I woke up on Friday morning to a deluge of forwarded, unwatchably terrifying videos showing 16 Hausa hunters, who were traveling from Port Harcourt to Kano for the forthcoming Eid-el-fitr festivities, being lynched and burned alive by a mob of blood-thirsty savages in the town of Uromi in Edo State. I've been sick to my stomach.

My inquiry has led me to understand that the Uromi community has been gripped by abductions for ransom, which sometimes result in deaths. Seething with rage and vengeance over the incessancy of deadly kidnapping by “Fulani herdsmen,” the community was primed for jungle justice.

When local vigilantes accosted a bus traveling northward through the town, they found Hausa hunters armed with hunting guns and machetes aboard. In the bigoted, know-nothing estimation of the Uromi vigilantes, Hausa hunters were one and the same as Fulani kidnappers.

So, they burned the innocent Hausa hunters for the crimes of anonymous Fulani bandits. I honestly couldn’t bring myself to watch the dreadfully nightmarish videos to the end. I broke down at the point when one of the hunters was thrown into a flaming fire from a wheelbarrow and he exclaimed “Wayyo Allah!” in anguish. It was too much for my fragile heart to handle.

These sorts of savage slaughters of innocents persist in Nigeria not just because of a progressive loss of faith in formal institutions for the redress of communal grievance, heightened anxieties about safety, and increasing faith in the efficacy of jungle justice but also because of the absence of consequences for them.   

As I pointed out when Deborah Yakubu was extrajudicially murdered by a mob of unhinged fanatics in Sokoto in May 2022, there is no greater enabler of jungle justice than a lack of consequence for it. 

Sadly, when tragedies like this occur, there is a habitual, safe, standard, prepackaged rhetorical template that people in government effortlessly regurgitate. They promise to bring the perpetrators to justice, make performative arrests to quench public thirst for justice, and nothing else happens. That can’t continue.

When I called for the prosecution and public execution of the murderers of Deborah in 2022, I warned that it was necessary “to serve as an example to other would-be murderers.” 

Of course, Deborah’s murder wasn’t the first example of jungle justice. Harira and her four children were ferociously murdered by maniacal thugs in Anambra State, and nothing was done about it. The list is too long to fit in a newspaper column. But I argued that it’s never too late to do the right thing.

I will repeat my plea. The murderers of these innocent travelers are easily identifiable from the videos that are circulating online. They should all be apprehended, tried, and executed in public to deter a repeat.

But, in the interest of proportionality of justice, this should not be limited to this Uromi incident. All cases of jungle justice should equally be punished the same way. The punishment for murder in both the Criminal Code and the Penal Code is death. The law should be followed.

Another thing that this incident instantiates is the danger of toxic ignorance. Before Muhammadu Buhari became president, all northerners in southern Nigeria used to be “Hausa,” irrespective of their ethnic and religious identities. 

After Buhari became president, every northerner, especially if the northerner is also Muslim, became “Fulani,” which led me to write a June 5, 2021, column titled, “‘Fulanization’ of the North by the South.” The South, I wrote, was relentlessly rhetorically Fulanizing the North, particularly the Muslim North, just to fertilize and sustain a simplistic narrative.

This simplistic, misbegotten narrative probably led the Uromi mass murderers to assume that Hausa people with hunting instruments must be Fulani bandits since they have internalized the wrongheaded notion that all northern Muslims are “Fulani.” 

Never mind that Hausa and Fulani communities in many northwestern states are at daggers drawn over kidnappings for ransom by Fulani outlaws, or that more northerners are kidnapped for ransom than people anywhere else in the country.

Trust TV, the broadcast arm of Daily Trust, did an informative documentary on March 5, 2022, titled “Nigeria’s Banditry: The Inside Story” that brought the tension between Fulani herders and Hausa people into focus. 

A subsequent July 25, 2022, BBC Africa Eye documentary titled “The Bandit Warlords of Zamfara,” which got the hackles of the Muhammadu Buhari administration up, amplified the tensile relational dynamics between Hausa and Fulani communities in the northwest since kidnapping for ransom took roots in the region, transmuted into full-on terrorism, and finally morphed into the full-scale Hausa-versus-Fulani ethnic war, particularly in such states as Zamfara, Kebbi, and Katsina.

In response to the rural and urban banditry by mostly Fulani brigands against Hausa people in the northwest (Fulani people have also accused Hausa people of cattle theft, indiscriminate murders, and systematic exclusion), the BBC documentary tells us, Hausa people formed or strengthened preexisting vigilante groups called yan sakai or yan banga for self-defense against bandits.

Yan banga groups originally come from traditional Hausa hunters' associations and draw upon the skills and rituals commonly associated with traditional hunters (such as using charms, dane guns, and other traditional weaponry) for vigilante duties.

 In other words, most of the Hausa hunters that the Uromi homicidal beasts murdered in cold blood to avenge the banditry of Fulani herders would be targets of elimination by Fulani bandits in the northwest. That’s double jeopardy.

