The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) says telecommunications companies (telcos) will commence the full introduction of new tariffs in March.

On January 20, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) granted approval for telecommunications companies (telcos) to implement a 50 percent tariff hike.

Three days later, Wale Edun, minister of finance, said the tariff in the telecommunications sector would undergo periodic reviews.

Speaking to journalists at a forum with telecoms executives, Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of ALTON, said the telcos will issue their tariffs differently and are currently filing, reviewing, and obtaining approvals from the regulator.

“So we are now following what is called the regulatory requirement, regulatory steps of filing, review and obtaining approvals,” Adebayo said.

“As soon as those approvals come through, different players will introduce new rates as the time comes.

“I’ll say over next week, we start seeing some improvement in the prices.

“Over the next month, we should start seeing some total introduction in what the new rates will be like, but it’s important that we’ve come to a point where what has to be done has to be done for the sector to survive.”

Also, Adebayo said the tariff adjustment is essential for the survival of the telecommunications sector, stressing that the government should not rely on the sector to subsidise others.

“The other side of it is that the sector cannot be the subsidy for other sectors,” he said.

“So you can’t say because cost of garri and pepper and okro has gone up, we now have to subsidise people’s living by providing services that are sold at lower than cost. It’s a matter of time before we start seeing the negatives.

“I think it is important that we need to charge rates that are sustainable and we can’t stand as a subsidy for the problems of people in other sectors, which is not the problem caused by the operators.

“Government cannot outsource that problem to their network operators to solve for the public.

“The government needs to provide adequate palliatives to help people live, and our services cannot be used for those palliatives.”

‘PROGRESS MADE IN RESOLVING USSD DEBT’

Regarding the N250 billion unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) debt with banks, Adebayo confirmed that progress is being made towards a final resolution.

“I must thank all the stakeholders for the effort that has gone into talking about that,” he said.

“The implication is to say that when we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, progress is being made, and the complex matter of USSD debt is being resolved.”

Additionally, Adebayo said the tensions in the sector have reduced, and concerns have declined as the industry moves closer to a final resolution.

On January 15, the NCC directed telcos to disconnect the USSD codes assigned to nine banks should they fail to pay their outstanding USSD debts

The Federal Government has disclosed ongoing plans to increase electricity tariffs “over the next few months”.

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Energy, Olu Verheijen, stated this at the Africa Heads of State Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where Nigeria presented a $32 billion plan to expand electricity connections by 2030.

It, however, said that the planned increase needed to be balanced by subsidies for less-affluent electricity users.

Verheijen said Nigeria’s power industry needs significant investment to achieve its development aims.

Of the country’s 14 gigawatts of installed power, only 8 gigawatts can be transmitted around the country and just four or five gigawatts can be directly delivered to homes and businesses, she said.

According to the presidential aide, Nigeria is trying to resolve the transition to a cost-efficient but cost-reflective tariff to attract private investors.

She said: “One of the key challenges we’re looking to resolve over the next few months is transitioning to a cost-efficient but cost-reflective tariff.

“So the sector generates revenue required to attract private capital, while also protecting the poor and vulnerable.”

Last year, the federal government approved a threefold increase in electricity tariff for customers under the Band A classification.

The move to raise tariffs comes amid mounting pressure from Nigeria’s debt-burdened electricity distribution companies for tariffs to be cost-reflective so they can improve their finances.

Tinubu has already taken several steps to ease the burden on state finances and encourage private investment since taking office in May 2023, including removing subsidies on fuel.

While Nigeria, a nation of about 237 million people, has an electricity access rate of around 62%, an erratic grid supply limits productivity and disrupts daily life

The presidency has dismissed the recent gathering of opposition figures and dissenting voices within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), asserting that the President remains “undistracted and unperturbed” despite emerging political tensions.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) early on Sunday, Dare reacted to what he described as a politically motivated assembly of Tinubu’s opponents, including some former allies within the APC, who criticized the President’s leadership amid growing economic and political challenges in Nigeria.

“While President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria was away in faraway Dar es Salaam, capital of Tanzania, his political opponents, detractors, opposition elements, and pseudo-friends unfolded their Machiavellian inclinations,” Dare wrote, referring to the President’s recent official trip focused on addressing Nigeria’s energy issues.

