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As a security-cum-crime reporter with the defunct National Concord newspaper, meeting the chairman of the newspaper organisation was always an experience and a refreshing time. Such an experience culminated in my first book, “Proverbs of MKO Abiola,” which was the idea of former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Turaki of Adamawa, whom l served as a media consultant. According to Abiola, “You cannot sit at a place to conclude that a man’s mouth is smelling until you personally get closer to him and find out if truly his mouth is smelling or not,”
My meeting with the Chief of Army Staff, ( COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai came as a pleasant surprise. From the gate of the Army headquarters in Abuja, my name was already dropped as a special guest of the COAS.
As a crime journalist, unique opportunities had come my way to meet with security chiefs and top leaders in the country, but this special meeting would surely mean a lot to any security journalist, even though the notice was brief, like a security signal, stressing only the day and time of the meeting. ln the course of my journalism career, l have been privileged to stand before the movers and shakers of security in and outside the country. This man Buratai has struck me differently in many areas. Before stepping into the building, old memories of the military started surging into my mind. For instance, l had through out my active days as a security journalist witnessed soldiers acting like brutes, exhibiting heartless behaviours.
As a young man, l read about the sacking of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s house in Lagos that led to the unfortunate death of his mother, Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti. Even as one grew up, there were still traces of the erratic behaviours of some soldiers in my mind. With all these memories, my heart was very heavy as l was escorted to the last point for checks, where my bio-metrics were recorded. I saw soldiers very happy at their places of assignment. They almost bored me with greetings. “Good morning, sir,” was the resonating line of their greetings. l was ushered into an elevator to the last floor where the office of the COAS was situated, and, once again, there were a few interactions that helped to change my earlier impression of the ordinary soldier. Few minutes’ wait and the military assistant to the COAS, a colonel and the newly-promoted, active and media-friendly Army spokesman Brig-Gen. SK Sanni, ushered me into a king-size office that was modestly furnished.
There he sat, the soldier call Buratai, the man in whom President Muhammadu Buhari is well pleased. A man of few words, with a lion’s heart, skilful as a spider, articulate and swift like a kite. He stood up to welcome me and shook my hand. The hand l shook could not be said to be that of a soldier. And l asked myself, are soldiers not supposed to be strong and their palms hard as a stone? Why is his hand not too soft and not too hard? I got the answer later. Most journalists are talkative; l told him what l did not like about the military and also commended him for a job well done, especially the decimation of the Boko Haram sect. l told him that he looked too gentle and humble to be a soldier. Even as l was speaking courageously, inside me, l knew, the man l was talking to was a “dangerous man.”
He was very economical with words but fixed his gaze on me like a lion ready to pounce on its prey. As l spoke, his media man was there jotting down notes while the photographer stood at attention like a robot. Buratai was a good listener. He waited for me to finish talking before venturing to respond. No wonder many soldiers l asked about him described him in glowing terms. He thanked me and appreciated my courage in security reporting and within 30 minutes we stood closer to each another to take photographs. A hand shake and he humbly saw me off to his door.
My impression of him was more comprehensive but I was enveloped in deep thought on who the man Buratai really was. Not until my trip to Sambisa forest, Borno State, where l had the opportunity to meet him again was l further impressed with his personality.
When you see a leader, even the heavens themselves approves of the sterling qualities he possesses.
Leaders are known to show the way to reform and every of their steps helps in changing their followers and sets a new agenda. Record shows that Buratai was the first military leader to move all the top echelon of the military to the warfront to spend their Christmas with the troops.
He created a niche many of his colleagues see as outright professionalism. Many believe that Buratai is the new face of what modern-day soldiering is all about. During a brief chat with this writer in his office at the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole, Buratai’s main personality and character became more evident as he narrated how he joined the Army and the journey so far up to the lessons he would always remember from the Boko Haram war experience. It was at this stage that l was able to extract why President Buhari left Nigeria to search for Buratai to head the military. Truly, a lion will always identify another lion. Buhari knew that if the war must be won, it could only be executed by a younger lion like himself. A lion that was deadly, extremely decisive, fearless and courageous. Buhari knew that only a man of his word would be suitable for the war.
When asked to describe himself, Buratai did not mince words. He said, “lam a goal-getter with strong passion for results. l am passionately patriotic in nature and I do nothing by sentiment. l am a no-nonsense person, because I don’t tolerate the act of indiscipline, or lawlessness, especially when done deliberately, but if you are law-abiding be rest assured you will be my best friend; but brutality in the sense that someone is brutal, wicked and so on, I think if you say the law is brutal then I would accept to be brutal but, at the same time, if the law is considerate, I am highly considerate.”
l then asked myself, are these not the qualities of the soldier call Buratai?
As ex-IGP Atta clocks 80
When a security leader leaves noticeable footprints on the sands of time, it is charitable to remember his good works, especially when age has caught up with him and he is in his graceful years, seeing what his efforts are yielding. Retired lnspector-General of Police who clocks 80 years on May 12, 2017, cannot regret being a police officer. Atta was the IGP between 1990 and 1993 under former military President lbrahim Babangida. He was the brain behind the establishment of the
police bank, now Police Micro Finance Bank and the police insurance scheme. As the eighth indigenous IGP, his love for sports made him to discover Chioma Ajunwa, the first Olympic gold medalist and the pride of Nigeria. SECURITY FILE wishes you a joyful birthday.
