On his return to Yola, the capital of Adamawa, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri on Monday spoke about the violence some youths imposed on the state last Saturday. He inspected the warehouses looted by the youths and, after that, addressed the people.

The governor acknowledged the current economic hardship, appealed for calm since the government was working on palliative measures, and promised the prosecution of the arrested “hoodlums.”

Good talk so far. But Fintiri couldn’t resist the penchant for politicians to bury their heads in the sand. He soon went the cheap way of deflecting from the apparent issues.

Hear him: “Preliminary findings from the investigation suggested that besides the purported claim to the economic crunch, which is propelled by the imminent trend of criminality, is the inducement of some lazy politicians amongst us. There are some of us who contested and lost elections and feel that the only way to distract us is by inducing trouble that will sap our energy. We shall deal decisively with anyone who aided and abetted this callous slide into anarchy.”

The governor’s revisionism in this short speech is worrying. He trivialised and impugned on the reality of the people’s suffering and shifted responsibility to some politicians who “lost elections”. This is even though the state police commissioner, Afolabi Babalola, hinted that the violence may have been inspired by rumours that palliatives, which government didn’t want to distribute, were the warehouses.

Fintiri said “purported economic hardship,” suggesting that there was no economic hardship or that it was not enough to warrant an attack on a facility even if goods meant for the people were hoarded there. But the governor should know that hunger and deprivation are a debilitating pair, from which history records people turning into cannibals.

A governor should not downplay the destructive impact of Nigeria’s suffocating poverty in the face of the ostentation in the government.

Even though there can be no justification for crime, politicians must understand that there are limits to what a person can bear. They must also stop playing on the intelligence of citizens by attributing the fallout of the government’s failure to so-called opposition politicians.

In showing that this is futile, we should ask whether disgruntled politicians also instigated the serial vandalism of the new Second Niger Bridge since its opening in May 2023. Are politicians who lost elections also behind teenagers caught in the web of crimes like internet fraud, ritual killing, kidnapping, street robbery, drug abuse, and all such violent criminal tendencies that the country contends with? Why do Nigerian leaders pretend not to understand that refusing to pay attention to youth and children is a problem to national development.

I said this much in “We kill militants but in Vain,” published August 2, 2016. Quoting from “Building strong workforces to power Africa’s growth,” a study commissioned by General Electric, I wrote: “By 2025, sub-Saharan Africa will be home to 25 per cent of the global population of people aged 24 and younger. It submits that successfully providing jobs for this population will directly raise per-capita income, due to the resulting decrease in the non-working population.”

And since working people typically save, there would be greater domestic savings providing money for investment, which would aid immediate and future growth. The paper also notices that the gainful employment of this population will lead to a fall in fertility rates and impact the participation of the female gender in the labour force, lower the number of children per family, and free more money to spend on the education and healthcare needs of families.

The document is, however, generous in its honesty as it gives insights into the flipside of not managing this demographic dividend well. It says: ‘…without the requisite investments in skills development, infrastructure, and services, a growing proportion of youths could be left unemployed and with little hope for socioeconomic advancement. This could increase social tensions, undermining cohesion, and stability.’ But Nigeria refused to pay attention, and we are edging toward that dangerous pass.

Currently, about 70% of the country’s population is under the age of 30. According to a report published by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism in April 2023, fifty-three per cent of these youths are unemployed.

There is also the problem of education. Between April 25 and May 6, 2023, 1,586,765 candidates wrote the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Exam (UTME). Less than half of this number will find placement at the end. In 2020, for instance, 1,949,983 candidates wrote the exam, but only 551,553 were admitted into various institutions of higher learning. Although the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) allocated a quota of 956,809 in 2020, the institutions could not fulfil their assigned quotas. This implies that about one million youths will not gain admission this year. So, Nigeria can neither get most aspiring young people into higher education postings nor employ hundreds of thousands of those graduating each year. We, therefore, have a crowd of agile, restless, idle, and angry youths on our hands.

We are not doing better with the children. On that front, about 20 million are out of school, and a significant number (70%) of those attending school aren’t learning optimally. The country has a dire situation, but we play politics! What is beginning to play out across the country lends credence to a Yoruba aphorism, which means that “the child that people don’t invest in will vandalise and auction all their property/investments”.

Nigeria’s story is compounded by the pandemic of poverty that has hit most parents. When parents cannot provide for children who are denied education or any means of livelihood, society has big trouble. This challenge worsens when children and youth have unfettered access to psychotropic substances and light weapons. With all these glaring difficulties, it is tragic when leaders sing the narrative of opposition figures and the related rather than swift actions to save the future.

Most important is the deliberate education of every Nigerian child, regardless of the circumstances of their birth or where they come from.

It is gratifying that President Bola Tinubu’s last speech revealed a plan to invest in education. We must, however, be careful to invest appropriately. It shouldn’t be about throwing money at the situation but reforming the entire sector for optimal delivery.

Like in other forward-looking countries, education is the only irrevocable gift that this avaricious generation of Nigerians can pass on to the next generation. And when we talk about education, we don’t mean piling children into blocks of newly renovated classrooms manned by half-baked teachers whose empty stomachs and minds conflicted.

Functional education considers the whole value chain. From an adequately targeted curriculum and pedagogy to raising qualified and well-motivated teachers, ensuring that every child gets an education, at least for the first nine years of their lives, and giving vocational education pride of place, those who lead Nigeria must do much more than merely mouth their commitment to the future. They must walk their talk and deliver good governance. Without that, we are building a country that will one day swallow its people. The education of the Nigerian child must also include a re-orientation and re-evaluation of the values passed onto these children.

In addition, this country must do something about the population growth rate, which the National Population Commission (NPC) put at 3.2 per cent per annum in 2023. There is a lot to worry about when a country has 133 million people in multi-dimensional poverty and a Gross Domestic Product growth rate of 2.3 per cent. So even as the government battles with the national economy, it must do something urgent about population planning. This is what all serious nations with eyes on the future do.

