Last month, popular Christian gospel singer Tope Alabi ignited some controversy when she appropriated a greeting associated with babalawos, while singing in a church. Several Christians defended her but did not assuage her critics who insisted she was encroaching. There is a reason Christians do not conduct their services in Arabic, they argued. What I found interesting about the exchange that followed her was how the Christians that habitually condemn practices associated with ìsèse also ransack their wardrobe to extract symbols that will enrich Christianity. The irony of the simultaneous diabolisation and covetousness by those in that category is perhaps best expressed in how they sing that “Babalawo power is powerless power” on Sunday and “àború àboyè” on Monday.

The contradiction of attributing power to indigenous African religious practices even while making a show of denouncing is no different from the other Abrahamic religion in Nigeria: Islam. The recent debacle in Ilorin, Kwara State, expresses how even the dominant religions are still haunted by the order of religious knowledge they demonise as “idolatrous.” You must have read about the incident. An Obatala priestess, Yeye Ajesikemi Olokun Omolara, had circulated fliers announcing a three-day event aimed at celebrating Olokun festival. Then some Muslims accosted her saying the festival cannot hold in Ilorin because their culture is “Islam.”

Honestly, when the news was first reported, my thought was that she was harassed by some miscreants who must be lashing out because the strangulating Tinubu economy had robbed them of legitimate employment. When these men added that they were acting upon the orders of their Emir Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, I still did not believe them. A whole emir cannot be that obtuse, I thought.

It was not until the emir’s spokesperson, one Abdulazeez Arowona, penned a rejoinder to the criticism of Wole Soyinka on the issue that it finally occurred to me that I had been overestimating the reasonability of these people. The article, meant to ridicule the laureate’s intervention in the matter, was such a shabbily conceived and poorly scribbled composition of ill-logic and inelegant ramble. For an article written on behalf of an institution like the emirate, it was either belittling of the status of the emirate or a reflection of the vacuity of the so-called “traditional” leaders. You can convincingly argue it both ways.

Not once did the article offer itself the courtesy of reflecting on the key issues of rightness and legality. Since they have not thought about it, let me put it to them directly: what gives the emir the right to infringe on a Nigerian citizen’s expression of her religious rights? The rejoinder was so thoughtlessly arrogant that it spared itself no time to contemplate that the emir has neither the constitutional or even moral power to declare Yeye Ajisekemi’s celebration of Olokun festival as going beyond her boundaries. Who drew those boundaries and by which authority? The only person overreaching himself here is the emir who mistakes his ceremonial role for constituted authority.

They tried to pass off the emir’s overstepping of his own boundaries too by stating that the festival had to be stopped in the interest of peace. How often have we not heard that same nonsense of asking people to give up their inalienable rights just so that some maniacs would not descend into their characteristic orgy of violence? Meanwhile, in that same gabble the Emir’s letter writer issued, they stated that Ilorin has been so harmonious that some non-indigenes have made the place a home. Some sentences later, they contradicted themselves by saying Yeye Ajisekemi had to be stopped because the celebration of that festival could lead to an outbreak of violence in different parts of the country. So which one is true? Ilorin people are peace-loving liberals or small-minded bigots searching for a reason to set the city on flames? If they are open-minded enough to live harmoniously with their neighbours as he states, why would there be an outbreak of violence simply because another religion staged their festival?

The emir and his letter writer should stop telling themselves that they live in a state of harmony if they cannot trust their people to be mature enough to mind their own religious business. A place where people will potentially kill each other over a festival is a lawless jungle, a dystopia. That is also an indictment of the state governor, the chief security officer of the state. If he cannot control the fanatics in your domain, then over whom does he have any authority?

When Arowona would spoil his Oga’s paltry case pátápátá, he boasted that the emir was an ex-judge, an incorruptible one to boot. Because Nigerians tend to speak of “corruption” in largely economic terms, people like Arowona reductively think of “incorruptibility” as not accepting bribes rather than its larger import as abuse of power or debasement of processes. That was why he could make that logical somersault that ascribed incorruptibility to a judge (a former one, yes) who stopped a religious festival. If Sulu-Gambari could not respect the fundamental human rights of Yeye Ajisekemi to exercise her freedom of conscience, what does it say about the arc of his career as a judge? On what ethics would a man like that have based his professional judgment when something as basic as freedom of worship eludes him? He did not need to have collected money to pervert justice before he could be termed “corrupt.”

Violating the rights of another is “corruption” in itself. Bringing up the emir’s professional past, unfortunately, only highlighted one of the many tragedies of Nigeria: a judge that lacks the concept of justice and a traditional ruler with no regard for tradition. Sulu-Gambari is proof—if you ever needed one—that not even education, not professional training, or even international exposure are enough to cure willful narrow-mindedness. What a shame!

For the emir to have stooped that low to stop an Olokun festival in his domain, he and his council of advisers must have been rattled by the symbolic power of ìsèse practices. All the drama could not just have been because their religion forbids “idolatory.” If it were, they would look away or lock themselves in their houses while the festival lasts. For the emir to disgrace himself this way, it must be because ìsèse rites carry a seductive force that threatens the political and spiritual power he embodies. Unfortunately, he played himself. If he had left the woman alone to do her thing, the festival would have come and gone by now. But, due to their own indiscretion, they are forced into self-justificatory modes. It will not be surprising if the woman starts getting patronage from the city’s inhabitants. Some of the people they thought they shield from witnessing ìsèse will reason that if the festival could bother the emir that much, there must be something to it.

