The leader of the Labour Party and the 2023 Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi has called for transparency in the proposed tax reform of the federal Government.

Obi, writing on X handle on Monday, said that carrying out tax reform is not bad but must be done carrying the populace along and should not be done with the government as the sole beneficiary.
'Tax reform is a critical issue, and there is nothing wrong with pursuing it. However, such reforms must be subject to robust public debate.
"A public hearing on tax reform is essential, allowing Nigerians from all walks of life to engage meaningfully. This is how we build public trust and ensure inclusivity in policymaking.

"Matters of this magnitude require extensive deliberation and careful consideration—they should never be rushed. Public hearings must be conducted to allow for diverse opinions and inputs.

"When considering tax reforms and similar issues, it is insufficient to focus solely on the benefits to the government, particularly in terms of increasing revenue collection. We must also take into account the overall impact on the nation and the sustainability of all its regions.

"Furthermore, the government must sensitize the people and secure their buy-in for any policy changes. Trust and legitimacy are the foundation of effective governance, and without them, even the best-intended reforms may fail.

"Let us prioritize transparency, deliberation, and public engagement in charting the path forward. This is how we build a truly participatory democracy.
A new Nigeria is possible!

Ibrahim Umar
POMR SPOKESMAN

A lecturer at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) by the name of Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia is in the eye of the storm of an outrageous sexual harassment scandal not just because of the damning consistency of his preying on female students like a ravening, sex-starved wolf but also because the institution’s vice chancellor, Professor Abayomi Fasina, appears intent to shelter him and grant him free rein to continue to terrorize more vulnerable female students.

Agbegbedia, a lecturer in the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, has spent years using his position not to educate but to extort, not to mentor students but to disturb the peace of, and inspire conflict in, female students under his tutelage. 

His name has become a byword for abuse, entitlement, and unchecked power at FUOYE. He uses his position to raven female students by dangling their academic futures as leverage.

With remarkably irrefutable evidentiary facts, such as the record of his WhatsApp chats with female students, Sahara Reporters and the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) have meticulously documented and exposed his consistent demand for sexual favors from female students in exchange for grades.

 Yet, the university’s response to Agbegbedia’s  widening and deepening dossier of accusations has ranged from tepid warnings to a promotion. Yes, a promotion! If irony could be weaponized, this would be an airstrike.

 Agbegbedia’s alleged modus operandi is chillingly straightforward: advance sexually, fail students if they repel, repeat. Several students have recounted to Sahara Reporters and FIJ stories of intimidation, academic sabotage, and relentless pursuit after rebuffing his sexual overtures. 

The case of a final-year student by the name of Ramota Olahanloye was what brought Agbegbedia’s unconscionable predation of female students to the forefront of national attention.  

He failed the student and delayed her graduation for refusing his advances. She got a passing grade in his courses and eventually qualified to graduate only after her script was remarked by a neutral party in response to her father’s impassioned intervention and righteous rage.

 This was not an isolated whisper. It’s only a small, visible part of a disturbing pattern of Agbegbedia’s excesses, which FUOYE has inexplicably ignored.

In the aftermath of being found guilty of sexual harassment by an FUOYE panel, the university administration’s remedy was a mere “warning” for “unethical behavior,” which smacks of both bureaucratic doublespeak and complicity. 

Worse still, Agbegbedia was promoted to the rank of Reader (equivalent to associate professor in the American system) amidst this turmoil. One can only wonder what message this sends to other would-be sexual predators. 

I won’t mince my words. The university’s decision to elevate him, despite the weight of these allegations, sends the message that academic predators will not only be tolerated but rewarded, as long as they know which strings to pull and know how to be protected by the invisible armor of patronage.

This protection isn’t accidental. Agbegbedia’s impunity stems, at least in part, from his cozy ties to the upper reaches of the institution’s administrative hierarchy, insiders say, and a system rigged to silence victims. 

The institution’s claim that it “takes sexual harassment seriously” is belied by its actions. 

It is a damning indictment of our system when a man with multiple accusations — bolstered by chats, student testimonies, and even confirmed tampering with examination results — is treated not as a pariah but as a prince.

FUOYE’s regulations unequivocally classify sexual harassment as gross misconduct. According to Section 8.3 of the university's "Revised Regulations for Senior Staff," gross misconduct is defined as "a specific act of very serious wrongdoing and improper behaviour which is inimical to the image of the service and which can be investigated and, if proven, may lead to dismissal." Sexual harassment is explicitly listed as one such act under this section.

The prescribed penalties for gross misconduct, including sexual harassment, are either dismissal or termination of appointment. There is no provision for a warning in such cases.

 This aligns with precedent within the same university, where Dr. Desen Mbachaga, a lecturer in the Theatre Arts department, was accused and found guilty of similar misconduct in 2021, which caused his appointment to be terminated.

