I’m no fan of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Anyone who has followed my writing in the last few years will attest that I rank in the top three severest critics of his person, record, and politics. But I’d be remiss in my self-imposed lifetime commitment to pursue the truth irrespective of where it leads me and expose falsehood irrespective of the consequences if I ignore the renewed, systematic dissemination of easily refutable lies about Tinubu not having graduated from Chicago State University (CSU).

Tinubu undeniably has many skeletons in his closet, but Chicago State University isn’t one of them. There is no question that the man who is known today as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu attended CSU for two years and graduated from it in 1979.

His study at CSU—a four-year, state-funded, historically Black university—was shortened because he transferred two years’ worth of college credit from Richard J. Daley College, a community college (equivalent to a diploma-awarding institution in Nigeria) in Chicago, which started life as William J. Bogan Junior College in 1960, got renamed Southwest College in 1970, and got renamed yet again as Richard J. Daley College in 1976.

That Tinubu graduated from CSU has never been in dispute. It was his claim to have attended or graduated from the elite, highly-ranked, privately owned University of Chicago that was a lie, but he later took back this claim and blamed it on an unintentional error by Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi.

In June 2022, when fresh, widely shared, and obviously politically inspired doubts were raised about the authenticity of Tinubu’s graduation from CSU, I took advantage of my being a professor here in the US and reached out to friends and colleagues at the school to help me verify this information.

A friend, who is a professor of English at the university, went to the registrar’s office and confirmed that Tinubu indeed attended and graduated from CSU. “Please be advised that Bola A Tinubu attended Chicago State University from August 1977 [to] June 1979. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with Honors on June 22, 1979. His major was accounting,” a statement from the office of the Registrar of the university read.

I shared this finding in a June 27, 2022, article titled “A Bola Tinubu Graduated From Chicago State University,” which several news outlets and blogs picked up. I wrote that “A Bola A. Tinubu” had graduated from CSU because I hadn’t conclusively authenticated the identity of the person and didn’t want to make any evidence-free association of the name with then presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

But as I pointed out in a later column titled “Lies and Truth About Obi, Atiku, and Tinubu,” I can now confidently establish that the Bola A. Tinubu who graduated from CSU in 1979 is the same Bola A. Tinubu who is president of Nigeria today. I know this because the yearbook photo of the 1979 CSU cohort features the headshot of an unmistakably younger Tinubu, even though his last name was misspelled as “THUBV.” I’ll come back to this point shortly. 

In the past few days, a seemingly coordinated misinformation campaign has been relaunched to resuscitate the lie that Tinubu didn’t graduate from CSU. The rehabilitation of the lie is being constructed on a hexad of appealing but ultimately self-contradictory inaccuracies and innuendos.

The first is that a search of Bola A. Tinubu in the archive of US college graduation records yields zero matches. Well, that’s because Tinubu’s last name was misspelled as “THUBV” in his final graduation record. But a search of “Bola A. THUBV” (which one Engr. Stanley with the Twitter handle @Engr_Stanley_EC did) turns up the record of a male who graduated from CSU with a degree in Business Administration (and a concentration in accounting).

Non-Western names are always liable to be misspelled here. I know because I’ve suffered this multiple times. Apparently, Tinubu wrote his name in long hand, as was the practice then, and whoever was responsible for entering the final records couldn’t correctly make out Tinubu’s handwriting. It’s easy to see how handwritten “I” and “N” can be mistaken for “H” and how “U” can be mistaken for “V.”

Of course, it’s reasonable to assume that Tinubu complained, and a correction was later issued for his degree certificate, but it was too late for the information that was sent to the National Student Clearinghouse.

 The second trigger for the rehabilitation of the lie is a putative July 8, 2011, FBI letter to the EFCC, which allegedly concluded that its search of Bola "Tinubo" in Chicago State University' records showed that no such person ever enrolled at the school.

 Well, duh (as Americans would say to signal that something is self-evidently obvious), no “Bola Tinubo” exists anywhere in the world. Had the FBI searched for “Bola A. Tinubu” at CSU’s registrar’s office, it would have found out that a person with that name graduated from the school in 1979.

The third lifeline for the revival of the falsehood is that a transcript oddly dated “0/76” from Southwest College belonged to a female. As I pointed out earlier, Richard J. Daley College used to be called Southwest College until late 1976. So, when Tinubu first enrolled at the school in 1975, it was called Southwest College, but by the time he graduated from it in 1977, it had been renamed Richard J. Daley College.

There are several red flags with the transcript, the boldest being the numbering scheme of the social security number shown in it. The nine-digit U.S. social security number is divided into a three-digit area number, a two-digit group number, and a four-digit serial number. It has always been that way.

But the social security number in the Southwest College transcript supposedly belonging to a female Bola A. Tinubu is 231-060-595. That’s an impossible numbering scheme for a US social security number. Plus, the transcript isn’t properly dated and leaves the spaces for date of birth and record of high school blank. These are no trivial red flags of inauthenticity. 

The fourth reason some people have infused a new life to the lie that Tinubu didn’t graduate from CSU is that the university locked its Twitter account in response to unremittingly vitriolic denunciations from some Nigerians. They say that indicates that the school is guilty of issuing a fake degree to Tinubu. That’s tortured logic. People and organizations routinely lock their Twitter accounts when they are subjected to an unceasing torrent of caustic online abuse.

 In April, a TIME magazine reporter by the name of Astha Rajvanshi who wrote a profile on Tinubu after he made it to the magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world was forced to lock her Twitter account after political fanatics relentlessly cursed, defamed, and threatened her for doing her job. 

CSU is obviously unaccustomed to the quantum of negative attention it’s receiving from a group of Nigerians who are still smarting from the outcome of the last presidential election. It obviously wants to stop it.

 The fifth impetus for the revival of the lie that Tinubu couldn’t have graduated from CSU is that Tinubu withdrew claims that he attended primary and secondary schools in Nigeria, which means he didn't possess qualifications to be admitted to a US higher education institution.

Well, it’s entirely possible to earn a degree in America without ever attending a secondary school. There's something called the General Educational Development test (or GED) for people who didn't earn a high diploma before the age of 18. A close American friend and colleague of mine by the name Dr. Matt Duffy didn't have a high school diploma. He had a GED, but he ended up getting a Ph.D.

 I am not saying that was what happened with Tinubu. I don’t have the facts to make that claim. But it’s reasonable to assume that since it’s widely speculated that Tinubu changed the identity he had at birth, he disclaimed all associations with the schools he attended in his actual hometown in Osun and took a GED test in Chicago. In any case, most community colleges (and non-flagship state schools) have open enrollment policies, which means just about anybody can get into them.