Since this issue started, I have seen a couple of videos by some alfas vituperating over Yeye Ajisekemi’s choice to stage the festival. They based their contention with her on the idea that their city’s ethos has already been ceded to Islam and they will not allow anyone to pollute it with idols. Looking at them reminded me of the reputation of Ilorin as home to some of the most profound Islamic scholars and mystics. Watching some of these people shaking with rage over the Olokun festival was rather demystifying. So, with all their reputation as devoted practitioners and powerful mystics, they were not even secure enough to wave off an Olokun festival in their city as DOA? More intriguingly, it took only one woman with a flyer to unravel their fragility. At this point, Yeye Ajisekemi should be declared a national hero. Just let me hear anyone sing “Babalawo power, powerless power!’ one more time!

In a desperate call that can only exacerbate the security challenge in Plateau State, a member of the House of Representatives urged his traumatised constituents to defend themselves. On Monday, Hon. Dachung Bagos said that 19 people were killed within 24 hours last weekend in Jos South and Mangu local government areas of the state. “Hundreds have lost their lives since May 2023, and villagers can’t go to their farms, several displaced persons, lands taken over, farmlands destroyed”, said Bago who released the details (name and age) of the people killed in his federal constituency. “In the face of this kind of breakdown in the will and capacity of the government to protect the people and their communities, law-abiding citizens must organize to protect themselves”, he admonished.   

While it is difficult to blame Bagos for asking his people to embrace what amounts to self-help given the breakdown of law and order in the area, his prescription offers no solution to the killings that have ethno-religious undertones and feed on ancient animosities. Sadly, officials of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Berom Youth Moulders continue to trade accusations on the spiral of violence that have left hundreds gruesomely murdered and maimed, communities razed, huge swarths of farmlands destroyed and thousands of cattle missing. Because we live in a nation where people suffer from collective amnesia, it is important to remind readers that this is not a new crisis in a region where identity has become a matter of life and death.

On 3^rd September 2018, Major General Idris Alkali (rtd) disappeared while travelling to his farm in Bauchi from Abuja. The family alerted army headquarters. Acting on intelligence, the army narrowed its search to a pond in an abandoned mining pit in Dura–Du District, Jos South Local Government Area and brought in dredgers. On 29th September, they found Alkali’s black Toyota Corolla car, a customised white T-Shirt with Nigerian Army logo and his name inscribed on it as well as a pair of canvass shoe belonging to him. Eventually, the body of General Alkali was found in an abandoned well in Guchwet village of Shen district, Jos South Local Government Area of the state. But in searching the pond, the army also pulled out two additional vehicles, a Toyota bus reportedly declared missing with the driver three months earlier and a Rover car declared missing with its occupants since 2013. These of course were victims of barbaric killings whose families had searched in vain for their whereabouts.

An eye for eye, as the saying goes, makes the world go blind. But that is what is happening today in many parts of Benue, Plateau and a few other states in the Middle Belt where the people have been reduced to undertakers. Every day comes with multiple burials. When a society is in decline, as I wrote five years ago, people look for solutions where they do not exist. In Nigeria, identity politics has become the new form of expression. Therefore, we must locate this tragedy within the context of the tit-for-tat ethno-religious violence that has for years defined Jos and environs. We cannot continue to manipulate differences while trading hate yet expect peace or development.

I have on different occasions written as to how artificial differences are magnified and manipulated in Nigeria for sinister ends. That is not what obtains in some other African countries. Two weeks ago, I was in Sierra Leone for their presidential election. One of the things I learnt from that country is how identity politics on which most Nigerians tear themselves apart means nothing to their people. Even though 78 percent of Sierra Leoneans are Muslim, both President Julius Maada Bio and his rival, the main opposition candidate, Dr Samura Kamara are Christians! Even Bio’s immediate predecessor, Ernest Bai Koroma who was in power for 11 years is a Christian. I pray for such a time in Nigeria when the faith people profess or the ethnic group to which they belong would matter less than the ‘content of their character.’

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday expressed sadness and grief over the latest round of violence and killings in both Plateau and Benue States. “It is most unfortunate that in this orgy of violence, an innocent eight-month-old baby in Farin Lamba community of Vwang District, Jos South Local Government, died in a conflict she knew nothing about”, the president said. “A major consequence of perennial conflict is always the tragic loss of innocent lives. To build virile, peaceful, and prosperous communities demand tolerance and forgiveness for every perceived wrongdoing.”

The president is correct. But he must go beyond merely preaching. He should help facilitate a dialogue for peace in the region if we are to end the cycle of revenge killings that has claimed the lives of thousands in the two states. Eleven years ago, precisely on 8^th July 2012, Senator Dantong Gyang Dalyop and Hon. Gyang Fulani, then Majority Leader of the Plateau State Assembly, were attending a mass funeral for dozens of their people killed in Barkin-Ladi local government area when a gang of gunmen invaded the burial ground, shooting in all directions. The two lawmakers did not survive the massacre that claimed dozens of lives. Following that tragedy, I wrote a column, ‘Fire from the Mountains…’

I leave readers with excerpts from that column as I urge President Tinubu to work with stakeholders in the Middle Belt region to end what has now become multilateral killings.

