The Federal High Court sitting in Gusau, Zamfara State, has restrained the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC from further inviting, arresting or detaining present or past officials of the Zamfara State government including the outgone governor Bello Matawalle with respect to how funds meant for security votes, estacodes, traveling allowances or any similar facts were expended by the administration.

A copy of the court Judgement dated May 31 by Justice A. B. Aliyu was made available to THE WHISTLER.

The suit was filed by Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, on behalf of the Government of Zamfara State with SUIT N0: FHC/GS/CS/30/2021, against the EFCC and the Attorney-General of the Federation, on the 16th of November, 2021.

Lately, it became public knowledge that the EFCC was tracking Matawalle over allegations of diverting public funds to the tune of N70 billion.

The ex-governor had also alleged that the EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, wanted him to pay a 2 million dollars bribe for his investigation to be stepped down.

Ozekhome, who approached the court, contended the constitutional overriding powers of the anti-graft agency to investigate state government officials over the use of public funds appropriated by lawmakers.

He argued that the power to interrogate the disbursement and utilization of state funds appropriated is constitutionally vested in the State House of Assembly and the Auditor-General of the State, not the EFCC.

The Plaintiffs’ lawyer argued that based on the doctrine of separation of powers, the EFCC was trying to usurp the powers of lawmakers and the auditor-general of the state.

But EFCC’s counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, had opposed the application, contending that the EFCC (Establishment) Act, LFN, 2004, empowers the anti-graft agency to investigate state officials’ utilization of state funds, while the Constitution only grants the power to audit the funds and expenses of the State to the Auditor-General of the State.

He maintained that there is nothing stopping the EFCC from investigating and prosecuting financial crimes in any part of Nigeria.

The Attorney General of the Federation also aligned by the submissions of the EFCC counsel.

But in his judgment, Justice A. B. Aliyu held that the current or outgone public officials can only be probed through the House of Assembly of Zamfara State and in strict compliance with the 1999 Constitution.

He held that the EFCC does not have the powers to direct past and present officials of Zamfara state government for the purpose of superintending over them or exposing any waste in the management of the government’s consolidated fund and its general finances.

Part of the order reads, “An order of injunction is made restraining the EFCC whether by itself, its agents, employees, servants, operatives, detectives, privies, investigating officers and other persons by whatever name called, from inviting or further inviting, intimidating, harassing and threatening to arrest or detain or from arresting or detaining any past or present official of the government of Zamfara state on the basis of the same facts or similar facts as herein stated.”

“An order is made setting aside EFFC’s letter of invitation to past and present officials of the Zamfara state government dated 28th, September, 2021 or any other date same being ultra vires (beyond) the powers of the EFCC, and therefore, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.”

The court held that by the proper interpretation of Sections 120,121, 122,123 of the 1999 constitution, the EFCC other than the House of Assembly of Zamfara state does not have the constitutional authority to exercise powers and control over public funds of the state.

Lionel Messi was jeered by a section of Paris Saint-Germain supporters as he played his final game for the club in the Ligue 1 champions’ 3-2 home defeat by Clermont on Saturday.

Messi’s expected departure from the French giants after two seasons was officially confirmed by PSG in a statement shortly before Saturday’s game.

“His contribution to Paris Saint-Germain and Ligue 1 cannot be underestimated and we wish Leo and his family all the best for the future,” said PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi.

Yet Messi’s name was jeered by some fans as the teams were announced at the Parc des Princes and the Argentinian World Cup winner was again whistled sporadically during the match.

There was little riding on the game itself after PSG wrapped up a record 11th French title last weekend, and Christophe Galtier’s side contrived to throw away a two-goal lead.

Sergio Ramos, whose own departure from PSG was confirmed on Friday, marked his final appearance by heading in a Vitinha cross for the opener in the 16th minute.

– Tribute to injured Rico –

Mbappe, looking to end a fifth consecutive season as Ligue 1’s top scorer, then scored a penalty to make it 2-0 with his 29th league goal this season, which he marked by holding up goalkeeper Sergio Rico’s number 16 jersey.

Spaniard Rico, PSG’s back-up goalkeeper, is in a serious condition in hospital in Seville after being injured in a horse-riding accident last weekend.

“The most important thing was the tribute to Sergio,” Mbappe told broadcaster Canal Plus.

“There are more important things than football, and on the pitch we were already champions. We could have lost 22-0 and that would not have changed anything for us.

“We had to pay tribute to Sergio. I think we have all been affected by what is an extremely serious situation. We have been worried about that all week and so we tried to pay tribute in the best possible way.”

Mbappe’s goals tally left him two ahead of Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette in the final standings.

Johan Gastien pounced on a Marco Verratti mistake to pull a goal back for Clermont, who then saw Grejohn Kyei miss a penalty.

The visitors then equalised in first-half stoppage time when Mehdi Zeffane netted from close range after Gianluigi Donnarumma spilled the ball.

Kyei got Clermont’s winner in the second half when he turned in a cross with his knee.

A famous win for Clermont sees them finish the season in eighth place.

PSG picked up the championship trophy after the game but end the season with seven league defeats, all of them suffered in 2023.

The apex umbrella body of all Yoruba indigenous people, Yoruba Council Worldwide, YCW, has described the bid to embark on strike action by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, over the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government as an act of economic sabotage.