Finally, the fact that Tinubu doesn't want CSU to release his academic record— and the fact that the university has spurned requests to release his records— is being held up as an indication that he had no academic record there and that Tinubu and CSU are acting in cahoots to cover up a crime.

Well, there’s something called the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which forbids all universities and colleges in the United States from disclosing the academic records of a student to a third party. Every year, I (and all university employees who handle students’ grades here) have to undergo training on how not to disclose students’ records to third parties, including to parents, without students’ written permission.

Schools can only confirm directory information such as whether or not a student graduated from a school, which CSU has done repeatedly. And why would Tinubu accede in writing to his academic records being released to political opponents? Most people won’t, even if it’s just for the pleasure of seeing their opponents squirm in anger and frustration.

Kudi, fine-girl-no-pimples, was one of those undergraduates who lived their lives on their own terms on campus.  Kay-girl, as she was fondly called, was an ‘aristo’ girl. Small-small boys were not her thing. She liked them known and rich, politicians and business tycoons. The age or size of their bellies did not matter. They just needed to be loaded in their pockets but if they were loaded ‘downstairs’ too, ah, that was an added advantage. Once, according to Kay-girl, she had ended up with a rich, fat ‘sugar daddy’ whose only load was in his pocket. You know those guys who God just blessed with deep pockets because they are neither good-looking nor finely shaped. Their pot-bellies also rob their third legs of length and strength. But they have money and they spend it like it’s from a river that cannot dry. So, their girls ignore their deficiencies and focus on their bulging pockets.

Kudi lived the life and upon graduation, she used her ‘contacts’ to get a good job, nice digs and a fine ride. 

Then she met the most generous, good-looking, hot ‘sugar daddy’ of her life. Yes, he was hot everywhere, all over. Then came the warnings from everyone about the other part of Big Daddy (BD) that Kudi did not know.

BD’s wife is a witch.

Madam BD does not share her man.

All the girls he had dated have sad stories to tell.

BD’s girlfriends do not end well.

The warnings threw Kudi. She was scared even, but she convinced herself that BD was her last bus stop. He loved her and he loved him. In any case, what woman wants to share her man? Which wife wants to be promoted to ‘first wife’? No woman will willingly shift for another, including this Kudi. But she wanted the soft, baby life. She assured her close friends that she knew what she was doing and she would show the madam of the house that she was there to stay. Kudi soon moved into the beautiful home BD bought for her, in her name too. She got pregnant soon after. Indeed, she got pregnant four times and had spectacular miscarriages. Her friends became really worried because the fourth miscarriage almost took her life. Kudi bravely assured them she would give BD children and laugh last.

True to her word, Kudi became pregnant again. When she made it to 36 weeks without miscarriage, her friends threw a big baby shower for her. Everybody thought the worst was over. Then, she woke up feeling feverish one morning, went to her doctor and all the tests showed that she was no longer pregnant! Whaaat? Her tummy was still as huge as it was the day before. Kudi swore she could still feel the baby’s movement. All tests and scans insisted she was not pregnant after 36 weeks, after she had bought all baby things, set up the nursery. Long story shortened, Kudi is still carrying around her ‘load’, four months beyond her EDD (Expected Delivery Date).

Methinks, BD’s wife is responsible for Kudi’s endless pregnancy. Superstitious much? Yes, but if you have another explanation for how Kudi landed this hard on a hard surface, I’m willing to give you space to propound your theory. For now, my conclusion is Kudi ate food meant for the gods and now, she is stuck.

There are different types of meat but not all meat is meant for all. Some are meant for the elders and are so not for ‘children’. Some are food for the gods and are therefore not for ordinary humans. Am I speaking in tongues? Let me explain.

 Not all fine girls are available for all men. Not all dark, handsome and rich men are for every Tinu, Toke and Titi. Some girls are food for the gods. Some men are food for the gods. Those are the ones the Yoruba call ‘ounje agba’. If a young man decides in his exuberant, nothing-go-do-me wisdom to eat food cooked, reserved and already served for the elders, he may lose his teeth or may not live to tell the story of the taste of the dish. We girls say it more frequently than men especially when we want to scare off a poor or unserious suitor or toaster. We tell him what he’s salivating after is beyond his budding palate, that he is still ‘too young’ to dine at the table of elders.

‘This is food for your elders. Wait until you are fully grown.’

Women, we can be mean, seriously. May the Lord forgive us for all the times we have shot men in the knee on the field of ‘toasting’. Amen? Amen.

However, food for the elders, ‘ounje agba’ is very different from food for the gods. Food for the elders can lead you to the dispensary but food for the gods will drag you to the mortuary. Note the word ‘drag’. Painful journey to Golgotha, that is what any ‘thief’ of sacred food can look forward to.

Take the case of the University of Calabar lecturer who was the toast of the internet recently for sexually molesting his students. A teacher of law who made it his mission to break the law. He deregulated his manhood and put his pen on the inkpot market, dipping, force-dipping and blackmailing other people’s children to open their legs for his maggoty third leg. For years, according to reports, he was Satan’s representative in the Faculty of Law, a law unto himself. Tales of heartrending proportions about what he subjected those young girls to poured in from different platforms. And for what? His third leg must be a pygmy, his self-esteem non-existent if he needed to force himself on girls to feel good. Only sick men use their offices to force women to have sex with them. Only little men with no other gifts or attractive appeal use their positions to get girls to have sex with them. Since the story broke, I have swung from disgust to anger to revulsion and then vengeful anger. I know some people are talking about getting justice for the young women our dense dicky don traumatized, harassed and assaulted. I hope they succeed. For me, I don’t want him to go to jail. Sentencing the little dick of Calabar or putting him in a psychiatric ward would be doing him a favour. I do not believe in such 21st Century justice arrangement for men who sexually assault women. No. For instance, I am an advocate of ‘third leg amputation’ for rapists and child molesters. All that long drawn-out process and proceedings of lawyers using the same law book to both prosecute and defend rapists do not float my boat at all. For me, justice against a pedophile is taking away his weapon of terror. Totally and irreversibly!

For years, the sick dicky don of Unical ate every meat in sight. Indeed he forcefully snatched and ate every food. It didn’t matter to him if the owner wanted to give him the meal or not. Indeed, the more force he had to deploy, the more delicious the game. Until he ate the one meant for the gods. When he unwrapped that meal and devoured it like a possessed demon, little did he know it would be his last supper. He must have smacked his lips as he wiped the sinful sweat off his brow. Perhaps he even threatened the traumatised poor girl. Maybe he actually inflicted himself on more female undergraduates after eating the forbidden dish. But one thing was certain for the evil don. His career was over. When you Google his name 20 years from now, his messy sexual escapades will pop, not his academic prowess, not his intellectual contribution to human development. His name will now be synonymous with sexual harassment. I don’t even want to imagine the pains of all the folks who share his surname. That is what should happen to every lecturer who forgets how he laboured to achieve a PhD just because he has an erection.