It was bad enough that the victims were brutally massacred in their homes before one now considered the indignity of a mass burial. Unfortunately, it was at that emotionally vulnerable state at the scene of a multiple funeral that Senator Dantong Gyang Dalyop and others were callously ambushed in a second round of violence that ultimately consumed no fewer than 40 people. Given the nature of the crisis which led to that bloody madness, it would be very naïve of anybody to consider this as the end of a cycle of revenge that brought about the pogrom. And that is where the federal and state governments have now been left with a serious challenge which would require tact and commitment on the part of critical stakeholders.

All the political, traditional, and religious leaders in Plateau State who have substantial influence must join forces if we are not to witness an escalation of this tragedy. What happened at the weekend was almost like a scene from a horror movie. That explains why it is nothing but gratuitous insult for some people to be dwelling on the irrelevant fact that there were no gunshot wounds on (some of) the victims who were, to all intents and purposes, simply murdered. There is also need for a serious inquisition into the role of the security agencies at the scene of the tragedy to ascertain their level of professionalism in such a panicky environment.

While we commiserate with the families who lost loved ones, it is important for those who are already talking carelessly to understand that making divisive and incendiary statements at a time like this can only compound the situation. Whatever the grievances (real and imagined) by the contending parties, this is not an auspicious moment to air them. When the tears have dried and the pains have subsided, there definitely must be a revisit of several issues that are critical to finding lasting peace in the state.

The ethnic conflicts on the Plateau and the resultant political tensions that have been pervasive over the years arose principally because of the politicisation of accumulated grievances. And it is not helped by the ethnic-settler controversy that is founded on division and hate. This is an issue that has become a serious challenge not only in Plateau State but in several places across the nation. And until, and unless, we address it, we will never be able to build a united society.

It is not too late for a political negotiation that will put an end to the ethnic strife and bloodshed. For that to happen though, it is important for all critical stakeholders to rise to condemn this massacre, not rationalise or justify such cold-blooded mass murder. It is also important to avoid a reprisal that can only worsen an already bad situation. It is natural that at a time when emotions run high, reason will be at a very low ebb. Yet except the relevant authorities move in quickly, (and I am not talking of drafting in some military men who will run away at the sight of danger as happened last Sunday), there could be further acts of anger and retaliation between the contending parties. And this will be most unhelpful.

We must explore all the possibilities for peace, though that is contingent on not bringing in mercenaries who may exploit the situation to further their own nefarious agenda. The fear is that there may already be some tell-tale signs in that direction, and we know that without peaceful coexistence and tolerance, the city of Jos and indeed Plateau State, will be in perpetual conflict. Each side will keep trying to eliminate the other through what has become a bilateral genocide, to borrow a phrase coined in Rwanda. To therefore put the brakes on the violence, there is the need to checkmate all appeals to hate, force and guilt by association. I will recommend for the people a 75 second video clip which, in a different context, puts this issue in proper perspective: http://www.seedsofpeace.org/#. 

At the end of the day, all the contending parties must come to the sober realization that they have only been losing lives, wealth and their peace of mind since the conflicts began. Their children are being wrongly socialized because their religious and cultural teachings about the sanctity of life are being cheerfully violated. The local economy has crashed and a land that was a haven of peace and agricultural productivity now exports only tales of man’s inhumanity to man.

The failure of our security agencies and whatever may be their current tactics for dealing with the challenge in Jos is also evident. It is particularly worrisome that no arrests are made after these killings, implying that there is probably no real grip on the situation. This only encourages what has become a national culture of impunity. As the nation therefore mourns the distinguished Senator and other victims of this tragedy, let the people of Plateau State embrace the legendary admonition of Ukpabi Asika: “Enough is enough”.

Joe Irukwu and the ‘Nigerian Delinquents’

Former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and foremost Insurance guru, Professor Joseph Ogbonnaya Irukwu, died last Sunday—11 days to his 89^th birthday. I met him only once, but it was memorable. On 15^th August 2014 in Abuja, I reviewed his book, ‘Nigeria at 100: What Next?’ at the public presentation chaired by Bishop Hassan Matthew Kukah. I had been approached for the assignment by one of his children. In the late Joe Irukwu’s memory, I am publishing excerpts from that review (of nine years ago) titled, ‘The Past is Another Country’.   

If the young generation is made to believe that our past does not matter, how then can our children develop a sense of belonging and patriotism to a nation they don’t know? That of course is by the way, but we must commend Professor Joe Irukwu for documenting essential epochs and the dominant issues in our journey to nationhood. Reading through ‘Nigeria at 100: What Next?’, it is easy to understand why the author comes to the same conclusion as most writers that the greatest problem confronting Nigeria today is that of leadership at practically every level and in all strata of our society. However, the real message of the book is that the change we seek in our society must begin with each one of us.

