Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that those benefiting from the lucrative business of fuel importation will make every effort to frustrate Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Obasanjo described Dangote Refinery as something that should encourage both Nigerians and non-Nigerians.
He stated this in the wake of allegations by the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, that some ‘mafias’ were making efforts to frustrate the $20bn refinery.
It was gathered on Monday that the multi-billion dollar refinery and other domestic refineries had yet to purchase crude oil in naira based on the directive of President Bola Tinubu to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
Speaking during an interview with Financial Times, Obasanjo opined that the cabals benefitting from oil importation do not want to let go of their source of living.
He said, “Aliko’s investment in a refinery, if it goes well, should encourage both Nigerians and non-Nigerians to invest in Nigeria.
“If those who are selling or supplying refined products for Nigeria feel that they will lose the lucrative opportunity, they will also make every effort to get him frustrated.”
Speaking further, the former nation’s leader disclosed that Nigeria made a deadly mistake by putting all its eggs in what he called one basket of oil, ignoring gas and agriculture.
“I believe we made a very, very deadly mistake. We put all our eggs in one basket of oil. We even ignored gas. We were flaring gas, which is a very important commodity
“We ignored agriculture, which should have been the centrepiece of our economic development,” he said.
He recalled how he persuaded Shell to run the country’s refineries but the International Oil Company refused, saying there was too much corruption in the sector.
“When I was President, I invited Shell and I said, look, come and take equity participation and run our refineries for us. They refused. They said our refineries have not been well maintained.
“We have brought amateurs rather than bringing professionals. They said there’s too much corruption with the way our refinery is run and maintained. And they didn’t want to get involved in such a mess,” he explained.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has introduced the Utapate crude oil blend, a new crude oil grade, into the international market.
According to a statement on Monday by Femi Soneye, NNPC’s spokesperson, the Utapate crude oil blend commenced operations in July, as its first cargo headed for Spain.
The crude oil grade, Soneye said, is from an oil mining lease (OML) 13, fully operated by NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL), the company’s upstream subsidiary.
“Located offshore Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria, Utapate’s current crude oil production is at 28,000 barrels per day, with potentials to increase it to 50,000 barrels per day. Also, the sulphur content of the new crude is 0.0655%,” NNPC said.
“Spanish oil giant Repsol, won the tender for the initial cargo of 950,000 barrels of the new crude blend which is comparable to the much sought after Amenam crude.”
According to the statement, Gulf Transport and Trading, another leading crude oil dealer, have also secured the cargo’s tenders for August and September.
“During the Argus European Crude Conference in London last year, NNPC Ltd announced the launch of Nembe crude oil, produced by the NNPC/Aiteo operated Oil Mining Lease (OML) 29 Joint Venture (JV),” the NNPC spokesperson said.
“Similar to the Nembe crude oil grade, the Utapate crude oil blend has a low sulphur content and low carbon footprint due to flare gas elimination, fitting perfectly into the required spec of major buyers in Europe.”
Soneye said the remarkable achievement signifies the commitment of NNPC to increase Nigeria’s crude oil production and grow reserves through the development of new assets.
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) says it has disbursed July stipends to student loan applicants across six tertiary institutions.
In a statement on Monday, Ibom Uche, NELFUND’s director of finance and accounts, said a stipend of N20,000 has been paid to the students.
He said a total of 20,371 students across Bayero University Kano (BUK), Federal University, Dutsin-Ma (FUDMA), University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), University of Benin (UNIBEN), University of Ibadan (UI), and University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) were paid.
NELFUND had earlier stated that it had paid the tuition fees for the students in these six tertiary institutions.
Uche said the payment process for students from 55 additional tertiary institutions will soon commence.
“This initiative further underscores H.E. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s promised unwavering commitment to supporting Nigerian students by ensuring financial stability throughout their academic pursuit, the statement reads in part,” he said.
“It is anticipated that this will be concluded within the next two weeks as the fund is committed to ensuring that all eligible students receive their stipends promptly.
“NELFUND remains steadfast in its mission to support the educational aspirations of Nigerian students by providing financial assistance for studies at qualifying institutions and ensuring the timely disbursement of stipends for day-to-day expenses.
“It is noteworthy that the President only Sunday committed a further 50 billion Naira from recovered proceeds of crime.