The northwest is the theater of a ceaseless spiral of recrimination and reciprocal violence between the Hausa and Fulani communities, thereby imperiling the longstanding, Islamically-inspired ethnocultural synthesis that historically unites them.

 Remarkably, this volatile dynamic persisted largely unnoticed by both national and global media until it was thrust into international consciousness through BBC Africa Eye’s seminal July 2022 "The Bandit Warlords of Zamfara" documentary.

The documentary revealed the paradoxical reality wherein, despite substantial overlaps in culture, religion, heritage, and linguistic traditions, the Hausa and Fulani populations remain predominantly segregated, particularly in rural areas. Intercommunity relations are characterized by persistent tensions that manifest in conflicts over scarce resources such as land, water, and sustenance.

But the rest of Nigeria has a hard time grasping the existence of tensile ethnic stress between Hausa and Fulani people in the north on account of banditry because the southern-dominated institutional news media in Nigeria, which help frame how we make sense of our social and cultural realities, lack ready-made, stereotypical mental representations with which to frame the conflict, so they either avoid reporting it altogether or minimize its horrors if they report it at all.

The news media thrive on Manichean binaries, conflictual differences, and sensation, which a conflict between Hausa and Fulani people doesn’t present. After all, a popular Yoruba epigram says, “Gambari pa Fulani ko lejo ninu,” which roughly translates as “If a Hausa person kills a Fulani person, there is no case,” implying that the Hausa and the Fulani are indistinguishable.

I have also read many northerners on social media encouraging a retaliation over the Uromi massacre of Hausa hunters. That would be most unfortunate for at least three reasons. First, the people who committed the murders are easily identifiable. Indiscriminate murder of innocent southerners in the north for a crime committed by a recognizably small group of people violates not just the law of the land but also Islamic precepts.

Surah Al-Ma'idah (Chapter 5, Verse 32) of the Qur’an says, “whoever kills a soul…it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one—it is as if he had saved mankind entirely."

Second, based on the experiences of the past, one can almost guarantee that innocent, law-abiding Igbos in the north would bear the brunt of any “retaliation” even though Uromi in Edo State isn’t an Igbo town. 

The town is populated by the Esan people who, although they constitute a major ethnic group in the state, are not the majority in the state. They also don’t have a numerically significant presence in the North, so innocent southerners would be murdered in cold blood. 

Finally, killing innocent southerners in the North for the crimes of a few people would be identical to the crimes of the Uromi vigilantes that the retaliators are supposedly avenging.  

I hope the president and the governor of Edo State will act expeditiously to contain this upheaval and prevent it from snowballing into a bigger problem than it should. 

The world stood still on Monday, May 29, 2023, when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made the now-famous “Subsidy is gone” declaration at Eagle Square, Abuja, in his first address to the nation upon his inauguration as the 16th President of Nigeria, the biggest black nation on earth.

This declaration not only caught everyone by surprise, but observers, analysts, and commentators were also stunned and wondered how much courage the President had mustered before uttering those three words. “Did the President know what he had just said?” many asked.

But today, we can all testify to the stability and growth within Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. In other words, the average Nigerian enjoyed a festive period without queues at fuel stations across the country in December 2023, and this trend continues. Nigeria has already bid farewell to “Egypt,” symbolising its emergence from a period of hardship.

Leadership is neither a title nor an office; it is an act of responsibility, a burden borne by those courageous enough to chart a new course for their people. In President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria has found a leader whose governance philosophy is built on the foundations of resilience, reform, and renewal. Since assuming office, he has made the difficult decisions others feared to confront, prioritizing long-term stability over short-term populism. The measure of a leader is not in comfort but in adversity. He took office at a time of economic turbulence, structural inefficiencies, and social discontent. Yet, rather than retreat, he advanced—ushering in policies that, while bold and sometimes uncomfortable, are shaping a Nigeria that is stronger, more stable, and primed for sustainable growth.

This is not just the passing of another year in the life of a statesman; it is a moment to reflect on the breadth of his reforms, the depth of his vision, and the courage with which he has navigated one of the most challenging periods in our nation’s history. Upon assuming office, President Tinubu faced economic challenges, including policy inconsistencies, unsustainable debt, and a distorted forex market. His administration swiftly addressed these issues. Today, one of his boldest moves was removing fuel subsidy to save trillions of naira for infrastructure, health, social safety nets and education just to mention a few. He also rallied the Central Bank of Nigeria to unify the exchange rate, restoring investor confidence by clearing $5 billion in forex obligations. Government revenue has doubled to over N9 trillion, while debt servicing costs dropped from 97 percent to 68 percent.

In the oil and gas sector, production rose to 1.61 million barrels per day, and the Port Harcourt Refinery resumed operations. His Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative has cut transport costs by 60 percent. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) deals worth over $500 million are boosting job creation.

His administration prioritizes education and youth empowerment, launching the Student Loan Scheme with N45.6 billion already processed and N50 billion allocated. Programs like Skill Up Artisans (SUPA), Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA), and National Talent Export Programme (NATEP) are equipping youths with employable skills.