Part One provides historical background to the nation now called Nigeria, right from the British annexation of Lagos in 1861 through the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914 to what many now cynically call the flag Independence in 1960. Even though briefly, the book deals with such landmark events as the resistance of three monarchs (the Nana of Itsekiri, Jaja of Opobo and the Oba of Benin) to the British incursion; the post-colonial constitutional developments; the First Republic and its acrimonious elections and census; the tragic military interregnum and the civil war; the Second Republic democratic experiment and why it failed; the military rule that followed and finally, the return to democracy in 1999.

For each of these periods, the author provides the lessons that were ignored as well as what might have been had we followed a different trajectory. Yet despite being a participant (or at least a ringside observer) in some of these events so aptly captured, the author adopts the detachment of an unbiased reporter which I consider refreshing for someone of his generation. In Part Two, the author deals with the impediments to nation-building in our country and the factors he identifies include the challenge of leadership and pervasive corruption. However, in presenting this twin-challenge in five chapters, the author relies on his earlier thesis that the Nigerian space has been hijacked largely by a group of men and women he describes as delinquents. I shall return to this shortly.

Part Three is titled ‘Repairing the damage and healing the wounds: reconciliation, transformation and patriotism’. While the author advocates for a united and stable Nigeria, he nonetheless believes that such a goal is better achieved by strengthening the ethnic and regional organizations. That the author would adopt this position is not difficult to understand since he is a former president of Ohaneze Ndigbo. However, he ends that section of the book with some enduring lessons that would serve the nation, but he tempered them with some caution. Part Four, which is the last section of the book, has five chapters and is appropriately titled ‘A roadmap for the future’. The author advocates the reformation of the family, restructuring of the polity and a complete national reconciliation.

In all, Irukwu has given us a fascinating collection that speaks to a period like this in our nation when there is an intense contestation for power between and among the major geo-ethnic groups and a growing apprehension, in several quarters, of an impending national crisis. What a book like this does is to remind us about where we come from, the mistakes we made in the past, the lessons we refused to learn and their consequences.

With the maturity that comes with age, experience and exposure, Irukwu’s patriotism shines through the collection. He agonises over the challenges we face while at the same time, proffering his own solutions to some of them. At the end, what the author says most clearly in ‘Nigeria at 100: What Next?’ is that we can overcome the human and institutional barriers that have for decades held the country back if critical stakeholders in the Nigerian project embrace a more productive and cooperative form of engagement.

While the author’s account of the civil war may be considered too brief, he nonetheless provides us with the enduring lessons and the more I reflect upon them, the more I wonder whether we have learnt anything from the tragic episode. The first lesson, according to Irukwu, is that in war everybody loses, at least to certain degrees: The wasted lives and resources as well as the missed opportunities when compromise, which is not necessarily a bad thing, could have helped to avert such tragedy. The second lesson is that no society can be peaceful if a section of it is either in turmoil or rendered vulnerable due to acts of omission or commission by relevant authorities. While the author is of a strong conviction that the formation of a national political party provides antidote to such situation, whatever that may mean within the context of Nigeria, there is yet a bigger message embedded in his narrative which those who pay close attention would see in the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast.

The third lesson, according to the author, is that we should never paper over our differences. We must discuss them and find acceptable ways to accommodate one another rather than allow misgivings arising out of conflicts to fester. While that is clear enough, the fourth and last lesson from the author with respect to the civil war is that we should never externalize our problems. With graphic illustration, Irukwu teaches us that solutions to domestic problems, like charity, must begin from home.

Reading through ‘Nigeria at 100: What Next?’, it is easy to conclude that the past was a much better country. Unfortunately, that has become the story of our nation as we almost always look back to “the good old days”. Notwithstanding, the author still believes and argues rather forcefully that the future holds better prospects, if we all play our part.

I share the author’s optimism that it will take our collective efforts to build a nation ruled by logic and ideas, rather than blind faith and fanaticism; a nation where girls would be able to attend school without the fear of being abducted by some criminal gangs who would turn them to chattels of pleasure; a nation where the poverty of the majority would not be cynically explained away with the number of private jets owned by a few individuals; a nation where sustainable growth and development would go hand in hand. Professor Irukwu may not have said so in those words but the message from ‘Nigeria at 100: What Next?’ is very clear about the nation envisioned by the author and the choices we must make to achieve that dream.

Although the book has 22 chapters, all of which are compelling, two chapters stand out. They are chapters 11 and 12 titled ‘The Advent of the Nigerian delinquents’ and ‘The Invasion of the Nigerian Leadership by Delinquents’. I take the liberty to quote the words of the author: “…they represent a small, noisy and highly visible percentage of Nigerians. This small group of delinquent Nigerians, from all backgrounds and ethnic groups, have over the years been responsible for the decline in the country’s traditional values. Their generally negative activities became more pronounced after the Nigerian civil war in the 1970’s and beyond. Although very few writers have written specifically about the delinquents as such, several writers and commentators have spoken and written about the havoc caused by this small group of reckless Nigerians and the damage they have done to Nigerian image, as well as their negative influence on the Nigerian youth.”