We do not need to go as far as China by prescribing specific numbers of children to citizens, but we must educate Nigerians about the need to have only children they can care for. The strength of countries like China is not just in its population but in decades of deliberate planning and execution of policies across culture, ethics, education, technology, and what have you. Nigeria’s leaders should aim to register their names in gold. They cannot achieve this by making redundant accusations against political opponents. You should get to work.

Adedokun can be reached on Twitter: @niranadedokun

Fellow Nigerians, let me tell you from the outset and without equivocation that I voted “against” the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the February 25th presidential election. And if the opportunity arises again, I will repeat the same thing, whether in the rain or in the scorching sun. It was a promise I made to myself that I cannot in good conscience vote for a man who represented and still represents all the character attributes that generations of our forebears preached against.

 Yes, I couldn’t turn a blind eye to all the corruption and vices linked to him and pretend they didn’t matter in this new age where we are being force-fed true lies and outright propaganda. A season when Tinubu scorned every attempt to hold himself accountable. His political trajectory tells a grim cautionary tale about a president Nigeria does not need. Voting against him was one of the happiest moments of my life.  

Though he was declared president, courtesy of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s magic and has since assumed office, the facts remain that he did not win the election. INEC, which had assured Nigerians that they were ready and would conduct the most credible elections in the country’s history, betrayed us when it mattered most.

You see, my dilemma really, has been where do I begin to tell the story of what happened on February 25, 2023 for the benefit of posterity? How do I preserve the truth and nothing but the truth of what has befallen this land of our fathers? How do I tell my little children that on a day that would live in infamy for eternity, that the electoral commission deliberately sabotaged the free will of the Nigerian people? That day, this land of our fathers called Nigeria finally lost its soul, as evil menacingly triumphed over good and dared us to talk again.

A day,  all those precious values and tutelage under which we were raised and coached to be the persons we are today finally crushed to smithereens and thrown into the dustbin. Decades of righteous morality suddenly meant nothing anymore as a man with no known parents, no siblings, no classmates, no record of primary or secondary schools attended became president! Not because he excelled, nor did he even try to impress the people on the campaign trail. In fact, his campaigning was hogwash, a Richter-scale disaster on every level. His speeches were mediocre or gibberish and delivered in a stutter.

And to those who mock us and call us moralists, I ask: of what use is a society without morality? Any wonder why we are failing as a country? It is because of avarice and wickedness have taken over the land of our fathers.

Tinubu refused to debate with other candidates. He dodged every attempt to interrogate his manifesto. His handlers shielded him all through the campaigns, told and propagated lies about his imaginary abilities. But in his dodges and prevarications, his parsing and evasion of scrutiny, one could sense his arm’s-length relationship with the truth.

Many analysts and his supporters appeared to have been groomed or trained as effective apologists and deniers of his many sins – they became the foot soldiers of his renewed hope mantra that has left a nation disillusioned and impoverished. His style has always been driven by reflexes – act first and think later. Sometimes, I wonder what his supporters and defenders teach their children at home. What they tell them not to do, or do. Do they correct them when they are naughty or do they celebrate them for being naughty? What values do they ingrain in their children? I am curious. What manners do they teach their children? I need to know. Do they teach them the difference between good and evil?

Do they raise their children to be like Miss Mmesoma Ejikeme who forged her JAMB score and took the nation on a ride or will they condemn her for falsifying her JAMB result and boldly going on social media to tell the world she was incapable of what she was accused of and that she was traumatised by JAMB’s allegation that she manipulated her score? Someone should answer me.

Now, how do I tell my innocent little children that on February 25, 2023, the electoral umpire, INEC, stole the mandate of Nigerians and handed it to Tinubu, the most flawed character that has ever run for the office of president of Nigeria? The election was stolen by an electoral body we had gradually begun to trust to deliver fair and transparent elections owing to its vigorous campaign that with electronic transmission of results, winners and losers would only be determined by the people.

It boasted that the people didn’t even need to wait for it to know the winners, that they could tabulate for themselves scores of each candidate and know in real time who was winning and who was losing. INEC told the whole world that the safeguards it had put in place were foolproof and that no hacker could gain access to its servers. It succeeded in building confidence and earning the trust of Nigerians. We took its assurances seriously and momentarily lowered our guards, believing it was going to redeem itself of all past failures and malfeasance. I personally believed those assurances, and helped in my own little way by sensitising and winning a few skeptics over to believing INEC’s assurances.

On the D-day of election, this same electoral body wilfully damaged the very same election it had campaigned vigorously would be credible. It wilfully disconnected the transmission of the presidential election results in real time while transmitting the House of Representatives and Senate elections results held the same time. Oh no! INEC! Why did you do this?

If I may ask, why do we have men of such little worth in critical positions in this country? People so easily susceptible to self-gratification? Why are our public officials so demonstrably unpatriotic? All the while, many Nigerians did not know that INEC was actually a participant in that election. It had vested interests and a grand scheme to win the election for a particular candidate, and was merely fooling Nigerians with assurances of free and fair polls. It had it all planned – how it would steal the presidential election and claim there were “technical hitches” and glitches as a reason for deliberately disconnecting its server to achieve its nefarious scheme, while claiming it suspected it was being hacked. On such nebulous pretext, INEC refused to transmit the presidential result real time on Election Day.

Such a suspect explanation strains credulity, since it is so far removed from anything even remotely close to the whole unvarnished truth. And that truth is, INEC, with its own hands, compromised an election that should have been a watershed moment in our history. Its officials deliberately made what should have worked to fail. This gave them room to resort to manual coalition of results which was subject to manipulations and alterations as can be seen in the eventual outcome. Even INEC couldn’t explain how it was able to read scores in heavily blurred result sheets in court. Who will ever trust INEC again? Yet, it allocated figures to the various candidates and declared winners in those instances. Instances too many to call isolated incidences. Of course, this was the plan all along, to deliberately sabotage the electronic transmission and blame it on imaginary technical hitches. 

Because that was the only way it could manipulate the outcome in favour of  Tinubu who had boasted he would win no matter what. Months before the election, even his aides boasted that they had the formula to win the election. 

