Gov. Muhammad Badaru of Jigawa has urged Nigerians to support the Nigerian Army in its bid to end insecurity, maintain peace and stability in the country.[b][/b]

Badaru made the call when the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, paid him a visit after inspecting the ongoing construction of the Army Barrack Phase I at Yar-Garba, a suburb of Dutse.

He noted that Nigerians should appreciate the Army for the selfless service and sacrifices leading to the successes recorded in various operations designed to address security challenges and restore peace in parts of the country.

Badaru said: “If we start blaming, blame games for politics or something else it looks as if we have forgotten where we come from.

“For us in Jigawa; we have appreciated massively the efforts of Nigerian Army in providing security in the country, given the circumstances in which the service is.

“We appreciate you and we will continue to pray for Allah’s guidance, because we knew we have achieved a lot in the area of the war against Boko Haram, if we would be fair and objective in our judgment.”

He recalled that Boko Haram insurgency had caused immeasurable damage and lost of lives in the past seven years across the north.

“For some of us who are active and moving around seven years back, we knew what Boko Haram have done to all our businesses, to all our lives.

“We all have clear memory for being afraid to go to markets for fear of being bombed. Remember those days when we hardly go to the mosque or gathered because of the fear of being bombed.

“That is from Maiduguri, Borno down to Abuja and from Sokoto down to Abuja.

“We remember those days that we have to spent hours in getting to a destination because of the regular checkpoints and being terrified even at the checkpoints not to be bored as you are waiting to be screened and pass.

“That memory we still remembered and looking at the situation now, we see very drastic change much less of talking about so many local governments liberated from the control of Boko Haram insurgents,” he said.

Badaru lauded the Army for the establishment of a Military Barrack and Command Secondary School in the state as well as effective response to farmers/pastoralists clash in Guri and Hadejia Local Government Areas.


While commending Buratai for the projects, Baduru pleaged state government” support to the Army to enable it address security challenges in the country.

Also speaking, Buratai said that he was on operational tour of units and formations under the 1 Division Nigerian Army, Kaduna, noting that the 3 Brigade falls within the Area of Responsibility of the division.

Buratai said that the state government had requested for the establishment of the Barracks in 2016, and the project was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He explained that the project came at a time when the Nigerian Army was in the process of reviewing its order of battle and the military authorities planned to set up a unit in Jigawa State.

“We have already commence the construction of the barrack and it is our intention to continue with the project so that the Battalion that will be coming here would be fully accommodated.

“You know the strategic location of the Jigawa State in terms of the counter insurgency operations in the North East, Jigawa State is one of the frontline states and it forms a buffer or sort of blocking position which our troops have been operating here to prevent the insurgents from spreading to other parts of the country.

“A lot of operations have taken place in the past in terms of insurgency and so many arrests have been made in some towns here in Jigawa State.

“We are happy that people cooperated very well that have made the security situation much suitable. We will continue to do our best to ensure that the country is well secured,” the COAS said.

Accordingto him, the project is still at initial stage with few blocks, water and electricity.

The Army Chief sought for state government support interms of residential and office accommodation and road networks to facilitate successful completion of the project.

“Together we work closely to ensure that our country is protected from external aggression, internal disruption and the general insecurity in some parts of the country is curtailed and prevent the occurrence in those areas that are relatively peaceful.”

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Barrack project with total land mass of nine kilometre was proposed by Badaru in 2016 during the Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference in Dutse.

Gov. Muhammad Badaru of Jigawa has urged Nigerians to support the Nigerian Army in its bid to end insecurity, maintain peace and stability in the country.[b][/b]

Badaru made the call when the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, paid him a visit after inspecting the ongoing construction of the Army Barrack Phase I at Yar-Garba, a suburb of Dutse.

He noted that Nigerians should appreciate the Army for the selfless service and sacrifices leading to the successes recorded in various operations designed to address security challenges and restore peace in parts of the country.

Badaru said: “If we start blaming, blame games for politics or something else it looks as if we have forgotten where we come from.

“For us in Jigawa; we have appreciated massively the efforts of Nigerian Army in providing security in the country, given the circumstances in which the service is.

“We appreciate you and we will continue to pray for Allah’s guidance, because we knew we have achieved a lot in the area of the war against Boko Haram, if we would be fair and objective in our judgment.”