I am sure we can all picture in our minds the delinquents in the Nigerian public space. The private jet owners who have no visible means of livelihood; the so-called oil barons who have probably never seen oil rigs before yet feed fat on the collective misery of our people; the assistant directors in the civil service who move around with contingents of security details with billions of Naira belonging to pensioners in their private accounts; the airlines operator who sell 200 tickets for an aircraft that can only accommodate 150 passengers; the Judge who grants injunctions that can only be vacated in heaven and of course we should not forget the ‘Papas and Mamas’ who are supposedly doing the work of God but are helping themselves with the tithes and offerings of their church members to live in obscene luxury.

While the author argues that these characters represent but a tiny minority of our country, he nonetheless makes it clear that they are so powerful and visible that they have become the public face of Nigeria today. The question to ask is why do we have so many delinquents in our society? The answer is simple: Because it carries enormous rewards and little consequences. We are in a society where it is easy to get away with bad behaviour…

ENDNOTE: May God comfort the family of Professor Irukwu and may He grant his soul eternal rest.

The Peoples Democratic Party has accused the All Progressive Congress, Governorship candidate in Adamawa State, Aishatu Ahmed, popularly known as Binani of attempting to protect herself from indictment, by approaching a Federal High court in Abuja, seeking to stop the prosecution of Resident Electoral Commissioner of Adamawa, Hudu Yunusa-Ari.

Scribe of the Adamawa chapter of the PDP, Idris Yahya, stated this on Tuesday in Yola when he addressed journalists, calling on President Bola Tinubu to wade into the matter.

The PUNCH had reported that the governorship candidate of the APC, Sen. Aishatu Ahmed, popularly known as Binani, had approached a Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to stop the prosecution of Resident Electoral Commissioner of Adamawa, Hudu Yunusa-Ari by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Yahya said even before the ignoble role of the Adamawa REC, who failed in his bid to ensure Binani emerged as the winner of the Adamawa governorship election by hook or crook, the party had made repeated calls to complain about Binani and her desperation, but neither her party nor INEC showed any concern about it.

He said the latest attempt by Binani to stop the prosecution of Hudu Yunusa-Ari, only confirmed her as the “Chief executioner and principal actor” in the attempted civilian coup orchestrated by the suspended Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner.

He said, “Binani by this action has shown herself to be the chief executioner and principal actor in the attempted civilian coup orchestrated by the suspended Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner, Yunusa Ari-Hudu, who usurped the returning officer and illegally, declared her winner of Adamawa governorship elections even when collation of results for the supplementary governorship polls were still being collated. Her intention is to protect Hudu because she knows what she has done. Because with the prosecution of Hudu, she knows she will be indicted.”

Yahya also alleged that Binani had yet to face prosecution for her own role in the saga because of the invincible hands backing her. He said, “Binani I believe has not faced prosecution because of the invisible hands behind her otherwise she ought to be prosecuted for aiding and abetting Hudu’s illegal declaration of her as the winner of the Adamawa governorship elections.

“You were part of a treasonable plot and now you are going back asking your lawyer to stop the prosecution of the suspended REC who the police by its investigations said it has established a prima facie case against him.”

He said his appeal to President Bola Tinubu to intervene is to resist Binani’s push to stop the prosecution of her close ally in the failed civilian coup which she tried to orchestrate in Adamawa.

The Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has kicked against amnesty programmes for bandits and terrorists in the country.

The army chief said amnesty programmes instituted in many states had failed to achieve their purpose.

According to him, rather than repent, beneficiaries of such programmes see the programme as an avenue to regroup and attack innocent citizens.

Lagbaja spoke when Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said, “So, I want to appeal to Your Excellency that as we come up with a strategy to address the issue, the state government should be disposed to the implementation of the measures that we will recommend so that together we will address the activities of these criminal elements.

“We also have the issue of the amnesty programme that has been instituted, and which has failed, not only in the North but also in many other states.

“I think we need to look at this issue of the amnesty programmes. The agreements have proven to be incorrigible and so amnesty has created an avenue for them to reorganise and launch attacks on defenseless citizens. So, I think we need to look at that.”

Lagbaja said the insecurity ravaging Zamfara was a mix of many things such as farmer-herder clashes, ethnic confrontations, and the quest for economic survival.

He said he had directed the deployment of more platforms and the release of more funds to reactivate unserviceable platforms to boost troops’ operations in the state.

Zamfara governor said he was frustrated by insecurity in the state.

Lawal said, “I’m frustrated that Zamfara is facing serious security challenges. I will say without mincing words, Zamfara is the state facing the most challenges in insecurity today. Therefore, for me, being the number one citizen, part of my responsibility is protecting lives and properties.

“It is sad to mention that there is never a day without people being killed in one area or local government or the other. This is very, very worrisome for us because, without security, development can’t take place.

“I cannot do this alone. I need the support of the Chief of Army Staff and his entire team. I need to bring peace to first Zamfara and then Nigeria in general.”

The Labour Party and its standard bearer in the last presidential election, Peter Obi, have kicked against the offer of board slots to state governors, including those elected on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party, by President Bola Tinubu.

Kwara State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, disclosed at a meeting of the forum in Abuja on Tuesday night that the President asked the governors to nominate competent persons to serve in the boards and parastatals of Federal Government agencies which were dissolved last month.

The PUNCH reports that Tinubu announced the dissolution of the governing boards of over 153 agencies, parastatals, institutions and government-owned companies.