The group, in a statement issued by its President, Aare (Oba) Oladotun Hassan (Esq) and made available to Sunday Vanguard, said it was aghast to see Joe Ajaero and Emmanuel Ugboaja led Nigeria Labour Congress (NLS) to have declared strike action via a trending circulated letter dated June 2, 2023, to commence strike action on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, against President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s led Federal Government on the removal of the fuel subsidy in the wake of the inauguration on May 29, 2023.

The statement read: “Based on evidence at our disposal, the proposed NLC planned strike is an act of economic sabotage, calculated at truncating the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, consequently amounting to Double standards and Treasonable felony.”

“We are equally surprised to see the ill-motivated chaotic action to picket CBN offices nationwide and not NNPCL if even genuine as a deliberate premeditated ploy of the Labour Party manifested to cause monumental havocs, considering the siemese political affinity and negative positions of NLC and Labour Party at the last Presidential election, and their earlier treacherous declarations led by the Labour Party’s Vice Presidential candidate Datti Baba Ahmed to make the current government ungovernable.”

“Surprisingly, this is the same political campaign Agenda of the Labour Party’s Presidential candidate Peter Obi to remove and scrap fuel subsidies immediately if elected, so what has changed?”

“It is highly hypocritical to see the Labour Union Leaders and their ilk involved in such deceitfully clandestine and criminally crafted plans, considering the purveyors of the strike action who are mainly hardcore “Obidients” using the sentiments of the current economic situation to orchestrate the ill-motivated chaotic total shutting down of the economy.”

“It is on this premise we call on all law enforcement agencies, particularly the DSS to stop any act of NLC declared protests, for this is a dangerous prescription to nosedive the ship of government and throw the country into abyss.”

“We hereby serve as a note of warning to the Nigeria Labour Congress and all her affiliates to desist from this political grandstanding evil machinations to disrupt the wheel of progress of governance predicated on the successful start of a renewed hope agenda.”

“While we use this medium to call on all Nigerians to continue to support and rally around the new administration of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima led Federal Government, based on their genuine robust plans to positively reposition the Oil and Gas industry and strategically grow the economy in the overall interest of the greatest number.”

“Besides, NLC and TUC leaders knew since last year November that the subsidy will be scrapped from July 1 as no provision has been made in the budget for it, beyond this date. The Federal Government which already commits 96 per cent of its revenue in servicing debt is not in any position to continue selling subsidised fuel, most of which is smuggled across our borders for criminal and obscenely unpatriotic profit.”

“Subsidy of fuel is the most fraudulent decoy to plunge the nation into the bottomless pit of hell and economically NO longer sustainable as the Federal Government is virtually broke. Apart from its N77 trillion debt, it also owes the NNPC Limited about N2.4 trillion for past subsidies,” YCW said.

On Monday, 29 May, 2032, our renascent democracy took another giant step forward with the seamless handing over by one democratically-elected civilian president to another, as retired Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-chief of its Armed Forces, handed over the baton of leadership to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, winner of the Saturday, 25 February, 2023 presidential election on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The current Fourth Republic is the longest stretch of democratic experiment that we have had as a country. The First Republic (October 1, 1960 – January 15, 1966) lasted a little over five years before the military shunted the civilians aside, after which successive military regimes took turns to rape the country and pillage and or waste its resources. The short-lived regime of JTU Aguiyi-Ironsi (January – July 15, 1966) was followed by Yakubu Gowon (July 1966 – July 29, 1975) and then the assassinated Murtala Muhammed (July 29, 1975 to February 13, 1976). Olusegun Obasanjo took over (“against his personal wishes and desires”, as he said, but who ever believed him!) and handed over power to an elected civilian president in the person of Alhaji Shehu Shagari (of the National Party of Nigeria) on July 29, 1979. Shagari was three months into his second term of office when he was toppled by the military on 31 December, 1983, signalling an end to the Second Republic.

Major-General Muhammadu Buhari stepped in and ruled till 27 August, 1985 when he, too, was toppled and gap-toothed General Ibrahim Babangida took over. Babangida’s regime initiated the Third Republic, which was unsuccessful in that Babangida himself wired it to fail because, in his heart of hearts and judging by the manner in which he serially shifted the goalposts in the middle of the game, disqualifying contestants on flimsy excuses, he did not want to relinquish power. In the end, the one described as “Maradona” because of the way he dribbled Nigerians with his unending transition to civil rule rigmarole, dribbled himself into a bind. He allowed the June 12, 1993 election to hold but surprised by its outcome and thinking he could dribble the country one more time, he annulled the election, adjudged by many as the most credible ever in the annals of the country, thereby instigating a chain of reactions, the end of which consumed IBB himself. He had to “step aside” from office and from power on 26 August, 1993; replacing himself with an Interim National Government headed by business mogul, Chief Ernest Shonekan, who was designated officially as “Chairman” of the ING. Shonekan himself was pushed off the chair on 17 November, 1993, forced to read a resignation address to the nation by Gen. Sani Abacha, who then took over as president. Abacha, like IBB, started his own transition to civil rule rigmarole whose goal was for him, Abacha, to transmute from military to civilian president. Death, however, put an end to his schemes and shenanigans on 8 June, 1998.

Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar took over after the death of Abacha and followed in the footsteps of Obasanjo by returning Nigeria to civil rule on May 29, 1999 with Obasanjo returning, this time, as elected civilian president. Since then, we have had 24 uninterrupted years of civil rule: From Obasanjo (1999 – 2007) to Umaru Yar’Adua (29 May, 2007 - 5 May, 2010 when his death, in office, was announced) to Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who assumed office, first as acting president and later as president, 2010 to May 29, 2015 when Buhari, like Obasanjo, returned as elected president. Buhari was in office until Monday, May 29, 2023 when he handed over power to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the same APC. So, there is more than one sense in which we can say that democracy is taking firm roots here. 

We have amassed more time under our belt – 24 years at a stretch. We have had a transition from ruling party to ruling party; we have also had an opposition party turning the tables on the ruling party, which is rare in these parts of the world. We have had power moving along geo-political divides from South to North and vice-versa. We have had a minority person become president, even if in fortuitous circumstances. This is very instructive in a country sharply divided along ethnic lines. So also is the fact that a Muslim-Muslim ticket (for the second time in our history) has won election in a country where sensibilities around religion are as volatile, if not more volatile, than the ones around ethnicity! But I digress!

 Penultimate Monday I was in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state to give moral support to Gov. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel as he rounded off his eight-year tour of duty as governor of the state. The first glowing remarks I heard of Gov. Udom Emmanuel came from Femi Falana, SAN. Each time I advocated restructuring and fiscal federalism as panacea to Nigeria’s myriad problems, Femi would say “Go to Akwa Ibom and see what their governor is doing there”! He specifically mentioned Ibom Air founded by Udom. His argument was that despite the imperfections in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, there is still a lot that any serious, focused and competent governor, like Udom Emmanuel, can do to make a difference. The second person I heard the name Udom Emmanuel from was my brother-journalist, US-based Dr. Moshood Fayemiwo, publisher of the very popular “Razor” and, later, “Sunset” tabloids with which he fought the iBB/Abacha military dictatorship. Moshood and I hail from the same town, Owo in Ondo state but more importantly, we were both in the trenches as Nigerians fought Babangida and Abacha. Along with many other activists, we were hounded, harassed and detained but were lucky to escape with our life. Dr. Moshood called from the US one day and said he wanted me to work with his friend, Gov. Udom Emmanuel, who was gunning for the PDP presidential ticket in the last election. I told him I would think about it. I decided to pray. I called one of my prayer partners but as soon as I mentioned the name, he interjected: “I know Udom Emmanuel” His testimonies about the Akwa Ibom governor were eloquent and inspiring.

The word of God says from the mouth of two or three witnesses the truth of a matter shall be established (2 Corinthians 13:1). That was how I came to work with Gov Udom Emmanuel as his presidential spokesperson. Had he been given the PDP flag, the result, I dare to say, would have been different. But hope deferred is not hope denied! Coming with him to Akwa Ibom while we were on that campaign, I saw more than Ibom Air. I saw the coconut oil factory and when the sample I took to Lagos with me got exhausted, my wife moaned. I was in Akwa Ibom again from Monday, 22nd May to the inauguration of the new governor, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, on Monday the 29th May to honour Udom, whom I describe, without any hesitation, as a special breed of a leader that we call, in Yoruba, “akanda eniyan” (specially made by God). All the superlatives that were deployed to describe him as he commissioned one project after another in his last few days in office were, in my view, richly deserved. His record of achievements are astounding, to say the least.

I have since added Udom Emmanuel’s name to those of JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, NDLEA’s Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, and retired but not tired judge of the Kogi State High Court, Justice Alaba Ajileye-Omolaiye as public officials who, having performed creditably well in their given assignments, deserve a place in the government of competency that our brand-new president, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has promised to run. To this list we must now add Architect Bamidele Samson and his wife, operators of the BOVAS Group of fuel stations noted countrywide for their honesty and integrity.  

I dare to say that Akwa Ibom has been fortunate and privileged to offer Udom Emmanuel the pedestal on which to showcase himself. Like Archimedes said: “Give me a place to stand, and a lever long enough, and I will move the world” For Udom Emmanuel, Akwa Ibom was the "place" (on which) to stand. His record of achievements was the "lever long enough". But it was not a bed of roses for the former governor; Nigeria’s political landscape is strewn with charlatans, petty jealousies, acrimony, blatant lying and the now-famous PHD (pull-him-down syndrome). There was a tinge of sadness in Udom’s voice as he narrated his experience on this score, first at the valedictory thanksgiving service and dedication of the International Christian Worship Centre, Uyo and later the same day at his end-of-term media parley. He was miffed at the deliberate destruction of facilities provided at great cost for the benefit of the same people now destroying them for political or selfish reasons. The strife between communities over boundary issues which his mapping policy was meant to address was deliberately misinterpreted by political detractors and ignorant people to cause mayhem and destroy projects meant to provide jobs and enhance the state’s economic prosperity.