Fellow Nigerians, it is clear that what they had was a magic formula, a rigging formula. For the first time in our chequered history with elections, a man was able to buy the presidency of Nigeria which even some corrupt politicians of the past had said was not for sale to the highest bidder.    

There is no gainsaying that how Tinubu won the presidential election left much to be desired. 

I have been reflecting on the future of Nigeria in the hands of the president – it is almost a hopeless situation we find ourselves in. The ironies and contradictions about this man are too self-evident. They make you want to cry and laugh at the same time. Cry for what we have become, laugh to remain sane in our new nightmare reality.

Imagine Tinubu saying he will fight corruption! How does that even sound in his mouth? Or imagine him preaching to young school children not to cheat, lie under oath, manipulate their age or engage in forgery. How will all that sound in his mouth? Who will listen and take him seriously? Will he use the presidential pulpit to preach moral rectitude to the country when the story of his life as we know it tramples on all the core and sacred values that underpin the moral fabric of society?

In the past, character mattered and society frowned on bad behaviour. It never rewarded such and one could easily judge someone’s upbringing from his character. How you were raised would betray itself from your character and the behaviour exhibited in the public space. The character code of society was largely a set of behaviours and conducts handed down from generation to generation through parenting and teaching in schools. The values people were taught to practice and live by  formed the moral fabric of society and ultimately, defined them and their ways of life and the value proposition for the next generation – passed on to the next and the next – a kind of 400 metres relay race.

Again, how do I even tell my children that I now call Tinubu president and compelled to accord him the full courtesies meant for that high office? How will I even begin the conversation – that all the societal safeguards to keep people like him at bay failed. The effect is both chilling and psychedelic on our values. Nigeria is not going to recover from this. The damage to our psyche is too profound and everlasting.

Well, I will come back to this in more detail in another article soon. For now, let me march on to address an unfolding development that hints at the incipient danger that is to come under this man as president.

The Persecution of Emefiele

In his inaugural speech, Tinubu tried to rally a country that had become disillusioned owing to the way he emerged as president. He had declared inter alia, “Our administration shall govern on your behalf but never rule over you. We shall consult and dialogue but never dictate. We shall reach out to all but never put down a single person for holding views contrary to our own. We are here to further mend and heal this nation, not tear and injure it.”

Continuing he said: “Nigeria will be impartially governed according to the constitution and the rule of law.” Did you hear that? The rule of law, that is the bedrock of democracy, not the rule of force.. 

But a leopard cannot change its spots. Tinubu was never going to govern according to the rule of law. That is too civilised for his base instincts to adhere to. He is too dictatorial to accept the rule of law as a governance principle. Each time he mouths rule of law, he is actually referring to the direct opposite. Don’t be fooled by the text of his lofty speeches. They are mere speeches, never designed to drive his actions. They are convenient precepts meant to hoodwink you to letting down your guard. Don’t be fooled.

Tinubu is never going to heal this land no matter how much he tries. Why? He is part of the problems of this country that the Nigerian people are struggling to free themselves from. He is a natural dictator who pretends to be a democrat. He preaches democracy but corrupts the rule of law. Between his speeches and actions, lies a mountain of contradictions and his natural reflexes will always get the better of him. To him, the end justifies the means. He does not believe in free and fair elections to get to power, instead he believes in “snatching,” “grabbing” and running away with it.

The ink on his  inaugural statement had hardly dried when his crude and barbaric instincts took over. A mere 12 days after being sworn in as president, he ordered the suspension and illegal detention of the Governor of the Central Bank Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele on the pretext that investigations into his actions in office were ongoing. I chuckled, when I saw that statement and muttered unprintable words to no one in particular. Investigations? Oh my God! Liars!

It is noteworthy that Emefiele was arrested despite a subsisting court order issued on December 29, 2022, barring the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Inspector General of Police and other agencies of government from arresting, interrogating or detaining him over terrorism and other sundry allegations against him.

Justice Hassan had ruled that “it is further ordered that the fourth respondent, their agents, servants, privies and all officers under their control and command are hereby restrained from instigating, arrest or arresting, interrogating and detaining Mr Godwin Emefiele, in respect of any matter or policy decision on the economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or for any connected purposes except by an order of a superior court”.

 The judge had made the order while delivering judgment in a suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the Forum for Accountability and Good Leadership. In the suit, the applicant, among other reliefs, had prayed the court for a declaration that the continuous harassment, intimidation, threats, restriction of free movement, abuse of the right of office, surreptitious moves to arrest and humiliate Emefiele by the respondents were vindictive, unwarranted and abrasive.

In  a blatant  disregard for  this judgment of the court, Tinubu, the pretentious democrat and advocate of the rule of law and his gestapo  Bichi-led DSS went after Emefiele in the early hours of June 10 and arrested him  in a commando-style operation. And have kept him in detention since then. Two other courts have since ruled against Tinubu-Bichi’s continuous detention of Emefiele all to no avail.

Only recently, a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Friday, July 14, to be specific, nullified the arrest warrant on Emefiele procured by the DSS. The court presided over by Justice Bello Kawu, held that the arrest, detention, and interrogation of Emefiele, was in violation of a subsisting judgment and orders of Justice M. A. Hassan. Emefiele through his counsel had prayed the court to set aside and nullify his arrest and detention, saying that it was illegal and a nullity in view of a subsisting judgment of another court which was delivered on December 29, 2022.

Accordingly, Justice Kawu made an order setting aside any warrant of arrest obtained or procured by the respondents, especially the DSS for the arrest of Emefiele in connection with the allegations of terrorism financing, fraudulent practices, money laundering, and threat to national security before any court. The judge also granted an injunction restraining the respondents, particularly the DSS from arresting, detaining, or interfering with Mr. Emefiele’s personal liberty and freedom of movement. The court equally granted an order of injunction directing and mandating the DSS to forthwith release and set free Emefiele from any arrest and/or detention whatsoever.