But here is the real punishment I would have preferred for that randy lecturer. Just imagine that after the first time he forced himself on his victim, he loses his manhood. Close your eyes and picture it. He simply could no longer get it up, not even in the morning, not even with the missus. All he could do with his third leg was pee urine, only urine. Do you think if he ever recovered his virility he would harass his students, or any girl again? That is one of the ruinous things that happen to men when they eat food meant for the gods.

Tinubu has worsened the situation. Painfully, he is on the way to lionizing Buhari, with his litany of errors

A friend called the other day from Germany to get a true picture of situations in the country. The initial attempt was to pretend that all was well; that apart from the dust of the February/March general elections, there was not much to worry about. But that seemed a big error; in fact, a terrible one. He blurted; “Old Boy (as we address ourselves), you got it wrong on this. Reports I get every day from people at home, indicate that things are not working. The emergence of Bola Tinubu has not helped matters. Except those at the corridors of power, every other citizen is panting. What I get is that for Nigerians, it’s from frying pan to fire”.

There was nothing further to argue with him. He was in order. Perhaps, at no time had Nigerians had it as rough as they are going through currently. And to think that this is a country that is not at war, yet the citizens are literally passing through hell in the hands of their leaders, rankles exceedingly. The cost of every basic item in the land, has hit the roof top. Nigerians are hungry. And indeed, angry! Major roads and streets in the cities look deserted these days as if the country is in perpetual public holidays. Minor issues that would have been overlooked, can now result to fisticuffs. People wear frowns on their faces, as if they woke up to continue with unfinished quarrels.

This appears to be the only system where the past is reminisced over the present. You would hear the people constantly cite instances of the ‘better’ days that have gone. In Nigeria, things don’t seem to improve, they get worse. Look at the leadership profiles of successive administrations. It took the lethargy and cluelessness of the Goodluck Jonathan administration for the people to reference the misguided Olusegun Obasanjo government as one that gave the country focus. The ululation that accompanied the Muhammadu Buhari government in coming to power, soon gave way for despair and the people realizing that they had elected a parochial and narrow-minded president to govern them. It did not take up to two years for Nigerians to realise that even in his utter lassitude, Jonathan was by far, a superstar compared to Buhari. That was when it dawned on the people that the assumed taciturnity of Buhari was not a matter of concern over the direction the country but a dummy – sheer concealment of inaction and acute situation of not knowing what to say or do.

Tinubu has worsened the situation. Painfully, he is on the way to lionizing Buhari, with his litany of errors. Karl Meier, former West African Correspondent of the Independent of London, could not have chosen a better title for his book on Nigeria than, “This House Has Fallen”. Nigeria, is currently on its fours, truth be told.

It could only take a president of Tinubu’s hue to make a weighty announcement of removing fuel subsidy and harmonizing the foreign exchange market on his first day in office, without cabinet or without any contingency arrangement. Since that declaration which he admitted was based on the spur of the moment rather than any pronounced agenda, Nigeria has not been the same.

Four months to the February 25, 2023 presidential election, we had argued here, that Nigerians needed to know the candidates they were voting for. Knowing them went beyond merely knowing their names, identifying their faces or the political parties they were representing. The voters needed to know their thinking, their level of sophistication and emotional intelligence. They needed to know what they had in ideology and programmes at repositioning the country. For a system that has been maliciously held down by a chain of rapacious leadership in the greater part of its 63 years of statehood, having such details on those aspiring for the highest office in the land, mattered.

Being the standard-bearer of a political party, is a big deal. It is not a position for the boys but for serious minds. The office itself – the presidency – demands a lot. Gerald R. Ford (38th U.S. President) captured it that the presidency is not a prize to be won, but a duty to be done. It is the hardest job in the world, says American essayist, John Dickerson, in his piece on the White House.

For obvious reasons, the handlers of Tinubu shielded him from interrogation and ensured that his supporters did not know the candidate they were queuing behind, adequately. A gathering at the British Foreign Institute, the Chatham House, days to the election, provided him the opportunity to advertise himself, tell the world how ready he was for the job, sell himself and his programmes to the international community.

It gave him the chance to address nagging questions on his health, his past, his academic records and his real identity – issues that his opponents have serially feasted on in mocking him. Rather, he ducked and parried the questions thrown at him at the gathering to his stooges. By evading the questions and assigning them to surrogates, Tinubu unwittingly confessed his lack of capacity and preparation for the presidency

Now, as they say, the chickens have come home to roost. He has happened on Nigeria, irrespective of his breezy paths to power and accompanying disputations. Nigerians are bearing the brunt. From his very first day in office, it was certain that Tinubu had no precise programme for the country, despite his claims that attaining the position had been his lifelong ambition. In removing the fuel subsidy and unfolding a phantom palliative regime that is barely scratching at the problems, the entire thing looks vacuous. Tinubu is yet to explain to Nigerians how distribution of rice and maize as well as paltry N5 billion to the states, would cushion the impacts of the outrageous pump prices of petrol, rising inflation and youth unemployment due to closure of small and medium scale businesses, that his hasty withdrawal of subsidy and forex market harmonisation have caused.

Governance is not about catering for the interests of cronies and hangers-on. That is the major challenge of the Tinubu administration. He is so much surrounded with sycophants who daily feed him with the impression that things are normal, when in fact, the country is going down the hills. Daren Acemoglu and James Robinson, authors of the encompassing book, ‘Why Nations Fail’, summed it that the most common reasons why nations fail is because of parasitic political and economic classes. Nigeria has had this extractive elite over the years. For them, what matters is what they derive from the system, not what they add to it. The Tinubu administration is furthering this odious culture at the detriment of the people.

Things must change for the better. It is high time the President climbed down from his axiomatic white horse to address the challenges in the country. While his presidency lasts, let him reach out to people with the relevant know-how to assist him in running the country. They must not be his party men or cheer men but those who can look at him in the face and tell him that he is not getting his acts right.

• Warn Number Of School Dropouts May Rise
• Blame Subsidy Removal For Hike In Fees
• Lament Fees Increase In Govt-Owned Schools
• ‘Palliatives Can’t Douse Current Tension’

As primary and secondary schools resume nationwide for a new academic session this September, parents have expressed distress caused by the pressure they are grappling with in their bid to send their wards back to school following the hike in fees and the prices of sundry necessary items.

