri administration but to unleash outright anarchy unto the entire state.
3. For the records, NO item looted in the Yola warehouse belongs to the Federal Government of Nigeria. The looted items were:
i. the food items procured by the State Government to manage emergencies.
We are a conflict-prone zone, grappling with perennial communal clashes, farmer-herder conflict and activities of the dreaded Bokoharam.
These conflicts often leave us with internal casualties to fend for in terms of emergency shelter and feeding before any support comes our ways.
As a responsible Government, we make adequate preparations for such emergencies, hence, the decision to always have a substantial stock all the time in our vaults.
ii. the other stock of items are the ones provided by CACOVID.
CACOVID is coalition against COVID. It is a purely private sector driven support to cushion the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the citizens, led by Aliko Dangote.
The delivery of this support is done in phases. Adamawa State is still receiving delivery. The State Government has not received the entire stock and awaiting the remaining before it commissions distribution.
4. At the peak of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the State Government has opened it’s warehouse four times to cushion the effect of the various lockdown eras.
The State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri did commission the distribution of palliatives bought by the State and the ones supplied by the Federal Government to cushion the effect of the various lockdown eras on the vulnerable families in all the 21 Local Government Areas of the State through ADSEMA.
5. The attempt to add political colour to an outright banditry that should be condemned in saner climes, does no any patriotic citizen of Adamawa any good.
Today, the hoodlums have succeeded in breaking into Government warehouses with all the security apparatus around it, what make us all think, tomorrow, their next destination will not be the markets and even our homes?
6. The posers are many, but more fundamental is the fact that No Government would steal food items belonging to the people and keep in public warehouses.
Equally important is the fact that throughout the distribution regime, no grain was found in the market, diverted for sale by any public officer of the Fintiri administration like it was done in the recent past.
7. The uprising is a spectre that is hunting the nation. Like every other part of the country, Adamawa State has just experienced its fair dose. It has nothing to do with the personality or style of Governance of the ATM Governor. If there should be anything to say, it is to thank him for always having the people at heart and the ingenuity to plan for emergencies ahead.
8. This isn’t just the failure of Government, it is our collective failure and we must all resolve to reverse it before it consumes us.
9. It’s OK to politic. It is fine to oppose politically. These indeed are the hallmarks of every genuine democracy. But on no account shall anybody reduce issues around national security to partisanship. To politic with this, is opposition going awry.
Dr Umar Garba Pella FIBDFM, is a Fellow member Instute of Business Diplomacy and Financial Management.
The piece credited to Dr Sola Adeduntan, MD/CEO First Bank that went viral via social media has credited Pella’s piece. it reads:
“Good afternoon Sigma Chief, Old Chiefs and Loyalists. As a no of Sigmites may be aware of, I sit on the Steering Committee of the Private Sector Coalition Against Covid 19 christened CaCovid.
“The other members of the SC are:
1. Aliko Dangote
2. John Coumatorous
3. Jim Ovia
4. Tony Elumelu
5. Abdulsamad Rabiu
6. Segun Agbaje
7. Herbert Wigwe
8. Godwin Emefiele (CBN Governor).
“We set up the coalition to pull resources together to support the Government to combat Covid 19 pandemic.
“Having successfully provided health facilities, diagnostic kits and medications to all the states and Abuja, we realised that the pandemic has destroyed the economic power (whatever that was worth pre Covid) of most Nigerians.
“We decided to provide food to 1.7m most vulnerable families across the country and we put a substantial resources behind the initiative.
“The food items we intend to purchase included rice, pasta, noodles, gari, sugar and salt, etc.
“The challenge was how to purchase those items worth about N15bn without driving inflation. We had to contract this out to various manufacturers and that took time for them to deliver the goods to us.
“It was only in September and early October that we handed the goods over to the various state governments and FCT. It’s therefore a fallacy that the State Governments or Dangote have hoarded those foodstuffs.
“As Sigmites it is important that we interrogate information received thoroughly before we share or comment on such information.
“Significant amount of misinformation are trending on SM. We must be discerning and probing hence we join the fifth columnists in pushing our dear country on to the road to Kigali. I sincerely pray not.”