Despite these definitive court pronouncements, Tinubu and his lawless DSS  refused to comply. Instead, the DSS hurriedly filed two nebulous charges of illegal possession of a single-barrel gun and ammunition against him, while still in breach of the various court orders. It is instructive to recall that the drama by the DSS to arrest the CBN governor started late last year when it secretly sought an order of the court presided by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court Abuja, Justice John Tsoho, to arrest and detain him over terrorism charges. The eagle-eyed judge had spotted mischief and rejected the request on the grounds that the Service had not placed any compelling evidence before the court to grant such a request, considering how weighty the allegations were.

Delivering ruling in suit last December, Tsoho posited that the entire affidavit depositions, especially as per paragraph 4 of the supporting affidavit, purport that preliminary investigation had revealed various acts of terrorism financing, fraudulent activities perpetrated by the respondent and his involvement in economic crimes of national security dimension. The chief judge said these are “no doubt, grave allegations, which the applicant has not presented any concrete evidence to support. And the applicant should have taken the court into confidence, while seeking the exercise of its discretion in favour of granting its application”.

He averred: “It is my respectful opinion that the ipse dixit (assertion) of the applicant, standing on its own, is not sufficient evidence upon which to deprive a person of his liberty. The respondent in this application is named as ‘Godwin Emefiele’ without disclosure of his status or position anywhere, not even in the affidavit.

“It is left to speculation if the ‘Godwin Emefiele’ is the same person as the serving Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. If it is, then he is unarguably a high-ranking public official in Nigeria and indeed occupies a sensitive position as one of the key drivers of the nation’s economy. Therefore, an application of this kind should have evidence of the approval of the respondent’s boss, that such measures are authorised to be taken.”

The judge told the DSS in no uncertain terms that his court would not be used to authorise an illegitimate operation. He described the suit as an illegal operation and a ploy by the DSS to deceive the court into granting a frivolous order to help arrest and deprive an innocent man of his personal liberty.

Let me state here without equivocation, in criminal investigations, if you don’t have prima facie evidence, you don’t take a suspect into custody. It is strange that an agency that went to court to seek leave to arrest someone since December last year and finally took the person into custody nearly two months ago, is still “investigating” and trying to come up with an appropriate offence to charge him with. This is indefensible and it is like arresting someone and asking him to prove his innocence. And despite several court orders to release him, the DSS has blatantly refused. For those defending the DSS, let this be your portion someday.

Honestly, I was shocked by the extent these people were willing to go, to destroy a man. And as the judge noted, the DSS did not provide any evidence before the court to support the request to deny Emefiele his freedom. Why? Because there was no such thing. It was all political. It was a hatchet plot to get a perceived enemy out of circulation before the election.

The truth is that the DSS under the current Director General, Mr Yusuf Bichi has become a willing tool in Tinubu’s hands to hound and persecute his perceived political enemies. Chief among those enemies is Emefiele. He became a target, first, for having the temerity and audacity to show interest in the presidency which Tinubu felt was his turn to “grab, snatch and run with it” at all cost.

Emefiele’s second sin and most serious, was the Naira redesign policy and currency swap, which Tinubu openly declared was principally targeted at eroding his chances of winning the election. Many of those in his campaign office then parroted this same line and targeted the central bank governor with all sorts of vile comments, too egregious to repeat here. They boasted then that if they ever got to power, Emefiele would be number one on the list of those to suffer and that he would rot in prison. Even some obnoxious governors were not left out of the vile campaign against Emefiele.

Now, they power, they must exert vengeance. Emefiele must suffer.  That is what this is about. Nothing more, nothing less. Pure vendetta.

One of the deranged supporters of Tinubu wrote a nasty diatribe against the governor following his illegal arrest and detention. It didn’t matter to him that the DSS allegations were nebulous and nefarious. 

My biggest disappointment in the whole scheme was former President Muhammadu Buhari, who stayed aloof and pretended he was unaware at whose behest Bichi was acting. No responsible government could have tolerated such an egregious breach of security. When an outsider and politician was using a critical security agency to hound a top official of government because of a policy approved by the president he felt was targeted at him. 

But then, was Buhari’s government a responsible government? The answer is capital NO! How could any responsible government fail to take action against Bichi for such compromise of his office? Especially when he was motivated by partisan interest. As a matter of fact, it was Bichi’s conduct that posed a grave threat to national security. He was using the powers of his office to execute a political plot for a candidate seeking election.

While the DSS is obsessed with Emefiele and has charged him with possession of a firearm, another real threat to national security is thriving. Asari Dokubo is brandishing AK-47 rifles about unhindered. His well-armed militia army is openly holding training drills unchallenged. But this same DSS doesn’t see him or his militia as  threat to national security so long they continue to profess their support for Tinubu. But it sees Emefiele as a bigger threat to national security for terror financing and owning a single-barrel gun!  How embarrassing will these people not get? After whipping up public opinion against the governor with imaginary terrorism allegations and charges of financial crimes, all this partisan agency could come up with is his possession of a gun and 23 rounds of ammunition. This is shameful.

The shame and embarrassment got even worse on Tuesday, July 25, shortly after Emefiele’s eventual arraignment and bail hearing. The judge granted him bail and ordered he remain in the custody of the correctional service until he perfects bail conditions. But Tinubu-Bichi’s lawless DSS would have none of that. For daring to resist the forceful abduction of the governor from the custody of the correctional service while still inside the premises of the Federal High Court, DSS operatives manhandled the correctional service operatives. The viral video of the assault sent chills down the spine of every sane Nigerian except those who issued the orders.

But this is what you get when incompetent people man critical state institutions. They reduce such institutions to their own level of incompetence. How did Bichi get this very important appointment in the first place? Factors extraneous to merit. Same factors that have crippled this country’s progress since independence and prevented it from reaching its full potential.

I can bet an arm and a leg that Tinubu is thoroughly enjoying the DSS show of shame. I can imagine him gleefully laughing and beating his chest that “I am now in charge”. He must be surprised by the enormous powers he now wields. That he can order the detention of any Nigerian who he perceives to be his enemy. Power, the old maxim says, corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Nigerians are about to witness the most dangerous man as President. We should prepare ourselves for the most brutal democratic dictator ever.

Just in case we have forgotten, let me remind Nigerians: In early February 2021, Nigeria’s then information and culture minister, Lai Mohammed disclosed at a press conference  that the Nigerian government had uncovered 123 companies and 33 bureau de change service providers that were linked to terrorism financing in the country.

