Zamfara: The Monumental Flaws of Col. Rabiu Garba Yandoto
By: Kamaruddeen Sani
Some days ago, the commandant of the Zamfara Community Protection Guard (ZCPG), Colonel Rabiu Garba Yandoto (rtd) was suspended from his position by the Zamfara state government. Although, the state government have not declared public the reasons for his suspension, many believed he was suspended from the position following a moment of vocal diarrhoea when during a phone interview programme with vision FM in Gusau, he was said not only to have made public very sensitive and privileged security scoop about the state’s ongoing battle against insecurity but also accused the state government of poorly funding the ZCPG.
Reactions have since trailed both the revelations made by Col. Garba and his suspension by the state government and expectedly, these have been coloured by interests and other motives, many of them sinister. Although, this was to be expected, it is important that some things are put in their proper perspectives seeing that some groups have turned the incident into an avenue for scoring cheap political points.
It is my belief that Col. Garba, a retired military officer participated in that interview knowing fully well that there are certain things that his oath of secrecy as a security operative forbids him from disclosing. As a security operative, that is the first thing you are taught, and one can assume the Zamfara state government expected this regimented discretion from him. Unfortunately, instead of commentators worrying about how a retired senior military officer had betrayed his code of conduct, the focus has been shifted to something else.
What some partisan groups have sought to encourage with their condemnation of his suspension by the state government is that betraying your employers by going public with sensitive, secret information is a good thing. That publicly calling out the government on issues of funding is a welcomed idea. This is the part I don’t understand. I am very sure Col. Garba who is barely in his 5th month as commandant of the ZCPG was properly briefed about channels of communication before he took up the appointment.
As a retired senior military officer, one would have thought Col. Garba would hand in his resignation once he found he could no longer work under the prevailing conditions rather than going on air to make unguarded statements that betray his profession as a gentleman officer, and ultimately rubbish his uniform code, the major qualification that landed him the job in the first place. Behaviour like Col. Garba’s is the reason nonstate actors appear to have an intelligence edge over state operatives.
What we have witnessed is akin to the commander of a nation at war telling the opponents that his country is broke and lacks the funds and resources to sustain the war. Col. Garba has all but told bandits to attack his officers without fear, that his officers have been demoralized by the state government’s poor funding of his security outfit and that they will face little or no resistance from men of the ZCPG. Yes, that’s how catastrophic that seemingly innocuous interview with Radio Gusau looks right now.
There is a reason wars are fought not with guns alone. Nazi Germany sustained the world war using more propaganda than military ordnance. The case was the same with the famous case of Okokon Ndem who sustained the Biafra standoff using Radio Biafra. And no, there is nothing wrong with government maintaining a strong public perception of policies and actions. This display of control is the reason why leaders don’t go to the press to tell the masses that situations are out of control thereby setting off alarm bells that spread panic among the general populace.
The annoying part of Col. Garba’s Radio moment is that there is no suggestion he exhausted all avenue to communicate the challenges pr improve both the funding problem and other situations using official channels before going public. This is the part that makes the whole thing wear the looks of an orchestrated plot to bring the Zamfara state government to disrepute. Could this be the case of sabotage? Is it possible that the retired army officer was playing out a script? Or could it simply be one of those situations where the journalist’s mic pushes you beyond the brink and forces you to lose both decorum and your sense of duty? This is why even the Army have designated spokespeople.
People like Col. Garba who are holding sensitive security positions, especially is states battling insecurity like Zamfara state ought to be protected from the media. Maybe it was an oversight, but I doubt if the Zamfara state government have a media policy in place for not just the commander, but also men of the ZCPG, because if they do, Col. Garba’s moment of embarrassment becomes a case for litigation. People must be made to appreciate the implications of their public spat.
Above becomes very imperative when one reads the statement of the opposition APC on the matter. Suggestions that the state government is deliberately failing the people on insecurity are not only unpatriotic, but also an encouragement to criminal elements. You don’t play politics with everything. In situations like these, it is expected that a party that has enjoyed the greatest patronage from the people of the state will show some restraints and respect for the plight of the people they still hope to lead in the future. Suggestions that the best way to advise the government is through public spats betrays the very essence of governance and one wonders how an APC led government would have handled the Col. Garba situation.
Sheikh Daurawa resigned his position following criticisms of his approach to enforcing Hisbah’s mandate. He didn’t go on rampage to criticise the governor in public. This is how appointees are expected to conduct themselves. I hope Col. Garba will ignore the ignoble advice of enemies of the state and toe the path of Daurawa in amicably resolving this impasse as quickly as possible. Let him remember that the work he does is not for Gov. Dauda Lawal Dare, but for his dearest Zamfara state.
Sani writes from Abuja