Although the parents acknowledged that September of each year is always laden with heavy expenses associated with school resumption, they lamented that the removal of petrol subsidy barely three months ago by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu immensely contributed to their current ordeals.

A tricycle (keke) rider in Asaba, Delta State, Mr. Jude Nwajei, told The Guardian that he would have loved to have the resumption date extended because “each time I remember the new fees I am going to pay for my three children in primary and secondary schools, and the fact that there’s no money for that yet, or in the nearest future, I feel I am not meeting my responsibility as a father.”

He lamented that the increase in fees came at a time his income was dwindling.

“I am a keke rider and since the increase in the price of petrol, the number of passengers has reduced and we have to spend more for petrol for the same distance, whether it’s full load or not. Now, I don’t go home with the kind of money I used to make in the past before the removal of subsidy.

“Upon that, schools have increased fees and the cost of books and everything about school has gone up. Many of us cannot send our children to school again. Some parents are thinking of changing their children’s schools, to take them to where school fees are less, though the quality may not be too good. The number of school drop-outs will increase and we hope this does not lead to increase in crime in the country.”

Another parent in Asaba, Ben Onyeji, said he had resolved to change school for his children because he could not afford the current fees announced by their school.

“The fees are now out of my reach and I cannot kill myself. Where do they expect us to get the money? Do they want us to steal? They don’t consider the common man in this country. Maybe they don’t want us to send our children to schools again, so that only their children would be educated.”

Onyeji, who is a trader, lamented that though the prices of his wares depend on the amount he bought them, patronage has nose-dived as customers complain of “no money.”

“They are not buying as they used to. We are making less profit, yet the cost of education is going high. How do we cope? It’s not everybody that has access to free money, so they should consider us. To feed now is even a problem and people are cutting down on luxuries. It has never been so bad for most of us in this country,” he lamented.

A parent, Mr. Marcel Echinile, said the subsidy removal was a big blow and had put unnecessary tension and pressure on him. He argued that the removal of subsidy by President Tinubu without putting any measures in place to cushion its effect was a serious setback to him and many other vulnerable Nigerians.

He said: “I was unable to pay school fees of my children last term. The school management would have sent my children back home because of the demonic removal of the fuel subsidy if not the understanding I had with the proprietor.
  
“School would soon resume, perhaps in two weeks time, I am only trusting in God to do miracle for the payment of my children’s fees. The unexpected fuel subsidy removal has really thrown me off balance in meeting the basic needs of my family.

“As I speak, I am planning to pull them from private school to public school, ditto other parents, to avoid unnecessary high blood pressure as a result of the satanic removal of the fuel subsidy.”

Another parent, Mr. Okafor Ogedima, said: “The situation is affecting me so much, considering my very lean resources. The subsidy removal issue is telling on all sectors of our lives. I’m not sure the palliatives will douse any tension emanating from this subsidy removal.

“For now, I’m not thinking of sending my children to school, but how to feed them. Have you been to the market of recent? If you have, you will know what I mean. In fact, this government should go beyond scratching the surface in dealing with the hardship caused by the subsidy removal.

“This is because income has remained virtually constant, as our small-scale businesses are not helped by the epileptic power supply, which still boils down to the use of fuel to run our generators, both at home and our places of work. It all results to square one.” He said the country’s economy had become inelastic and something has to be done urgently to ameliorate the hardship being suffered by the people.

A civil servant in Calabar, Cross River State, Mr. Emmanuel Itu, lamented that the thought of school resumption had been giving him sleepless nights.

“In fact, I have been grappling with how I am going to cope with payment of school fees, books and other charges for my four children.

“As a civil servant with a salary of under N100, 000 a month, how on earth can I pay school fees for my two children in Federal Government Girls College, Calabar, now that the Federal Government has increased fees in unity schools across the country by over 100 per cent?
  
“Before now, I was struggling to pay N45, 000 each for two of them per term, including other charges, but with this increase, I am required to cough out over N200, 000. As it stands now, I may be forced to move them to a public school before I completely grow grey hairs.”

A widow with three children, Mrs. Grace Iwuala, also stated: “I don’t want to think about school resumption, because I don’t know where to start from. With this very difficult economic situation in the country, worsened by the removal of fuel subsidy, I may resort to selling some of my properties to be able to meet up with payment of school fees.
  
“If the Federal Government can declare free education at all levels for just one year, it would go a long way in cushioning the effect of this hardship, instead of this N5 billion given to politicians to do what they like with it.”

A mother of one in Calabar, who identified herself as Sandra Igiri, said her daughter’s school sent her a hefty bill to pay as first term fees. According to her, all SS1 students of the school, which is her daughter’s class, are being charged N133, 000 each for the term, which includes tuition of N5, 000; N55,000 for listed books; two pairs of uniform cost N15,000; sport wears, N7, 000; day wear, N7,500; N3,500 for laboratory; N3,000 as development levy and N300, 00 for the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) fees. I can tell you that most parents are not finding it easy to raise money to foot the new bill,” he lamented.

In Abuja, 45-year-old mother of three, Roseline Agboola, said she was looking for about N500, 000 to pay school fees of three children.  Another parent, Amos Bulus, lamented that the situation was pathetic and overwhelming. 

“One of my daughters has been promoted to senior secondary class and the tuition of N120, 000 has been hiked to N180, 000 while the fee for the other one in junior school has been increased from N80, 000 to 120, 000. School bus fees was increased by more than 100 per cent, from N30, 000 to N65, 000,” he said.

Another parent in Abuja, Samuel Ogbu, called on the federal and state governments to provide affordable and accessible education options to alleviate the overall economic burden on families. He explained that his family was facing increased financial strain leading to difficulties in paying school fees and purchasing essential items for his children’s education. 

“The proprietress of my children’s school called to inform us that their school fees have been doubled. Honestly, I was very dumbfounded when she broke the news to me.

“As I am talking to you, I really don’t know when I am going to get that kind of money by the time the children will be resuming this September. I have three of them in that school. We are considering moving them to a government-owned school just outside the estate where we live.

“To cope with the escalating costs, I have had to cut down on other expenses, reduce non-essential spending and sometimes borrow money from friends or family members,” Ogbu lamented. Awoniyi Salau said: “My worry is that the escalating costs may increase the educational inequality gap. Nigeria currently has about 20,000,000 children who are out of school. If the current economic hardship continues, a lot of parents may have to withdraw their children from school to ease the pressure on them.