“NELFUND appreciates the patience and cooperation of students and institutions as the organisation works assiduously to fulfil its previously made commitments to Nigerian students.”
Last week, NELFUND said it had disbursed over N2.5 billion in the student loan scheme.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has issued an order transferring regulatory oversight of the electricity market in Oyo to the state’s electricity regulatory commission.
In an order dated August 5 and signed by Sanusi Garba, its chairman, the NERC said the directive would take effect immediately.
According to the commission, the order is to commence the process of the transfer of regulatory oversight for the intrastate electricity market in the state from NERC to Oyo State Electricity Regulatory Commission (OSERC), in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN) and the Electricity of Act 2023 (amended).
“Ibadan Electricity Distribution PLC (“IBEDC”) is hereby directed to incorporate a subsidiary (“IBEDC SubCo”) under the Companies and Allied Matters Act for the assumption of responsibilities for intrastate supply and distribution of electricity in Oyo State fron IBEDC,” the order reads.
“IBEDC shall complete the incorporation of IBEDC SubCo within 60 days from the effective date of this Order and, IBEDC SubCo shall apply for and obtain a licence for the intrastate supply and distribution of electricity from OSERC.
“IBEDC shall identify the actual geographic boundaries of Oyo State and carve out its network in Oyo State as a standalone network with the installation of boundary meters at all border points where the network crosses from Oyo State into another state.”
According to the order, as part of the transition process, IBEDC is mandated to create an asset register of all its power infrastructure located within Oyo state.
The commission also said the DisCo would evaluate and apportion “contractual obligations and liabilities attributable to IBEDC’s operations of its subsidiary in Oyo State”.
IBEDC, according to NERC, would identify all the applicable trading points for energy offtake for the operations of IBEDC SubCo in Oyo.
NERC asked IBEDC to “confirm the number of employees that are required to provide service to Oyo State as a standalone public utility and transfer the identified assets for operations in Oyo State, contractual obligations, liabilities and employees to IBEDC SubCo”.
NERC said all transfers contained in the order would be completed by February 5, 2025.
On April 22, Enugu and Ekiti states received approval from NERC to regulate their electricity markets.
The regulator, on April 23, transferred oversight of the electricity market in Ondo to the state’s electricity regulatory bureau (OSERB).
On July 1, the commission transferred regulatory oversight of the power market in Imo to the state’s electricity regulatory commission (ISERC).
Christopher Musa, chief of defence staff (CDS), says it is a treasonable offence for #EndBadGovernance protesters to fly foreign flags in the country.
Musa spoke shortly after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja on Monday.
The trend was first observed in Kano on the first day of the protest.
Protesters waved Russian flags, calling on President Vladimir Putin to intervene in the country.
On Sunday, a faction of protesters arrived in Jos, the Plateau capital, with Russian and Japanese flags, forcing local protest organisers to conclude the march early.
The latest batch of flags were seen on Monday in Kaduna, Kano, and Abuja.
Musa said people caught with the foreign flags will be tried for treason.
“A lot of us have seen it where foreign flags have been flown within the sovereignty of Nigeria, and that is totally unacceptable,” the army chief said on Monday after a briefing with President Bola Tinubu.
“We are warning in clear terms, and the president has also said we should convey this: that we will not accept anybody, any individual flying any foreign flag in Nigeria.
“That is a treasonable offense, and it will be viewed and treated as such. So, nobody shall allow himself to be used by any individual.”
In neighbouring Sahelian countries, citizens waved Russian flags and marched on the streets in anti-government protests, triggering a coup.
Musa dismissed the fears, reiterating that security agencies would defend democracy.
“We will not accept anyone pushing or taking any action, seemingly or for whatever reason to want to push for any change of government,” he said.
“Democracy is what we stand for; democracy is what we will continue to defend.
“For those of them flying flags, and if you see, a lot of them are kids being pushed to do that. We’re following up with those ones that are sponsoring them.
“Those that are pushing them because, you know, the flies were also made. We have identified those areas, and we are going to take serious action against them.
“The president is clear on his instructions for us not to accept anyone that wants to disrupt the peace and tranquility of Nigeria.