The gathering, which featured prominent opposition figures and APC members now at odds with Tinubu’s administration, was described by Dare as a meeting fueled by “ill-will,” with participants “heating up the polity” and promoting undemocratic sentiments.

“Expectedly, it was a gathering convened to further spread ill-will. Nothing new came out of the gathering different from the opposition script we are used to,” he stated, adding that some individuals “went overboard in their vitriol, fanning the embers for adopting undemocratic actions.”

Despite what he called the “early combat” initiated by Tinubu’s critics, Dare emphasized that the President remains focused on governance rather than political distractions. 

“The clouds are beginning to clear. The stage sets soon. The combat begins. Until then, President Tinubu, an avowed democrat, remains undistracted and unperturbed. The fight is ahead. Not now,” he declared.

According to Dare, Tinubu’s sole priority at this time is addressing Nigeria’s pressing economic challenges and improving the lives of its citizens.

“The only conversation he wants to have now is how to improve the lives of Nigerian citizens and constructive discourse on building a resilient economy,” he noted.

In a direct message to those eyeing the 2027 elections, Dare advised political aspirants to wait for the appropriate time to test their popularity at the polls, stressing that President Tinubu remains committed to leadership, not electioneering.

“This is 2025. Not 2027. Let those who want to test their popularity with Nigerians wait for the next election. President Tinubu is fully focused on providing the leadership that will transform our country,” Dare concluded.

The political landscape has grown increasingly tense in recent weeks, with rising dissent within the APC and growing criticism from opposition parties over the administration’s handling of the economy, security, and governance.

Apart from former vice President Atiku Abubakar, a PDP chieftain, former governors Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), were some prominent Nigerians who criticised President Tinubu at a National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria, in Abuja.

In a separate post, Dare put Nigerians on notice on the implications of the ongoing tariff war between the United States of America and Canada.

He warned that that the fallout will reverberate around the world.

“Nigeria must pay close attention to the Tariff War between USA and Canada and of course a number of North Atlantic Countries. There will be fall outs that will reverberate around the world.

“The WTO will be instrumental in helping to manage the impacts of this seeming new world order.

There is a lesson in all to these for us as a country. We are witnessing a new movement: America First. Canada First. It’s time for Nigeria First! Let’s put Nigeria first -no matter,” the Presidential spokesperson wrote

For most women, the first sign of pregnancy is the absence of their monthly flow, but for 36-year-old Khadijah Aliu, who was recently arrested by the FCT Police Command for abandoning her day-old baby, her monthly flow never ceased till she carried her pregnancy to term.

So, after a pronounced divorce, she left behind four children she had for her husband in Makarfi Village in Kaduna State, determined to survive the pains of being rejected.

She made her way to Mpape Area in Abuja, where she once lived with her family. But a shocker awaited her: she discovered she was pregnant shortly after arrival in the Federal Capital Territory.

With no communication with her four children or any strong means of survival, she struggled through the pregnancy, delivered the baby herself and abandoned her at a spot where she could be seen easily. However, her action led to her arrest, while the baby was rescued.

Khadijah explained to the Sunday Tribune on what led her to such an act. She said that she left her husband’s house with almost nothing, save the little cash she could get after he declared a divorce in line with his belief. According to her, she and her husband had a bitter quarrel, and in addition to the harsh living condition she was in, she had to leave.

The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, in a statement, had informed the public of the recovery of a day-old baby abandoned along a bush path near Crush Rock, behind an uncompleted Red Bricks Market, Mpape. 

According to her, “On January 3, 2025, at about 10 am, police operatives from Mpape Division’s Juvenile and Women Care Section (JWC) responded to a distress call and found the baby wrapped in a cloth.

“The child was promptly rescued and taken to Mpape Primary Health Care Centre, where medical evaluation confirmed the baby is in stable condition.

“Following a tip-off from the community, the baby’s mother, Khadija Aliu, was arrested. During interrogation, she confessed to abandoning the baby, citing her inability to care for the child following her husband’s abandonment.”

The PPRO had added: “The FCT Police Command vehemently condemns this act of child abandonment and reassures the public of its commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of society.