 Udom knelt down on the altar at the International Christian Worship Centre and decreed: “No evil man, no wicked man will rule over Akwa Ibom” Turning to his successor, Pastor Umo Eno, he passed unto him the same mantle of grace that had been upon him (Udom) for eight years, enabling the state to enjoy unparalleled peace and development, attested to by even the man on the street. The service was still ongoing when the news was received that Udom Emmanuel had been conferred with the national honours of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). Udom and his wife Dr. Martha Udom Emmanuel were also honoured by the Christian community with titles rooted in the scriptures.

 At the media parley, Udom passed this message across to his people: “You cannot have a better state than yours”. So people should stop deliberately pulling it down to score cheap political points. Satisfied with his efforts, which have made many to refer to him as the architect of modern Akwa Ibom state, Udom declared: “I am leaving this state better than I met it”. He expressed confidence that the massive infrastructural development of the state under him and the unparalleled investment he has sunk into human capital development would endure and catapult the state to greater heights.      

These days Nigerians flock to Dubai but hear what a citizen of that country said about Nigeria and Dubai in a post that had since gone viral: “If you compare Nigeria with Dubai, Nigeria had (crude) oil before Dubai. They (Nigeria) are richer than us. They have agriculture, they have mining, they have everything, you name it; they have it. Am I right or wrong? When you have true leadership – which we have – we have nothing but we have everything because we have the right leadership. That is the only thing you need – a right leader for your country... That is what brings your country to the top. You don't need anything (more). We don't have water; we don't have agriculture; we don't have mining...” but Dubai has good leaders, which Nigeria has lacked, despite its huge potentials. It could not have been better put!

That, in a nutshell, is the real value we must attach to the likes of Udom Emmanuel – providing the right leadership; true and sincere leadership - which he demonstrated in Akwa Ibom. So, the last may not have been heard of this man. As he leaves office holding his head high, his next bus stop lies ahead - in the womb of time. His success in coming from the corporate world to not only survive in the murky and turbulent waters of partisan politics (serving two uninterrupted terms) but to also succeed in leaving behind his imprimatur, successfully selling his “beloveth son in whom he is well pleased” - Pastor Umo Bassey Eno – to Ibomites as a worthy successor, is clear indication that Udom Emmanuel is no longer a political neophyte but has matured into the league of the “Big Boys”. Watch out for him in the years to come!

The Senator representing Kogi West in the National Assembly, Smart Adeyemi, says the legislative experiences of President Bola Tinubu and his Vice, Kashim Shettima, will help them perform excellently.

Adeyemi, who was also an All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant in the Kogi governorship election, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja.

According to the senator, once somebody has been in the Senate, that person cannot afford to fail.

“This is the first time we are having field politicians controlling the executive arm of government.

“President Bola Tinubu, a former senator; Vice-President Kashim Shettima, a former senator, and even the First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu is a senator.

“If you look at the states that are governed by former senators you will see outstanding performance; like Hope Uzodubma of Imo State.

“In the Senate, you are exposed to the needs and aspirations of Nigerians, ” he said.

Adeyemi said that Tinubu’s government would resurrect so many moribund economic and productive endeavours in the country and create opportunities for real economic development.

“Some of us who are fanatical about Tinubu, it is because we are sure of his track record.

“He will not approach you based on your ethnicity or religion, he considers the quality of your thought, and how your mind works.

“Look at Lagos today, he gave them the master plan of socio-economic development. We are not in doubt that there is going to be a turnaround under this government,” he said.

He said that the president was capable of initiating economic policies that would increase productivity and strengthen the Naira.

“We are confident that he is going to strengthen the Naira; he is going to strengthen productivity that will enhance the strength of the currency.

“He is going to create wealth, he will create job opportunities; you know the number of agencies he created as governor of Lagos?

“These are the things making Lagos excel today.

He said that the Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, had a similar track record through his performance as governor of Borno.

“Shettima is a former banker; and Agric/Economist by training. He is the person who revamped agriculture in Borno.

“We need to look inwards for productivity and one of the gifts of God to Nigeria is that we have arable land.

“Under the leadership of Tinubu and Shettima, there will be accelerated development of Nigeria, there will be a new Nigeria.

“There will be a resurrection of all those things that are dead or half-dead in Nigeria.

He urged the Federal Government to take advantage of abundant solid mineral deposits across the country to accelerate economic and infrastructural development.

He said the country had 32 solid minerals in commercial quantity, which, if harnessed, could turn the economy around for good.

He described Kogi as the solid mineral hub of the country and urged the government to prioritise the state in its solid mineral agenda.

“During the campaigns, the president promised to make Kogi the headquarters of solid minerals.

“This is because, out of the 32 solid minerals in Nigeria, there are 27 in Kogi,” he said.

Adeyemi urged Tinubu to source for competent Nigerians across ethnic and religious divides, that will help actualise his development plans for the country.

He expressed confidence that the president had the proven capacity to appoint the right people in the right positions.

“There are people who are not cut out for leadership. Tinubu does not have sentiments in his DNA, he considers what people are capable of doing, ” he said.

The Federal Capital Territory Administration on Saturday pulled down Abuja’s biggest graphics design and printing hub, the UTC Shopping Complex, over 30 years after it came into existence.

According to Administration officials, the sprawling complex had to be demolished to give way for reconstruction to fit into a model required to grow SMEs to address global business needs and challenges.