His governance reforms also include financial autonomy for local governments, a 300 percent salary increase for judges, and a minimum wage hike from N30,000 to N70,000. His leadership fosters efficiency, innovation, and impactful governance that are shaping and strengthening Nigeria’s progress.

For setting up a team comprising young people, technocrats and experts who have shown competence across their fields, the president’s vision was clear: governance must work for the people, and every institution must function with efficiency, integrity, and accountability. This guiding principle has empowered all appointees to drive historic reforms in various Ministries, Department and Agencies.

For instance, the Ministry of Interior has transformed border security with a state-of-the-art Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex (BATTIC) commissioned to serve as the technological nerve centre with sophisticated  facilities such as the 8.3 petabyte Tier-4  Data Centre, the ECOWAS Biometric Card Production Centre, Visa Approval Centre, the Command and Control Centre and the deployment of the Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) which has revolutionised border management. Today, through the support of Mr President, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) can now pre-profile travellers before they arrive into the country.

While this facility is a game-changer in the use of data-driven approach and technology to beef-up our border management, the solution also integrates global security databases into our immigration systems.

The introduction of e-gates at our international airports has streamlined immigration processes, while centralised passport application process  and a contactless renewal system have made travel documentation seamless. Even more is that it saves the government billions of naira annually as well as gives Nigerians comfort without compromising national security. 

For the first time, Nigeria has been enrolled in ICAO’s global security system including the PKD/PKI (Public Key Directory and Public Key Infrastructure), a system that is instrumental to enhancing passport acceptability in compliance with global standards. This was done after the service had cleared its backlog of passport applications over of 200, 000 within three weeks. 

With a new visa policy set to be activated, Nigeria is opening up its space for tourists, investors and foreigners. This is the Renewed Hope agenda of Mr. President in action, creating a conducive business environment for all without jeopardising national security.

Nigeria has also expanded electronic border surveillance, now covering 60 percent of Nigeria’s 4,047km border space following the deployment of technological solutions. Over 30 operational vehicles have been added to the fleet of vehicles dedicated to the surveillance and patrol of our borders, ensuring better territorial integrity.

Reforms in the Nigerian Correctional Service have seen biometric registration of all inmates, aiding security efforts. Within few months of the Tinubu government, over 4000 inmates held in custody for their inability to pay petty fines were released via a collaboration with the private sector to raise about N600 million to this end. This singular act decongested the already overcrowded correctional facilities by five percent. This also saved the government over a billion naira that could have been appropriated to feeding these inmates.

As of today, the government has approved and commenced the implementation of a 50% upward review of the feeding allowance of inmates across correctional centres in the country. Beyond feeding allowance, the government has also swiftly swing into action in ensuring inmates are given the best of care with the renovation currently ongoing in the correctional facilities across the country. Kuje Correctional Centre and at least 10 other have worn a new look. 

The government has also approved the relocation of 29 correctional centres already encroached by urbanisation across the country. For instance, the Agodi Correctional centre in Ibadan, Oyo State is situated right inside a market while the Ikoyi Correctional centre shares a fence with the Polo club. Not only is this against international practices and protocols, it is also a violation of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act (2019) which provides for a 100m buffer between a correctional facility and the next building. 

In making the correctional centre a place of correctional, reformation, transformation and reintegration rather than a place of incarceration, deformation, and condemnation, the government has trained thousands of inmates in vocational skills to reduce the rate of recidivism.

Today, inmates can now dream again and can fulfil their dreams of acquiring degrees even up to PHD level with a lot of them now enrolled in different courses in the National Open University.

Furthermore, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has been empowered to fulfil its core mandate of protecting critical national assets and infrastructure.

The corps has swiftly moved to address critical issues such as oil bunkering, pipeline vandalization, protection of power and telecommunications facilities across the country. In the last few months, it has destroyed over one thousand illegal refineries and over 200 illegal oil dumps.

The NSCDC has secured over 345 convictions, with 187 cases in court, while new operational vehicles, gunboats, and 10,000 trained agro-rangers now safeguard farms and the Mine Marshals now keep mining sites safe.

The Fire Service has undergone a comprehensive rebranding, featuring world-class infrastructure designed to significantly reduce fire-related incidents nationwide. With the support of the President, 15 Rapid Response Vehicles and six heavy-duty fire trucks have been procured to enhance operational efficiency. Additionally, extensive renovations are underway at the National Fire Academy, with the goal of remodelling the institution to meet international standards and hub of capacity building for the west Africa sub region

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) only within few weeks last year cleared a backlog of over two million National Identification Number modification requests. This aligns with ongoing efforts to enhance identity management services in the country.

The commission currently boasts of over 120 million enrolment in the national digital database. Also, in line with its commitment to streamlining the National Identity Management Commission’s database, the ministry has uncovered about 6,000 individuals from foreign countries who prior to this administration have illegally obtained National Identity Numbers (NIN). Furthermore, through collaboration with 257 institutions, a total of 332,715 students have been successfully registered for loans, with over 18,000 students already receiving payments under the student loan initiative.

