Uncategorized
TINUBU’S RUNNING MATE: FLYING THE WINGLESS KITE.
By: Inuwa Bwala
inuwabwala3@gmail.com
It is quite amusing reading or listening to people discussing about the possibility of a change in the trajectory of the APC presidential ticket to the effect that Kashim Shettima will be substituted as President Tinubu’s running mate in 2027.
Even when there is nothing practically on the ground to suggest such a possibility, the issue has become a recurring decimal in political discourse.
But by now, every discerning mind could tell that, it is one kite that has consistently refused to fly.
Those who could see through the game, have naintained that, announcing Shettima as the Presudent’s running mate is not a question of of ‘if”, but “when”, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will name Kashim Shettima, and the arm chair speculators will be silenced.
At the risk of sounding too confident, I dare say, that, Kashim Shettima posseses a rare and one of the most intimidating economic and technocratic profiles in Nigeria’s records of Vice President’s office holders.
He’s a banker/agric economist by training, before he ventured into politics. Shettima worked in Zenith Bank and served as Commissioner for Finance, Agriculture and Local Government Affairs.
Under the current Tinubu government he chairs the National Economic Council and leads committees on food security, flood response, and digital economy. For a president selling economic reforms and seeking investor confidence, having Shettima who can speak the language of national and international econimic relations and agribusiness investors is a plus.
It balances Tinubu’s political street-cred with technocratic balancing.
It is not a secreret, that, in the history of President/Vice President relationships, Kashim Shettima keeps the lowest controversy, backed with high loyalty.
History places it on record that, the much reported Obasanjo/Atiku rift between 2003-2007, was part of what weakened PDP’s second term outing. President Tinubu is certainly not prepared to gamble with a similar scenario.
Since 2023, Shettima has avoided headlines, power tussles, or parallel structures, rather, he defends government policies publicly, doesn’t leak, and stays in his lane.
In “godfather politics”, loyalty is currency, and the experiences with some governors and their predecessors and attrndant threats to their own 2027 ambitions, presents a very lesson to learn from.
Shettima being a good student of politics: a “spare tyre that won’t puncture”, always acknowledges his boss at every outing.
Besides his personal qyalities, Kashim Shettima is a bridge to North, and owns the North-East narrative. He’s the most senior APC voice from a zone devastated by insurgency. That gives him moral authority on security, humanitarian relief, and rebuilding. As VP, he chairs committees on police reform and IDP resettlement. For 2027, Tinubu can campaign with “we didn’t abandon the North-East” – and Shettima is the living proof.
Other Vice Presidential options from North-West or North-Central don’t carry that same post-conflict legitimacy. Internationally, Shettima has been Tinubu’s envoy to AU, ECOWAS, and climate summits, which shields the President and saves his time.
A Vice President who can effectively chair NEC meetings and represent Nigeria abroad without drama is valuable when the President is enggaged with other state natters.
Mr President knows, that removing Shettima from the equation could be a precursor for crisis, as finding a replacement with the requisite economic technocratic experiance, and a loyal team player and a bridge builder could be herculean.
Kashim Shettima perfectly fits into President Tinubu’s second term permutations.
Uncategorized
Kwara: Security Team Kills Two Bandits, Rescues Two Kidnap Victims
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
A security team, comprising operatives of DSS and forest guards, has rescued two victims of abduction in a forest between Oba Isin/Owa Onire area of isin and Ifelodun Local Government Areas of Kwara State.
The rescued victims are 16-year-old Fatima Azeez and Ibrahim Azeez who is five-year old.
The team also eliminated two armed bandits, while others escaped with severe injuries as the security forces stormed their hideouts, according to a report by DSS and local authorities.
The security team also recovered several items from the kidnappers, including one Ak-47 rifle; one single barrel; one fully loaded magazine with nine empty; mini-solar panel; and food items.
The rescue operation is connected to the multi-agency counterterrorism and anti-kidnapping efforts of the government.
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Kwara: Police Launch Investigations Into Killing Of Farmer On Farmland
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The Kwara State Police Command has commenced full-scale investigations into the killing of a farmer, Mr Azeez Garba, whose body was discovered on his farmland along the Owa-Onire axis, the boundary between Isanlu-Isin and Owu-Isin in Isin Local Government Area of the State.
The Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, described the murder as “cruel, senseless and unacceptable,” and directed the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to intensify efforts to identify and arrest those behind the attack.
According to the police, preliminary investigations showed that the deceased left home for his farm in the morning but did not return, prompting his family members and local vigilantes to organise a search.
The search party reportedly found his motorcycle parked on the farmland before discovering his lifeless body a short distance away. Police said the victim had sustained deep machete cuts.
Reacting to the incident, CP Adekimi ordered investigators to deploy all available intelligence and investigative resources to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing.
“The killing is cruel, senseless and unacceptable,” the commissioner of Police said, assuring residents that the command would leave no stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Although no suspect had been arrested as of Monday, the command said all available leads were being diligently pursued.
The police also assured the bereaved family, the people of Isin Local Government Area and the general public that investigators were working tirelessly to track down everyone connected with the crime.
“The Kwara State Police Command remains unwavering in its commitment to safeguarding lives and property across the state and will not relent until every person responsible for this reprehensible act is brought before the law,” the statement added.
The statement was signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police.
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Kwara: Joint Security Team Arrests Alleged Cultist, Recovers Firearm
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
A coordinated security operation involving the Kwara State Police Command, other security agencies and the Kwara State Polytechnic Security Unit has led to the arrest of a suspected cultist, Agboola Olamilekan, with a locally fabricated pistol recovered from him in Ilorin.
The operation, carried out as part of ongoing efforts to combat cultism and violent crimes across the state, was described by the police as another breakthrough in intelligence-driven policing aimed at dismantling criminal networks and reducing the circulation of illegal firearms.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, in a statement issued on Wednesday on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, said the suspect was apprehended during the joint operation while in possession of the firearm.
According to the statement, the operation is part of the Command’s sustained strategy to disrupt cult-related activities and deny criminal elements the opportunity to operate within the state.
Commenting on the development, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ojo Adekimi, reaffirmed the Command’s determination to intensify the fight against cultism and other violent crimes.
“Every successful operation represents another step towards dismantling criminal networks and enhancing public safety across the state through proactive and intelligence-led policing,” the commissioner said.
The police disclosed that investigations are ongoing to identify and arrest other suspected members of the criminal network linked to the suspect.
The Command added that it remains committed to advancing the policing vision of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, through intelligence-led policing, strategic collaboration with relevant stakeholders and sustained operations aimed at ensuring that those responsible for threatening the peace and security of Kwara State are brought to justice.
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