Navy Base In Kano: Another Petty, Clannish Politics Taken Too Far

The establishment of a Navy Base in landlocked Kano, has no justification under any guise no matter the level of propaganda hyped to promote it.

The reality of it demonstrates to what extent President Buhari-led Federal administration places clannishness and petty politics above fairness, equity and justice in the distribution of the nation’s resources.

Gov. Ganduje & Naval Chief, Gambo must from their own pockets pay for the building, maintenance and staff salaries for the misplaced Navy Base approved in desert state of Kano.

No matter the level of technical jargons employed in marketing it, there can never be any justification for the recent Federal Government clannish establishment of a Navy Base in landlocked Kano state.

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The move by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo and the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje who were chief lobbyist for the military misconduct is not only indefensible, it’s most inciting and demonstrates again why the President Muhammadu Buhari leadership is one of the most disposed to divisive governance that is tearing the country apart.

As highlighted by the Naval Chief in announcing the development, the main motivation for declaring a Navy Base established in Kano was because Ganduje requested for it. When has a petty governor’s request become the priority for establishment of sensitive military structures in Nigeria? The Governor says a Navy Base in Kano would strengthen security of the state considered as the economic nerve of Northern Nigeria and West Africa, in what sense?

Does Ganduje’s Kano have viable marine resources and investments that the navy desperately needs to protect? Or does the Governor want to turn the navy to foot soldiers to join the army and other security operatives in chasing bandits on lands whereas the navy are strategically fitted to secure marine environment?

So, establishing military institutions have become so cheap that a Naval Chief could just pander to a Governor’s unjustified request to create a base.

Vice-Admiral Gambo must ensure that the Kano State Government whose request does not only provide the land, Ganduje must equally buy the war ships, construct river/deep sea, build the offices, living quarters, everything needed to establish the Kano Base of the Navy, including salaries of those to officers and ratings posted there.

The navy is funded by the nation’s commonwealth. That commonwealth is supposed to be used judiciously for the good of all in the atmosphere of fairness, equity, prudence, integrity and for maximum benefits. The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) must not fund a politicized establishment of a Navy Base in a desert state.

Ganduje allocated 100 hectares of land for the new Naval Base in the Kano state, and so what, of what benefit? How much of that vast land is fit for navy warships and boats to sail? NNS which is affixed to any Naval Base means Nigeria Navy Ship (NNS) in relations to a key marine feature.

So which NNS will it be for Kano; NNS Ganduje. What clannish pettiness is this? A naval base requested by a Northern Governor, approved by a Northern Naval Chief to be Commanded by a Northern Commander.

Nigeria Navy has no business establishing a base in landlocked Kano. What will they use to navigate Kano? When has Kano become a maritime city? Of what benefit for Kano in running a Navy base there?

Naval Chief Gambo, by playing politics with the military has demonstrated that he isn’t occupying that office on merit but on Buhari’s alleged clannish disposition. Tribalism and nepotism have blinded Nigerian public office holders under the current dispensation.

They take unintelligible and senseless decisions that will not create any value, but only provokes incitement and divisiveness. The North has all the most strategic military establishments, especially in Kaduna and they’re never satisfied.

It hasn’t been this bad, the setbacks the nation currently suffer under this Federal administration.

Zik Gbemre.
September 7, 2021