With the new Expatriate Administration System by the Ministry of Interior, the government is better poised to securing the country as well as supporting economic recovery plan by ensuring that all Expatriates working within the shores of Nigeria are documented in the database of the Nigeria Immigration Service.

We cannot thank the President enough. He has used his good office to turn challenges to opportunities for growth and development. All inherited promotion backlogs for paramilitary officers have been cleared with over 50,000 paramilitary officers across agencies under the Ministry of Interior  promoted within eighteen months. Since its establishment in 1986, the Civil Defence Correctional Fire and Immigration Services Board had never commenced and completed promotion exercise in a calendar year. As we speak, the 2025 promotion exercise has started and is scheduled to be completed in the next few months.

In strengthening the Board, the government has approved the expansion of its establishment structure to create vacancies and career path and growth.

These acts of Mr President brought an end to career stagnation. Needless to talk about the approval and payment of peculiar and rent allowances for paramilitary officers to keep their morale high.

Recently, the government approved the establishment of the National Paramilitary Academy which is a degree-awarding institution, like the Nigerian Defence Academy, that will train young persons. Young Nigerians will be admitted through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and undergo a rigorous four- to five-year training program. Upon graduation, they will receive certification and be deployed to manage paramilitary operations nationwide efficiently.

Today, through the foresight of Mr President, we have moved from talks to action, a stage where policies don’t end on papers but are translated to actions —going on to become the foundation of a more secure, efficient, and accountable Nigeria.

Beyond the achievements of our ministry, the impact of the Renewed Hope Agenda is evident across various sectors, driven by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s strategic interventions and leadership.

One of the most significant infrastructure projects in Africa  is the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, a 700-kilometer expressway designed to improve connectivity and economic activity across nine states. Construction of the first phase, spanning 47.47 kilometres from Lagos, commenced in March 2024 and is set for completion by May 2025.

The ongoing reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Motorway, the completion of the Second Niger Bridge, and the expansion of the rail network further reflect the government’s commitment to infrastructure, facilitating trade, reducing travel time, and creating employment opportunities.

The ambitious 1,068 kilometres Sokoto – Badagry super highway project  which first phase will be completed in 2027, and traversing nine states along that corridor, speaks to the commitment of the government to the connectivity of one end of Nigeria to another end for economic prosperity. In the process, about 63 dams would be built to guarantee the enhancement of Nigeria’s agricultural potentials, as well as help to generation of power. These are legacy projects that would outlive the president himself.

Today, Nigeria has also secured billions in investment commitments from international partners, including India and the Netherlands, and successfully issued a Eurobond, demonstrating strong investor confidence.

The launch of the Nigerian Minerals Resource Decision Support software, a digital platform designed to facilitate investment in the sector, and the establishment of the Nigeria Solid Minerals Corporation  with the approval of a 50% equity stake for the private sector, 25% for Nigerians, and 25% for the Federal Government, will significantly transform the mining sector and lay the foundation for its sustainable development.

Strategic diplomatic efforts have further strengthened Nigeria’s economic prospects. Renewed cooperation with Brazil has led to large-scale investments in agriculture and industry. This has facilitated the launch of the Green Imperative Agricultural Technology Initiative that is designed to advance food security and mechanized farming.

In the fight against corruption and national asset recovery, the government has facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in forfeited assets from the United States, reinforcing its commitment to transparency and accountability.

The administration has also made notable progress in healthcare by improving access, infrastructure, and service delivery. The first-ever Sector-Wide Joint Annual Health Review enabled strategic planning. Free caesarean sections were introduced to reduce maternal and infant mortality. The launch of the Nigeria Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Assessment Report addressed climate-related health risks.

The approval of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), demonstrate this administration’s resolve to enhance Nigeria’s health infrastructure. 

So also the approval of employment of 774 National Health Fellows, this is a pivotal initiative led by the Federal Ministry of Health to foster sustained improvements within Nigeria’s healthcare system.

The federal government’s approval of 80 percent subsidy on kidney dialysis services, thereby cutting the price from N50,000 to N12,000 at eleven federal hospitals nationwide, is a testament that this administration is committed in its bid to alleviate the financial burden of kidney disease treatment on Nigerians.

Health data systems were strengthened, 53,000 health workers were retrained, and the Basic Health Care Provision Fund was expanded to cover 10 million Nigerians, with 2.4 million enrolling in the national health insurance scheme.

In the Federal Capital Territory, major infrastructure projects have improved connectivity, benefiting urban and rural communities. Schools have been rehabilitated to create a better learning environment.

The establishment of the Mandate Secretariat for Youth Development and other governance reforms has enhanced service delivery. Rural infrastructure improvements have also spurred economic growth.

Agriculture has attracted over $20 billion in investments, including $14 billion from India and $250 million from the Netherlands. Additional commitments have been made for lithium development in Nasarawa State and partnerships with Germany.