A Deputy Director, of Monitoring and Inspection, Department of Development Control, Hassan Ogbole said the structures were defective and there was a need to upgrade them to the standard that will meet global business standards.

Ogbole noted that provisions had been made for the traders and other occupants of the complex to enable reconstruction of the place.

He also stated that adequate notices were served on the occupants of the place to enable them to move out and allow the construction to start, but many of them deliberately refused to move out.

He said; “The place is in a state of disrepair. It is no longer habitable for occupation and business activities. The place has to give way for a new development.

“The company handling the development has informed Development Control and we are here to enforce compliance. We have given them enough notice for them to remove their goods, to enable us to start the work”.

Also Speaking, the Secretary, Command and Control, FCTA Department of Security, Peter Olumiji said demolishing the Complex was also needed to contain the security challenges in the area.

Olumiji noted that apart from restructuring the place to meet global standards, there was a need to nip criminal activities prevalent in the place.

According to him, it had become imperative to remodel the place to rid it of elements that engage in faking official documents.

One of the traders in the complex, Samuel Onuchukwu, said the traders and other occupants were worried because the temporary site provided by the developers, was not secured for business.

Onuchukwu disclosed that many of the traders were yet to remove their goods and property from the shops and offices.

According to him, they woke up early in the morning on Saturday to learn that the whole UTC area had been barricaded, and demolition was ongoing, while their wares were still trapped.

Nigerians have been advised to embrace cycling as alternative means of transportation in the midst of fuel subsidy removal in the country.

Mr Joshua Adekanye, Oyo State Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), gave the advice on Saturday in Ibadan at the celebration of the 2023 World Bicycle Day.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the United Nations (UN) had in 2018 declared June 3 of every year as World Bicycle Day.

It is an international observance recognised as a result of the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle, which has been in use for two centuries.

The day is set aside to raise awareness about the importance of bicycles as a sustainable mode of transportation.

According to him, it is advisable for the general public to make use of bicycles now that the fuel subsidy has been removed because bicycles do not use fuel.

He said that carbon emissions to the atmosphere by vehicles would also be drastically reduced when Nigerians rely more on bicycles.

This, Adekanye said, would create an enabling environment for Nigerians to live in.

“Use of bicycle is economically cheap because the cost of a bicycle is not as expensive as using a car or motorcycle,” he said.

On the health benefits, Adekanye said that cycling, not only improves physical strength but also helps reduce body fat “and keep the heart healthy”.

“Cycling may help prevent and manage medical conditions; helps in improving mental health and reduces stress, among other benefits, ” the sector commander said.

He, however, commended the contributions of all the agencies and stakeholders toward advancing the course of encouraging cycling in society.

Adekanye urged relevant stakeholders to keep on sensitising the general public on the need to embrace cycling.

NAN also reports that five cyclist organisations and young cyclists from the Air Force Primary School, Ibadan, participated in the event.

Among the organisations were Lifeline Cyclists, Rising Star Cycling Academy and Pedal Power Cycling Club.

The cycling event took off at the State Command of the FRSC, Eleyele, en route Jericho – Dugbe – Mokola – Sabo and ended at Lekan Salami stadium Adamasingba

The meteoric expansion of Nigeria’s financial services industry and the evolving nature of modern banking in the last ten years due to the rapid advancement of technology has led to unexpected regulatory and legal challenges. The fusion of traditional banking with fintechs offers many growth opportunities for the sector and enhances financial inclusion in a scale unimagined a generation ago. Even as a retired banker, I am amazed to see traditional banking being gradually replaced by digital platforms, with electronic payments, mobile banking and online transactions gaining prominence. Today, a bank is more likely to close a branch than open a new one due to massive deployment of technology, a radical departure from the trend at the turn of this century when I joined the industry.

The rapid growth of technology and the consequential shifts in the banking landscape has also led to financial inclusion and improved earnings in the banking industry. For some banks, digital products and services are at the core of their future growth strategy. At the Annual General Meeting of Access Holdings Plc, the parent company of Access Bank, late May, the Group CEO, Dr. Herbert Wigwe announced that the company’s growth ambitions in the next five years would be supported by seven key enablers, one of which is Digital and Technology. The bank hopes to transform its operating model to deepen digital penetration, according to Roosevelt Ogbonna, its managing director, in his report to shareholders. Other institutions are placing equally high emphasis on digital banking and technology as growth drivers. While traditional banking methods are still relevant, they have been significantly influenced by the rise of digital products and services. Mobile banking apps, online payment systems and contactless transactions have become the new normal, transforming our interactions with financial institutions.

As we all know, every innovation brings a new set of challenges that must be addressed. The adaptation of modern banking practices has given rise to numerous legal issues in Nigeria. These challenges include privacy concerns, data protection, cybersecurity and fraudulent transactions. For instance, in the three months ending September 2022, total amount of money lost to fraudulent activities in Nigeria surged by 207.9%, according a report published by FITC. These challenges must be addressed systematically by the judiciary and the monetary authorities. Another aspect of the digital revolution in the financial services industry is the emergence of Payment Services Bank (PSB) and other digital payment services. PSBs are licensed financial institutions providing banking services to the unbanked and underbanked populations through digital technological devices. They operate with lower capital requirements compared to traditional banks, thus making them available to those who are financially excluded. As the CJN noted, the emergence of PSBs ‘’necessitates a delicate balance between fostering innovation and ensuring consumer protection. ‘’Judicial officers must strike this balance by interpreting and applying the law to encourage financial inclusion while safeguarding consumer interests’’, said the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola at a workshop organized by the CBN. These innovative services have done a lot to bring banking services to the masses, foster financial inclusion and drive economic growth. At the same time, they present regulatory challenges to the authorities. Just as example, the volume of Nigeria’s electronic payment transaction jumped by 298% to N135.52 trillion year-on-year (YOY) in the first quarter of 2023 as cash crunch pushed more Nigerians onto online transactions.