He added that  an analysis by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), in 2020-2021, revealed 96 financiers of terrorism in Nigeria, 424 associates/supporters of the financiers, in addition to identifying 26 suspected bandits/kidnappers and 7 co-conspirators. The announcement was sequel to the jailing of six Nigerians in the United Arab Emirates over allegations of terrorism financing.

Fellow Nigerians, have you heard anything about these real terror financiers and their supporters ever since? No!  Have you heard or seen the DSS charging in the wee hours of the morning to arrest any of the people Lai Mohammed spoke about? No!

Is this not the same Bichi who was the Director General of DSS then? Of he was.  If this man was so interested in securing Nigeria from bandits, terrorists and their sponsors, all through the length and breadth of this country, we would have seen it from the record of his achievements in curbing their activities. We would have hailed him if he was man enough to go after those identified terrorists’ financiers. He would have become a hero of  sorts of the republic. I would have hailed him. But he never did, for reasons best known to him. I dare say most of those real terror financiers are from a particular part of this country that Bichi protects.

Bichi gives terrorists a free pass and then goes after soft civilian targets for possession of the equivalent of a dane gun. Okay, if  Emefiele was involved in terrorism financing, what of Abdulrasheed Bawa, the Chairman of EFCC, who has been detained by the DSS without charge for nearly two months now. Was he also involved in terror financing or is his detention related to his role  in  the naira redesign policy? The truth is that Bichi is carrying on a vendetta against those identified as arrowheads of that policy  to satisfy Tinubu’s anger.

If you don’t trust me on this, then Nigerians should ask Bichi, why he arrested Emefiele in the first place despite a court order barring him from doing so. Was it because of illegal possession of the equivalent of a dane gun? Surely, that was not the reason for his arrest. The gun was discovered after the fact. Tinubu and Bichi arrested him first and then went searching for evidence to charge him with. Is that the SOP of DSS? Emefiele is not just a clerk in an office, he is the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor. 

Time will tell where we are headed. Tinubu has been given the opportunity to pick his friends out of history’s crowd. He has so far wasted no time in showing us who his friends and enemies are. His cabinet nominees tell us clearly that there is a reward for bad behaviour. Those who worked in cahoots with INEC to change the votes representing the supreme will of the people in favour of Tinubu have been rewarded with ministerial positions. Of particular blight, the Rivers State presidential election result remains an everlasting stain on INEC. The authentic result on INEC’s IRev was ditched, while manipulated results were declared. And someone is being celebrated for “delivering” Rivers State to Tinubu and the APC – clear message here is that if you rig for him, you will be rewarded with a ministerial position or any other appointment.   

Many well-meaning Nigerians are utterly dismayed by Tinubu’s reward for bad behaviour. But can anyone do now?  A few days ago, a sparring partner mockingly said that kudos should be given to the president for saving the country’s blushes by not including Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman’s name on the ministerial list. But who knows, maybe there is another reward waiting for him.

..Visits CJN,
..Describes as unacceptable, neglect of judicial officers' welfare

The President of the NBA, Yakubu Maikyau extends Condolences to the Family of Late Justice Nweze and Signs Condolence Register

"..Mr. Maikyau expressed the sadness of the Bar over the death of Hon. Justice Nweze, who he described as a cerebral jurist

During his visit to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the NBA President decried the state of welfare of Nigerian judicial officers.

The removal of fuel Subsidy and the subsequent price hike of petroleum products in Nigeria has been a contentious issue that has sparked socio-economic unrest. Most Nigerians are groaning from the hardship necessitated by ‘’Tinubunomics.’’ Petrol Stations have been abandoned for the rich; market squares have been deserted owing to highfalutin prices of food commodities; travelling has now become a luxury, Nigeria’s electricity supply that is largely epileptic, its tariff has  geometrically increased without improvement in output; school fees in States and Federal Universities have been over- a- hundred percent increased. Unfortunately, minimum wage is still at an unbelievable thirty – Thousand-Naira rate.

In all of these biting realities, the scores of the activities of bandits and terrorists are gushing -in from Benue, Taraba, Zamfara, Plateau and every nook and cranny of the country. Little wonder then, former Present Olusegun Obasanjo opined recently during a keynote address at the public presentation of a book titled, “Reclaiming the Jewel of Africa,” written by a former Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, who had also served as Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga, that ‘’Nigeria is sitting dangerously on a keg of gunpowder’’ because of incongruent economic policies slipping many Nigerians into poverty.

However, the Federal Government has cautioned Nigerians to be patient, that there will be light at the end of the tunnel. Aye, this is what every administration tells Nigerians, perhaps this as become an already- made  mantra, after a careful study of the nature of Nigerians to be extremely hopeful people, with the mentality of suffering and smiling as lyricized by Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Indeed, our hope will not be extinguished by the labyrinths of ill-thought-out governmental policies that have over the years impoverished the common people whilst enriching the ruling class! The palliatives that the Federal Government has approved as cushioning the  adverse effects of the subsidy removal, that implies that over 12 million poor and low – income households in Nigeria will be given N8,000 per month for the next six months is likened to almajirinization of these Nigerians. Let me digress a little to drive home my point.

The word “Almajiri,’’ according to Cheta Nwanze, in his article, ‘’History of the Almajiri System in Nigeria,’’ Almajiri is derived from the Arabic “Al muhajirun”, meaning, “an emigrant”. It usually refers to a person who migrates from his home to a popular teacher in the quest for Islamic knowledge’’.  In pre-colonial era, this system of education taught their students Islamic principles, values, jurisprudence and theology. Many learnt farming, masonry, fishing, et cetera. In fact, the groundnut pyramid is attributed to the hard work and skills of the students who partook in the Almajiri system. Besides, when the colonial masters came, some of these students served has judges, clerks, and teachers who provided the colonial administration with the needed staff. This system was successful because the states, then, provided the funds for their studies.