The aviation sector has undergone significant transformation, enhancing Nigeria’s compliance with the Cape Town Convention and strengthening its creditworthiness and safety standards. These reforms have positioned Nigeria as a key hub for aircraft maintenance in Africa through a partnership with Boeing. Upgrades to airport infrastructure  have enhanced efficiency. The finalization of Bilateral Air Service Agreements has boosted connectivity, increasing opportunities for tourism and trade.

The four tax reform bills currently before the national assembly, including the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill underscore the government’s desire for a responsible fiscal federalism.

These bills, no doubt will overhaul tax administration and revenue generation in Nigeria, as many of the provisions contained in them are landmark in nature.

Similar to this are the regional bodies being established especially with the President assenting to the South-west Development Commission Bill and the South-south Development Commission Bill, South East Development Commission Bill, North West Development Commission Bill, the North Central Development Commission Bil, leaving no geopolitical zone without its region body. This will become a mechanism to trickle down development and dividends of democracy to the grassroots.

The government has recorded success in the area of security with a drastic decline in some of the security threats and challenged that faced us a couple of years ago.  

The government has secured the release of more than 4,600 hostages, neutralised over 9,000 terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers, and arrested more than 7,000 others.

Large quantities of assorted weapons and ammunition have also been recovered and some of the rescued individuals had spent as much as three years in captivity and had long given up hope of freedom till the government came on board, through the rapid responses to rescue operations, of  school children to the release of students abducted from the Federal University of Gusau, and the recent rescue of Kogi students will go down in history as defining moments of this government.

These achievements reflect a clear vision for national development, economic growth, and stronger international partnerships, laying a foundation for long-term progress.

Across the various sectors, these are accomplishments that speak to bold decision-making and reform, encouraging a forward-thinking approach to governance. Through this, public servants have been inspired to embrace innovation and pursue impactful change.

Mr. President has diverted focus on results over rhetorics and has created an environment where governance is centered on delivering tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians.

This is defined by principle rather than political expediency. The President does not shy away from difficult decisions but instead leads necessary conversations that drive transformation.

This administration is restoring faith in governance, institutions, and the nation’s future. Bold reforms have not only stabilized the economy but have also rekindled hope among Nigerians, fostering a belief in a future where hard work is rewarded, governance is accountable, and opportunities are available to all.

From government offices to markets, from classrooms to factories, there is a renewed sense that the country is on the right path. Economic recovery is underway, social safety nets are expanding, and young Nigerians can now envision a future where their government actively works for their success. This is the essence of the Renewed Hope Agenda—building a Nigeria where governance is effective, democracy is strengthened, and every citizen has the opportunity to thrive.

It is a consensus that a presidential, Bold, Audacious and Tenacious (PBAT leadership) is  not just one that takes the people to where they want to be but where they ought to be. To say we are on our way to the promised land may not be out of place at this critical juncture of our nation’s history because we can all agree that we are not where we used to be.

The days of uncertainty are fading, replaced by the steady march toward progress. The economy is rebounding as we continue to build investors confidence, social safety nets are expanding, and young Nigerians can now dream bigger, knowing their government is working for them.

Hon. (Dr.) Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo is the Minister of Interior

“I applied for this job, my brother, and I am here to do it”; he said. That was Soludo a few months after he was sworn in as the governor of Anambra State. I ran into him at the Anambra airport. He had the air of: “I will dig it out here with everyone and everything that tries to stand in my way to saving Anambra State from everything that is holding it down today”.

While talking about his determination to do all the right things, he explained that he was in Anambra state to stay for good. Hear him: “I am not planning to go and live anywhere else after this job, so Obodo anyi ga-adi nma, ka anyi nolu ebe ndi fulu uzo no kitaa (our homeland shall be made good, so that we shall be where the rest of the enlightened world is today). We have to bring home and domesticate the 21st Century World many of us are already familiar and comfortable with out there. Will nilly, anyi ga afu isi ya. Anambra State must become the right type of living space and economic destination for any 21st Century person”. I wished him well, assured him that i was always a phone call away and we parted.

All things considered, Soludo is in Anambra Government House today as part of the project of actualizing an over two decades old vision and developmental perspective he has always had for his home state. Back in 2006, at an event organized by the League of Anambra Professionals (LAP), Soludo declared in his keynote speech that Anambra State was geographically, providentially and strategically positioned to be for Africa, and the world, all the good things for which Dubai and Taiwan are known and celebrated.

His speech at the aforementioned occasioned was titled “Envisioning Anambra as the African Dubai Taiwan Silicon Valley” (ADTS). He laid out this vision and dream on that occasion. Then he sought the office of governor through the electoral process, for vision actualization. That was a few years after the speech. The outcome of the election did not favour him. But he held unto the roots of his much-talked-about, and not always well understood, African Dubai Taiwan payoff line until he go the chance to try his hands on governing the state.