 Agbegbedia's previous record, including a formal warning for embezzling departmental dues belonging to students during his tenure as Head of Department, further underlines the need for strict disciplinary action, as repeated misconduct indicates a pattern of behavior detrimental to the university's integrity.

Moreover, consistent enforcement of disciplinary standards is critical to maintaining the university's credibility. Other Nigerian universities have set strong examples. The dismissal and imprisonment of a professor at Obafemi Awolowo University for sexual harassment, among many other examples, demonstrate the severity with which such offenses are treated nationwide. 

This is a challenge for Senator Ndoma-Egba, the incoming Pro-Chancellor of FUOYE, who is known for his strict stance on such matters. I hope he will uphold the integrity of the disciplinary process at Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, as he did at Federal University, Lokoja, where three lecturers were dismissed for similar offenses.

Sexual predation in academia thrives on silence and inertia. Each time a predator like Agbegbedia gets away with his crimes, a precedent is set, which emboldens others to follow suit. 

The university, rather than being a sanctuary of learning, becomes a hunting ground for ravenous sexual wolves like him. The repercussions are profound. Students lose faith in their institutions, potential whistleblowers are silenced, and predators grow bolder. They prowl the campus and pounce down on female students with impunity.

FUOYE’s leaders must confront this festering crisis with urgency and integrity. Agbegbedia must be fired—not merely for the sake of the women he has tormented but as a warning to every would-be predator lurking in academia. Anything less than termination is complicity. 

The stakes here extend beyond FUOYE. Across Nigeria, lecturers who exploit their power are emboldened by a culture of silence and weak enforcement. For every Agbegbedia exposed, countless others operate in shadows, their crimes obscured by shame, fear, and institutional inertia.

 FUOYE has an opportunity—and an obligation—to set an example. Justice for these students isn’t merely about punishing one man; it’s about reclaiming academia as a haven for learning, not a site for sexual predation.

 Agbegbedia must be dismissed—not warned, not transferred, not gently reprimanded, but fired. His firing should be accompanied by a public acknowledgment of his misconduct and a transparent account of the investigation’s findings. 

To the university’s administrators, I offer this: your reputations are on trial as much as Agbegbedia’s. If you fail to act decisively, history will record your inaction as betrayal. Do not let the ivory tower crumble under the weight of your cowardice.

Finally, the Vice-Chancellor must reflect on his role in this debacle. Leadership is not a refuge for neutrality. If Professor Fasina cannot bring himself to expel a man whose actions have caused untold harm, then perhaps he too is unfit for the position he holds.

South Africans have expressed mixed reactions following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of simplified visa processes for Nigerians.

The new measures include five-year multiple-entry visas and the option for Nigerian tourists to apply for visas without submitting their passports.

The announcement was made during the 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Cape Town on Tuesday, where President Bola Tinubu was also present.

“Our efforts to create a favourable environment included simplifying the visa process for Nigerian business people travelling to South Africa. Qualifying Nigerian business people were granted a five-year multiple-entry visa,” Ramaphosa said at the event.

Although the initiative seeks to strengthen business and tourism connections, some South Africans have taken to social media to express their disapproval, criticizing President Ramaphosa for the decision.

@maggyvalen wrote, “This man hates South Africans,you cant tell me otherwise,he is now gaslighting us because he knows how we feel about Nigeria.”

@Packer_an noted, “Why Nigeria of all countries.”

@Lebona_cabonena said, “The whole of Nigeria is gonna come to South Africa.”

@nkulipp noted, “This president knows very well how we feel about Nigerians, but no, he wants to pass us off even more. Let’s start in 2026 let’s punish ANC.”

@Bongani_Wale wrote, “Yeah @CyrilRamaphosa is a traitor. If it’s not foreign shop owners then it’s Nigerians. Why would South Africa opt to ease visa rules with Nigeria whilst others countries are considering canceling them because of the delinquent behaviors of these people.”

“A 5-year visa deal? More like a 5-year disaster for South Africa. Ramaphosa is compromising our economy, safety, and sovereignty. Who gave him the right to gamble with our future for his personal benefit?.” @visse_ss noted,

[OpinionNigeria]

“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise” - Victor Hugo (in "Le Hus Miserables").

Is Biafra an idea whose time has come? Victor Hugo (26 February, 1802 - 22 May, 1885) says “Nothing else in the world… not all the armies… is so powerful as an idea whose time has come”. Another variant of the same quotation says: “There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come” (Hugo in "The Future of Man").

How does this work? An idea whose time has come is a “historical moment where the idea or concept (which takes on a spirit of its own) is perfectly received by a cultural movement that surrenders to its utility as dictated by historical necessity” Note that a cultural movement is more powerful, more encompassing and more demanding than a political movement, although it encompasses the latter. An example is Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution in China.