“And we are all standing here together to show Nigerians that we’re working closely; we are working together with synergy to ensure that there’s still peace and tranquility in Nigeria, we have assured Mr. President.”
Much of the protests have been characterised by vandalisation, looting, and deaths.
Musa had warned that the military would step in if the situation escalated.
Stocks around the world tumbled on Monday as worries intensified over a US recession, sparking a global market sell-off.
The Dow and the Standard and Poor’s (S&P) 500 posted their worst daily loss in about two years.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 dropped 3 percent on Monday.
Nasdaq 100 lost over $900 billion in terms of market value while over $1.4 trillion in market value was wiped out from the S&P 500.
Russell 2000, a small-cap US stock market index, also fell by 3.3 percent.
Also, investors continued to sell off tech stocks and artificial intelligence equities.
The share price of Nvidia, a US tech company, tumbled by 6.4 percent, Apple dropped by 4.8 percent and Microsoft fell by 3.3 percent — accounting for about 50 points of the S&P 500’s 160-point drop.
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The Magnificent seven index — which consists tech stocks — also dropped by 4.3 percent.
Also, Europe’s Stoxx 600 index — which represents large, mid and small capitalisation companies — declined by 2.17 percent.
Similarly, Japan stocks entered a bear market, with the Nikkei index losing 12.4 percent — its worst day since 1987.
In Nigeria, the stock market depreciated by 2.23 percent, losing 2,228.31 basis points, to close at 97,582.41 all share index (ASI).
Fear of recession and rapid federal reserve rate cuts in the US, as well as a hawkish pivot by the Bank of Japan, are some of the causes of the downturn across Europe, Asia and the US, according to strategists in a CNBC report.
The Russian embassy in Nigeria says the Russian government is not involved in its national flags flown during the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protest.
In a statement on Monday, the embassy said neither the government nor Russian officials were connected to the trend.
“The Embassy has noted the reports in Nigerian media and the circulation of videos and images in digital media depicting protesters in northern states of the country carrying Russian flags and chanting slogans to Russian President Vladimir Putin,” the statement reads.
“The Government of the Russian Federation as well as any Russian officials are not involved in these activities and do not coordinate them in any way.
“As always, we emphasize that Russia does not interfere in the domestic affairs of foreign states, including Nigeria.”
The embassy said the intentions of some protesters to wave Russian flags are personal choices.
“They do not reflect any official position or policy of the Russian Government in the issue,” it said.
“We respect Nigerian democracy and believe that peaceful demonstrations in conformity with the Nigerian law are a manifestation of democracy.
“However, should these events lead to any disruptions or acts of violence we strictly condemn them.”
Nigeria has suffered another nationwide blackout – the fifth time in 2024.
According to various distribution companies (DisCos), their feeders became inactive, resulting in widespread blackouts across the country.
Data from the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s (TCN’s) generation trend showed that the grid collapsed at about 1:30 pm on Monday and dropped from 3,241 megawatts (MW) to 1,255MW in an hour.
As at the time of this report, out of 21 plants connected to the grid, five generation companies (GenCos) are down while 17 are generating power.
The TCN is yet to give reasons for the collapse.
Confirming the incident, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) on X, said the grid collapsed at 2.30pm.
“We understand that some of our customers are still without power due to a system failure from the national grid at 2.55pm today, 5th August 2024,” AEDC posted.
“Please be assured that the system is gradually stabilising, and we are working diligently with all relevant stakeholders to restore power to the affected areas as quickly as possible.”
The national electricity grid had suffered a collapse five times in 2024.
The first time the grid collapsed was on February 4.
The grid experienced another collapse on March 28.
The blackout also happened on April 15, and July 6, for the third and fourth time respectively.
On May 1, TCN said the number of system collapses has reduced significantly in the country.
According to Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s spokesperson, the grid disturbances declined by 76.47 percent in five years.
Mbah said the country recorded 20 system collapses from 2020 till May 1, compared to the 85 grid disturbances between 2015 to 2019.
Meanwhile, on April 18, the commission said it had deployed a digital system called generation dip/loss detection system (GLDS) to swiftly detect and respond to sudden drops in power generation.
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu is currently meeting behind closed doors with heads of security and paramilitary operatives under the aegis of National Security Council.