Striking the right balance between promoting innovation and safeguarding financial stability requires carefully calibrating the legal framework, and this is the main reason the Central Bank of Nigeria has, for many years now, been working with the Judiciary to train judicial officers on banking and financial services issues. This year, the CBN focused on the emerging landscape of the nation’s financial services. In collaboration with the National Judicial Institute (NJI), the CBN organized a capacity-building workshop to brush up our justices and judges on the new face of banking and the problems associated with it. It was held on May 24 in Abuja. CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, said the workshop was necessitated by the need to keep our justices ‘’abreast of current trends in the banking and financial services sectors and important developments on economic matters’’. The subthemes for this year also covered a wide range of issues like the mandates and operations of the CBN; malpractices in Nigeria’s foreign exchange market; payment systems Vision 2025 as well as the Bank Verification Number Framework and its impact on electronic fraud. The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola (who is also the Chairman of NJI) and Justice Salisu Abdullahi, the Administrator of NJI, presented papers.

Justice Abdullahi argued that blockchain technology, which has over the years, emerged as a transformative force in banking and across various industries, is also of great interest to the monetary and judiciary authorities. The potential of blockchain to enhance transparency, security and efficiency in financial transactions is growing rapidly. But with the rapid growth of blockchain, legal and regulatory frameworks must adapt to accommodate the unique characteristics of blockchain. It is therefore critical for our judicial officers to understand the legal implications of smart contracts, digital assets and decentralized finance.

It is important for the judiciary officers to be continuously trained on all facets of our economy and the financial sector. An efficient judicial system helps to strengthen confidence in our economy, which is an important factor in attracting both domestic and foreign investments. Such investments help to reduce pressures on our foreign reserves, enhance monetary and price stability and reduce exchange rate volatility. Investors are more willing to invest in jurisdictions where the rule of law takes prominence in shaping business and investment decisions. The judiciary also ensures that all parties adhere to legal and ethical standards, and individuals and businesses can seek relief through the law courts on violations of agreements. Investors can also be sure that disputes would be treated swiftly and fairly in accordance with the law.

With regular trainings, our judges and justices will better understand the issues affecting the financial sector and this will greatly help in the resolution and adjudication of related matters. Judicial officers will also learn a lot in such areas as legal instruments governing digital financial challenges and the judiciary’s role in ensuring compliance and safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders.

From football to jollof rice, and other sundry striving like music and acting, I love the healthy rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana. But truly, Ghanaians know which is the giant of the two countries just as Nigerians know that the tattered singlet of Musa at the gate is worthier that the starched khaki of the brain-lazy, woebegone retired Major-General.

Though farther than Benin Republic, Togo, Niger and Cameroon in terms of geography, Ghana is closer to Nigeria in terms of shared experience and colonial language.

“Imagination is better than knowledge,” I agree with this wisdom of Einstein, who expatiates that, “Knowledge is limited to what we know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there will ever be to know and understand.”

Through the trickery of the Tortoise, Nigerian folklore imagines connectivity between the dead and the living, weaving together a world of equality, freedom and dignity, where intelligence trumps force.

Similarly, Ghanaian mythology imagines the world through the labyrinth of the silk-spinning Spider, whose squishy body contrasts with the carapace of the Tortoise but both creatures’ legends secure a place for the weak in the society.

However, comeuppance awaits the Tortoise or the Spider whenever either wishes to take advantage of the vulnerable through wit and cunning.

In the worldview of African forebears, before things fell apart, intelligence always triumphs whenever brute force runs naked, making the Yoruba say, “Ogbon ju agbara lo,” wisdom is greater than power.”

The story of former President Muhammadu Buhari and incumbent President Bola Tinubu is similar to the Ghanaian myth about Nyame and Anansi.

Anansi is a spider who wants to be the owner of all the stories known in the world, but all stories belong to Nyame, the sky god. Anansi tells Nyame of his wish to buy all the stories from him but Nyame tells the spider the price is unaffordable.

When Anansi insists, Nyame attempts to outfox him, saying Anansi could have all the stories of the world if he could capture the four most dangerous creatures in the world. An excited Anansi assures Nyame that he would capture all the four creatures, and even offers his own mother, Ya Nsia, to boot!

The four creatures include Onini, the python; Osebo, the leopard; Mmoatia, the Fairy; and a hive of Mmoboro Hornets.

Anansi has a beautiful wife, Aso, who is super cunning, and whom he listens to. With his wife’s advice, Anansi beguiles all four creatures, one after the other.