When Hugo made his statement, he did not have Biafra in mind. In fact, he was talking of Literature and not even of politics, nationalism or war. He said the time had come to abandon the conventional approach to literature, which he reasoned left it mangled and mutilated. But, today, that statement is more famous with those trying to upturn the existing social order in pursuit of nationalist goals.

Is the resurgence of a sovereign State of Biafra such an idea? I got sufficiently puzzled to ask this question because of recent developments. Everyone who thought the arrest and detention of Simon Ekpa in Finland signalled the end of resurgent Biafra’s deadly activities must have a re-think. The same way it was thought that the rendition of Nnamdi Kanu and his incarceration would silence Biafra - but it did not. Instead, a more vicious Simon Ekpa filled the void.

Now, one lady has come forward to claim to fill the void created by Ekpa. I watched her blab and blurt out gibberish - and they said she was a Dr.! Is it a medical doctorate, an academic Ph. D. or honoris causa? That, however, is a topic for another day but whichever, she did not demonstrate intelligence. She seemed more intent on displaying masculinity or macho than intelligence; and more brawn than brain. But that is not even my worry here today.

My worries include: Who are those behind the push or agitation for the sovereign state of Biafra? Assuming they get Biafra today, will they be willing to leave their investments in Nigeria behind and retreat to what former President Muhammadu Buhari once derogatively described as a tiny dot in the middle of nowhere? Have they counted the cost (Luke 14:28)? Or they think they will still be allowed to roam about and loom large all over Nigeria they would have exited?

They should ask Britain after BREXIT! When they draw the map of their imaginary Biafra Republic, they include people who have been vociferous in denouncing them and their Biafra project. How do they intend to handle that? A clearly defined boundary is one of the indispensable criteria for statehood.

It is necessary to begin to cross the t’s and dot the i’s of the likelihood of an independent Republic of Biafra if they are not to cause monumental havoc to themselves and their immediate neighbours. How will a sovereign State of Biafra respond to neighbours not willing to submit to their authority? Apply diplomacy? Or pacify them by levying war? Which of these two do you think is in Biafra’s DNA?

FEEDBACK

RE: Abike Dabiri versus Kemi Badenoch

"Tan’fe-ani" is the bane of the critics of Kemi Badenoch! Hopefully, Nigeria shall, one day, experience an "accidental leader" who will address her endemic corrupt tendencies - a major factor that propels the “Japa” syndrome in her youths. I pray and hope that Kemi Badenoch succeeds in becoming the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in her bid! -Taiwo Lasisi, President, Ta'awun Political Forum, Lagos.

If corruption is the reason for "japa", then, some of the people involved are even more corrupt because they were still collecting salaries that they did not work for! Also, money stolen from Nigeria is wharehoused overseas! So, those foreign leaders don't have the moral right to call Nigerians fantastically corrupt. I would rather describe the Nigerians as corrupt but the Whites as fantastically corrupt! - Kola Oloye.

I knew Prof. Femi Badejo and his friend, the late Dr. Remi Anifowose, at UNILAG. He has every right as a Nigerian and as an intellectual to his opinion. I am afraid, however, that he is in the minority on this matter. The truth is that there are many Nigerians who are doing far better in all spheres of human endeavor than Kemi. They have not disgraced Nigeria as Kemi has done. It is on record that she grew up in Surulere, Lagos; attended Staff School at UNILAG, and her father was an upper middle class person; so, where was Kemi fetching water from the stream and firewood from the bush? Abike did not just go to the press; it was the press that asked if she had reached out to Kemi. As for Nigeria being fantastically corrupt, all the monies stolen in Nigeria are warehoused in London and other Western countries! - Kayode Abegunde.

Abike Dabiri lamenting that Kemi Badenoch did not give her audience lacks diplomatic competence. She should not see Kemi Badenoch as a Nigerian, even though she has Nigerian roots. Otherwise, she would not have been elected as the leader of the Conservative Party. She has so many things to grapple with and top notch in her political agenda now (is not) giving audience to a low-level Nigerian government official. Doesn’t Dabiri realise that Kemi Badenoch is today the opposition leader in the British parliament and, thus, a potential British Prime Minister if her political permutation goes well? Coming to Fani-Kayode, he can not claim, and neither can his roots claim, to love the Yoruba. He was a child during the “Opreation Wet-ẹ̀” in the Western Region to know that his father, wearing a short knicker with a jerry can of petrol in his hand, was the master-mind of “Wet-ẹ̀”, which gave birth to political thuggery in Yoruba land, an evil that has refused to vacate our political space till date. Neither he nor Abike Dabiri can measure up to the political status of Kemi Badenoch. - Pst. Jube Olawole.