The meeting is holding at the President’s office, presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Christopher Musa is leading the service Chiefs and other military and paramilitary heads to the meeting.
It is coming amidst the nationwide protests against hunger and bad governance in the country.
Recall that President Tinubu on Sunday in a national broadcast had pleaded with the organizers of the nationwide protests to suspend especially as it has gone violent in some states with the attendant loss of lives and destruction of property.
The President, who said that he has heard the grievances of the protesters loud and clear, also warned that he would not sit and watch some people used by opposition politicians to destroy the democracy in the country.
Also at the meeting are Vice President Kashim Shettima, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun among others
The Federal Government has advised Nigerian citizens planning to travel to the United Kingdom to be cautious of potential violence following the recent killing of three young girls at a concert
The statement, released in the early hours of Monday, August 5th, and signed by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Eche Abu-Obe, noted that the ongoing protests in the United Kingdom have turned violent following the killing of three young girls at a concert.
The press release, which was posted on the official X page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, partly read: “There is an increased risk of violence and disorder occasioned by the recent riots in the UK, stemming from the killing of three young girls at a concert. The violence has assumed dangerous proportions, as evidenced by reported attacks on law enforcement agents and damage to infrastructure.
“Demonstrations by far-right and other extra-parliamentary groups in parts of the UK in recent weeks have been large and, in some instances, unruly.
“These disturbances have only been aggravated by the unfortunate deaths of the three girls, spawning an anti-immigration narrative with particular emphasis on targeting Muslim immigrants or persons of colour.”
Recall that in on July 29, 2024, a knife attack took place at a children’s yoga and dance workshop. Three children were killed and eight other children were injured, with five of them in critical condition. Two adults at the event were also critically injured. Following the stabbing, anti-Muslim disinformation and rumours have sparked Islamophobic protests and riots across the UK, which have been described as the worst rioting in 13 years.
The Financial Times described the protests and riots as being fuelled by wider Islamophobia, concerns over crime, anti-migration sentiment, xenophobia, nationalism, and perceived biases by the police and media.
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The Federal High Court in Lagos has ruled that the sale of Nigeria Air Ltd to Ethiopian Airlines is null and void.
Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, who presided over the case, directed that the Federal Government’s plan to establish a national carrier, Nigeria Air, should not proceed.
This decision came as the court granted most of the requests made by the plaintiffs, which include the Registered Trustees of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, and five other entities.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa affirmed that all requested reliefs were approved except for the demand for N2bn in damages. The plaintiffs sought these damages for the losses they claimed to have suffered due to their exclusion from the process and the alleged wrongful actions related to the bidding and selection processes for the Nigeria Air initiative.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, comprising the Registered Trustees of the Airline Operators, Azman Air Services Limited, Air Peace Limited, Max Air Limited, United Nigeria Airlines Company Limited, and Topbrass Aviation Limited, took legal action against Nigeria Air Limited, Ethiopian Airlines, former Minister of Aviation Senator Hadi Sirika, and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
In their filings, the plaintiffs sought a court order to nullify the entire bidding and selection procedures for the Nigeria Air project. They also called for the cancellation of the approval and selection of Ethiopian Airlines by former Minister Hadi Sirika and former Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami.
The Catholic Bishops of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, weekend, expressed concern that the Federal Government’s reforms have not brought the renewed hope promised, while inflation, hunger and anger keep growing.
This was part of the communiqué they issued weekend, at the end of their two-day meeting, held at Sacred Heart Pastoral/Retreat Centre, Orlu, signed by the Chairman and Secretary, Most Rev. Lucius Ugorji and Most Rev. Augustine Echema, respectively.
The Bishops said: “Our nation, Nigeria, continues to face many social and economic challenges that are bringing untold hardship to our people.
“The reforms that were introduced at the inception of the current administration have not brought the renewed hope promised. Instead, inflation continues to skyrocket and hunger and anger continue to grow.
“Despite calls by the government for the people to sacrifice and bear patiently the hard times, there seems to be no corresponding example of prudent spending on the part of the leaders at all levels of government.
“It is not as if we want to join the bandwagon preaching doom and gloom for the nation, but the truth remains that for the last couple of years, we, as a nation, have missed the chance to build a strong nation, to elect leaders who have the capacity and the will to meet the needs of the people, to build a nation where the national interest overrides every tribal, political and religious division.