He recalled that Boko Haram insurgency had caused immeasurable damage and lost of lives in the past seven years across the north.

“For some of us who are active and moving around seven years back, we knew what Boko Haram have done to all our businesses, to all our lives.

“We all have clear memory for being afraid to go to markets for fear of being bombed. Remember those days when we hardly go to the mosque or gathered because of the fear of being bombed.

“That is from Maiduguri, Borno down to Abuja and from Sokoto down to Abuja.

“We remember those days that we have to spent hours in getting to a destination because of the regular checkpoints and being terrified even at the checkpoints not to be bored as you are waiting to be screened and pass.

“That memory we still remembered and looking at the situation now, we see very drastic change much less of talking about so many local governments liberated from the control of Boko Haram insurgents,” he said.

Badaru lauded the Army for the establishment of a Military Barrack and Command Secondary School in the state as well as effective response to farmers/pastoralists clash in Guri and Hadejia Local Government Areas.


While commending Buratai for the projects, Baduru pleaged state government” support to the Army to enable it address security challenges in the country.

Also speaking, Buratai said that he was on operational tour of units and formations under the 1 Division Nigerian Army, Kaduna, noting that the 3 Brigade falls within the Area of Responsibility of the division.

Buratai said that the state government had requested for the establishment of the Barracks in 2016, and the project was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He explained that the project came at a time when the Nigerian Army was in the process of reviewing its order of battle and the military authorities planned to set up a unit in Jigawa State.

“We have already commence the construction of the barrack and it is our intention to continue with the project so that the Battalion that will be coming here would be fully accommodated.

“You know the strategic location of the Jigawa State in terms of the counter insurgency operations in the North East, Jigawa State is one of the frontline states and it forms a buffer or sort of blocking position which our troops have been operating here to prevent the insurgents from spreading to other parts of the country.

“A lot of operations have taken place in the past in terms of insurgency and so many arrests have been made in some towns here in Jigawa State.

“We are happy that people cooperated very well that have made the security situation much suitable. We will continue to do our best to ensure that the country is well secured,” the COAS said.

Accordingto him, the project is still at initial stage with few blocks, water and electricity.

The Army Chief sought for state government support interms of residential and office accommodation and road networks to facilitate successful completion of the project.

“Together we work closely to ensure that our country is protected from external aggression, internal disruption and the general insecurity in some parts of the country is curtailed and prevent the occurrence in those areas that are relatively peaceful.”

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Barrack project with total land mass of nine kilometre was proposed by Badaru in 2016 during the Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference in Dutse.

PSG eye first UCL triumph but Bayern stand in their way.[b][/b]
Sunday's historic Uefa Champions League final in Lisbon will be the first played behind closed doors and could also see the Paris Saint-Germain of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe win the trophy for the first time, but a Bayern Munich side led by the prolific Robert Lewandowski block their path.

It is a mouthwatering showdown between two of Europe's super-clubs, with PSG eager to cap their rise in the last decade under Qatari ownership and Bayern hoping to lift the trophy for the sixth time.

Such an occasion deserves to be played in front of a full stadium, but the cavernous, 65 000-seat Estadio da Luz will be empty.

No fans are allowed in, as has been the case throughout this unprecedented 'Final Eight' tournament in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

"It is true that it will be odd to play behind closed doors. We would have liked to have our supporters there but I know they are supporting us where they are. But this is still the Champions League," said Mbappe on Saturday during a virtual press conference.

The competition was suspended for five months before finally resuming earlier in August, with two-legged ties done away with in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

"You still feel all the tension. Everyone wants to win it, especially with this unusual format. Everyone will remember this for a long time because of the tragic events surrounding it," Mbappe added.

While the atmosphere in the ground will be surreal for the few hundred allowed to attend, the match promises to be fascinating, pitting together two teams whose domestic dominance is almost total and who were both comfortable winners in the semifinals.

'GO DOWN IN HISTORY'

PSG sealed their place in their first Champions League final by beating RB Leipzig 3-0.

They are the first French representative to get this far since Monaco in 2004 and can become just the second team from Ligue 1 to win European club football's biggest prize, after Marseille in 1993.

"This is exactly why I came here. I always said that I wanted to go down in my country's history. (This) is another chance to do that," said Mbappe.

If PSG represent the nouveau riche, Bayern are one of the continent's traditional giants. This is their 11th final.