This is not complicated at all! Some people evidently underrated Kemi! I am quite certain, and I think it is now obvious, that Kemi has it all worked out in her mind - she has to be a brilliant thinker to be a computer engineer! To boot, and in support of those credentials, she is now Leader of The Opposition and Shadow Prime Minister in Britain, and the first Black African to lead a major party in the United Kingdom. Anyone who thinks she is stupid or irresolute should blame themselves for not being smart! From all the indicators which Kemi is setting off, she is, and she considers herself Yorùbá, like her father, but she is also British and refuses to be 'Nigerian', unlike her father! She has said that for the umpteenth time - and we are all aware of it - that she does not want Britain to become like 'Nigeria'! Is that not clear enough? And what can be bad with that? As a matter of fact, we the indigenous nations who are grossly unfortunate to be roped into the monumental scam known as 'Nigeria' can turn that against the British, its infamous inventors, and ask them to cooperate in the dissolution of the misfortune known as 'Nigeria'. As the official Leader of The British Opposition, even Kemi Badenoch says it! Her mother, who knows her better than anyone else, says she is a chip off the old block in her father, Dr. Femi Adegoke! - Demola Akintoye.

Why do we celebrate excellence in the Diaspora but prefer mediocrity at home? - Emmanuel Chiadi.

Kemi Badenoch was right in her response to Abike Dabiri-Erewa and the others. Could it be the ‘pull her down ’ syndrome or what exactly was the problem with those attacking her? Could they be using her to gain relevance and cheap favour from the government of the day? Why are we making a parody of our existential failure? We are living in sad times! - Ezekiel Odeyemi.

Please take time to help your readers know that whatever name they call the apparatus that Abike Dabiri has carved out for herself is unconstitutional and only possible in a corrupt country called Nigeria. She can use her “good offices” to bag an ambassadorial position to any country of her choice but she should please stop using that aberration organization of hers that has consistently undermined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Anyone with proper self-esteem and (who is) knowledgeable about proper governance will distance themselves from the misnomer arrangement she has put together. - Adewunmi Alabi.

The Senate last Thursday passed the tax reform bills for second reading amid tension despite a one hour close-door session to calm frayed nerves so that the federal lawmakers csn have a smooth debate on the general principles of the fiscal legislations.

The proposed landmark bills are the Nigeria Tax Bill; the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill; the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill.

Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, read the lead debate when the close session ended.

According to him, the set of four legislative proposals will increase Value Added Tax (VAT) distributable to the subnational governments to 55% while reducing the federal government’s share to 10%.

Bamidele said the new legislative regimes also proposed zero VAT on exports and essential consumptions by the masses and grant of input VAT credit on assets and services in addition to goods consumed by businesses to lower the cost of production

He  reeled out far-reaching proposals contained in the Tax Reform Bills, which, according to him, aims at simplifying the tax landscape, reducing the burden on small business and streamlining how taxes are collected.

When the floor was yielded to Senators who wanted to contribute, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, urged his colleagues to give the bills chance to pass through normal legislative process while those who have dissenting voices should do so constructively.

Similarly, the Senator representing Bayelsa West, Seriake Dickson, commended the executive for coming up with the landmark tax reform bills.

He said the fiscal legislation would entrench fiscal federalism in Nigeria if passed into  law.

The former Bayelsa state governor noted that Nigerians were paying tax and the government at various levels have been using it to execute developmental projects since the colonial era.

He said the situation changed when oil was discovered and the sub regional government started relying on the federal government for federal allocation.

He noted that some stakeholders objected to the bill because there was no proper consultation.

According to Dickson, “The position of the Nigerian Governors Forum is legitimate. The executive should carry out more enlightenment on the bills. As a federalist, which I’ve been all my adult life, I see these bills as a move towards entrenching fiscal federalism in Nigeria, which I fully support.

“I use this opportunity to call on all my colleagues to agree that these bills, all four of them, should be passed for second reading to enable our committee and the experts and the general public engage in accordance with our rules. The tax reform bills when passed to law, will entrench fiscal federalism in Nigeria”.

President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the plenary thereafter invited former Senate Leader,  Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South), to make his remarks on the bills.

Rather than contributing to the debate on the general principles of the bills, Ndume said the timing for the bills introduction was wrong and advised that they should be withdrawn for proper consultation in order to get the buy-in of the critical stakeholders who are opposed to it.

He urged the Senate to consider the sensitivities of the moment, by adopting a more strategic approach to avoid backlash.

Ndume then advocated that the bills be temporarily withdrawn to allow for more consultation with state governors, the National Economic Council (NEC), and traditional rulers.

He emphasised that the reforms would be more effective if they had the buy-in of the critical stakeholders, suggesting that swift passage could occur after such consultations.

Ndume said, “Let it be on record that my problem with the bills is the timing. Number two is the issue of derivation. The issue of derivation made the reform contagious, contaminated, and contradictory in some cases. This is because the constitution has to be amended in order for some of these proposals to be effective. I’m glad we are doing a constitutional review. So even if it means reviewing the constitution.