“We do not deny that progress has been made in particular sectors of national life; progress for which we all rejoice, yet many areas of work remain and the palpable fear is that there might be no redeeming future if things continue to go the way they are going at the moment.”
On the ongoing national hunger protest, the Catholic Bishops opined that the youths are right to be outraged by the worsening state of our nation.
“As long as many people are suffering from multi-dimensional poverty in the land; as long as there are people without the renewed hope that comes with opportunities for a decent livelihood; as long as the peoples’ income can no longer afford their genuine needs; as long as their votes cannot be guaranteed to effect a change in the behaviour of our leaders; Nigeria will continue to remain a restive nation.
“While peaceful protests are genuine democratic tools for expressing grievances, we believe that protests alone cannot resolve our current national problems. Moreover, a prolonged protest with a total close down of the country, even if peacefully sustained, might cripple our already fragile economy.”
While saying it has become imperative that Nigerians, as citizens of the same nation, undertake some soul-searching in the face of the intractable nature of our national difficulties, the Bishops also reasoned that “good governance and socio-economic stability will continue to elude us, if we collectively do not decide to strengthen our political institutions, if we do not improve transparency, efficiency, and accountability in all our public institutions.”
Continuing, the clerics said: “It will be naive for us to imagine that leadership alone can resolve all the issues that bedevil our country.
“The failure of leadership reflects equally the failure of followership. It is obvious then that both leadership and followership in Nigeria have responsibilities to fulfill, to move our nation forward.
“We need proper leadership in the various sectors and cadres of our country, be it business, politics, public service, security agencies, and other essential services. All of these different sectors must come together as part of the same wheel of progress.
“Unfortunately, what has continued to elude us is visionary leadership. Ever since our independence, one regime after another, has started and abandoned its agenda, shown a lack of continuity, and promoted mediocrity and ineptitude in governance.
“The result is that today, the majority of our citizens no longer have faith in our leaders. We call on our current political leaders and elite to rise and inspire the nation, as well as earn the trust of the populace, with policies and programmes that will improve the standard of living, economic growth, stability, and a general rise in the standard of governance and governance structure.”
Referring to the recent judgment of the Supreme Court, on local government autonomy, the Bishops appealed to the state governments to speedily organize free, fair, and transparent local government elections.
“We hope that a functional local government authority will bring development closer to the people, and allow a more grassroots participation in the democratic process,” the Bishops reasoned.
They called on Nigerian citizens to make adjustments in the context of the hard times facing everybody, stressing that “adjustment will include saying no to all corrupt practices, being alive and awake to our rights and our civic responsibilities, saying no to every attempt to cow and intimidate the citizenry”.
Their words: “Here in the South East, where years of insecurity have impacted daily life and businesses, we call on our people to re-embrace that same indomitable spirit that was displayed by our people after the Nigeria-Biafra War.
“It was a spirit that refused to accept that our present challenges are beyond redemption, a spirit that recognized that the contribution of everyone is needed to build up the society from the bottom up. This will require qualities from everyone like a life of simplicity, moral probity, steadfastness, hard work, and solidarity.
“As Church, we share in the joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties of our people. As your pastors, we feel your pains and your struggles. We are deeply concerned about the fate of our jobless youths who see no hope in the Nigerian project.
“Many have been forced to leave the country for greener pastures; others are tempted to resort to crime or fetish and obnoxious ritual practices in the quest for survival.
“Our retired and elderly people are abandoned to languish without the support networks that should guarantee a dignified and happy old age. As a Church, we do not pretend to be an alternate government that has the responsibility to manage our Commonwealth.
“The Church has always intervened in the difficult moments of our national history to promote the spirit of solidarity among the people, and concern for the welfare of those at the margins of society.
“In the same spirit, we urge better-placed individuals in the society to embrace the challenge of making sure nobody is left behind to suffer in silence and to die in misery.”
Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s prime minister, has resigned and fled the country amid weeks of deadly anti-government protests.
An aide told Al Jazeera that Hasina, 76, boarded a military helicopter alongside her sister and fled after crowds ignored a nationwide curfew to besiege the prime minister’s palace in Dhaka, the country’s capital, on Monday.