“The rescued baby will be handed over to the Department of Social Welfare for proper care, while the mother will face prosecution according to the provisions of sections 14 and 16 of the Child Rights Act (CRA) 2003 upon the conclusion of investigation.”

Khadijah told Sunday Tribune: “My father is from Gombe State while my mother is from Obubra, Cross River State. I met my ex-husband when I was living with my elder sister in Zaria, Kaduna State. We married about 12 or 13 years ago. I had four children before I gave birth to the last one that brought me into the situation I’m currently in. I was staying with my husband in his village at Makarfi, Kaduna.”

“I didn’t know I was pregnant even before the divorce. I was having my monthly period. We were always having problems with each other. It was an everyday quarrel and fighting, primarily because of money. He was not treating me well, and I asked him to give me my money [N9,000] with him, but he refused. I was doing menial jobs to get money to survive on.

“We started arguing. I tried to search his pocket if I would find money in it, but he threatened me that I would die. As my uncle-in-law’s wife called me and I turned, my man dragged and threw me off. We both fell and he was on top, he beat me and we started fighting. Other women came and rescued me from him. I stood up and he started cursing my mother. I insulted his mother in turn.

“He was very angry that I mentioned his mother’s name so he declared that he had divorced me. He left the house for some days. After selling my mattress and getting my money from him, I left the village for the place we were initially staying in Abuja. I left the four children I had for him because there was no way they would survive with me having nothing to feed them with. They are between three and 11 years old. 

“I came back to the uncompleted building we once stayed in at Mpape. It was when I got there that I knew that I was pregnant. I used to have a kind of stomach pain. I noticed it and knew that I could be pregnant.

“As I fetched water for workers and made little money, I went to a hospital. After going through tests, I was told that I was pregnant. I was told to register in a clinic and go for ultrasound to know how many months the pregnancy was, but I didn’t have any money. I was used to not going to ante-natal clinic because my husband gave me money to do so for only the first pregnancy. I had the three children that followed by myself, with no assistance from anyone. I was the one who would bring out the baby, cut the umbilical cord from the placenta and clean the blood before calling anyone.

“This time also, I went through the delivery alone. I started having labour pains on January 1. The following day, it continued. I went to fetch firewood and returned. On my way back, I felt mucous coming out of my private part. I went to my room to lie down, and the labour pain increased, but I didn’t let anyone know.

“I dozed off but was awakened by pain. I took my kettle to go and urinate. I went to Bacha (wooden structure) where I kept my things, put pieces of cloth on the floor and started pushing until the baby came out. It was at about 12 noon.

“I covered the baby and went to my room to take pieces of rags and underwear to take care of the blood flow. Thereafter, I laid down and rested. I started crying uncontrollably. I wiped my tears, went for a razor blade and thread, cut the placenta and tied the end of the umbilical cord attached to the baby.

“I covered the baby up again, went to my room to rest, and started thinking about what to do with the baby, as I had nothing. I was only getting food that would just sustain me with the pregnancy. At night, I wore a cloth for the baby, gave her warm water, breastfed her. Later, I prayed for her, put her on my back and carried her to where I heard people talking.

“I laid her down, with the hope that one of them would see and take care of her. She woke up and started crying. I returned to my room but could not sleep. I was just crying. I thought of going back to carry her but I thought she must have been sighted by someone so I didn’t go. I later learnt that she was found the following day.

“I wanted to get something to eat when I heard the discussion about a baby abandoned. Then I knew that talk don burst. One of my neighbours and another woman came to me and said they noticed I was pregnant. I burst out crying and we wanted to go for the baby, but the woman who carried her had already taken her to the police station.”

Khadijah showered praises on the Divisional Police Officer who directed that she should be taken care of, saying: “The police officers would boil water for me in the morning and evening to take my bath. The baby was being given milk as I could not breastfeed her. I couldn’t contact the father as I didn’t have a phone, not to talk of money for transportation. I’ve not seen the four children that are in their father’s village also.”

She appealed to the government to give her a chance to have the baby back, promising to do her utmost best in taking care of her.

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has condemned the three-hour delay experienced by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu when he arrived at the Lagos State House of Assembly to present the 2025 budget appropriation for passage into law.