Several things are clear so far. Soludo does not back down. Right or wrong, depending on your perspective on any issue. He is not known to be afraid of his own voice, or of any other voice for that matter. Whether as a student union activist in the university of Nigeria Nsukka back then, or in all the positions he has held at various levels within and outside the country, he leaves a mark in broad outlines – and often with colourful strokes. He will always say “No complaints and no excuses, I will use my grey matter”.

Concerning Anambra State he said from the beginning: “I knew the problems, the economic challenges and the financial handicaps here before I became governor”. He believes in himself, his vision and his methods. He is poised to keep going, glitches or not, and is resolute about fully implementing a vision that has left him no peace for so long.

The governor is armed with a document that can best be described as a 50-year development plan, as the anchoring peg for the Soludo solution towards a greater Anambra; as the Peoples Manifesto. The Manifesto and vision are to lay the foundations for that new Anambra he envisioned in 2006, and which he has further fleshed out since then. It is a schematic framework for making the state a liveable and prosperous mega city, as well as a preferred destination to live, work, learn, and expand in.

Soludo wants the Anambra State to be “a destination”, rather than a bus stop, or departure lounge.

But a destination must be welcoming and not inclement. Yes, Anambra has the right combination of possibilities for greatness. To make the state the Dubai, Taiwan Silicon Valley of Africa, is to explore and exploit what it shares with Dubai, like location and the type of borders and neighbours it has; and it’s having the largest market in west Africa.

The Taiwan element is about the peculiarities Taiwan shares with Anambra State, as a tiny physical space with abundant human capital. This is the primary resource that Taiwan has made the bedrock of its current industrialized status. It simply mined and deployed its human capital, without apologies. And Soludo is saying, as he has been saying for over a decade, that this is part of the cocktail of what needs to happen, for Anambra State to fully actualize its possibilities in Nigeria and Africa.

Coming to the much-misunderstood talk about Silicon Valley, it begins with a simple acknowledgement of the fact that technology is the future. It then moves on to the thesis that whoever refuses to follow current and emerging technologies, in addition to innovations, in today’s world is heading straight into oblivion with a first-class ticket. And Soludo was saying, back then in 2006, not only that Anambra has the human capital, knowledge and creative spirit to create a Silicon Valley but that it can and should be created.

The state is currently building its own Silicon Valley, but that’s not the point. The essential issue for me here is a Hub in African that can become outstanding by exhibiting capacity, keying into the Global knowledge industry at the highest level of technology, and strategically deploys the very things that make Dubai and Taiwan what they are

 That’s aspiration Soludo anchors on five main pillars, designed to dovetail into each other in such a way that a mutually reinforcing ecosystem of variegated developmental possibilities is created. These pillars include, but are not limited to, security,, economic transformation, infrastructural development and rehabilitation, human capital reengineering and a holistic social Agenda. All of these are capped with an overarching focus on completely reforming the way government works, as well as the underlying value system for sustainable service delivery; with sustainable institutional efficiency.

Surely an “African Dubai Taiwan Silicon Valley” will not be possible without the right the right kind of human beings. Values, not resources, define a people. It is because he was convinced that a new leadership culture for Anambra State must be simultaneously undergirded by a determination to create and entrench a new leadership and organizational culturebthat Soludo has been trying to drive and entrench the right kind of values with a view to holistic and lasting impact.

His “Solution”, as the process of designing, developing, installing, nurturing, reinforcing and drilling down accountability and responsible citizenship rests on a long-term perspective. It is the desire to bring about a habitat with the right type of value chains and viable dependencies, wherein progressive backward integration creates and drives an ecosystem that would make Anambra the hub Soludo has in mind.

It is within this context, and against this background, that government should epitomize transparency and digitised services project an expanded understanding of his notion of “environment”. This means seen “environment”; beyond the purely physical to include value-laden Rules of Engagement, the Regulatory Climate, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and much more.

Now, lets step back some five years ago, as the idea began to float in the air that Soludo would replace Willy Obiano as governor of Anambra State. His call came in, concerning a Development Agenda for Anambra for the next 50 years. “This is a serious discussion for only the best, and it needs to be thought through in detail and objectively. You just have to be available, because, as our people say “Achuzia aja ma afuro udene, i malu na ife melu an be ndi nmuo” (Literally, and in context: “There should be cause for concern if certain things are done without the involvement of certain people).

A Draft Document was available for detained discussion and we were to deal with that over dinner, with a team from a very reputable international organization that would fly in to join us. The rest, as they say, is history.

Today Anambra state has the national price of 700,000 dollars for primary health. It is also the South East champion, with a Cash Price of 500,000 dollars. All government programmes in the state are intentional. The refurbishment of 326 primary health centres in the 326 electoral wards, complete with solar power, water and equipment, in addition to the recruitment of over 1000 medial personnel are extant realities.

Secondary level healthcare in the state, with telemedicine to secondary call centres for access to a doctor are real. So are five new general hospitals and three refurbished ones. That is in addition to free antenatal services, including free medication, and free caesarean sections. The state now has the biggest trauma centre, at amaku, with a new smart nursing college that will most probably come on stream before the end of the year. We say nothing about a comprehensive international cancer centre, which is part of a complete ecosystem that has the primary healthcare framework at the base of this pyramid.

