ASO ROCK WATCH: Managing military misadventure in Kaduna. Two other talking points

Last week, President Bola Tinubu, disclosed his intention to punish the military officers responsible for the bombing of Tudun Biri village in Kaduna State.

Two other stories within the presidency were analysed within the week under review.

1. Kaduna military misadventure

On December 7, Tinubu promised to deal with those responsible for the bombing in Kaduna State which saw no fewer than 85 people dead.

Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, made the promise after visiting the victims of the bombing at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital in the state to offer condolences for the sad event.

“All measures will be taken to ensure that future occurrences are averted. The government will go to the root of the issue and anyone found culpable will be punished accordingly,” he said.

Though the need for damage control was not out of place, its potency to assuage the feelings of affected families pales significantly in the face of serial blunders by government in the past.

The incident, however, exposes some gaps in the capacity of the military to take on certain missions, and highlights the need for the training, and re-training of the military in the country.

Indeed, the President’s promise presents him an opportunity to deal with credibility deficits, and this begins with ensuring that the probe of the incident is conducted independently, and transparently.

Two other talking points

2. Restoring peace in South-East

Shettima, on December 5, noted that the non-kinetic approach to settling unrest remains the best to ending the unrest in the South-East.

READ ALSO:ASO ROCK WATCH: Tinubu’s riot act for ministers. Two other talking points

The Vice President stated this when he received a delegation led by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“Unless we want to engage in an endless war of attrition, a non-kinetic solution to the crisis in the South East must be explored and deployed. The most atrocious of wars are at the end of the day sorted out on the negotiation table,” he said.

Shettima’s submission is a subtle admission that the use of force may not have helped in addressing the unrest in the South-East.

It points to the possibility of the Nigerian government heeding to the calls for dialogue as a viable option.

With previous administrations not showing a keen plan to rework strategies, it remains to be seen if the Tinubu administration is not playing to the gallery in a matter in which the leading pro-Biafra group will have to be de-proscribed for meaningful discussions to hold.

3. On the anger of citizens against government

On December 9, Shettima admitted that a majority of Nigerians were angry with government officials due to harsh economic realities in the country.

Shettima made the admission during a keynote address at the graduation ceremony of the Executive Intelligence Management Course 16 in Abuja.

“And you don’t need a soothsayer to tell you that the poor are angry with us,” the Vice President said.

The Vice President’s admission re-echoes the everyday frustrations that Nigerians face as they grapple with worsening economic crisis.

It points to the crisis of leadership, and raises immediate concerns over how the ruling class has failed woefully over the years to ensure responsible governance.

Shettima’s rhetorics, indeed, fail to significantly address mounting criticisms against the current administration, especially as it continues to be profligate in the management of resources while refusing to make sacrifices.

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