However, the British stopped and abrogated the state sponsorship and the Almajiri school system on the note that they were religious schools, ‘’karatun Boko’’ and instead established and funded western education and schools. This resulted to the Mallams forcing their students to go into towns and cities to beg. When they go begging, they were handed ‘’kobo – kobo’’ that was usually next to nothing in catering for their daily needs. In the midst of this, their teachers imposed ‘’kudi sati’’ on the Almajiris, a kind of weekly payment to be made and indoctrinated them that it is better to beg than to steal. This was the turning point of the Almajiri system that his now synonymous with begging, abject poverty, destitution, radicalization, criminality, constitution of religious and social nuisances and its over dependence on the rich upper political class for their livelihood. The ‘sharing’ of N8000 to poor Nigerians would only turn them into beggars, plunge them into penury and on a long run, become another sets of bandits and terrorists. What can N8000 afford for a poor home in today’s Nigeria?  Let us assume they won’t buy fuel because they do not have cars and generators. But they are going to buy garri that was transported to the market; they are going to buy rice, oil, meat, fish, grains; pay house rent,  seek medical care, pay school fees, et cetera.   

To solve this crisis, rather than take to ‘sharing’ money as if it is an ‘’Owanbe’’ occasion, the Nigerian government must take a multi-faceted approach that addresses both the economic and social impacts of it policies. One approach is to diversify the economy away from oil and reduce the country’s over dependency on petroleum products. This can be done by investing in renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, as well as promoting other sectors of the economy such as agriculture and manufacturing. By reducing the country’s dependency on oil, the government can reduce the impact of fluctuations in global oil prices and reduce the need for fuel subsidies.

Another approach is to use the palliative money to refurbish, at least, one of Nigerian’s moribund refineries. It is absurd that the National Economic Council does not consider this as an urgent remedy to nip in the bud the dilapidating economic circumstances that Nigeria is plunged into at the moment. It is crazily bizarre that a country as rich and blessed with petroleum products, amidst other natural resources as Nigeria cannot boast of a functional refinery in this time and age! A functional refinery in Nigeria would bolster Nigerian’s access to forex and also make fuel available and cheap. Imagine marketers buying fuel from our refinery with Naira! Imagine Nigeria exporting crude and refined petroleum products! Nigeria economy will jumpstart, there will be employment opportunities, the price of dollars will fall and prices of goods and services will come down for everyone to afford.

Another approach is to increase transparency and accountability in the management of the country’s oil resources. This includes addressing issues such has corruption and mismanagement in the oil sector, as well as ensuring that revenues from oil exports are used to benefit the country and its citizens. By increasing transparency and accountability, the government can build trust with its citizens and reduce the likelihood of social unrest.

In conclusion, the removal of fuel subsidy and the subsequent price hike of petroleum products in Nigeria is a complex issue that requires a multi-faceted approach. By diversifying the economy away from oil, increasing transparency and accountability in the management of oil resources, and refurbishing some of Nigeria’s refineries, Nigeria can build a more sustainable and resilient economy for the future. The Nigerian government must be circumspect of any approach it is adopting to bringing succor to its citizens. Targeting social safety net programmes like gifting money to some selected people isn’t of immediate need. The government after leveling up can implement targeted social safety net programmes to mitigate the impacts of the removal of fuel subsidy on the vulnerable populations. This can include programmes such as cash transfers, food subsidies, and job creation initiatives. By providing support to those most affected by the policy, the government can reduce the impact of the price hike on the most vulnerable members of society. To engage in giving meagre sum of money to some Nigerians would only impoverish them mentally, psychologically and this class of Nigerians may likely become pawns in the hands of politicians to win future elections. If this policy is implemented, this government would only succeed in spreading the Almajiri predicaments all over Nigeria.

Former Chelsea defender, Gary Cahill has backed centre-back Levi Co to have a big 2023/24 season.
Cahill said that Colwill, who recently signed a new long-term deal with Chelsea, has massive potential.
According to him, the 20-year-old defender is a very good player and will learn a lot
from teammate Thiago Silva at Stamford Bridge.

Speaking about Colwill, Cahill said (per Chelsea’s official website): “You look at attributes you want in a centre-back and ask: Is he tall and good in the air? Does he have a good presence? Is he quick? Does he take up good positions to receive the ball? Is he composed on the ball? Levi Colwill has those attributes – now he must keep learning and progressing.

“So will playing alongside Thiago [Silva], who has achieved so much in the game. He can soak up things from him, carry on learning and learning. It will be a big season for him. It is clear he’s got massive potential and is a very good player.”

[DailyPost]

President Tinubu’s tenure began with much anticipation as he unveiled his list of ministerial nominees to form his cabinet. Among the nominees, several states stood out with a higher representation, demonstrating the administration’s commitment to ensuring regional diversity and inclusivity. In this article, we will explore the states that received the most ministerial nominations and highlight the potential impact of their representatives in shaping Nigeria’s future under President Tinubu’s leadership.

1. Ogun State – 3 Nominees

Ogun State, located in the southwestern region of Nigeria, secured the highest number of ministerial nominations, boasting three esteemed individuals. Ishak Salak, Bosun Tijjani, and Olawale Edun bring a wealth of experience in various fields to the cabinet. Their collective expertise in public administration, business, finance, and governance positions Ogun State as a vital player in driving the nation’s economic growth and development.

2. Kano State – 2 Nominees

Kano State, known for its significant population and economic influence, obtained two ministerial nominations: Maryam Shetti and Abdullahi T Gwarzo. With diverse backgrounds and expertise, these representatives will champion Kano State’s interests while contributing to the formulation of national policies for social advancement and prosperity.

3. Katsina State – 2 Nominees

Hailing from the same state as President Tinubu, Katsina State also earned two ministerial nominations: Ahmad Dangiwa and Hanatu Musawa. As key stakeholders from President Tinubu’s home state, they are entrusted with advocating for equitable development and addressing the unique challenges faced by Katsina.

4. Kebbi State – 2 Nominees

Kebbi State received two ministerial nominations in Atiku Abubakar Bagudu and Yusuf Tanko Sununu. Their presence in the cabinet holds the promise of forging stronger collaborations with the federal government to address critical issues concerning agriculture, rural development, and other areas relevant to Kebbi’s growth.