Images showed flames billowing from vehicles near Hasina’s home, with police unable to contain throngs of people marching towards the neighborhood.
After news of her resignation broke, thousands took to the streets of Dhaka in celebration. She was in power for a combined 20 years.
The demonstrations which began in July were triggered by students seeking an end to a quota system for government jobs.
However, clashes with police and pro-government activists escalated. No fewer than 300 people have been reported dead since the protests began.
On Sunday, nearly 100 people were reported dead.
The death toll heightened calls for accountability from government.
The 76-year-old won a fourth straight term in January in an election boycotted by the opposition.
Waker-Uz-Zaman, the army chief, urged citizens to trust the army, which he said would return peace to the country.
“We will also ensure that justice is served for every death and crime that occurred during the protests,” he said, asking the public to be patient and to cease violence and vandalism.
“We have invited representatives from all major political parties, and they have accepted our invitation and committed to collaborating with us.”
Protest: Tinubu’s Speech Is Disconnected From Reality, Needs To Stop Dwelling On The Past – Peter Obi
AFOLABI
Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) has broken his silence following the speech given by President Bola Tinubu on Sunday to address the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.
Reacting on Monday, Obi said he intentionally delayed his reaction in order to avoid getting labelled as always swaying public opinion against the Tinubu government.
The former Anambra State Governor said President Tinubu’s speech is disconnected from the harsh economic realities Nigerians are facing and too focused on the past instead of the present and the future which Nigerians are concerned about.
Obi wrote: “Having led the call for the President to address the nation and respond to the demands of the people, and having listened to the belated speech, I needed to delay my response to see if my understanding of the address was aligned with others. I hesitated to respond immediately, as I felt it could have been perceived as another attempt by Peter Obi to sway public opinion, especially since I was initially accused of sponsoring the protest.
“However, I must begin by thanking the President for finally addressing the people, albeit belatedly, which might have prevented the unnecessary loss of innocent lives, including those of our security agents.
“While I had hoped that, in consoling the families of those who lost their loved ones in the protest, he would also show some empathy towards those who were injured, arrested, and detained due to the overzealous and unprofessional conduct of some security operatives, this was unfortunately not the case. It is the responsibility of the government to identify criminal elements attempting to disrupt the protest through looting and other unlawful behaviours and to protect those genuinely exercising their democratic rights.
“Nigeria must embrace all tenets of democracy, including the right to protest, without selective adherence. I also appreciate his condemnation of the ethnic bigotry being propagated by some individuals against other ethnic groups.
“However, I had hoped for more decisive action, such as the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible, to demonstrate that such intolerance will not be tolerated in today’s Nigeria.
“The President’s address regrettably appeared disconnected from the harsh realities faced by the people and failed to address critical issues that initially triggered the protest. It either reflects a lack of awareness among his advisers regarding the scale of anger, hunger, and hardship in the country, or a deliberate choice to disregard it. At this point, I strongly advise the President to distance himself from sycophants and surround himself with individuals who will present the unvarnished truth.
“While the President’s speech focused on the past, the people are concerned with the present and the future. He should begin by addressing pressing issues such as the exorbitant cost of governance, measures to tackle corruption, the high cost of living, and directing resources effectively towards critical areas like health, education, and poverty alleviation. I respectfully reiterate that the President should declare a war on insecurity, the economy, poverty, unemployment, and the power sector.
“Persistent issues of corruption and mismanagement of public funds must be addressed decisively. As is done in other nations during such times, regular briefings, whether quarterly or biannually, from the President are essential to clearly communicate the visible and verifiable measures being taken to revive the nation from its current state of hopelessness, restore hope, and rebuild trust in our country. I also humbly request that the President reduce the repetition of how dire the situation is; every Nigerian is already aware of the extent of the problems. Mr President, you and your team were elected not just to witness the protests but to alleviate the suffering of the people.
“Nigerians do not expect the President to solve the nation’s problems overnight, but we do expect a concerted effort to address the mismanagement of public resources, reduce the high cost of governance, and tackle issues like insecurity, corruption, electricity, agriculture, and productivity to set the country on a path to recovery and growth. By doing so, the President can restore hope and rekindle the people’s faith in our dear country Nigeria.
“A new Nigeria is Possible. -PO”