“The administration really needs to live up to expectations of the people. The hardship in the land is real and is biting hard.”In Ekiti State, residents also expressed concerns over increase in school fees and the cost of textbooks, among other sundry expenses. 
 
Some parents who spoke with The Guardian said that in some cases, fees had been increased by over 50 per cent, while the cost of textbooks and school bus had also been jerked up.

A civil servant, Mr. Oluwatuyi Thomas, said that the private school attended by his two kids raised the fees from N45, 000 per term to N70, 000 even when salaries of workers have not been increased.

A trader at Kings Market, Ado Ekiti, Mrs. Oguntuase Monisola, said apart from increase in fees, textbooks prices had gone up by about 50 per cent. “I used to pay N20, 000 per term but now it has increased to N30, 000,” she said.
 
In Ondo State, parents disclosed that they were also facing mounting pressure due to the increase in expenses associated with their children’s education.

 
Checks by The Guardian showed that virtually all the primary and secondary schools in Akure, the state capital, increased their fees. The situation is more evident with schools that offer shuttle bus services and those operating boarding facilities.
 
For instance, some schools increased their fees by an additional N10, 000 to N35,000, while the bus shuttle, which used to cost around N30,000 per term, now costs as much as N83, 000 in most of the schools.

A parent, Mr. Wole Fadipe, who has two children in one of the top secondary schools in Akure metropolis, stated that he was yet to figure out how he would cope with the situation.

“My wife and I already knew that the school would definitely increase the fees, but we never thought that they would be this high. Do you know the funny thing the school did? We used to get the amount to pay for the following term on the last day of the term. But while we went to get the results of the children’s last session, we were surprised that the school did not include the fee to be paid for the next term.

“It was just last week that their class teachers sent the fees to be paid to us through a WhatsApp message. Those that I even pity most are those who have their wards in the boarding facility. It is just too high,” Fadipe said.
 
In Osun State, a parent, Olaide Olatunji lamented the rising cost of education, noting that everything is getting out of hand.

“My daughter’s school fees has increased from N40, 000 to N45,000. I’m yet to know the cost of books because we haven’t been given the list of their textbooks for this new session,” she said.

Another parent in the state, Seyi Adeniji, also said: “Everything is expensive; we are not happy with the situation. It is a very difficult period for me as a parent in this country. I have spent a lot of money on getting new things for my child in secondary school. Where do I start? The elder sister is also in the university.”

As a consequence of the hard times, the proprietor of a private secondary school in Ibadan, Oyo State, who pleaded anonymity, told The Guardian that there would likely be low turnout of students this term. “As you can see, only a few students are here for summer coaching because of financial difficulty being experienced by their parents. How is it going to be when the students resume new session?”

In Enugu State, Mr. Mike Nweze, who was spotted in the premises of one of the new generation banks at the Enugu campus of the University of Nigeria, said he was running around to settle some fees for his son who just gained admission into the university. He said he still had the bills for three of his children in secondary school to settle.

“This is where the challenge is. The last time, the fees were below N80, 000.00 for each of them. Currently, they have increased it to N110, 000 per person. The books for each of them is not less than N30, 000.

“So I have decided that they will no longer be joining the school bus. I will be doing the school run and any other alternative that we may find. So, paying school the fees is now the greatest challenge.

“Remember, they will eat. You need to buy food even for the one entering the university. So, even when my salary and that of my wife who is a civil servant has not increased by one naira since they removed fuel subsidy, our expenses have continued to stare us in the face. That is the way it is,” Nweze bemoaned. Mrs. Joy Chukwu, a mother of five, is frantically looking for another school for her children.

“We decided to change schools for them when the management of the school they were attending increased the fees. They were living in the school. It is not something that we can afford any longer. But the problem now is that almost all the schools have increased their fees. So, how to meet up with the fees is making me lose sleep. There is no money anywhere. Everything in the market is on the high side. I am seriously looking up to God to come to our aid,” she said.

In Lagos State, many parents are weighing their options, following the hike in fees amid the high cost of living. Mr. Alex Bamidele has three children in a private school in the state. Though the increase in their fees was moderate, the cost of the school bus was hiked by over 150 per cent.

He explained: “The fees didn’t get a significant increase, I think they are also being considerate with the economic reality. But then, the school bus, which was N35, 000 per child, now costs N95, 000.
  
“As much as it is beyond their control, it is a huge burden that we will have to start living with. My income hasn’t increased. In fact, expenses have only continued to be on the rise. I wonder if there will be a way out of this situation. I look forward to palliatives in the educational sector.”

[Guardian]

Liverpool have rejected a £150m offer for Mohamed Salah from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad.

The bid for the 31-year-old forward was for in excess of £100m, with add-ons taking it up to £150m.

Liverpool remained insistent that the Egyptian international was not for sale, and that was final as far as the club was concerned.

Salah, who joined the Reds from Italian side Roma in 2017, signed a new three-year contract last summer.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said last week that Salah was “100% committed” to the Anfield cause, and on Friday, he reiterated the club’s stance that the player was not for sale.

“The position remains the same. Absolutely no doubt about that. That’s how it is. Nothing else to say,” said Klopp.

Liverpool would have little time to react to Salah’s potential departure, with the transfer window closing at 23:00 BST on Friday for incoming deals involving Premier League teams.

However, Al-Ittihad will still be able to sign players as the Saudi Pro League transfer window is set to close on September 7.

The Nigeria Labour Congress will commence a two-day warning strike on September 6, 2023, in preparation for a total shutdown which will commence in 21 days.

The decision was taken at the end of its National Executive Council meeting which was held in the early hours of Friday morning.

A communiqué released by the labour centre and jointly signed by its National President, Joe Ajaero, and Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, said it decided to take the decisions following the failure of the Tinubu-led Federal Government to dialogue and engage stakeholders within the organised labour on efforts to cushion the effects of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol on the “poor masses”.

Already, the organised labour, in August, staged a one-day protest which grounded activities in major cities across the country.

While listing some of the other reasons why it would mobilise its members for the nationwide shutdown, the centre accused the police of laying siege to the national headquarters of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, alleged exploitation of the rights of workers in Imo State, interference in trade union matters by the Abia State Government, proposed demolition by the new minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, among others.

On the resolutions it took, the NLC NEC resolved, “To embark on a total and indefinite shutdown of the nation within 14 working days or 21 days from today until steps are taken by the government to address the excruciating mass suffering and impoverishment being experienced around the country.

“To commence a two-day nationwide warning strike on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 5th and 6th of September, 2023, to demonstrate our readiness for the indefinite strike later in the month and to also demand that the state vacates the illegally occupied National Headquarters of the National Union of Road Transport Workers.