To capture Onini, his wife devices a plan, and they both set out for the brook where Onini lives. There, they began to argue loudly about Onini’s length. Onini comes out and Anansi tells him about their argument.

Onini brooks no contest with the majesty of its length, it quickly stretches out beside the branch which Anansi brought with him. To get an accurate measurement of Onini, Anansi advises that one end of the python be tied to the palm tree branch while the other end should be tied against the other end of the tree branch.

After tying the head of the snake to the branch, it was easy to persuade the snake to have its tail tied to the other end of the stick. And the python became more vulnerable than a sitting duck.

To capture the leopard, Anansi digs a hole in the ground along the path which Osebo treads, covering it up with brushwood. Returning home after dark, Osebo falls into the pit. Anansi, the Good Samaritan, offers to get Osebo out of the hole through his web. But when the leopard got out of the hole, he remained a prisoner in Anansi’s web and was subsequently carried to Nyame’s palace.

The spider entraps the Mmoatia Fairy by making a doll covered in glue and placing it in the prairie where the fairy plays. She sees the doll and got attracted to it, touches it with both hands and becomes glued.

Anansi lures the Mmoboro hornets into his gourd by pouring water on himself and telling the hornets that a dangerous rain that had beaten him in another community, was fast approaching. He advises them to get into his gourd for safety. They obliged and became Anansi’s victims.

The Spider goes to Ya Nsia, his mother, and reminds her about the promise he made to the Sky god. Ya Nsia agrees to go with Anansi to Nyame.

Boxed in by the Spider’s achievements, Nyame summons the elders and his army, tells them about Anansi’s conquests, which no one else or kingdom could do, and thus pledges all stories to Anansi, the Spider. So, every story became known as a Spider story.

I’m almost sure scaling the hurdles wouldn’t have been smooth sailing for Anansi. There might have been moments of despair and frustration when he angrily shouted, “E gbe awon stories yi wa, EMI LOKAN!”

Unlike the world of Buhari and Tinubu, the world of Anansi was a law-abiding world, where crime was punished, and virtue rewarded.

It was a world, where the elephant, though mighty, couldn’t usurp the rights of the ant, and the lion, despite being the king of the jungle, dared not take what didn’t belong to him.

It was a world that would ‘open the calabash’ of death to a brainless, callous and nepotistic king who recently plundered the land for eight years of misgovernance – just like they ‘opened the calabash’ for wicked kings in the old Oyo Empire.

In the olden days when the Tortoise and the Spider counted among the wise men, people voted without let or hindrance, and their votes counted. The electoral umpire, even if it was the glasses-wearing YAK, dared not fail to upload the results of the presidential election as ARTICUlated in the electoral law.

During the days of the fabled Tortoise and the Spider, Umpire YAK dared not cause disaffection within the polity, as he did yesterday, without being summoned to the king’s palace, and bagging an outright banishment to the Evil Forest or the severance of his head from his neck at Imogun, the Place of Skulls.

If Yak followed the electoral process through, the Articulate and the Obidients would probably not go to the Court of Judges to lay their grievances over why the Bat was crowned the king without announcing his victory through the Kakaaki, as required by the law of the land.

Things have turned upside down today. Thorns have grown on the throne in Ife, and the king can no longer sit on the stool of his forebears but go about looking for plastic chairs in Owambe parties, allowing Pete, Tom, Dick and Harry to hug him.

In those days of the Tortoise and the Spider, when the blind Baba Fakunle predicted in Ola Rotimi’s ‘The gods are not to blame’, that King Odewale would marry his mother and kill his father, it came to pass.

Today, Christian and Muslim clerics have turned the church and the mosque into casinos, where forecasts are churned out like locusts in flight, with none coming to pass.

A cleric predicted that he was the incoming President Number 16 and that Buhari would hand over to him. Another one warned witches and wizards not to come to Abuja – as if witches and wizards ever amounted to anything or as if they are the problems of Nigeria.

Many Nigerian pastors and imams are fake men of God who brag about power over all infirmities but none has ever cured either a cough or a headache, not to talk of HIV/AIDS or COVID-19.

The removal of petroleum subsidy is a step in the right direction but the President must not behave like the Tortoise who got all the wisdom of the world in a gourd, which he tied to his neck, without knowing how to get the gourd to the top if a tree. Tinubu must exhibit cleverness and be be prepared to go to war against the oil cabal.

Online reactions trailed the presence of President Tinubu’s wife, Remi, for being present at an official meeting the president held with some officials on Wednesday.

Did Aso, the wife of Anansi, not help her Spider husband solve his riddles? If you don’t know the meaning of presidential monarchy, go to court.

Against all odds, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was sworn in as Nigeria’s 16th president on Monday. It is an event that should not surprise any realist conversant with the Nigerian situation. The 2023 presidential election came with many irregularities, without a doubt, but it also presented significant shifts in Nigeria’s electoral configuration. Two of such dislocations are that politicians can no longer take Nigerians for granted and that if we maintain fidelity to technology’s opportunities, the people’s votes will be increasingly impactful. But I digress.

Tinubu’s victory in the elections was hardly surprising. Unlike the precipitous Peter Obi revolution, which shook Nigeria to its roots, Tinubu worked hard for his medal from the outset. For instance, the presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were the most keenly contested. When they went to the field on June 6, 2022, 13 other people, including the then Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, slugged it out with him.