The dissolved boards were among the 209 constituted by former President Muhammadu Buhari in December 2017.

No fewer than 2,000 vacant positions on the boards were expected to be filled by new nominees.

Notable agencies include the North-East Development Commission with 12 vacant board slots, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission with seven board seats; Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, seven; Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, 21; Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, 12; National Universities Commission, 21 and Transmission Commission of Nigeria, 14; National Health Insurance Authority,12

Others are the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, 7; Nigerian Meteorological Agency, seven; Nigerian College of Aviation Technology,8; Nigerian Police Trust Fund, 8; Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency,10; Federal Institute of Industrial Research, 11 and National Centre for Technology Management, 11.

Also on the list are the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, 11; Nigerian Customs Service, 11; National Pension Commission, 17; National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons, 11; National Identity Management Commission, 19; West Africa Examination Council, 8; Niger Delta Development Commission, 13; National Institute of Sports,12; Nigeria Deposit Insurance Company,12; National Bureau of Statistics,15; Federal Inland Revenue Services, 15; Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, 8 and Nigerian Airspace Management Agency,7, among others.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the NGF meeting on Wednesday, Governor Abdulrazaq said the members of the forum resolved to commend the President for extending an opportunity to the governors to nominate board members across the party lines.

The governor also disclosed that that forum received briefings from the National Emergency Management Agency and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency on the cases of flooding across the country and moves adopted so far to curtail them.

This is just as they also played host to United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed alongside Nobel Peace laureate and UN Ambassador of Peace, Malala Yousafzai who is in Nigeria for girl-child advocacy.

The state chief executives expressed their readiness to partner with the UN and Malala Fund in advancing gender-responsive and inclusive policies, including access to quality education for girls and other affirmative actions across the country.

At the end of the meeting, the governors resolved to adopt strategies to address incidences of natural disasters at the local government and community levels, to prevent the loss of lives and properties.

The communique read in part, “Members (of NGF) resolved to commend the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria President, Bola Tinubu for showing leadership by extending the opportunity to governors across party lines, by asking them to nominate competent people from their fold for appointment into boards of parastatals.

“The forum received a briefing from the Director Generals of the National Emergency Management Agency and Nigerian Meteorological Agency on the incidence of flooding across the country and deliberated on urgent proactive measures to save lives, livelihood, critical infrastructure and safeguarding national food security.

‘’Members resolved to collaborate with relevant agencies at arriving at a comprehensive and federation response while leveraging the 2023 Seasonal Climate Prediction, Annual Flood Outlook, flood risk maps, and the Climate-Related Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Strategy.

“National Emergency Management Agency briefed governors on how to achieve shared goals of building a safer and more resilient Nigeria in the face of the growing rate of occurrence of disasters globally.’’

The statement further said, “NEMA called on state governors to set up functional State Emergency Management Agencies, Local Emergency Management Committees and community volunteers with adequate legal backing, funding and trained manpower to:

“Support knowledge, assets and experience sharing between states, NEMA and other responsible partners.

“Support the signing of Mutual Aid Agreements between states as disasters hit different geographical spaces at different times.

“Encourage private sector participation as part of its corporate social responsibility and foster policy alignment and community engagement for Disaster Risk Reduction.’’

“According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, every United States dollar invested in risk reduction and prevention can save up to $15 in post-disaster recovery.”

The communique also noted that the governors urged NEMA and NiMet to develop a comprehensive partnership framework to drive their engagement with states.

The governors further commiserated with their Plateau and Zamfara states’ counterparts, Caleb Muftwang and Dauda Lawal, respectively, over the senseless killings in some parts of their states.

They solicited the cooperation of the Federal Government in safeguarding lives and properties across the country.

But commenting on Tinubu’s offer of board slots to the governors across party lines, the LP described it as a ‘gimmick’ to lure the opposition governments and chieftains into the ruling party.

The Chief Spokesman for Obi-Datti Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko stated such a subtle move ‘’will not change the fact that Tinubu’s presidency is an illegitimate government.’’

He said, “APC is doing everything in their crooked book to ensure they legitimize this government, which we have resisted vehemently. We will only do what is rightfully ours when the court makes its decision and pronouncement.

‘’But as far as we are concerned, every attempt we see them do is a means to cajole people to believe and legitimize their government. That is the truth about it.’’

Tanko wondered why the APC would want to appease the sole LP governor with board offers when the party has hundreds of supporters in Abia State that could be given board appointments.

He added, ‘’Sending letters to state governors is part of the process of legitimizing their governance, which we are resisting. At the moment, LP has only one governor. The belief is that the governor may likely dance to their tune.

‘’But the truth about it is that will the APC tell you they don’t have party people in Abia State that they can nominate? Why must they go through the governor to do so? What they are aiming to do is to indirectly co-opt him into their party. That’s the truth.”

Speaking in the same vein, Obi’s media aide, Tai Obasi, said as much as what the president is attempting to do appears positive, it is not enough to legitimise his government.

“It is obviously a gimmick. Of course, you know the man (Tinubu) and the problem he is facing in court. It is easy for one to see what he is trying to do even though it looks positive though.

“But again, the oppositions are not fools. As we are concerned, we still see his government as an interim one,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party has said it cannot comment until its governors took a position on the offer.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, said, “I am not even aware that the President has asked the governors to make their nominations to the boards of parastatals.