“To embark on a mass protest and rally in Imo State within this month of September 2023 in preparation for a major shutdown of the state to compel the state government to stop the abuse and violation of the rights and privileges of workers and trade unions in the state.

“To begin the shutdown of the operations of Air Peace Airline and other companies in the aviation sector that are involved in serial violation of the rights of workers in the sector.

“To call on communities around the nation to stop taking laws into their hands but report to the authorities for amicable resolution any matter involving members of the Amalgamated Union of Food Stuffs and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria which is one of our affiliates.

“To demand that the new Minister of the Federal Capital Territory desist from threatening poor masses in the FCT with demolition of their properties built from their years of toil but should focus more on making houses available to the people.”

Efforts to get the Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Simon Lalong, and the spokesperson of the ministry, Olajide Oshundun, failed as messages and calls to their phones remained unanswered as of the time of filing this report.

Union Berlin technical director, Michael Parensen acknowledged Victor Osimhen is a “very good player” but claimed his team is not afraid of the Napoli striker.

The Capital club, who are making their maiden appearance in the UEFA Champions League, have been paired with 14-time champions, Real Madrid, Scudetto winners Napoli and Sporting Braga of Portugal in Group C.

Osimhen is expected to be one of the difficult opponents for the Bundesliga side in the group.

Parensen insisted that his players will do their best to stop Osimhen when they confront the Nigerian in the competition.

“Not scared. I think, of course, he’s a very good player who has scored a lot of goals and we’re not scared of him. We will try to do our best to stop him,” Parensen told Omaports.com.

“To stop him will be hard. We know this, but we will try.”

The 2023/24 UEFA Champions League will commence on September 19.

[DailyPost]

In the light of the escalating coups in Africa, with the West African subregion having the highest, the Federal Government has dismissed any fears of coup in Nigeria, saying the country has gone past a forceful takeover of government.

It stressed that Nigerians had fully embraced democracy and that the country’s democratic institutions were becoming stronger. It said the fact that some African countries, including neighbouring Niger Republic, witnessed coup in recent times did not put Nigeria under any form of fear.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said this in an interview with one of our correspondents on Friday, noting, “I can tell you that there is no fear or apprehension at all. We have gone past that, and we have been a democratic country all this while with the institutions of democracy getting stronger.”

Meanwhile, some retired generals in separate interviews with our correspondents warned that the only way to avoid coups on the continent was for elected leaders to respect constitutional provisions and ensure good governance in their respective countries. While not justifying the military takeovers, they said leaders must be accountable and desist from repressive rule if coup must become a thing of the past.

The continent witnessed its latest coup and the second one in 2023 on Wednesday when some military personnel in Gabon seized power and placed the ousted President, Ali Bongo, and his family members under house arrest. Gabon is in Central Africa.

After the forceful takeover, which brought to seven the number of coups on the continent within the past three years, the soldiers announced the annulment of last Saturday’s presidential election that renewed Bongo’s prolonged rule, bringing to an abrupt end the Bongo family’s 56-year rule in the country.

Ali’s father, Omar Bongo, ruled the country from 1967 to 2009, and after his death, his son took over and remained in power until Wednesday.

About one month earlier, some soldiers in Niger Republic on July 26, 2023, also seized power and placed the ousted President, Mohamed Bazoum, under house arrest. The junta has since asked for a three-year transition period, which the Economic Community of West African States rejected, insisting that the junta should return the country to democracy or be forced to do so by its task force. Niger is in West Africa.

Also, on January 24, 2002, the military in West Africa’s Burkina Faso ousted the then President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, while soldiers in Sudan, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, sacked the civilian rule in place in the country and arrested political leaders while declaring a state of emergency. Sudan is in North Africa.

About two years ago, September 5, 2021 precisely, the then President of Guinea, Alpha Conde, was sacked by the military and was replaced by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya. After his sacking, he wasn’t declared “free” by the military until April, 2023. The junta promised to return the country to civil rule by the end of 2024. Guinea is also in West Africa.

Prior to this, Mali, also in West Africa, witnessed two coup within a year. On August 18, 2020, the then President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, was ousted by the military and a transitional leader installed. But by May, 2021, about nine months after, the military arrested the President and the Prime Minister, after which they inaugurated one of them as the transitional President. They also promised a return to democracy in 2024.

Independent of these, the military also retained its hold on power in Chad after its President, Idriss Deby, was killed on the battlefield on April 20, 2021. His son, General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, has been in power since then despite a promised two-year transitional period. Chad is in Central Africa.

Out of the seven countries, West Africa, where Nigeria belongs, has recorded four coups, which is the highest; Central Africa has recorded two while North Africa recorded one.

No pressure –FG

On account of the intensifying coup and growing apprehension that it could spread to other countries on the continent, the Federal Government has said Nigerians have nothing to worry about.

Speaking further, the information and national orientation minister stated, “Nigeria is a different country. Nigerians will no longer accept such, so it will be difficult for anyone, at this point of our national development, to come out to do that or for us to start nursing any apprehension. We have very strong democratic institutions, so it is very difficult for anybody to just take up arms against the state. So, there is no apprehension at all.

“We have to stand up against military takeover anywhere on the continent. That does not mean we are afraid that such could happen in Nigeria. The fact that something like that happened elsewhere does not mean we have to live in fear. No, we have gone past that.”

…dismisses military shakeup

In what appears to be a swift response through shakeup in their military hierarchies, Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Paul Biya of Cameroon, both of whom have spent decades in office, retired a total of 1,029 senior military officers on Thursday. While Kagame has spent 23 years in office, 90-year-old Biya has been in office since 1982, making 41 years.

The Rwanda Defence Force, according to a local national newspaper, News Times, approved the retirement of 12 generals, including two four-star generals, James Kabarebe and Fred Ibingira, two three-star generals, Charles Kayonga and Frank Mushyo Kamanzi, and several officers.

Among those retired are two four-star generals, James Kabarebe and Fred Ibingira, two three-star generals, Charles Kayonga and Frank Mushyo Kamanzi. Kabarebe and Kayonga have previously served as Chief of Defence Staff of RDF, while the other two have been service chiefs previously.

“The President has also approved the retirement of 83 senior officers, six junior officers and 86 senior non-commissioned officers, 678 whose contracts ended and 160 medical discharges,” the statement added.

In Cameroon, the President reshuffled the military with new appointments to the Controle Generale des Armees. The new controllers are Capt Ajeagah Njei Félix Colonel and Colonel Nguema Ondo Bertin Bourger. Appointments were also made to the positions of Technical Advisers, Bureau Commissariat, and Air Force Technical Inspector.