The last of their five victories came in 2013. Four starters from that 2-1 final win over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley – goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, David Alaba and Thomas Mueller – could play here, although Boateng is a doubt with a hamstring injury.

When, in 1974, Bayern won their first European Cup, a young PSG outfit were only just winning promotion to France's top flight.

Leaving aside their storied past, Bayern appear the most formidable team in Europe just now.

Their 3-0 semifinal win over Lyon was their 20th consecutive victory. They are unbeaten in 29 matches since December last year under coach Hansi Flick.

They have already pocketed a German league and cup double, with the Bundesliga title their eighth in a row.

They have won all 10 matches in the Champions League this season, scoring 42 goals, including a 7-2 win at Tottenham Hotspur and the 8-2 quarterfinal demolition of Barcelona.

BAYERN’S 'SMALL ADVANTAGE'

Lewandowski has 55 goals this season. But he is more than ably supported.

Bayern take the risk of playing with a dangerously high defensive line. Yet it remains to be seen if they can afford to take that risk against PSG's attack of Neymar, Mbappe and Angel Di Maria.

"We've always played with a high line and ultimately we've got results doing that so we won't change too much," Flick insisted.

The French champions, under German coach Thomas Tuchel, have themselves lost once since November 1, last year, and they overturned that 2-1 reverse in Dortmund in the last 16 by winning the return leg.

"It is a small advantage for Bayern that they are used as a club to playing these games. I accept that, but it is not a decisive advantage," said Tuchel.

Neymar is in fine form and Mbappe has recovered from an ankle injury, while Tuchel was optimistic playmaker Marco Verratti would start after a calf problem.

However, there remains a doubt over goalkeeper Keylor Navas, three times a Champions League winner with Real Madrid, after he missed the semi final

UCL qualifier cancelled after positive Covid-19 tests[b][/b]
Slovan Bratislava © Gallo Images
Slovan Bratislava's Champions League qualification tie against Faroe Islands side KI Klaksvik has been cancelled after a player from the Slovakian club tested positive for Covid-19, European soccer's governing body Uefa said on Saturday.

The match was initially scheduled for August 19 but postponed to August 21 after a member of Bratislava's delegation had returned a positive test, prompting local authorities to quarantine the entire team.

Bratislava were required to provide a list of additional players who had tested negative and were eligible to play.

However, a player from the second group returned two positive test results in consecutive days, forcing the entire group to be placed into quarantine, Uefa confirmed in a statement.

"The rescheduled match could not be played and the matter will now be submitted to the Uefa Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body, for a decision to be taken in accordance with Annex I," Uefa said.

Earlier this month, Kosovan side KF Drita's Champions League preliminary round tie against Northern Irish club Linfield was cancelled after two players tested positive.

FC Prishtina, also from Kosovo, opted to sign players on loan from rival teams for one match to contest a Europa League qualifier away to Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar after eight of their players had returned positive tests.

Polish club Legia Warsaw, who face Cypriot side Omonia next Wednesday in the second qualifying round, also reported a second person testing positive for Covid-19.

"We would like to inform you that as a result of the RT-PCR test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus carried out on August 21, one of the players of the first team obtained a positive result," the club said, without naming anyone.

The club said the player had been in isolation since Aug 18 and had tested negative for the virus on August 19.

Previously Legia announced on August 17 that one person had tested positive, two days before their game against Linfield.

Uefa rules say that matches can go ahead provided that local authorities do not require a large group of players or the entire team to go into quarantine.

One person has reportedly died at Samamiya village, with several houses and farmlands submerged in Baaldu, Malamawan Gangaran village, of Birnin Kudu Local Government Area of Jigawa State, following a torrential rainfall that flooded the area.

The flood victim, identified as Yabani, a middle-aged father of two, was said to have been swept away by floodwaters while on a visit to his farm.

The flooding, which followed weeks of torrential rains, has rendered several people homeless at Malamawan Gangaran village after their mud houses were affected and later collapsed from the days of rainfall.

Farmlands in Babaldu were also destroyed by the ‎uncontrolled flood that overran embarkments put up by the residents of the village.

At Malamawa Gangaran village, an estimated 150 households have reportedly been destroyed.

A resident of the area Ali Muhammad said the area has never experienced such disaster since August 2007 when a similar flood swept away houses and farmlands.

He said this year’s flooding is the worst they’ve experienced in the area.

