Dear Obidients and Members of the Public,

We are writing to address a pressing matter that has caught our attention. A malicious posting has been circulating on social media, spreading like wildfire and causing unwarranted harm to the reputation of Senator Datti-Baba Ahmed.

Let us set the record straight:

1. Senator Datti Baba Ahmed does not have any social media account, and therefore, any posts attributed to him are completely fabricated.

2. The Senator has unequivocally dissociated himself from these false posts during a recent press conference, making his stance crystal clear.

3. We are aware that this is a deliberate smear campaign aimed at tarnishing the Senator's image and credibility.

In light of this, we urge you all to be vigilant and proactive. Whenever and wherever you encounter this fake post, we implore you to
-Ignore it
-Counter it
-Report it

Your cooperation in quashing these malicious rumors is invaluable. Together, we can put an end to this vicious cycle of misinformation.

Thank you for your unwavering support and understanding.

Sincerely,

Dr. Yunusa Tanko
National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement

It’s a famous story in Christendom. Palestine, a vassal territory under the Roman Emperor Caesar, was obliged to pay tributes and taxes to Rome. A radical teacher in the territory, Jesus, taught things that the teachers of the law and local administrators in Palestine were uncomfortable with. 

After setting traps for him but missing, they pitted him against Caesar by asking him a question that could have gotten him in trouble and possibly gotten rid of him for good.

“Is it lawful to pay taxes?” the Pharisees asked him.

“Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s,” he replied.

Caesar’s dilemma

The problem is that the world’s Caesars have never been satisfied with what is theirs without resistance or, sometimes, a nasty fight. 

Take England, for example. In the 13th century, the barons revolted against King John over arbitrary taxation. When the King would not budge, they renounced their allegiance, forcing him to back down and sign a charter (the Magna Carta) which limited his powers.

It was the same in the US about four centuries later, leading to the famous “No taxation without representation” that paved the way for American independence. The Germans had theirs earlier, and the French, who loved nothing more than a rebellion, also waged violent wars against their kings for excessive taxation.

It’s not a foreign thing. Our tax rebellions have been championed not by men who often start the trouble but by women who bear the brunt. The British colonialists, for example, will not forget the Aba Women’s Riots of 1929 in a hurry.

Money not a problem

Yet, much as the world’s Caesars may be despised or resisted, running a country without taxation is not an option. Nigeria almost succeeded in doing so. I am not using the worn-out statistic about the low tax-to-GDP ratio to make the point. As long as there was oil money to spend, the problem—as General Yakubu Gowon said in the 1970s—was not the money but how to spend it. Tax was a non-issue.

The elite lived mainly on rent. Businesses recruited smart consultants to manipulate their numbers, and a small percentage of the public sector population who paid anything at all paid a token. Oil money was not the problem, but how to spend it.

We woke up one morning to find that while our population was growing rapidly and the infrastructure was decaying, what was left from declining oil sales, after accounting for corruption, theft, and our appetite for foreign products and services, was barely enough to fix the broken system. 

The day after

The states went haywire, and Caesars everywhere launched one of the most egregious campaigns to finance themselves in an epidemic of internally generated revenue. Thus, the era of agencies staffed with some of the most ruthless staff members was born, mandated to raise revenues from the living, the dying, and the dead by hook or by crook.

It’s not funny. There was a proliferation of levies and taxes, some collected on the Walking Dead. In a September 2024 report, BusinessDay said a study by the Stakeholder Democratic Network showed that businesses in Rivers State identified 75 taxes and levies. Anambra, Lagos, and Edo are also in this brutal tax-and-levy bracket.

In addition to taxes and levies paid by companies to states and local governments, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) collects income tax, stamp duties, capital gains tax, personal income tax, withholding tax, industrial training fund tax, VAT, and education tax for the Federal Government.

If you are wondering how bad it is, PwC cited 57 percent of multiple tax and levies incidents, revealing a significant lack of coordination between the states and the Federal Government. As it might have been said in old Palestine, it was a case of more Caesars than taxpayers. The system is broken and overdue for reform.

Anatomy of the bill

That’s why the current interest in the Tax Reform Bill 2024 is good. If the good times were still here, the government would not bother, and few Nigerians would care. But we now care more because the times are hard and mainly because, in recent years, governments have promised to use taxes and levies to improve infrastructure but have done nothing, if not worse.