“I agree that we should not throw away the baby with the bathwater. I would have preferred we remove the baby and throw away the water first. And that is to go with what the governors and NEC proposed. The bills should be withdrawn and re presented to the National Assembly again after getting the buy-in of the governors and NEC and even our traditional rulers.

“Let’s be honest with ourselves. If we sit down here, work on these bills, assuming as it is now, there may be a backlash. This is because the governors have not come out publicly to change their position, the traditional rulers have not sat down publicly to change their position. NEC have not sat down to change their position.

“As for me. I looked at the bill which contains so many good things, but these two things, derivation and VAT. Even though you say it will be addressed at the public session, it’s not something that many of us will agree to.

“You started by saying, we are going to negotiate, which is good, and it’s coming from you. Why don’t we negotiate first before we come out to take a position?

“The people through the governors and the traditional rulers say the bills should be withdrawn, make some necessary amendments and  then bring it back and we can pass it in 24 hours. That is my position.”

Ndume’s position was instantly countered by the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, who disagreed with the position of Ndume.

He said the views of the stakeholders who are opposed to the bills could be taken at the public hearing after the legislation had passed second reading.

Monguno, who took over from Ndume as both the Chief Whip and Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, following his removal, said in the course of public hearing, the governors and traditional rulers are free to ventilate their opinions.

He said Ndume’s position was strange to legislative process but could only pass for a mere academic exercise.

Monguno, former Chairman of Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, expressed serious concerns that Ndume, who was  minority leader in the House of Reps, a leader in the Senate, and immediate Chief Whip of the Senate with all the cognate experiences of lawmaking,  came up with such arguments.

His words, “I disagree with you (Ndume), that this bill should be withdrawn first and consultation should be held with the Nigerian Governors Forum and traditional rulers.

“We have a procedure which is clearly and umambiguously stated in our rulebook for the process of lawmaking. The Constitution, in a very clear and unambiguous manner, gave us the power to regulate our proceedings.

“Section 60 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, gave us power to make these rules for ourselves in order to guide our proceedings. The process of lawmaking is very clear and unambiguous as per this book. That after the second reading of a bill, it will be transmitted to the Committee for Public Hearing.

“In the course of the public hearing, Nigerians from all walks of life, all groups, will come and aggregate, including the governors and traditional rulers. They are free to come and ventilate their opinion.”

“With due respect, what Senator Ndume has suggested is alien to the process of legislation exercise and therefore is fairly academic and should not be considered.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, then put the question as to whether the senators would want the bills passed or not  and the lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in support.

Akpabio thereafter mandated the  committee on Finance,  to organise Public hearing on the bill for inputs from those against the bills like the Governors’s forum, National Economic Council (NEC), Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), etc and report back within six weeks.

Ndume’s antagonist tendencies towards the bills had however started a day earlier when his position and that of the Senator representing Bauchi Central, Abdul Ningi, threw the Senate into a rowdy session.

The development happened following the decision of the Red Chamber’s leadership to admit the Federal Government’s team driving the tax reform bills, to address the Senators.

Trouble started when the Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele announced that there were visitors who would be coming to the chamber to brief the Senate on the proposed tax reform bills.

Bamidele at the session, presided over by Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, invoked Order 12 (1) to suspend the Senate Rules, seeking permission for their guests to enter the chamber and address them.

The visitors included the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Zacch Adedeji; Director General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, and the Chairman, Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele.

Ningi, the Bauchi Central Senator, raised a point of order, drawing the attention of the presiding officer to an error in the decision to admit the guests into the chamber because they were not captured among the categories of people recognized in the rule book.

Ningi cited Order 12 of the Senate rule book to read out the categories of people who should be admitted into the chamber, and argued that the listed visitors were not in such categories.

However, Bamidele clarified that he actually sought the suspension of the order 12 to admit the people.

Barau noted Ningi’s point of order but said the essence of inviting the visitors was to educate Nigerians through the Senate about the controversial tax reform bills to avoid confusion among the citizenry.

Bamidele’s motion to welcome the guests was seconded by the Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, and the Sergeant-at-arms led them into the chamber.

Just as the guests were taking their seats,  Ndume objected strongly, to the decision through a point of order.

He noted that the Tax Reform Bill was not on the Order Paper and that the Senate rules prohibit discussions on matters not listed on the order paper without proper procedural adjustments.

“This is a very important matter, and we must follow the rules,” Ndume stated, warning that circumventing protocol undermines legislative integrity.

He urged the Senate to ensure proper representation of Nigerians’ interests, stressing the bill’s significance in the face of public concerns.

Ndume insisted that the matter was too important to be manipulated and the Senate should not in any way play around the Tax Reform Bills as Nigerians have spoken.

His words,  “This is a very important matter. We should not in any way try to use the position of the Senate to treat it anyhow because the Order Paper is clear. I have no problem about having them come to explain whatsoever but we must follow known procedures. That is if today that has to be taken, then there must a supplementary Order Paper that will reflect this. It is not a matter that you will just come and tell us after we are doing business of the day that some visitors are coming to address us”. 