The delay, orchestrated by the former Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, was described by Chief George as “despicable.”

Recall that Obasa was removed from office on January 13, 2025, through a majority vote by the 40-member parliament over allegations of financial misappropriation, misconduct, and high-handedness, among others. He was replaced by his deputy, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Lasbat Meranda.

Speaking at a press conference at his Ikoyi office, Chief George emphasised that Governor Sanwo-Olu remains the leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.

He questioned the rationale behind the governor being subjected to such a delay, asking, “Could he accept to go and read the budget and be delayed for three hours? Who is the leader?”

Chief George, who is also the Atona Oodua of Yorubaland, recalled his first and only encounter with former Speaker Obasa, describing it as pleasant and noting that Obasa had displayed Omoluabi (Yoruba virtue of respect and integrity) traits.

He said, “Why won’t they fight? The young man, former Speaker Obasa—I met him once at the airport. He came to me, greeted me with full respect, and behaved like an Omoluabi. 

“I asked for his name, and he said, ‘Obasa.’ I exclaimed, ‘Ah! Speaker of the State Assembly!’ I called him Omoluabi, and he thanked me for honoring him. That’s Yoruba culture.”

“When we got down at Heathrow Airport, he carried my suitcase and my bag for me. That was my first impression of him. But of recent, what he did was despicable.

The governor of the state is the leader of the party because they both belong to the same party. Could he accept to go and read the budget and be delayed for three hours? Who is the leader? No matter that we have three arms of government, who is the boss?”

Chief George also reacted to Governor Sanwo-Olu’s claim that he had no involvement in Obasa’s removal, stating that the governor should not shy away from acknowledging his role.

He continued, “He should have his head, his hands, and stomach there [in Obasa’s removal], unless he is not the leader of the party.

“Why is he afraid to say it? Could Obasa accept that attitude from anyone if he were the governor? If it were a different party, that would be a different matter entirely,” he said

The Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos State, has rescued a baby who was sold for N1.5 million in Lagos and later recovered in Owerri, Imo State, following a crackdown on a notorious child trafficking syndicate operating across the country. 

The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of the zone, Adegoke Fayoade, while addressing newsmen over the weekend disclosed that the operation was carried out through coordinated efforts with other security and government agencies. 

The police also arrested eight suspects and recovered four other stolen children from different locations. 

Represented by DCP Ajao, he identified that the eight suspects arrested as Ibezim Chioma Rita, Sunday Ochim, Sunday Okputu, Sunday Faith, Chinaza Echelibe, Ifekwuna Ngozi, Nwakuba Helen, and Bada Adeniyi.

According to the police, the syndicate specialised in stealing and selling newborns, toddlers, and children of different ages. Among those arrested was 22-year-old Faith Sunday, who sold her biological son.

Among the rescued children were one-year-old Marvellous Obi, Promise Ifekwuna, Somtochukwu Onyemaechi, Chibuzor Nma Onyemaechi, and Praise Chukwudi Ibezim. 

The police detailed how the syndicate altered the children’s identities upon sale, changing their names to conceal their origins.

Revealing how Marvellous Obi was taken, the police stated, “There is a case of a baby, Marvellous Obi, who is one year old but was sold to Mrs. Ibezim Chioma when he was barely a week old.” 

Similarly, they explained that “another case is that of one-year-old Somtochukwu Onyemaechi was painfully sold by his biological mother, 22-year-old Faith Sunday, to an unknown individual through Ibezim Chioma and the supplier, Sunday Okputu.”

The police further disclosed, “The baby was sold for N1,500,000 (one million five hundred thousand naira) to someone residing in Alausa, Ikeja, but was eventually recovered in Owerri, Imo State, on January 29, 2025.”

Faith Sunday, when confronted, admitted to selling her child but blamed her decision on financial hardship and her inability to provide for him. She claimed the baby’s father abandoned them, leaving her with no means of support. 

Following a close shave with death, a 59-year-old businessman, Chijioke Nnanna Igbokwe, has undergone surgery, exploratory laparotomy, to let out 57 out of 81 pellets of cocaine stuck in his stomach after seven days of ingesting the illicit substance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

NDLEA disclosed that its operatives arrested Igbokwe at the arrival hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, during the inward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight on Sunday, January 26th, 2025.