The Ochanja roundabout that was once a dreaded refuse dump now hosts a water fountain. The government is talking about 120 sterling achievements over the last 3 years. There are gains in security, through a synergised targeting of illicit drugs supply channels, distribution networks and consumption patterns. The nexus established between the foregoing and kidnapping, land grabbing, and warped value system has now been developed into a template for tackling the growing menace of youths trying to get something without working for it. It is a new social enterprise with, with churches community, traditional rulers and markets all in tow.

Some 650 kilometres of fibre optics are emplaced, for a digital state with internet access all round. Anambra State is Rated number one on fiscal transparency, under Soludo. It is number three in terms of fiscal sustainability in the country. It has digitized land administration to over 90 per cent. Its Clean and Green initiative has planted over a million trees, to save the environment. Some 2.2 million coconut, palm and other commodity trees have been given to 200,000 households, at the rate of 10 per households.

The state now boasts of free education, with over 8000 new teachers employed.

The other, more visible,visible achievements, mainly in road infrastructure, include the Amansea–Ndiukwuenu–Ufuma, the dualisation of the Amawbia–Ekwulobia road, extending towards the Imo State border. Then there is the impressive flyover at Ekwulobia and another at Awka. He has completed the new Governor’s Lodge.

There is a rail master plan for the state which, if implemented, would be revolutionary. All said, so far so good. More can still be donespecially in tax administration and related matters.

PROLOGUE
THE BIRTH OF A WARRIOR
In the quiet hills of Du, in the quiet surburbs of Plateau State, a child was born on the 13th of March, 1944. On this day in 2025,that young boy turned 81.The winds of destiny had blown softly that morning, carrying with them the whispers of unannounced greatness. Little did the world know that this little baby, a retired German, US and Nigerian-trained Air Commodore and former Military Governor of old Benue and Gongola states ( the latter now Adamawa and Tarsba state),Sen Jonah David Jang, CON, would one day carve his name in the annals of Nigerian history. He did so not just as a soldier; not just as a governor; not just as a pilot and Airforce officer; not just as a Senator; but also as a towering figure whose life truly exemplifies the true testament of character, honour, resilience, courage and divine purpose.

From an early age, Jonah Jang was not like other children. There was a spark in his little eyes, a quiet but unmistakable determination that spoke of something greater than the ordinary. He was not one to simply watch life unfold before him.He had a smouldering fire, a hunger, an insatiable desire to make an impact on the society.
Raised in a rural land where tradition met with the harsh realities of modernity and survival, Jang quickly learnt that life was nothing but a battlefield and that only those with an unyielding spirit and unflagging determination could emerge victorious. Jang's faith was his compass; his discipline his armour; and his patriotic zeal his drive. His destiny though not yet revealed by then, was already being woven into the very fabric of his being.
So when the military came calling, Senator Jang like an eagle drawn to the winds, hugged it and fiercely soared. Trained in West Germany, the Nigerian Defence Academy and the United States, Governor Jang was not just another recruit; he was a moving force to be reckoned with. His time in the Nigerian Air Force shaped him into the warrior he was meant to be. Rising through the ranks to Wing Commander, he mastered the skies, not just as a pilot, but as a leader of men and material, a strategist and a man who understood that power was a responsibility and nit just an ornamental privilege.

Senator Jonah Jang

FROM THE MILITARY TO THE POLITICAL FIELD
Fate is hardly ever predictable. Destiny always remains wrapped in the belly of mother nature. Jang did not know he had been born to do more than merely serve in uniform. His mission was not yet complete. The battlefield had shifted from the skies of war and bombs to the slippery battlefield of governance. So, like a general stepping into unfamiliar terrain, he gingerly took his first tender steps into politics, a new world where wars were fought not with weapons and brute force, but with conversation, consultation, wisdom, willpower and an unwavering resolve to manage challenges of betrayal, perfidy, duplicity and treachery.