According to the government, the Tax Reform Bill promises significant changes in tax relief to small businesses (with exemptions for those earning below N25 million), expansion of VAT exemptions on essential goods, and harmonisation of consumption taxes to simplify the tax system. The bill also aims to increase transparency and compliance, reduce the corporate tax rate from 30 to 25 percent, adjust the PAYE band, focus on technology, and centralise VAT collection.

Governors and the political class directly oppose the reform, especially in the North. In addition to the derivation-based VAT model and potential increased tax burden, this objection concerns regional disparity. 

The governors are concerned that the reform may not energise people and enable investment. Manufacturers also have these concerns, including the potential inflationary impact of an incremental hike in the VAT rate from the current 7.5 percent to 15 percent in six years. They worry that it does not address the economic realities of the different regions, may worsen existing inequalities, and may not benefit local economies. 

The heart of the matter

I have a slightly different concern. Centralising VAT and tax collection despite genuine concerns about a poor federal structure is ill-advised. How can a government pursuing an agenda for a state police emasculate the states? 

How can President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose government as Lagos governor achieved some of the most far-reaching fiscal restructuring by ligation, be the enabler of central tax collection, which Rivers State litigated against, and Lagos State even joined? 

How can a government that went to the Supreme Court to promote fiscal independence for local governments, promote a centralised system that collects revenues that should go to the states? Except if the intention is to treat the states like Rome did ancient Palestine—a conquered territory, by the way—a reform that creates a Caesar in Abuja does not make sense.

VAT is commonly used in Europe and is the prevalent system in many parts of the world. However, it’s a far cry from what has been implemented in Nigeria. For example, a critical element of VAT in Europe and elsewhere is VAT refund. That is not on the cards in Nigeria and never was. 

I wonder if it confers more advantages than the consumption or sales tax, for example, the predominant US system. If the goals are simplicity in the collection, lower compliance costs, instant revenue generation, transaction transparency, and lower risk of evasion, sales tax ticks all the boxes.

Still a federalist?

This centralised plan should be particularly troubling for Tinubu, an acclaimed exponent of true federalism. I understand the point about simplicity, transparency, and the benefits of technology. I also appreciate the nonsensical irony of states that ban certain items wanting to share VAT revenue from the same items. 

The government has responded to many of these concerns and said the bill is a work in progress. It promises that a fairer, harmonised, and transparent system will block leakages and create a larger pool by making the wealthy and big businesses pay more. However, it remains to be seen how a central collection and distribution system, which often has significant administrative costs and complexities, will deliver these benefits. 

Under the reform’s proposed centralised collection system, Abuja may become more affluent, giving Tinubu’s government more money to spend, hopefully on good causes. But nothing stops his successor from using the same larger pool of funds for bad causes, including those that would undermine his legacy.

In Ancient Rome, lack and scarcity didn’t ruin the empire. It was complacency and abundance.

A foundation member of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Enugu State, Mr. Osita Okechukwu has hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for sacking the controversial Governing Council of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka (UNIZIK), led by Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe.

Okechukwu who is the immediate past Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), also lauded the President for nullifying the unprecedented and illegal imposition of an Associate Professor, Bernard Ifeanyi Odoh as the new Vice Chancellor, and Mrs. Rosemary Ifoema Nwokike as the Registrar.

Okechukwu said he is commending President Tinubu for halting the culture of impunity which had characterized most appointments from the South East geopolitical zone.

He appealed to Mr President to watch out for such sordid impunity each time he requests for names from South East, as our leaders are wont to nominate puppets.

Okechukwu maintained that the low votes recorded in the South East geopolitical zone in past elections were mainly consequent upon of lack of due diligence and the inordinate penchant for reckless nomination.

“Mr President kindly take note as we approach the 2027 presidential election that it seems our leaders are afraid to forward their first eleven. And if such sordid scenario continues Mr President don’t expect vote mobilisers in your ranks from the South East geopolitical zone.” Okechukwu submitted.

It could be recalled that the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo, announced the dissolution of the council and sack of the new appointees, in a statement earlier today. Onanuga explained that the sacking of the entire members of the Governing Council, followed reports that they subverted due process in the appointment of a new Vice Chancellor for the 23-year old University.