‘’I have not spoken with the PDP governors and until I do so, it would not be appropriate to make a comment on this on behalf of the party.”

On his part, the PDP presidential candidate in the last election, Atiku Abubakar said a reaction is unnecessary.

Speaking through his media aide, Mr Paul Ibe, the former Vice President said, “It is not within our purview to react to issues like this. So, no comment”

But the Social Democratic Party commended Tinubu for the initiative which it said would bring about national integration.

Speaking with our correspondent on Wednesday, the National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Rufus Aiyenigba, described it as a good development.

“This is a good development, and it shows the commitment of President Tinubu to engendering national integration and a government of national unity towards sustainable growth and development. It is commendable that he wants to harness all good hands to contribute their quota to national development,’’ the SDP spokesman submitted.”

The House of Representatives on Wednesday took steps to make the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board Examination (JAMB) results valid for three years.

Consequently, the House urged JAMB to rethink and allow its result to be valid for at least three years and conduct the entry exams at least twice annually.

This was sequel to the adoption of a motion by Hon. Akintunde Rotimi from Ekiti at plenary on Wednesday.

Presenting the motion, Rotimi said JAMB conducts an examination every year for intending undergraduates at a fee paid by the parent or by the candidates themselves.

“Also aware that the West African Examination Council (WAEC), and National Examination Council

(NECO) examinations results which are a precursor to the JAMB tests are valid Indefinitely.

“Concerned that the JAMB examination result is valid for only one year and if candidates cannot secure admission into any tertiary institution of their choice in the academic year the exam was taken, the result no matter how good becomes useless.

“Also concerned that despite the incessant strikes embarked upon by ASUU which led to the loss of a complete academic calendar, JAMB still went ahead to administer its examination without recourse to the vailing industrial action by ASUU.

“Worried by the backlog of candidates waiting for admission into the limited vacancies in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions and its attendant pressure on the education system and parents,” Rotimi added.

Adopting the motion, the House urged the Federal Ministry of Education to put mechanisms in place to ensure that the resolution is implemented.

Former Oyo State governor and Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, has dragged the state governor, Seyi Makinde; Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, and 10 members of the Olubadan-in-Council, who were recently elevated to kingship position, to court over the State’s chieftaincy law review.

The Olubaban had last Friday crowned the High Chiefs as Obas, following the review of the state’s chieftaincy law by Governor Makinde.

However, Ladoja, one of the High Chiefs, who had kicked against the elevation of the High Chiefs as Obas, shunned the ceremony.

It would be recalled that Ladoja also dragged late Governor Abiola Ajimobi to court following the elevation of 33 chiefs to Obas in 2017.

The Otun Olubadanland, Rashidi Ladoja, had alleged that the Olubadan, Ọba Olalekan Balogun, was plotting to prevent him from ascending to the throne when it gets to his turn by altering the chieftaincy law.

In the suit filed by the former governor, he alleged that the plan was that if he refused to be crowned, he would be denied of his status as Otun Olubadan of Ibadan Land and that he would not be permitted to ascend the throne of Olubadan of Ibadan Land when it is his turn.

The first defendant in the suit was Olubadan of Ibadanland while the 12th defendant was Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State. The second to eleventh defendants were the elevated Obas.

He stated in the suit filed by his counsel that, “To the dismay of the claimant, he started hearing in the media that he would be crowned on the 7 day of July, 2023, when he has never consented to the untraditional act masterminded by the 1st Defendant.

“That since he has made it known to the first Defendant that the act of elevating any of the Olubadan in council or High Chiefs to this status of His Royal Majesty is untraditional the 1st Defendant has started plotting that if the Claimant refused to be crowned, he would be denied of his status as Otun Olubadan of Ibadan Land and that he would not be permitted to ascend the throne of Olubadan of Ibadan Land when it is his turn.

“That from Ekarun Olubadan of Ibadan Land after due consideration, the 12th Defendant is the approving authority to become a King in Ibadan, which is Olubadan of Ibadan and no other King. The 12th Defendant has not in any form consent to the illegal act that the 1st Defendant is out to perpetuate.

“That the entire Ibadanland is the domain of Olubadan of Ibadan Land and that the elevation that the 1st Defendant intends doing is to segregate Ibadan Land and cause disharmony. The Imperial Majesty that the 1st Defendant is appointing would be a royal father without domain.

“That the act of the 1st Defendant to elevate the 2nd to 11th Defendants is contrary to Oyo State of Nigerian Gazette No. 03 Vol. 47 dated 11th February, 2022.’’

According to him, the act of the first defendant to elevate the second to 12th Defendants to be royal majesty was against the tenor of judgment in M/317/2017 between High Chief (Senator Rashidi Ladoja Vs The Governor Of Oyo State & ANOR delivered on the 19th day of November, 2019.

He further stated that in order to stop this illegal act, through his counsel, he wrote a letter dated July 4, 2023 to the 1st Defendant.

“That it is only this Honourable Court that can protect the long-aged tradition of Ibadanland from being bastardized, by restraining the Defendants from carrying out this untraditional act.