‘He was promptly taken for a body scan, which revealed illicit drugs in his system.

“He was soon after taken into NDLEA custody for excretion observation.

“Investigation revealed that Igbokwe, who claims to be into cloth business at Arena, Oshodi area of Lagos, departed Lagos on January 22nd to Addis Ababa where he ingested the 81 wraps of cocaine the following day January 23rd and boarded a flight to Beirut, Lebanon to deliver the illicit consignment for a fee of $3,000.

Upon his arrival in Beirut, he said he was refused entry because he had less than $2,000, the amount required to grant him entry.

He was then deported to Addis Ababa, where he attempted to excrete the illicit drugs but could not. He thereafter proceeded to Lagos on Saturday, January 25th, with the consignment in his bowel.

“He was, however, arrested upon his arrival at the Lagos airport by NDLEA officers on January 26th.

“After five days under excretion observation, he could only expel 24 pellets following initial medical intervention at the agency’s medical facility and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Ikeja.

“With the clock ticking for him and the complication of other underlining medical conditions, the suspect was eventually admitted at the tertiary facility where he had to undergo exploratory laparotomy to extract the remaining 57 wraps of cocaine stuck in his stomach after his wife and brother endorsed the necessary consent forms on Thursday, January 30th.

‘In all, a total of 81 pellets of the Class A drug with a gross weight of 1.943 kilograms were recovered from his stomach”.

Meanwhile, NDLEA said its operatives in Lagos on Wednesday, January 29th, intercepted a consignment of 2,000 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis produced in Ghana, at Lekki beach, where two suspects, Sunday Awoyede and Christopher Cletus, attempted loading them into a truck.

The suspects, the skunk shipment and the van, were immediately taken into custody. Another suspect, Lawal Idris Olasunkanmi, was also arrested the same day with 55kg of skunk during a raid at his base in the Mushin area of Lagos.

Across the country, NDLEA Commands and formations continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to worship centres, schools, workplaces, and palaces of traditional rulers and communities throughout the past week.

These include a WADA sensitization lecture to the students and staff of Grand Light Model School, Ata Udosung, Akwa Ibom; Community Grammar School, Iganna, Iwajowa LGA, Oyo state; Ebute Afuye Primary School, Epe, Lagos state; and Akwakuma and Girls Secondary School, Owerri, Imo state.

Others are Federal Government College, Kebbe, Sokoto state, while the Kogi state command of the Agency paid a WADA advocacy visit to Attah of Igala and HRH Mathew Opaluwa Oguche at his palace in Idah, among others.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men of MMIA Strategic Command for their vigilance and professionalism in handling Chijioke Igbokwe’s case.

He warned those involved in the illicit drug trade that they’re not only destroying the lives of others but equally putting their own lives at significant risk.

He applauded the Lagos State Strategic Command for blocking a vast consignment of skunks from entering the country.

He recognized the concerted efforts of their compatriots in all the commands across the country to intensify the WADA social advocacy lectures and sensitization activities and balance the agency’s drug supply and demand reduction efforts.

A United States-based Nigerian IT expert, Clayton Udo has raised concerns over the struggles African men face in marriages abroad, particularly in the U.S.

According to Udo, many African men have been financially drained and left in dire conditions by their wives, leading some to flee or even lose their lives due to emotional and financial distress.

Addressing the issue, Udo stated, “A lot of people don’t understand what is going on in the story, or what is going on in this country when it comes to African men. I can tell you that a lot of men have either had to run to Mexico or Canada to escape back to the country. Men have stayed in this country and have been rendered useless; 200k, 300k, money put on their heads by African women. The African women come out on TikTok, Facebook with pictures of them and only the children smiling, with the house they took from the man and everything.”

He further lamented that many African men have suffered similar fates, stating that hundreds have died over the past decade due to these circumstances.

Sharing his own experience, he explained, “When I had my own divorce, you know when you are in IT, you have what is called a recruiter. My ex-wife went to each recruiter reporting me to each and every one of these recruiters, then turned around and went on to these recruiters saying she has finished her own course in IT. By the time I picked up the phone to call the recruiter, they refused to work with me, or they tell me they have now signed her up. And since there is a divorce, there is a clash of interest.”

