Governor Buni bags security and peace building award

The Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, has been conferred with a Security and Peacebuilding Award in recognition of his efforts and contributions to addressing security challenges in Yobe and the broader Northeastern region of Nigeria.

The award was presented by a non-governmental organization, Peace Building Development Consult (PBDC), during its 21st anniversary celebration, which featured a book launch and award ceremony held in Abuja on Wednesday.

Although Governor Buni was unavoidably absent due to another official engagement, several high-ranking officials from the Yobe State Government House were present to receive the award on his behalf.

They are: the Yobe State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Saleh Samanja; the Commissioner, Ministry of Wealth Creation, Empowerment and Employment Generation, Yobe State, Aji Yerima Bularafa; the Yobe State Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Buba Kyari; the Special Adviser on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to the Executive Governor of Yobe State, Rt. Hon. Usman Adamu Kabarma; and the Special Adviser on Security Matters to the Executive Governor of Yobe State, Brigadier General Dahiru Abdulsalam (Retired).

Speaking on behalf of the Governor, the Yobe State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Saleh Samanja, expressed gratitude to the organization for recognizing the Governor’s dedication to security and peacebuilding in the state.

He emphasized that Yobe State is currently one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria—a testament to the Governor’s consistent efforts to address insecurity and foster peaceful coexistence.

“As you are aware, the Governor can’t make it here. In fact, he is hosting governors from the Northeast subregion. He directed that I represent him, along with other dignitaries who are present to attend this very important occasion.

“Let me say that we appreciate this award because our Executive Governor, since he assumed office, has made security a priority.

“He has been working in concert with the security agencies. We procured many vehicles to support their operations, and we assist them in every possible way. Because of this, we have achieved relative peace in Yobe State. Let me tell you that Yobe State is today one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria. This is possible due to the support we give to security agencies and the tireless efforts of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Yobe State, Hon. Mai Mala Buni, who has always responded promptly to the needs of our security architecture.

“As Chief Security Officer of the state, he believes he has both moral and legal obligations to cooperate with the security agencies to achieve lasting peace in Yobe State.”

Barrister Samanja added that the award serves as a strong motivation for the Governor to continue his efforts in restoring and maintaining normalcy across the state.

“This award is a morale booster for His Excellency to continue the good work he is doing toward restoring peace and stability in Yobe State, he stressed”.

On his part, the former Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mohammed Babandede, decried the early retirement of senior military officers despite their wealth of experience.

He said these individuals are resources that could be harnessed to address the growing insecurity challenges in the country.

“The system, unfortunately—especially in the military—harvests very young generals before they mature. Government spends huge amounts of money to train them, and you find that some of them are being retired at the age of 50, 55, or even earlier, and then they do nothing. You need to have a think tank in every organization.

“Government needs to harness these high-level people. They are everywhere. You would be shocked—if today you call for these numbers—you would find a number of highly experienced people who had to leave simply because their junior became the Chief. So they had to go, and they are not being used. This is very important. We need to harness them to form a think tank to advise. They are not ruling, they are not going to administer, they are not going to take power, but they are going to contribute their intelligence to government, so that government can benefit from what it spent on them. This is my call, and I hope the government listens to it,” he stressed.

Commenting on the need for peaceful coexistence in Nigeria irrespective of differences, he said, “When I was a young boy in primary school—I joined primary school in 1969 and in the early 1970s, General Gowon was the Head of State. I came from a predominantly Muslim state at that time, Kano State, now Jigawa. As a child, I swear, I didn’t even know General Gowon was a Christian, because i didn’t feel any difference.

“We had neighbors. We lived with Christians. You just minded your business. But unfortunately, the politicians who want power—they need to instigate people to get things done or to avoid losing power. They use certain strategies to remain relevant in society. So they always exploit the culture of religion, the culture of tribe, the culture of sectionalism, in order to gain benefits.”

According to Babandede, politicians are the primary agents responsible for tribal and cultural conflicts in Nigeria. He urged the Nigerian government to prohibit sectoral divisions in society.

“I call on these politicians—and on the government, if they are careful—to prohibit this. Let us prohibit this. Let it be a crime for you to rally your people based on religion, tribe, or region. Let it be a punishable offence. If we do that, society will be better. Because if there is joy, nobody is enjoying that joy strictly because of religion or culture. If there is suffering, nobody is suffering it because of religion, culture, or tribe. That’s my call. I hope Nigeria will feel better if we consider this,” he added.