Capt Aliyu “Blade’ Umar, a security expert, is the chief executive officer of Goldwatetr & RiverSand Consults, an organisation that offers consultancy and oversight advisory services on a broad range of national security issues. In this interview, he examines Nigeria’s security architecture and advises that politics, religion and ethnicity should stay out of security issues

Major General Garba Ayodeji Wahab (Retired) is graduate of the prestigious Royal College of Defence Studies, UK. Nicknamed ‘Sankara’ in the armed forces, he was highly revered for his abilities in the training of officers and men as well as his charisma. He was at several times, Principal Staff Officer to COAS, Director of Operations, Army Headquarters, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Infantry Division, Kaduna, and Chief of Administration at Army headquarters. In this interview with Vanguard, he bares his expert opinion on the security challenges confronting the country, the war against Boko Haram, Herdsmen-Farmers crisis and some decisions of the present administration concerning spending of funds ($1billion) which has raised questions. He then suggests the way forward.

When I started the programme, I had a course adviser, the late Okunuga, who told me I was not too old to learn and that there is no end to education

EditorIn his first major interview after being elected National Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum, PANDEF, former Military Governor of Akwa Ibom State and former Commander of the Presidential Air Fleet, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga, Rtd, speaks on what could bring about lasting peace to Nigeria’s oil-producing region and equally stabilize the foundation for the country’s peace, growth and development in general.

When the war ended in 1970, we managed to go back to school, studying under trees because there were virtually no schools standing, but we managed to proceed under that condition