Udo also accused some women of fabricating abuse claims to gain an advantage in legal disputes, emphasising that many African men have lost everything, including their homes and children, due to such tactics.

“What they do is lie, and that there have been verbal and physical abuse. A lot of them want to become you or be greater than you. Be careful who you are walking around with. They like you for now, that you are driving a car, and you have money, but once you bring them into the house, they want to take everything you have; they want to take and become you.”

He warned African men to be cautious in their marital choices, alleging that many women marry men only as a means to escape poverty and later strip them of their possessions.

“In her mind, she wants to climb up to get out of the poverty she has where she is coming from, she is going to take everything away from you, from your house to your children. The number of men in the U.S. African community that the women have turned their children against, secretly or openly, they are going to take your house from you, they are going to take everything from you. Most men have been reduced to nothing, even though they won’t come out to say it. They are submissive.”

Sunday Dare, special adviser to the president Bola Tinubu on media and public communication, has described the president’s political opponents as “wannabes.”

Dare said the president is not deterred by the constant barrage of criticism from the opposition.

This is coming days after former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, openly criticised Tinubu’s administration.

Recently, El-Rufai accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of founding principles, saying he doesn’t recognise the party the again. 

“You cannot afford to have illiterates, semi-illiterates, and cunning people as your leaders. This is why we end up with the poor leadership we have today,” he said.

In another tweet, the ex-governor, who is still a member of the party said he would criticise the APC even if he was in Tinubu’s government.

On his part, while speaking on how to take power from a sitting president, Amaechi said Tinubu and the political class would not cede power to the younger generation without a fight.

Reacting to their comments on Saturday, Dare said advised president’s “detractors” to wait for the 2027 polls to test their popularity.

“While President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria was away in far away Dar es Salaam, capital of Tanzania, his political opponents, detractors, opposition elements, pseudo friends unfolded their Machiavellian inclinations,” he said in a post on X.

“Indeed, while the President was seeking solutions to Nigerias’ energy problems in Dar es Salaam, some “wannabes “were heating up the polity.

“Expectedly, it was a gathering convened to further spread ill will. Nothing new came out of the gathering different from the opposition script we are used to. A few of the participants went overboard in their vitriol, fanning the embers for adopting undemocratic actions.

“These political gladiators have antecedents that are well known. We urge Nigerians to begin their scrutiny early. And choose between political hecklers and real progressives. The clouds are beginning to clear. The stage sets soon. The combat begins.

“Until then, President Tinubu, an avowed democrat remains undistracted and unperturbed. The fight is ahead. Not now. The only conversation he wants to have now is how to improve the lives of Nigerian citizens and constructive discourse on building a resilient economy.”

Human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has said the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, should have retired.

Naija News reports that Farotimi said the decision of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to confirm his stay as the Inspector-General was against the constitutional provision.

In an interview with News Central, he stated that the accusation of the former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowere, was correct.

“Nigeria as a legal entity is full of lies and contradictions, and laws rarely matter in the country that we have built. If laws matter, the reality is that Yele is completely correct. The Inspector General of Police is illegal. He has exceeded his time in office.

“But what the presidency is telling you is that the law does not matter. The President has decreed and it has been as decreed. Because if it is not decreed, then it would be in accordance with the law. And what the law says is that Kayode Egbetokun should retire and should have retired.

“So that the President has decreed is another buggy mentality. That the decree of the President supersedes the constitution or the law in Nigeria is just another one of the many sickening realities of our existence. But that is just what it is,” he said.

Speaking further on his use of the word illegal, Farotimi explained that the President decided to take an action that was against the law. He added that the Police Service Commission (PSC) also confirmed that Egbetokun ought to have retired.

“If the President’s word is superior to the clear wordings of the law, the existential reality is that he has decreed something outside of the law and it is because he is the imperator. It does not change the fact that what he has said supersedes the law.

“So when the pronouncement of the President supersedes the law, the only thing you can say is that the president has issued a decree. That is the effective nature of his pronouncement. Because the Police Service Commission has not denied the fact that the man should have retired,” he added.