Although candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party also had a battle, the stakes were higher in the APC because its status as the ruling party gave its aspirants more impetus.

Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian Peoples Party, the two other leading candidates, had their tickets on a silver platter literally. While three opponents who went into the primaries with Obi stepped down, Kwankwaso was the sole aspirant in his party.

During electioneering, Tinubu put in tireless work. Despite concerns about his health, he traversed the whole country, travelling to many states—two, three, even four times. While the PDP, which could give him the actual fight, called the bluff in five of its 15 state governors, the Labour Party had limitations in most northern states, where ultimate winners of national elections usually get their haul of votes. Tinubu was efficient on all fronts. Most altercations in the APC were resolved before the elections, regardless of the cost. In cases where reconciliation was impossible, he made overtures to enemies of his enemies, turned them into friends, and received bountifully from people like Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State. Tinubu worked so hard at these elections that he took almost nothing for granted!

Yet these last few months were only the tipping point of a lifelong preparation for Nigeria’s presidency. When he ventured into politics in 1992, the presidency seemed like the end goal for the man widely known as Jagaban.

But from 1999 on, keen observers of the polity were left in no doubt about the mission Tinubu had in sight. Every friend, enemy, and political associate he made and every step he took, including aligning with former President Muhammadu Buhari to form the APC in 2013, were towards the end we see today. It would be a disaster unforetold if a man who has prepared for this office all his life got in there and made a mess of it! This is more so if he is humble enough to draw lessons from the uninspiring performance of his predecessor.

Regardless of how much he thinks he has prepared; however, President Tinubu must consider himself extremely lucky to be in that seat today. Why? He is not the first to desire, prepare for, and qualify for that position.

Compared to someone like the late First Republic Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, any qualifications Tinubu may parade would pale into insignificance.

Awolowo, who released his first book, Path to Nigerian Freedom, in 1947, just after he was called to the Bar in London, was not just a politician; he was an intellectual and philosopher, the first man who postulated that federalism was the way to prosperity for Nigeria and Nigerians. He joined those who fought for Nigeria’s independence, and evidence of his six-year leadership of the western region still exists in the human capital, physical infrastructure, and even economy of the states in western Nigeria.

It was upon Awolowo’s death that the late Chief Emeka Ojukwu wrote: “He was, for a long time, the only Nigerian leader that enunciated principles and played down personalities… He was loved and feared, but above all, he belonged to the people he professed to lead. At his death, I had the singular honour of proposing for him this epitaph that has endured — he was the best president that Nigeria never had.” Despite his overwhelming qualifications, preparation, and efforts, the late sage did not make it to the presidency. Tinubu has! 

There was also Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, a business mogul, politician, and philanthropist extraordinaire. MKO, as he was known, built relationships amongst every stratum of Nigeria before contesting an election in which he defeated his opponent, the late Alhaji Bashir Tofa, in his native Kano atate.

The election Abiola participated in was so free that Tinubu and many other Nigerians put their freedom and lives on the line for its actualisation. The great MKO saw victory coming his way, but he was lowered into the grave instead of occupying the seat that Tinubu sits on today.

Then there is Abubakar Atiku. The former vice-president was one of Tinubu’s opponents in the 2023 election, and he has been at it since 1992! In those 30 years, Atiku has moved from God knows how many political parties of convenience to the other such that he would pass as the most desperate for that office in today’s Nigeria. Yet, in this last election, he lost to Tinubu on the latter’s first attempt.

This victory is not because the president is more intelligent or endowed than any of these three great men mentioned earlier. Those who believe in God will say that power comes from Him and that He gives it to whoever He wishes. If so, the president must see his victory as a divine assignment, which failure will disappoint God and the good people of Nigeria.

Why would Tinubu allow this to happen to him at his advanced age? No matter what has happened or not happened in the past, the president must put the past behind him, roll up his sleeves, and work for Nigerians. Finding himself in that place he always dreamt of, Tinubu should make the most of the opportunity to leave a performance legacy that his generations would be proud of. What’s more, for a man who has seen it all.

It will be a testy time for the new president. He will not have it easy with his friends in the elite class, who have become leeches on the already ruined national economy. He will also need to earn the trust and confidence of Nigerians, who have been on the receiving end of bad governance forever. A man who wins Nigeria’s presidency with only 36 per cent of the total votes cast must know that he has a lot of work to do.

Good enough, he started well with some sound bites he left after his inauguration. However, governance is more than speeches; it is about matching action with the poetry of campaigning and inaugural speeches.

What Nigeria needs Tinubu to do is like what Franklin D. Roosevelt did when he became president of the United States of America after the Great Depression in 1933. Move swiftly to right as many wrongs as possible; always put the people first, communicate with them and build consensus; be fair to all and sundry; make the best use of the resources (human, natural, technological etc) at your disposal, and trust God to see you through.

Years of poor governance have driven Nigerians to despair, where they have lost faith in the government and themselves. This loss of confidence is why fault lines now define who we are. Redefining the essence of government by putting the people first can bring Nigeria back to that place of pride; this is what Tinubu must do. He cannot afford to fail.

Adedokun can be reached via Twitter@niranadedokun