Those of us who rush to the Victor Attah International Airport to catch early morning flights out of Akwa Ibom State are used to a familiar sight: airport workers, some donning their reflective safety vests, waiting by the roadside and fervently flagging down motorists for lifts to the airport. I usually wonder how many of them get lucky each day. Well, all that will end in a year when the 117 residential apartments the state government is building for them are completed. Dubbed Aviation Village, the residential estate sits on 15.072 hectares of land within the airport premises and comprises 62 two-bedroom bungalows and 55 three-bedroom bungalows. The accommodation is for both state government and federal workers in 12 agencies: Ibom Airport Development Company Limited; MRO; NAHCO; NCAA; FAAN; NEMA; Customs; NDLEA; Immigration Service and other aviation staff. There will be a primary school, shopping center; recreation and health facilities. The state is investing heavily in the aviation sector to boost its weak industrial and commercial base. With an IGR of N43.8 billion in 2023, Akwa Ibom ranks fourth in Niger Delta and 10th in Nigeria in the IGR table, but the government is eager to push up the numbers with dividends from the state-owned airline, Ibom Air, and earnings from the MRO (Maintenance, repair and overhaul) facility. For fiscal 2024, the government expects the figure to climb to N62.5 billion.

Ibom Air, the state-owned carrier, is expected to be a major revenue earner for the government as from next year. It broke even in 2022, three years after it began operations, but fell back into the red in 2023 due to the massive devaluation of the naira. With increased earnings and effective cost control in 2024, it has swung back into the positive arena and is expected to declare first dividend in 2025. The airline is growing rapidly, outperforming expectations. In a nation where many privately-owned airlines and the national carrier have collapsed, Ibom Air’s success has motivated other states to seek to float their own airlines. Its chief executive, Captain Mfon Udom is upbeat about its indices, but declined to give specific figures. However, informed sources say the airline grosses between N700 million and N900 million daily in revenue, a healthy cash flow that enables it meet its obligations to its bankers.

Captain Udom says prudent management; reliable and good quality service and strict adherence to good corporate governance are the critical success factors. Non-interference in management by government and the politicians has also helped a lot. ‘’Even the governor pays for his ticket whenever he travels with us; and he’s never interfered with our activities, including staff recruitment’’, said a senior official. Of its nine planes, seven were financed with bank loans, while the last two were funded with shareholders’ loans at concessionary rates (meaning Akwa Ibom State government paid cash for them, and a repayment would be at no interest). That saved the airline from additional excruciating interest charges. No fewer than five other states, including Lagos, are thinking of floating their own airlines. Even Ebonyi, whose airport is yet to start operations two years after commissioning, also wants to plunge into the business.

The MRO will be another source of income for the state, and with full completion only a few months away, some African airlines have already expressed interest in its use. In terms of size and capabilities, there is only four of this type of MRO in Africa. The other three are in Ethiopia; Morocco and South Africa. Pending when it becomes fully operational next year, the Akwa Ibom MRO is currently providing limited service to Ibom Air only; but on completion, it hopes to serve the African market in the initial growth phase. African Airlines spend hundreds of millions of dollars on repairs and overhauls at foreign MROs. In 2019, Ethiopian Airline disclosed that it made $80 million yearly from its MRO facility in Addis Ababa. Akwa Ibom government is hoping for a piece of the pie next year – one of the reasons it’s projecting a 28% IGR growth to N80 billion in 2025, according to next year’s budget estimates.

At the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Aviation Village this week, Gov. Umo Eno said he is dedicated to the ‘’the expansion of the aviation ecosystem in the state’’, and pledged to make Akwa Ibom Nigeria’s major aviation hub in the Gulf of Guinea. The state has built a modern, fully automated airport terminal building which would be put to use this December; and with more aircraft coming next year, the state-owned carrier plans to open new regional routes to Cameroun; Equatorial Guinea; Kenya and Rwanda direct from Uyo. A direct flight to Atlanta, I understand, is also on the drawing board, and this would make the state Nigeria’s second aviation hub, after Lagos.

The government believes that with aviation, the state will climb out of the league of those states that rely solely on FAAC allocations and grow its economy. Over 3,000 people have direct and indirect employment in the sector currently, and the number will will likely rise as the fleet expands and the facilities become operational. In October, BudgIT published a report which highlighted the overdependence 32 states on federal allocations; meaning that they are vulnerable to external shocks, like a crash in crude oil prices.

… The facility, when operational, would drastically reduce the amount of foreign exchange spent on medical tourism overseas and lay a foundation for long-term growth in the state and national healthcare sector

After a prolonged painstaking procedural concession agreement, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, last Thursday, November 14, handed over the state’s 250-bed capacity hospital to Viewpoint Health Management Services Limited and Pan African Capital Holdings to run on behalf of the State government. The transfer ceremony which took place at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, the state capital, was the climax of the concessionary talks that had been ongoing over some months between the government and the two world-class health management institutions. By so doing, he has put to rest the widespread insinuation in the media that he has abandoned the project started by his predecessor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, at the twilight of his administration in 2019.