Ndume, who was intermittently interrupted by Barau, who accused him of hanging on to rhetoric to marshal his point, said, “Mr President, you can have your way, but I will have my say. You can use your gavel and I will use my voice.”

The ranking Senator further said, “The Tax Reform Bill is very sensitive, our people have been dominated by this matter. When you say, it is a matter of urgent national importance, yes, but even those matters normally referred to another legislative day if there are so inconvenient.

“Please I beg you in the name of God this matter if very important to not only us, but Nigerians that we represent and we swear by Bible and Holy Quran that we will represent the interest of the people. Nigerians have spoken, the Governors, the National Economic Council”.

Despite Ndume’s objections, Barau defended the decision, and insisted that the Senate acted within the rules, and dismissed the argument as an unnecessary rhetoric.

His remarks ignited tensions, causing the session to become chaotic.

Ndume then came up with another point of order claiming that Barau used unparliamentary words against him which should be withdrawn.

Barau eventually restored order by saying his use of the word, ‘rhetoric’ was not meant to ridicule Ndume but referring to his arguments which had been taking care with the suspension of the rule book with a motion.

He insisted that whatever the Senate was doing was within its rules, adding that the “Chamber has no time for rhetoric.”

Barau said, “You have made your point now we are not here for rhetoric. We are here for facts “ At this point the Chamber went rowdy while the Deputy Senate President tried to restore order.

Ndume was eventually ruled out of order and the visitors were allowed into the hallowed Chamber to speak on the proposed Tax Reform Bills.

The team told the Senators that tax reform bills are four different legislations that seek to bring everything about taxation and administration of tax in Nigeria under four different pieces of legislation.

They explained that the bills contain all major taxes imposed on individuals and companies and that it is just like a compendium of taxes charged in Nigeria.

Keen watchers of developments over the landmark tax reform bills are however of the opinion that the trouble which was managed at the Senate plenary might get out of hand at the public hearing with the current opposition to the bills, especially on the issue of VAT derivation by some groups and opinion leaders from the northern part of the country.

[Thisday]

Fenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho has said he believes he doesn’t get enough credit for his team’s winning run from the local media, begging that he wants to “work in peace.”

Mourinho’s side is second in the Turkish Super Lig and have won five consecutive games, including Monday’s 3-1 home triumph over Gaziantep.

Fenerbahce are second in the table, three points adrift of leaders Galatasaray.

“But they [local media] still kill me,” Mourinho said in a postgame news conference. “Give me a little bit of credit.

“Don’t try to do to me what was done to Giovanni van Bronckhorst [at Besiktas]. I don’t know any coach that in three, four, five months can make miracles, can change things. For me he [Van Bronckhorst] was doing a great job.”

Besiktas parted company with Van Bronckhorst on Saturday after his team had taken just one win in six games.

Mourinho, who took over Fenerbahce in the summer six months after leaving Roma, said of Besiktas: “The results lately were not the best but you have this culture and this is a culture that goes against stability.

“Clubs and players to evolve, they need stability also in their coaches, in their coaches’ philosophy. So give me a bit of a break, let me work in peace but if it’s not in peace, there is no problem, I still enjoy it.”

ESPN reports that Fenerbahce have scored more goals than any other team in the Super Lig and given away the fewest.

When asked how his team has managed to go on a positive run despite the congested calendar, which also included an international break in November, he said: “That calendar is for every team that is in Europe. It’s when you have to use the squad. If you always play with the same players they will burn out.

“You have to trust the squad. You have to give an opportunity for fresh people to play. I have a wonderful bench, full of options. With benches like this, a coach is a happy coach; and a coach doesn’t have any fear of accumulation of matches in the calendar.”

[Leadership]

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has reacted to the public outrage surrounding their failure to reveal the owner of the forfeited 753 duplexes and other apartments in Lokogoma District, Abuja.

On Monday, the agency announced the record-breaking recovery and claimed it belonged to a former government official. https://dailypost.ng/2024/12/02/efcc-announces-biggest-asset-recovery-as-govt-official-forfeits-estate-with-753-duplexes/

The refusal to name the politician led to fierce criticisms from Nigerians.

However, in a statement signed by its spokesman, Dele Oyewale, on Tuesday, EFCC gave reasons for the non-disclosure.

“It is important to note that the substantive criminal investigation on the matter still continues.

“It will be unprofessional of the EFCC to go to town by mentioning names of individuals whose identities were not directly linked to any title document of the properties.

“The EFCC is unwavering in its no-sacred-cow approach to every matter and together we will make Nigeria greater,” the statement read in part.

