Security Challenges: How we succeeded in restoring peace in Warri – Air Commodore Zakari.

Air Commodore Sani Zakari, Commander, 61 Nigerian Air Force, NAF, Detachment, Warri, Delta state recently decorated officers of the detachment promoted to higher ranks by the Air Council at the detachment headquarters in Osubi, Delta State. In this interview, he speaks on issues of security of economic assets, relationship with host communities and a first-hand experience of the city of Warri noting that he would not have felt unfulfilled if he had ended his NAF career without serving in Delta.

Question-The civil populace in this area see the 61 NAF Detachment as withdrawn in the effort at ensuring public security in the area especially now that the military is engaged in quelling renewed militancy in the Niger delta region. What is the true situation? 

Answer- That impression seems to me like a mindset story about NAF and one story, you should be aware, doesn’t tell the whole story. We have been involved in quite a number of activities. On the socials, we have visited four prominent kings around this area. Our scope covers the entire Delta State though. We have been to the Orodje of Okpe, retired Major General Mujakperou and the Ovie of Abraka, retired Air Vice Marshal Lucky Ararile, two of our own; being influential men who retired as top military officers. We have been guests to Abe 1, Ovie of Uvwie. 

Not quite long ago, the Itsekiri kingdom lost a prominent Chief, the Army, Navy and myself leading the NAF paid joint condolence visit to His Majesty, Ogiame Ikenwole, the Olu of Warri. We have had our 10 km walk and jog. We had our route match. In May this year on our way to Asaba for a state assignment, my team rescued four women. Honestly those women would have died if not for the efforts of the NAF.

On our core duty, we are part of Operation Delta Safe and you we see our men and vehicles coordinating with the Joint Task Force in various operations. In the armed forces, we don’t blow our trumpet. The peace that the people enjoy in Warri and environs and other parts of Delta state attest to our efforts.

For safe air travel, we are taking several responsibilities and the public may not know some of these. For instance, you won’t see our Air Traffic Controllers as visible as you have the road traffic wardens or the police. It is only when there is problem that you have to hear about our men. The meteorologist, those manning towers, the fire unit and soldiers guarding the airport are Airmen and part of 61 NAF Detachment. We have reach and deployments, like I said, up to Asaba, and so we have air traffic controllers and operatives at the Asaba Airport.

Question-Before your posting to Warri, what was your impression about the area and how has it matched the impression you are beginning to experience first-hand?

Answer-My first time in Warri was in 2013 when a Special Operation code named ‘Ebiye Raid’ was done in Bayelsa, cutting across all eight localities in the state. I was Chief of Logistics for the exercise and I had to travel all the local governments in Bayelsa. In course of that exercise I followed a senior officer to Warri, precisely, then Shell Ogunu Estate.

There I saw that the place was hospitable and the people are nice. Between what I have heard and what I met coming here then, there wasn’t much change, because I heard that Warri is a good place and the people are accommodating. Definitely like Nigeria, Warri also has its bad name outside. People reading about Warri also get the impression of a goldmine where oil comes from and the people that are always fighting and fighting, no peace. I came here to discover that it is not like that, the people are good.

Question-Following renewed militancy, some expected the NAF to lead by using air power to expose and checkmate the anonymous oil wells. Why is it taking the Air-force so long to address this situation?

Answer-Let me first clear some of the wrong perceptions before I really come to that. The average civilian sees every military on uniform as an Army engaged for violence. It is even more so now that you see Airmen wearing camouflage. If you go to Army barracks, it is same camouflage they are wearing. Go to Navy now, it’s same, but those who are informed can tell who is from which force by the differences in our rank insignias.

Gone are the days when people inscribe Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force or Army in uniforms. The uniform was just changed recently and I happen to be one of the people that made presentations towards coming with the uniform camouflage at the military headquarters in Abuja. 