5. Taraba State – 2 Nominees

Taraba State’s representation in President Tinubu’s cabinet comes in the form of two nominees: Uba Maigari Ahmadu and Sani A Danladi. These individuals are entrusted with advocating for the state’s unique needs and collaborating on initiatives to foster sustainable development and regional harmony.

6. Bauchi State – 2 Nominees

Yusuf M Tuggar and Ali Pate, the ministerial nominees from Bauchi State, are expected to play crucial roles in addressing the state’s infrastructural needs and enhancing its socio-economic prospects. Their experiences in public service and healthcare will be instrumental in driving positive change.

7. Lagos State – 2 Nominees

As Nigeria’s economic hub and the most populous state, Lagos secured two ministerial nominations: Tunji Alausa and Lola Ade John. Their appointment reflects the state’s prominent position in the nation’s economic landscape, and they are set to contribute to policies that advance Lagos and the nation’s interests.

8. Cross River State – 2 Nominees

Betta Edu and John Enoh represent Cross River State in President Tinubu’s cabinet. As nominees from this coastal state, they will focus on advocating for environmental preservation, tourism, and economic diversification to bolster the state’s potential and contribute to national development.

President Tinubu’s selection of ministerial nominees exemplifies his commitment to ensuring representation from diverse states across Nigeria. The states with the most nominated candidates hold significant responsibilities in addressing regional concerns while contributing to national progress and unity. As they assume their roles, the nominees from these states will shape Nigeria’s trajectory, working collaboratively to foster an inclusive and prosperous future for all citizens under President Tinubu’s visionary leadership.

[allmedia24]

In the context of violence against the French Embassy and the closure of Niger’s airspace, at President Macron’s request the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for the Armed Forces launched an operation to evacuate French and foreign nationals who wished to leave the country.

On Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 August, our embassy in Niamey, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs’ Crisis and Support Centre and the Ministry for the Armed Forces’ Planning and Conduct of Operations Centre evacuated a total of 1,079 people, including 577 French nationals. This evacuation operation was led by French military aircraft.

France also evacuated nationals from 50 other countries, particularly in Europe (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Finland, Romania, Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Georgia and the United Kingdom), Africa (Benin, Senegal, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, Chad, Congo, Ethiopia, Botswana, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, Mauritania, Togo and Tunisia), America (the United States, Canada, Brazil, Colombia and the Bahamas), Asia (India, Japan, Vietnam and South Korea), Oceania (Australia) and the Middle East (Lebanon and Turkey).

The Ministry of the Interior and Overseas France also contributed to this operation, through the work of emergency services doctors, who provided medical assistance on one flight, and the Ministry of Health, which was involved in dealing with medical cases on arrival.

In a spirit of European solidarity and with the aim of offering European countries the possibility of enabling those of their nationals who so wished to benefit from the flights it put on, France took the initiative of activating the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism (EU CPM). From the outset it included European nationals in the planning of evacuation operations.

To coordinate the operation, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs’ Crisis and Support Centre, which set up a crisis unit on Sunday 30 July, has been in permanent contact with our nationals on the ground and with all our partners. Our armed forces’ military assets, mobilized to ensure the safety of nationals, also helped make these evacuations a success.

[diplomatie.gouv.fr]

Regional defence chiefs in West Africa will conclude talks on Niger on Thursday, a week after the military coup that has forced neighbouring powers to consider military intervention in response.

Ecowas, the Economic Community of West African States, has imposed sanctions, issued threats of military force, and made diplomatic overtures in its push to restore the presidency of President Mohamed Bazoum, who was confined to his presidential residence last Wednesday.

It is not clear whether the defence chiefs' meeting in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, will provide further details about the bloc's threat to authorise the use of force if coup leaders do not reinstate Mr Bazoum by Sunday.

Niger has been isolated since last week's ousting of Mr Bazoum, who was democratically elected in 2021. He was confined to his presidential residence two days before Presidential Guard Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani declared himself as leader.

The coup has threatened international counter-terrorism efforts in the Sahel region and also threatens to plunge one of the world's poorest countries deeper into despair.

Niger, which has a population of 26.2 million, received $1.8 billion in aid in 2021, according to the latest figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

That is more than any other West African country, except its large neighbour Nigeria, which received $3.5 billion for a population nearly 10 times bigger.

Foreign money accounts for a quarter of Niger's public spending, and international aid represents 9 per cent of its gross domestic product, according to economist Dominique Fruchter, AFP reported.

The EU, France and Germany have already suspended aid to Niger, where half the population live below the poverty line, while the World Bank has suspended aid to the public sector until further notice.

"To give up on this support, is to commit hara-kiri," Niger's Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou told broadcaster France24 on Sunday, referring to the Japanese term for ritual suicide.

Junta criticises 'inhumane' sanctions

In a televised address on Wednesday,Gen Tchiani said the junta "rejects altogether" sanctions introduced by Ecowas after an emergency meeting at the weekend.

The self-declared new leader of Niger has rejected sanctions imposed by Ecowas as inhumane, vowing to not bow to international pressure as regional leaders say they must prepare for the possibility of sending troops to the country.

The junta "refuses to give in to any threats, wherever they come from. We refuse any interference in the internal affairs of Niger", Gen Tchiani said on the eve of the country's independence day.

He said the sanctions were "cynical and iniquitous" and designed to humiliate the defence and security forces and Niger, and make the country ungovernable.

Ecowas has mentioned military intervention as a "last resort" if Mr Bazoum is not restored to power.

"The military option is the very last option on the table, the last resort, but we have to prepare for the eventuality," Abdel Fatau Musah, Ecowas commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, said on Wednesday.