The Chairman of Birnin Kudu council area, Alhaji Wada Faka,‎ told our reporter that the council is assessing the disaster caused by the flood, while assuring that all necessary support would be extended to the victims.

Mr Faka said that victims have been advised to seek for shelter with neighbours and relatives unaffected by the devastation for the time being.

SOUTHERN KADUNA: THE SULE LAMIDO SOLUTION

When Sule Lamido was the governor of Jigawa State, he provided a permanent, feasible and win-win solution to the herdsmen/farmers Crisis.

The crisis in southern Kaduna is as old as the state. The Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai said that incessant killings in the southern part of the state was caused by “cycle of attacks, revenge and reprisals.” The federal government, on the other hand, said that “from available security records, the problem in Southern Kaduna is an evil combination of politically-motivated banditry, revenge killings and mutual violence by criminal gangs acting on ethnic and religious grounds.”

A report published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in March 2017, stated that “The escalation Southern Kaduna crisis is traceable to a series of confrontations over property rights as well as the right to express and practice deeply held religious beliefs in 1981. In that year, a land dispute between Hausa traders and residents of Adara in Kachia local government area led to violent clashes which left at least a hundred homes destroyed. In 1986, a contest over the district headship of Lere in Lere LGA, when some locals were opposed to the candidature of a Muslim contestant, resulted in renewed violence. Fighting in the aftermath of a closely fought election among rival religious factions at the Ahmadu Bello University left at least 107 persons injured in Zaria. In 1992, a market relocation sparked two riots in Zangon Kataf which claimed thousands of lives. This figure has never been verified. Further ethno-religious confrontations in Kaduna North LGA which spread to Kafanchan and other towns resulted in an unspecified number of victims on the eve of Nigeria’s return to democratic rule. Protests in the wake of the state’s decision in 2000 to impose Sharia rule resulted in violence in Kaduna, Gwantu and Fadan Kagoma. The Nigeria’s hosting of the Miss World Beauty Paegent in 2002 led to protests by Muslims across Northern Nigeria. Violence in parts of Kaduna, and perhaps most infamously, politically-motivated violence in Zaria, Kaduna, Zonkwa and Kafanchan in the wake of the 2011 presidential election led to the burning of churches, mosques, homes, the Kafanchan market, and a heavy death toll. In that year, there were at least 13 separate reports of ethno-religious clashes in the state. Since 2010, there has been a steadily increasing number of violent clashes between the various groups in Kaduna”

Just like the herdsmen/farmers conflict, the southern Kaduna crisis is both an economic and environmental problem, but some politicians and few gullible Nigerians have turned it to a political one. At this moment, the crisis requires both political and socio-economic solutions. Due to demographic changes and other factors like cattle rustling, overgrazing and expanding human and cattle population, the Southern Kaduna crisis, like the herdsmen/farmers conflict, is now purely a resource war – land and access to it molded in ethno-religious form.

The Kaduna State government and indeed other states governments should copy and remodel what former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido did, but in a manner that suit each states’ peculiarities. In most parts of Jigawa State, the then government established demarcated grazing reserves, cattle routes and water pumping windmills for herdsmen to freely nosh their herds. The grazing land is also watered frequently by the water pumping windmills for grasses to grow even during dry seasons. On the other hand, the farmers were provided with a large expanse of farmland to cultivate crops. One beauty of this is; the farmlands have a dual function- they have on them facilities for dry season farming. This dual solution, apart from promoting peaceful co-existence between farmers and herdsmen, enhances local community security, safety and development.

Another advantage of this is most of the herdsmen will not unnecessarily wander around in search of pasture and water because the windmills provide drinking water for their own use as well as for their large livestock. The multi-bladed wind pumps constantly pump water which continually irrigates the large area of the land on which lush grasses grow even during dry seasons. And finally, both herdsmen and farmers feel ownership of the land. It is disheartening that ‘novel- solution’ in Jigawa State was not sustained nor expanded upon by the current government. In fact, Jigawa needs young, urbane, a distruptor and a technocrat as governor. People like former foreign affairs minister Dr. Nuruddeen Muhammad and Mustapha Sule Lamido should resuscitate such a solution to the national problem.

The Kaduna State government should adopt such a permanent, feasible and win-win solution- by taking into consideration factors like economy, land, faith, tongue and history.