Earlier, the camouflage for each force were differentiated by colours and texture, but today with camouflage, you will not know who is what and we are comfortable with that so long as it brings peace to the area. We are here to work for the people, not to start showing our force. We are not here to blow any trumpet.

Destroying pipelines and related security challenges are classified acts that I may not be in position to divulge exactly what we are doing. But for the much I can emphasize, you may have seen how we are employing alternative means of resolving challenges and situation as opposed to arresting or killing.

Question-Can you give some instance where this has worked for the airforce?

Answer-Of course there are several instances.  On August 11^th or so Chevron Escravos was under siege for five days by people of host community. On the fifth day, Sen. Okowa, the governor of the state called all the security agencies to Asaba for a meeting. As we were going that day, the siege spilled over as youths went to seal up the Warri base of Chevron. Somebody somewhere would have expected us to go and fight those guys. That we didn’t do. Instead all of us, the army, navy, Air Force, police, DSS and Operation Delta Safe jointly worked together and resolved the challenge in the most diplomatic manner. If you look at the picture of synergy among us, you will see that the level of cooperation is very strong. Recently I told you we paid the Olu of Warri condolence visit on the death of one of his Chiefs. His Majesty was so pleased, he made a comment, saying, ‘These are people in the line of violence now showing such compassion to visit the kingdom in a moment of grief.’ 

He was touched and we felt so good. And that was a lot of cooperation and gainful coexistence achieved. Before now, we hear youths, youths, youths dominating public concerns. Now, we engage both the youth and elders, carrying everyone along.

Question-As part of efforts towards strengthening civil/military relations and endearing itself to the people, the Navy engages in health charity and goodwill programmes for host communities. How is 61 NAF detachment helping host communities?

Answer-In Osubi, our immediate host, we have a robust civil military relationship with Chief Sheriff Oborevwori, a Delta lawmaker and a leader in the community as one of our strongest allies. To buttress our closeness with Osubi, it may interest you to know that on the 11th of March, some Airmen were attacked. In fairness to them, they didn’t know the victims were Airmen. My Airmen actually came into the community to resolve a problem. Somebody perceived them as non-indigenes and attacked. Some of them got injured. For us to retaliate, we exercised were restraint. It happened at night. The following day, it was a very amicable resolution and that made the community to love the Air Force so much.

At Jeddo, we have a medical center. The Chief of Air Staff, CAS, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar mandated that we offer free Medicare to the civil populace up to a certain level. If you ask the people there, they would testify to how firmly we are living up to that social service. It is line with the CAS new vision of building a NAF highly professionalized and discipline with capacity building and initiatives for excellence in the service of the nation. 

One of the key drivers of the six point vision focuses on comradeship, regimentation and inter-service cooperation and that to a large extent drives our civil military relations. We integrate our training into the prevailing professional standards. As a member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, I invited the Executives of the body to my unit. 

They looked at the educational background of my men and they awarded certificates for the level of professionalism they deserve. I was opportune to deliver a lecture for the institute at PTI where I had an encounter with the American Institute for Safety Engineers. They looked at my level of professionalism and what the Air Force had taught me, they felt it was significant and I became a member and they extended membership to some of our other staff.

Here at our base, we also engage a number of civilian hands. Not everybody in our midst is a soldier. For instance, we have the caretaker which is our humble name for the cleaner. Our domestic attaches also include the lower guards we call security supervisor, our nomenclature for the lower guards. So we empower civilians that relatively can serve and add value to what we do and that is a strong mark of civil military relations.  

Question-How would remember Warri when the Military Posting which is synonymous with your service comes one day?

Answer-I wouldn’t have been happy if I have not served in Delta state and ended my career without serving here. I wouldn’t have been well informed about actual Nigeria security problem, particularly in the part because there are certain things you don’t read in books, certain report I would not have had access to. There are certain opportunities like one American driver told me during a visit there when he said ‘Sir I may not have a second chance of creating a first impression” I am pleased with the experience, coming to Warri to see closely, the little I have seen or heard fleetingly before now.                            

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