As a responsible and responsive government, there is no way the administration could have turned a blind eye to such an edifice, knowing the importance of healthcare delivery to the overall well being of its citizens. It is not in Governor Abiodun’s character to play politics with issues that concern the wellbeing of the people. Of course, sometimes in party politics, there could be slight differences in minor nuances, policy decisions and implementation but not to the extent of trivialising a matter that is as important as healthcare delivery. Health, they say, is wealth. Health is directly linked with wealth creation. Both health and wealth affect each other in a number of ways. When people are healthy, they can work longer hours and weeks, which can lead to higher productivity and earnings. In the same way, higher income enhances people’s purchasing power to access better healthcare service, which in turn can lead to a longer life. Besides, people with higher incomes can afford better food, exercise equipment, leisure time, and gym memberships, which can lead to a healthier lifestyle.

Conversely, poor health can trigger transfer of income or compel the government to divert resources that could have been used in developmental projects to the provision of Medicare for the sick and the aged, thus limiting the growth of the economy. This is in addition to the fact that periods of poor health in middle-age can negatively impact retirement incomes.

There is a plethora of other reasons the Governor has made accessible and affordable healthcare delivery one of the topmost priorities of his administration. His commitment to healthcare aligns with an American philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote in 1860, as a reminder that a good life can only be built on a sound foundation. As some people say, the ‘first wealth is health.’ So, it is imperative for individuals, government and corporate bodies to treasure a healthy condition and assign a premium place for the sector in their budgets.

Ogun State under the administration of Prince Dapo Abiodun has never been lacking in healthcare facilities both at the primary and tertiary levels. The recent transfer of the 250-bed capacity hospital is a further testament to his commitment to accessible healthcare service delivery to the good people of Ogun State. To be sure, the project was 65 percent completion level when former governor Amosun abandoned it midway. However, due to the present state of the economy amidst other pressing needs, the Governor at the Statutory Meeting of the state Council of Obas, held at the Oba’s Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, disclosed that the project was 65 percent complete when the Amosun government handed it over. He said due to incapacitation, the government could not continue with the construction and running of the hospital.

Abiodun pointed out that the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, OOUTH, Sagamu, monthly wages and salaries alone gulped as much N300 million.

He, however, explained that the state government was working out concessionary arrangements with global health management institutions to compete and run the hospital on behalf of the state government.

His words: “We are going to be signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the 250-bed Hospital right here in Abeokuta.

“We realise that the state will not be able to run that hospital because, as it is, our tertiary hospital, OOUTH, costs the state government almost N300 million every month in salaries alone. We appreciate the fact that the state is not in position to run that hospital the way it needs to be run.

“From what we have seen and done, if that hospital is properly run, medical tourism will be attracted to that hospital.

“So, the state has adopted a template that we will be the landlords owning that property and others should come and take the concession of that property and run it professionally.”

“Before the end of the year, we will sign the Memorandum of Understanding with the Afrexim Bank and the medical group that has agreed to take over that hospital, complete it and operationalise it professionally.”

While performing the transfer ceremony, Abiodun assured that the 250-bed Specialist Hospital would start operations in March 2025 in the first instance and subsequently commence full operations in June of the same year. He gave the assurance on Thursday at the handing over of the hospital to Viewpoint Health Management Services Limited and Pan African Capital Holdings at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

He said the specialist hospital, which is currently about 65 per cent complete, was inherited from the previous administration and would provide world-class health services to Nigerians when completed.

He said: “This hospital will meet the precise needs of our population. It is scheduled for partial opening in March 2025 and full operations in June 2025.”

“We are resolute in our mission to ensure this world-class facility serves the people of Ogun State. Following a rigorous process of months of negotiation, we are excited to finally close the concession partnership for this hospital.”

“This hospital facility is an ongoing development in partnership with Viewpoint Health Management Services Limited, which is in partnership with HealthShare South Africa, a very reputable hospital management company. This stands as a testament to our shared commitment to delivering state-of-the-art healthcare to our people.”

“Unlike a fixed 250-bed designation, Viewpoint will complete all civil works, reconfigure the facility, provide other required additional equipment, staff, and manage the hospital to ensure it operates in line with global best practices.”

“As per the contractual agreement, the completion of this hospital’s physical structure and equipment setup will be managed by Viewpoint Health Management Services Limited, who will also operate the facility for a stipulated period. We will work tirelessly alongside them to provide world-class healthcare for our people.”