[DailyPost]

The furore raised by Dr Abati’s commentary has unfortunately, but not unsurprisingly, led to the usual ethnic finger pointing, with very few commentators making any effort to go beyond the emotionalism that beclouded the issue.  What T.O.S Benson was reported to have said is a common accusation or stereotype against the Igbos.

I am, of course, assuming that he did not deliberately present ‘alternative facts’ or  misspoke  and that Dr Abati did not mishear. Based on these assumptions, I would argue that Dr Abati did not really say anything new to warrant some of the personal attacks he received and some of the counter-ethnic insults by his defenders. 

Though some commentators have variously claimed that T.O.S Benson’s in-laws actually gifted him a parcel of land contrary to his purported claim, or that he probably harboured some malice, those refutations, on their own, are insufficient to douse the lingering perception that the Igbos do not sell land to foreigners. In the same vein, even a validation of that story would still not be sufficient to conclude that it is a general practice among the Igbos.

One needs a study which would show the number of applications for land allotment from non-Igbos in Igboland and the number that were denied based on the applicant’s ethnicity or ‘otherness’ before one can generalise one way or the other. Such a study, to the best of my knowledge, does not exist. The only pieces of evidence we have in this conversations seem to be isolated examples, hearsays and anecdotal evidence which belong to the realm of grapevine talks.   

The truth is that there is in every culture and even subcultures, elements of fear of the foreigner, especially when their population is substantial enough to affect a town’s demography or when such migrants constitute what Amy Chua, the Chinese-American Professor of Law at Yale University, would call “market dominant minorities”. These are a set of migrants who would move into an area and within a short time try to exert disproportionate influence in the local political economy. If some “migrants” are tolerated or spared profiling, it is often because their number and influence in the area are not seen as threats. Have we not all heard of landlords who would not rent to Ijebus, Igbos, Hausas or Muslims? 

If I were in a place where T.O.S Benson was said to have made the remark, I would have asked him why he wanted to go to his wife’s state and village to build a house for her and her daughter. This is different from a son-in-law offering to build a family home for his in-laws if he has the means or feels that his parents-in-laws deserve better than what they have. In most patriarchal societies, once a woman is married, she changes her maiden name to that of her husband, and becomes part of her husband’s family and community. This means that in most Igbo communities, a request by T.O.S Benson to buy land to build a house for his wife and daughter would be seen as an anomaly and would be viewed with utmost suspicion, including on whether it was a ploy to cunningly divorce their daughter. 

 I noticed the same anomaly in 2022 when Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, wife of the then governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu (now late),  who, with the support of her husband, wanted to contest for a senatorial seat in the 2023 elections in her parents’ Imo East Senatorial district rather than in her husband’s senatorial district in Ondo State. In most parts of Igboland, once a woman is married and changed her surname to that of her husband’s, she has become virtually a visitor in her father’s home and community – unless she is divorced. 

As we interrogate stereotypes we should also interrogate glorious attributions. These are ego-massaging statements that have been repeated so often that they are now taken as self-evident truths. For instance, during the said night of tributes for Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, Senate President Akpabio repeated one of such glorious attributions about Igbos: they are very entrepreneurial or ‘mercantile’; if you go to any place and do not see an Igboman, pack your things and go home because “there is nothing there”, and wherever the Igbos go, they build homes and help to “develop” the place.

The main problem with the above glorious attributions is that they are often framed in a manner that wrongly suggests that other ethnic groups are less industrious than the Igbos. While it is true that the Igbos are very visible in commerce and are literally to be found in every nook and crevice of this country (and even outside the country), the narrations are often denuded of the historical and cultural explanations for  these tendencies.  The truth is that with one of the highest population densities in West Africa, many in traditional Igbo society could not survive on farming and therefore took to a number of non-farming vocations such as trading, which naturally took them to other parts of the country. For instance while  Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe was born in 1904 in Zungeru, in the present day Niger State,  most of his contemporaries   in the struggle for independence were born in their ethnic homelands. With time, commerce and living in other parts of the country became part of the Igbos’ ‘achievement-oriented’ culture. This was reinforced by a certain belief that an Igbo person who lives ‘abroad’ (outside the town or community), would be accorded higher respect than the person who lives within the community. Following from this, the Igbos tend to have two homes – one tied to their ancestral communities, and the other tied to where they earn their livelihood. However, since this is not a shared norm among other ethnic groups, we cannot conclude that being visible or dominant in commerce or in living outside one’s ethnic homeland makes the Igbos superior or more industrious than others. In cultural studies, no culture is superior to others, hence we do not talk of hierarchy of cultures but of cultural relativity- each culture serves its members, and there are always elements that are appealing and others that repel in every culture. 