[thenationalnews]

Professor Bolaji Akinyemi is always a delight to listen to  whether as a professor of Political Science in our International Relations graduate class in the early eighties, as Director General, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) engaged in intellectual debates during seminars and symposia with his colleagues, or as Foreign Affairs Minister explaining his ‘audacious ideas about a strong and resurgent Africa’  and even as public intellectual taking the uninitiated through the labyrinth of diplomatic chess game. He was as usual at his best last Monday on Arise Television programme. And for little distraction by those self-proclaiming patriots who have no regard for Alexander Pope’s admonition that ‘only fools rush in where angels fear to tread’, Prof Akinyemi, our own inimitable Henry Kissinger had a simple advice “Don’t miss ingredients for making pepper soup with that needed for making egusi soup”.

Prof Akinyemi has never lost faith in Nigeria in spite of his over 40 years efforts to let our ill-trained and badly-recruited leaders understand that strong and vibrant external relations determine how the external world rates our domestic policies. He has in fact always believed Nigerian should play the role of Africa super power. It was for this reason he, among other audacious policies, initiated the Technical Aids Corps scheme that today thrives in other African and Caribbean countries and the concept of medium power to mediate if possible among warring rival super powers. It was during his period that ‘Africa as the centre piece of Nigerian foreign policy’ acquired real meaning as we led the apartheid war against hypocritical Britain and USA.

 It was therefore not a surprise that in the wake of recent Nigerien coup, he insisted Nigeria must take the initiative in the planned battle against the military adventurers whose forceful entry into politics did not seem to be an outcome of the usual manipulation of electoral process by greedy elected West African political leaders. It similarly did not fall into the category of conspiracy theories that often link military coups in Guinea, Sudan, Mali and Chad and elsewhere in the Sahel region to French colonial and post-colonial policies that only impoverish former colonies.

Akinyemi also believes attempt by AU-led South Africa to give an ultimatum to the coup planners, was an attempt at undermining Tinubu’s leadership as ECOWAS chairman since by convention, it is the responsibility of ECOWAS leadership to first interfere in crisis afflicting the West African sub-region.

Predictably, he has hailed the decision of ECOWAS under the leadership of Tinubu to give the coup plotters a one-week ultimatum to hand over power to President Mohammed Bazoum  who remains the legitimately elected president and head of state of the Republic of Niger as recognized by ECOWAS, AU and the international community. The body has also threatened to ‘take all measures necessary’ ‘including the use of force’, to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger, in the event the regional body’s demands are not met within one week”. In this regard, ECOWAS has the backing of US and France.

Professor Akinyemi believes there is always a cost to leadership especially for a country like Nigeria that claims to be the giant of Africa. For him therefore, Nigeria has no choice but to lead the crusade, citing the case of Kenya, small players in the international arena that recently deployed Kenya soldiers to her troubled neighbours and Kenya police to Cuba, currently experiencing civil disorder in far-away South America.

In those days, talk of alternative to democracy and lusting after other world views apart from capitalism often attracted a death sentence. We saw it in Latin America where elected leaders were routinely toppled or assassinated.  In Africa we remembered how Nkrumah lost power. In Nigeria we witnessed how Murtala Muhammed, for declaring that Africa had come of age and should be allowed to take their destinies in their own hands, was brutally assassinated by Dimka. We saw how Buhari, for rejecting IMF loan and its ‘conditionalities’ which included the liberalization of our economy to allow free inflow of labour from western societies, was replaced by Babangida. We were recently told by Museveni of Uganda how six African Heads of state inside an aircraft going to mediate between Gadhafi and the West that was in breach of UN resolutions later bombed Libya where Gadhafi was killed like a criminal, were ordered by NATO to return to their states.

President Tinubu in his new role must learn how to walk the tight rope. The crusade must be about ridding Africa of its own demons including corrupt civilians autocrats. Coup planners are often aided by the West while those who do not have their backings have been likened by Professor Akinyemi to someone riding in the back of a tiger.

The West has never seen Africa beyond object of exploitation, From August 8, 1444 when Portugal through Lancarote de Feitas landed the first group of 235 slaves seized from modern day northern Mauritania in Lagos, Lisbon, the British and French and other European powers until 1870, about 426 years later exported slaves from the Gold Coast, Badagry and other parts of West Africa.

As colonized nations, African countries were repeatedly raped by the metropolitan power in order to resolve social conflicts and dislocations in the metropolitan states. At independence in 1960 after centuries of Belgium’s brutal reign, Congo had only about five graduates and about 600 Roman Catholic priests. Lumumba the elected Prime Minister later murdered by Belgian troops had only six years of schooling  while Mobutu, his successor who aided the West’s exploitation of Congo for another 30 years enlisted in the Congo Army as a cook.

While 80% of Nigeriens have no access to electricity, one third of electricity in France is said to come from Nigerien uranium. For this reason, many have argued that American and French military bases in Niger were to aid continued exploitation just as many others have also pointed out that ISIS and Al-Qaeda terrorists, purportedly being fought, were unleashed on the Sahel Region following the invasion of Iraq and Libya by the West in breach of international law.

Under neo-colonialism, which Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah said was the last stage of imperialism, African nations were further short-changed as they had no one to turn to for redress since the multinationals who inherited the new post-colonial states were driven only by profit motives. With globalization, African youths because of hostile environment created by IMF and World Bank are dying in the desert and drowning in the Atlantic Ocean to return to second slavery in Europe. From slavery to globalization therefore, what we have is but a change in paradigm. Nothing has changed.

 This is why President Tinubu’s crusade must  be about the above enduring African challenges and not about democracy, the new god which  different nations including  China, Russia and even some military juntas today claim to worship.

Former Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje and spokesperson for the ninth Senate, Senator Ajibola Basiru, were on Thursday officially ratified to replace the immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and former National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore.

The decision was taken barely an hour after President Bola Tinubu arrived at the Transcorp Hilton, venue of the NEC meeting, on Thursday.

The President arrived at the Congress Hall of the hotel surrounded by stern-looking security operatives suspected to be officers of the Department of State Services at about 11.35am.

Following the announcement of their appointments, supporters of Ganduje and Basiru broke into jubilation that almost disrupt the programme temporarily.

Among the dignitaries that arrived early for the NEC meeting were Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello; former governor of Osun State and pioneer chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande; acting National Chairman of the party, Senator Abubakar Kyari; former Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje and Spokesperson for the ninth Senate, Senator Ajibola Basiru.