THE GOVERNOR WHO DARED TO DREAM
"Where there is no vision, the people perish." - Proverbs 29:18.
Leadership is not for the faint-hearted, and politics, especially in Nigeria, is not for the weak and cowardly. Jonah Jang soon learnt this when he became a two-term Governor of Plateau State between 2007 and 2015. He did not take the seat as an imperious ruler; he took it as a servant of the people. For him, leadership was a calling, a sacred duty to restore dignity, to uplift the downtrodden and to leave behind a legacy that would stand the test of time.
Plateau State, beautiful as it was, had its peculiar challenging struggles. Roads were broken; infrastructure was failing,; ethnic tensions were high; insecurity strut about proudly like a peacock; and corruption lurked in the shadows. Many would have buckled under the weight of such monumental challenges. But not Jang. He had been trained to face turbulence, both in the skies and on the ground. Thus, he began his mission of uncommon transformation.
Under his leadership, trust returned to governance. Roads were built; security was enhanced and strengthened; the youths were engaged; ghost workers were flushed out; and the social, economic, education and agricultural sectors witnessed an unforgettable revival. But beyond the tangible projects, Jang gave Plateau something greater; he gave them hope. He made the people realize they could not only dream, but could realize such dreams. He was ans still is, a father to the state. Jang was a leader who did not rule from a distance but stood with the people; fought for them and defended them.
His leadership was tested time and again. Political adversaries fought him; critics doubted and demonized him. At times, the very foundations of governance in the state seemed violently shaken. But Jang stood firm and soldered on like a lion among men, unbowed, unshaken. Afterall he had not sought power for personal gain or self-aggrandizement. He wielded power, not as a sword to represss, but as shield for the defence of his beloved people. He deployed power as a tool for achieving justice, development and the greater good of his Plateau people.
Through storms of criticism, back-stabbing and seasons of triumph, he never lost sight of his mission-develop the people. And when his tenure ended in 2015, he did not look back with regret, but with the quiet satisfaction of a man who had given his all. He left Plateau State better than he met it. It was never the same rustic and undeveloped state he had met when he first took office. It had risen from its ashes like phoenix; it had transformed beyond arguments. Plateau had become a beacon and haven of peace, hope, tranquility, progress, development and humanity.

A NAME ETCHED IN TIME
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." - 2 Timothy 4:7
After leaving office as Governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang could have chosen to retreat into the shadows, to live the rest of his days in peace and quietude as many would. But warriors never truly retire. They merely retreat and remain ever watchful, ever ready to serve. So, in 2015, he was called upon once more by his Plateau North people to represent them at the Nigerian Senate. Afterall the reward for hardwork is more work. Baba Jonah proved it.
His tenure in the Senate was not merely about adding another title to his name; it was about continuing his set mission, fighting for the people; standing for justice and their dignity. He ensured that the legacy he had built would never be undone.

THE PERSECUTION,TRIALS, TRIBULATIONS
No great leader ever walks mother earth without facing trials, persecution and tribulations. False allegations waltzed in, flying like ominous bats. Challenges suddenly arose, with the full weight of political warfare threatening to stain the banner of his legacy. He was falsely accused of pilfering his state funds. This was when we met. He briefed me to represent him in the 17 count charge before the Plateau State High Court. Studying the charge and the ingredients, his innocence exuded; his integrity and character nakedly stared me in the face. For a spartan man of modest means who ruled transparently and who as a sitting Governor took a well-documented loan of only 100m which he was paying back by installments from his meagre salary and allowances as a sitting Governor; and which loan he finally repaid fully as a Senator, it simply did not add up that he could steal from the state treasury of his people that he so loved and who reciprocated in equal measure. So, I defended him ferociously with my team of lawyers for over four years ( May 4,2018-September 2,2022). He had told me that he was innocent; that some powers that be had obviously felt that he had achieved too much to be allowed to walk away as a distinguished elder statesman and as clean as a whistle. But he had always been these. And more He narrated to me how these powerful people were determined to completely erase his legacy and make him irrelevant in the political equation and scheme of affairs in Plateau State. In the dock, Jang stood tall, notwithstanding his diminutive stature. He watched witness after witness lie against him in a most brazen manner. He severally shook his head in utter disbelief and incredulity. But he did not cry. It was my bounden duty as his lawyer to chisel through and perforate the tissue and cocktail of poisoned lies. And I did just that. A smiling Baba Jang was completely exonerated, discharged and acquitted of all 17 counts. He emerged victorious once more, proving that truth, though slow, and integrity though temporarily besmeared, always triumphed in the end over swift lies.
Now, as he stands tall in the threshold of history and in the pantheon of great men, Jonah Jang is not just a retired soldier, Senator, Administrator or former governor, he is indeed a symbol of love, character, integrity, honour, dignity and resilience. Jang remains a loud testament to undiluted faith and a clear reminder that true leadership is about service, sacrifice and unwavering commitment to the people.
Thus on his 81st birthday, we do not merely celebrate another year of his life; we celebrate a legacy, a person that has touched lives, changed the course of a state and inspired a generation.
Jonah David Jang is not just a man; he is a movement. His story is not just one of politics, but of destiny, determination, and divine orchestration. Like his namesake David in the Bible, he has been for his people, an uncommon caregiver and a protector, in the same way a mother hen protects her chicks. His life like that of the Biblical David demonstrates that God can take a person from a humble position and elevate him to greatness. O yes, I almost forgot Jang is also Jonah. Like the biblical Jonah, he weathered the storms, survived in the belly of the whale and lives to spread the message of hope, prosperity, love and humanity, not to the Ninevites this time, but to his good people of Plateau State

DEAWING THE CURTAINS
To His Excellency, Governor, Senator, Air Commodore (rtd) Jonah David Jang, CON, may history forever remember your name and judge you fairly. May your legacy continue to inspire and water generations yet unborn. May your story be told not just as a tale of leadership, but as a beacon of hope for those who dared to dream dreams, fight wars, serve the people and conquer. l adversities.
Happy birthday sir.