When asked if there would be any shakeup in Nigeria, the minister said government did not have such plans, adding that Nigeria’s democracy remained stable and peaceful. He added, “That does not even arise. Let’s not talk about what does not even exist at all. Nigeria is stable and peaceful, and all our democratic institutions are very strong and are getting stronger. Like I said, there is no fear or apprehension at all.”

‘Tinubu wants peace’

The minister also emphasised that President Bola Tinubu, who is also the Chairman of ECOWAS, is not interested in any war with Niger.

Many Nigerians had rejected the initial threat by the Tinubu-led ECOWAS that it would consider military action against Niger if it failed to reinstate Bazoum and revert to democratic rule within seven days.

Meanwhile, after persuasion and several peace moves, ECOWAS appears to be considering peace moves, a position adopted by the subregional Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff.

Tinubu on Thursday proposed a nine-month-transition period to the junta.

The minister however stressed that Tinubu remained committed to peace in Niger.

He said, “The President is interested in the peaceful resolution of this conflict. Of course, he has maintained consistently that there is nothing off the table, but the preference and number one choice for Mr President is that there should be a very peaceful resolution of the conflict there or the return to democratic order.

“The President is a democrat and there is no way he will not support democracy anywhere in the world, particularly on the African continent. So, discussions are ongoing and the fact that something has happened in Gabon does not in any way take away the President’s eyes from the issue in Niger.

“We are not beating the drums of war and war is the last resort for anybody. The President is not interested in war; he is interested in the peaceful resolution of the constitutional disorder there.”

He stressed that consultations were ongoing on the Niger coup.

The minister added, “People are aware that on two occasions, a former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, was there and of course, we know that they didn’t really get through because of some reasons for which the military authorities there have explained and apologised.

“They went back there for constructive conversations. You also know that there are efforts by the Council of Ulama that went there two times now. You are also aware that the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs was with the President yesterday to keep appealing for dialogue and calm.”

Ex-generals caution politicians

To halt the resurgence of coups on the continent and avoid it in Nigeria, some retired generals have said the only way out is for democratically elected leaders to respect the constitution and ensure good governance.

They noted that while coups were not desirable, people no longer wanted to be taken for granted.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, a former Chief of Defence Staff, General Alexander Ogomudia, stated that the coups were a reflection of how the elected leaders ruled their countries.

According to him, no one would have any moral justification to support a coup against a government that keeps its campaign promises and has respect for the country’s constitution.

He stated, “You can’t use what happened in Gabon as a template for what happens everywhere else. For Niger, have you seen the pictures of the country at all? For how many years has France been collecting nuclear materials from that country, and the country is one of the poorest in the world?

“In my place, we have a saying that if you do anyhow, you will see anyhow. So, whoever was ruling Niger, if he was teaming with foreigners to ruin their country; that is doing anyhow. So, if you have a coup now, it is seeing anyhow. I have no advice.

“Every politician knows what is right. Before resuming office, don’t they campaign? If they stick to those promises why would they have a problem? If I say this road to your place is not good, I will fix it for you, and when I get there and I fix the road, will anyone have the moral justification to support a coup against such a person? Those who are planning coups have their reason for planning it, I can’t speak for them.”

Also, Brig.-Gen. Phillip Ashim, said the way to stop coups in Africa was to ensure that the people enjoy good governance. “That is common knowledge, it is good governance. That’s all,” he added.

Similarly, a former Commander, 1 Division, Brig.-Gen. John Sura (retd.), in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, said for coups to stop in Africa, leaders must respect their constitution and democratic structure.

He added, “There are some basic things African leaders should pay attention to. First, the constitution of every nation must be highly respected. People agitate when they are disenchanted or there is an unacceptable change in the constitution. If the people enjoy good governance, I believe there will be no coup.

“If you look at the developed nations, no matter what happens, they respect their electoral laws and other laws, so people feel at home that their interests are protected. Once countries are well governed and there is respect for the rule of law, we will not be talking of a coup.”

A former Commander of the Special Task Force, Operation Safe Haven, Major General Henry Ayoola (retd.), also noted that the coups were instructive enough for politicians to change their style of governance. He added that the practice of democracy should be done in accordance with the rule of law and that the surest safeguard was governance.

He stated, “Let’s practice true democracy and not just civilian rule. Let it be that it is a democracy where we keep to the rule of law, follow due process and procedures or the tenets of democracy. That is the surest way of keeping soldiers out of governance.

“The answer is for the politicians to play the game according to the rules. I give soldiers no reason and no excuse to tamper with the democratic rule. Let us practice democracy.”

He said further that the style of governance on the continent had entrenched impunity such that people don’t like processes and procedures. “We want to do what we like, when we like it and how we like it; that is what is playing out,” he stated.

“I mean how do you explain the Gabon case where the father spent about 27 years ruling the country and the son came spending another 13 years and he just won a fraudulent third term, tampering with the constitution? The best way is not to give the room for it. I don’t like to discuss the issue of looking up to the international bodies to solve our problems for us. It is a shame that we cannot rule ourselves.”

Kukah reacts

In a related development, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has also said military intervention was not an option for the country.

Speaking with journalists on the sideline of his 71st birthday celebration, the cleric stated, “I don’t think anybody in this country who is thinking right can contemplate or even make mention of the military; it’s totally out of the question. We have seen the best they can offer us, and we have seen the worst they can offer us.”

He restated that Nigeria remained a great country, adding, “I am confident that if God spares my life, I will see a great Nigeria. I just want to call on Nigerians, let’s be patient with ourselves.”

LP blames impunity

Also speaking, the Chief spokesman for the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council of the Labour Party, Yunusa Tanko, blamed the resurgence on impunity by leaders.

He added, “I am a strong democrat who believes in democracy, but now you can see that democracy is being balkanised and held in high levels of decay and disdain. It is now almost making the people themselves hopeless as regards what they believe in. Those were the things that necessitated these coups around the continent.”

Tanko called on the judiciary to live up to expectations of being the last hope of the oppressed.

Meanwhile, efforts to get the reactions of the National Publicity Secretary of the governing All Progressives Congress, Felix Morka, and the Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, were unsuccessful.

Similarly, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party was yet to respond to an enquiry by Saturday PUNCH.

Fayose applauds coup

Meanwhile, a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, on Friday night expressed delight over the coup in Gabon, saying while he did not endorse military intervention in politics, the recent surge in coups in Africa was a mark of sit-tight syndrome.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Hard Copy, Fayose stated, “I am very happy with what happened in Gabon. I don’t like military incursions into politics but I want to say to you that Nigeria is different; we have a reasonably stabilised democracy. We have our flaws but you can see the uninterrupted democratic process.