The above explains Senator Akpabio’s quip that while the Igbos who come to his state build homes and houses, members of other ethnic groups generally do not. Unlike the Igbos, the traditional Yoruba and many people from the North, with their abundant fertile land, had no need to take to commerce in the same magnitude as the Igbos did and still do, and therefore were less inclined to move outside their enclaves to look for economic opportunities. In addition to land surplus, the Yoruba had very early contact with the Europeans: Lagos was a Crown colony as early as March 1862, meaning that it was governed directly by the government of England at the time. Partly because of this, by 1872, Lagos had already become a cosmopolitan trading centre with a population of over 60,000 as it attracted all and sundry looking for greener pastures, including a number of the freed slaves from America, Caribbean and Britain who were settled in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Many of these were professionals who assimilated into the Yoruba culture of the 18th and 19th centuries and in turn influenced the cultures of the Yoruba not just in Lagos but also in the contiguous areas. Since people are influenced and socialised into the vocation of their forebears, this again partly explains the dominance of the Yoruba in the professions. Similarly, the people from the North, which has abundant fertile land, became dominant in agriculture, and therefore were on average less likely to settle outside their enclaves in the North. 

Another glorious attribution that is worth interrogating is that the Yoruba are the most accommodating of all the ethnic groups in the country. I do not know the metrics used for measuring this. If it is because you have more non- Yoruba living in Lagos and its environs, then this cannot be a valid metric because all major cities, including the state capitals, pull people towards them because of the enhanced opportunities they offer. In fact, in almost all the state capitals in this country, non-indigenes outnumber the indigenes without this being an issue. In fact, if the Yoruba are called the most hospitable because they “allow” people to live in Yorubaland, what do we call the original indigenes of Abuja and the indigenes of all the state capitals in the country?  

It is important to emphasize that just as talents are not evenly distributed in any federation, there is also ‘ethnic socialisation’’ by people who operate from the other side of the moral divide. For instance when we mention drug dealing, credit card fraud, ‘Yahoo Yahoo’, religious fundamentalism, prostitution abroad or militancy, accusing fingers would be pointing in different ethnic directions. This means that despite what the Internet Warriors would want us to believe, no ethnic group should pretend to occupy the moral high-ground or feel better or worse than others.

Seven, while living in Europe I saw myself as an Africanist, and used my publishing firm and my writings to challenge theories or innuendos that maligned Africa or ruled out development and democratic possibilities for the continent. However, as I get older, I tell people that I am no longer an Africanist but a humanist. This is because with age and experience one realises that every race, ethnic group, community and even kindred, is an embodiment of the good, the bad and the really horrible.  As the American writer and historian, James Tuslow Adams, would put it:  “There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it ill behoves any of us to find fault with the rest of us.”

*Jideofor Adibe is Professor of Political Science at Nasarawa State University, Keffi.

…Set to unveil documentary book titled ‘Adventures of a Guerrilla Journalist’

A former lawmaker representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District and versatile journalist, Babafemi Ojudu, has revealed how he drank his urine to survive in prison, under the military regime of late General Sani Abacha.

Ojudu, former Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs under Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, made the revelation in Ado-Ekiti, during a media interaction with journalists, on his new documentary book titled ‘Adventures of a Guerrilla Journalist’.

The book, which captured his struggles for the success and sustainability of democracy under the military regime, gave a detailed account of how he was arrested 15 times between 1993 and 1997, as an investigative reporter, and other life-threatening experiences he encountered.

“There was a time I drank my urine when I was dying. I had gonorrhea and no medication was given to me. I read a book about someone who says urine cures illnesses and maybe because I had faith in it, I could not feel the illness again the following day after drinking it,” he said.

He said the book is also dedicated to the unwavering commitment and sacrifice of some well-meaning Nigerians “who valiantly fought and discharged their duties with conscientious diligence during the prolonged military rule in Nigeria.”

The one-time senator, representing Ekiti Central in the National Assembly, said the highest obligation any journalist owed his country and people, was to seek the truth, write the truth and report the truth at all times without any coloration or consideration for any mundane factors.

He said he did not believe some of the current moves, being canvassed by Nigerians, especially the issue of constitutional amendment, as the real solutions to the nation’s crisis.

He said: “The real solutions to our myriads of problems are far from what are being suggested. For instance, constitutional review, being suggested is not one of such solutions to Nigeria’s problem, it is simply all about us.

“In the course of performing your duties as a good journalist, tendencies are that you will be waylaid, harassed, intimidated, threatened and so on, and even excommunicated to exile, like I experienced many times. But those were not enough to draw me back, I remained resolute. Without a vibrant press, it will be difficult for a nation to get things right.

“Do not be dissuaded because that was never me. I saw death face to face, but all that did not discourage me from fogging ahead in performing my avowed duties to the nation.”

Ojudu said the book is to pay homage to those who died in the struggle for their commitment to a liberated society, independent press, democratic ethos and the pursuit of good governance.

While calling on Nigerians to grab their copies at nearby bookshops in Lagos, Ibadan and Ekiti, he said the book will also be officially unveiled on December 18, 2024.

[Vanguard]