“I make this written statement on oath in good faith, conscientiously believing the same to be true and correct pursuant to the Oaths Act.”

The National Vice Chairman (Northwest) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has accused the party’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, of denying President Bola Tinubu and all candidates of the party financial support to execute the 2023 elections.

Speaking at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Lukman disclosed that the party made over N30 billion from the sale of forms, yet it never supported President Tinubu and any of its candidates.

Lukman, who is a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling party, asked Adamu to render a financial account of the party since he took over the helms of affairs.

He said; “We are expected to present a proposed national budget to the National Executive Committee NEC for approval by the provisions of Article 13(3A)(14) of the APC constitution. I felt embarrassed when I heard the National Secretary (Omisore) say the budget of the party has been sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC. INEC is not the approving authority of the budget of the APC. The approving authority is the NEC. Till today we don’t have a national budget. Yet we made over N30 billion from sales of forms.

“Till today as a member of the NWC and majority members of the NWC, maybe with the exception of the Financial Secretary, Treasurer and or the Auditor who may have inside knowledge of how much was expended on the renovation of the National Secretariat of the party, we have no knowledge of what is being expended.

“Talking of national budget, we are just coming out of elections whereby we were not able to sustain past precedence. What was the past precedence? Under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in 2019, every candidate of the party received something from the National Secretariat. In this last election, no candidate of the party received a dime from the party.

“Talking of finances, in our constitution the NEC is supposed to approve some form of sharing formula. I am aware that each state chapter has received about N20 million out of the N30 billion. Put together, that is about N700 million less than a billion which is less than 3 percent of the total income that has been earned. Yet we want to sweep this under the carpet.

“We are having states, zonal, local councils and ward levels who are left on their own. The whole question of funding of the party has not been addressed.

“Tinubu didn’t get a dime from the party. I am making this public. Let them challenge me and contradict me.”

Speaking further, Lukman said the party supported President Muhammadu Buhari financially when he was the party’s standard bearer in 2015 and 2019.

He said: “Look, in 2015, the party was truly a model party. President Buhari didn’t have money. People were assigned responsibilities to raise money. It is just like Asiwaju and you say Asiwaju has money. So there were people assigned with the responsibility of mobilizing money for the party.

“If anything was done in 2023 based on that, it would be the initiative of Asiwaju. I am not aware of it as a party. If you remember in between, we were busy causing distractions about what should be our roles in the Presidential Campaign Council.

“Unless we are humble and honest to admit that these are things that ordinarily shouldn’t have happened and admit we need to correct them and reshape the relationship between us and the government that emerged, we would continue to have the problems we are having.”

The Senate has again resolved to launch fresh probe into alleged uneven disbursement of N483 billion loan to the Medium and Small-Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in the six geo-political zones by the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) in 2021.

This followed a motion by the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC, Borno) and co-sponsored by 64 other lawmakers during Wednesday’s plenary.

It would be recalled that the 9th Senate had set up an ad-hoc panel to investigate the claim that the South-West, especially Lagos State, had the largest number of the loan beneficiaries of about 47 per cent of the entire loan.

The DBN officials then told the panel that they adhered strictly to the criteria set up by their regulators and not geopolitical considerations in giving out loans.

Senator Ndume, who was visibly dissatisfied with the outcome of the last investigation and the committee’s recommendations, said there was a need for the Senate to look at the issue critically again owing to the huge disparity in the loan disbursement.

He said the Bank’s Annual Integrated Statutory Report 2021 showed that it disbursed a loan worth N483 billion in 2021.

He said out of the N483 billion, only 11 per cent went to the 19 northern states totaling N53 billion while Lagos alone got 47 per cent, which amounts to N227 billion.

Ndume said breakdown of the loan disbursement, according to the Bank’s report, further showed that Southwest got the lion’s share with 57 per cent of the total loan, estimated to be N274.7 billion.

He said South-south accessed 17 per cent (81.9 billion); North central and FCT, 11 per cent (53 billion); South east, nine per cent (43.3 billion); North west, five per cent (24 billion) and Northeast, a paltry one per cent (4.8 billion).

He noted that the five sectors considered for the loan are oil and gas (42%), manufacturing (16%), agriculture, forestry and fishery (7.2%), trade and commerce (6.3%), and transportation and storage (3.5%).

According to Ndume, the DBN existed to alleviate financing constraints being faced by MSMEs in Nigeria by providing finance, partial credit guarantees and technical assistance to eligible financial intermediaries on a market-conforming and fully financially sustainable basis.

President Bola Tinubu yesterday on Wednesday requested the House of Representatives to amend the 2022 supplementary appropriation act for subsidy palliatives for the citizens.

The President, in a letter addressed to the Speaker of the House, Hon Tajudeen Abbas Abba, which he read at plenary, said that the amendment was to extract N500 billion from the 2022 supplementary budget to provide palliatives to cushion the effect of subsidy removal.

The letter reads, “I write to request to amend the 2022 supplementary Appropriation Act.

” The request became necessary to provide necessary palliatives to mitigate the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy on Nigerians.

“Thus, the sum of N500 billion has been extracted from the 2022 supplementary appropriation act of N819.536 billion for the provisions of palliatives to cushion the effects of subsidy removal. I seek the expeditious consideration of this request.”