“Nigeria has gone from one party to another party and one person to another, but in a country where one man is spending 30 to 40 years, you have to boot him out of the place in whatever way. That’s different from the Nigerian setting.”

[Punch]

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission said it had begun investigation into a petition it received from the Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee, Yusuf Gagdi, regarding job racketeering.

The anti-corruption commission disclosed this in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, on Friday, adding that it also received a petition from Premium Times, an online newspaper.

It read, “The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has commenced investigation into petitions received from Premium Times and Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Ad-Hoc Committee on the Investigation of Job Racketeering and Gross Mismanagement in Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies, over bribery allegations against the probe panel.”

Recall that the House of Representatives had issued a warrant for the arrest of a former desk officer at the Federal Character Commission, Haruna Kolo.

Earlier, the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities denied paying money to bribe members of the House Committee investigating the job racketeering in Ministries Departments and Agencies.

The Vice Chancellors at a panel hearing on Friday noted that they paid money into a particular account in order to get some foreign currencies needed for their travel.

The Vice-Chancellor, the University of Jos, Prof. Ishaya Tanko, who spoke on behalf of the vice-chancellors when they appeared before the committee, said the money that was sent by some vice-chancellors was meant for foreign exchange for them to attend an international workshop organised for them in Birmingham, the United Kingdom beginning from Tuesday, September 5.

He said, “During our last meeting, we requested for two weeks because some of the universities did not come with some of the documents required from them.

“But we read the very disturbing media publication and I can say that the vice-chancellors are not part of that. The vice-chancellors have not provided any bribe to anybody.

“What I recalled happened was that the next day, there was a workshop for the vice-chancellors and because there is another international workshop organised for the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, I recalled that a number of people were looking for estacode in the form of foreign exchange that will enable them to travel.”

Tanko added, “We are looking forward to this committee concluding its work so that the challenges relating to employment in Nigerian universities are addressed so that we can continue to provide the quality manpower we need for the development of this country.”

On the morning of August 30, 2023, a group of high-ranking officers of the Gabonese armed forces appeared on national television to announce that they had taken power and annulled the results of the August 26 elections, in which incumbent President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who had held office since 2009, was re-elected for a third term. Altogether, various countries across Africa have experienced more than 90 coups d’etat since 1952. Here are the most recent coup that occurred across Africa since 2017.

Zimbabwe – 2017 coup d’état: On November 15, 2017, Zimbabwe’s military placed President Mugabe under house arrest, after he fired his vice president, Mnangagwa, who had the support of the war veterans. The ruling party, ZANU-PF, ousted Mugabe from its leadership on November 19 and nominated Mnangagwa as his successor. Mugabe resigned on November 21, ending his 37-year rule, and Mnangagwa was sworn in as the new president on November 24. The Supreme Court upheld the legality of the military’s intervention on November 25.

Sudanese – 2019 coup d’état: On the afternoon of April 11, 2019, in response to widespread mass demonstrations demanding his removal from office, President Omar al-Bashir was ousted from power by the Sudanese Armed Forces. During this critical moment, the military, led by Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf, took decisive action to overthrow the existing government and dissolve the National Legislature. Subsequently, a three-month state of emergency was declared across the nation to restore stability and address the prevailing crisis. Following this tumultuous turn of events, a two-year transitional period was initiated, marking a pivotal phase in Sudan’s political landscape. Over time, negotiations and diplomatic efforts ultimately led to the successful agreement that paved the way for a more stable and inclusive government in the country.

Mali – 2020 coup d’état: On August 18, 2020, a mutiny within segments of the Malian Armed Forces escalated into a full-fledged coup d’état. This sudden and dramatic turn of events resulted in the detention of numerous government officials, including President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, who ultimately decided to resign from his position and dissolve the government. Notably, this coup marked the second instance of political upheaval in Mali in less than a decade, with the previous one occurring in 2012.

Malian – 2021 coup d’état: On the evening of May 24, 2021, the Malian Army, led by Vice President Assimi Gota, carried out an operation to apprehend and detain President Bah N’daw, Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, and Minister of Defence Souleymane Doucouré. This marked a troubling development as it was the third coup d’état to disrupt Mali’s political stability in just a decade. The previous military takeovers occurred in 2012 and 2020, with the latter taking place a mere nine months before this latest incident.

Tunisian – 2021 self-coup: On July 25, 2021, Tunisian President Kais Saied orchestrated a dramatic overthrow of the Hichem Mechichi government. This extraordinary move included the suspension of the Assembly of Representatives of the People and the removal of immunity from its members. Termed a self-coup, this action came in the wake of a period marked by political turmoil, which was punctuated by a series of protests against the Ennahda party and the deterioration of Tunisia’s healthcare system amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guinean – 2021 coup d’état: On September 5, 2021, President Alpha Condé of Guinea was captured and detained by the military. In a televised address on state television, Mamady Doumbouya, the leader of the special forces, declared the dissolution of the government and the constitution, signaling a significant political upheaval in the country. In a separate incident, on October 25, 2021, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Sudanese military staged a coup against the sitting government in Sudan. This coup resulted in the initial detention of at least five top government officials, further contributing to the political instability in the nation.

Burkina Faso – 2022 coup d’état: On January 23, 2022, Burkina Faso’s military staged a coup and ousted President Kaboré. The coup leaders accused the government of failing to stop the Islamist insurgency that has killed thousands and displaced millions. The international community condemned the coup and demanded the return of constitutional order and the release of the president and other officials. The coup is the ninth in Burkina Faso’s history and threatens its democracy and stability.

Burkina Faso – 2022 coup d’état: On September 30, 2022, a coup d’état took place in Burkina Faso, resulting in the removal of Interim President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba from office. The coup was primarily driven by concerns over Damiba’s perceived inability to effectively address the nation’s ongoing Islamist insurgency. Remarkably, just eight months prior to this coup, Damiba himself had come to power through a previous coup. In the aftermath of the recent coup, Captain Ibrahim Traoré assumed a temporary leadership role to manage the situation.

Nigerien – 2023 coup d’état: On July 26, 2023, Niger’s presidential guard staged a coup and detained President Bazoum. The coup leader, General Tchiani, claimed to have dissolved the government and the parliament, citing the president’s failure to address the security and constitutional issues. The international community condemned the coup and demanded the release of the president and the return of democracy. The coup is the second in Niger’s history and jeopardizes its security and development.