The hospital, Governor Abiodun emphasized, would be equipped with advanced facilities and cutting-edge technology for effective healthcare delivery, as well as serve as a referral centre for medical research, training, and innovation.

“This facility will be affiliated with the Abuja Medical Centre of Excellence, managed by King’s College Hospital, and will open in the first quarter of 2025.”

Prince Abiodun expressed confidence that the facility, when operational, would drastically reduce the amount of foreign exchange spent on medical tourism overseas and lay a foundation for long-term growth in the state and national healthcare sector.

Abiodun, while stating that his administration was working to ensure accessible and equitable healthcare for all, also disclosed that the renovation of an additional 74 Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs), in collaboration with the World Bank, had been advertised, adding that the government was awaiting grant approval from AFREXIM to further expand Primary Healthcare Centres in the state.

The State’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, in her remarks, said the hospital would set a benchmark in the nation’s health sector as it aimed to strengthen the sector to bring healthcare services to the doorsteps of the people.

She expressed appreciation to the governor for his visionary leadership and efforts in getting the project underway, stating that it came at the right time and place.

The Chairman of Pan African Capital Holdings, Mr. Chris Oshiafi, said negotiations for the takeover of the hospital started three years ago, assuring that his organization was ready to deliver the best medical facility that would discourage medical tourism in the country.

Chairman of Viewpoint HealthShare, South Africa, Dr. Tony Decoito, said his company would work towards ensuring the timely completion of the hospital. He said his organization was currently operating in 15 African countries, with six in West Africa. He assured that his organization would complete work plan for the hospital within six months.

This is another dream come true. With the concessionary arrangement, Ogun State government has taken its commitment to accessible healthcare delivery a notch higher.

•Ogbonnikan writes from Abeokuta, Ogun State capital

On the eve of last Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Ondo State, Tokunbo Ajasin, son of Second Republic Governor of the old Ondo State (now Ondo and Ekiti States), predicted what would happen. “I believe the incumbent will win. There is no strong opposition, and the APC (All Progressives Congress) candidate is the incumbent,” the 75-year-old scion of the late Michael Adekunle Ajasin told PUNCH newspaper. He then summed up the factor that would determine the outcome: “Ordinarily, the performance of the APC at the national level could have some effect but you know the way things are, nobody looks at performance. It is about whether you can take care of stomach infrastructure. That is the state we are in. If you are not able to take care of stomach infrastructure, I don’t know how you will win. The APC being in power will be able to do that sufficiently.”

That was exactly what transpired last Saturday in a contest in which votes were openly traded between operatives of leading parties and the Ondo electorate. A viral video from the election shows a female voter saying the process was free, fair and devoid of violence but that they all collected money for their ballot. Indeed, tales abound of how political undertakers invaded the polling stations with cash (and mobile phones for online bank transfers) to negotiate the price of a vote that went from between N3,000 and N20,000 depending on the location.

But for those expressing indignation, this is just a mere replay of an old game. A research paper is on the website of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) titled, ‘Vote Buying and its Implication on Democratic Governance: A Case Study of Ondo State 2020 Governorship Election.’ According to the researcher, Adebayo Zaka Jimoh, while Ondo electorates “are aware of the damage electoral corruption can do on democracy, they continue to accept bribes during elections as witnessed in the case study.”

As I stated earlier, there is nothing new in what happened last weekend in the state or in 2020. Eight years ago, after the election that brought the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to power, I wrote, ‘Pot of Soup Democracy’. Below are excerpts from that column, first published on 1st December 2016. Readers can then draw their own conclusions before I get to mine.

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The Ondo State gubernatorial election has come and gone and by most objective accounts, the votes were properly cast, they were counted, and they count—at least to the extent that majority carried the day. We must commend the outgoing Governor Olusegun Mimiko for his maturity in congratulating the winner and all the contenders for displaying sportsmanship. Of course, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has promised to go to court, but if the party leaders are honest with themselves, they will accept responsibility for their woes and begin to put their house in order.

Notwithstanding, there was something about the election that should worry us, and this has been highlighted also in many reports: the transparent buying and selling of votes by agents of the parties, with the main culprit being the PDP that currently controls the state and the APC that is in power at the centre. According to reports, at most of the polling units, agents of the APC and PDP engaged one another in what my brother, Ferdinand Agu (now of blessed memory), once described as a game of “financial shootout” in which victory is almost always to the highest bidders.

The apostle of ‘stomach infrastructure,’ Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State has alleged that the Ondo election was fought on the basis of “Dibo ko se ‘be” (vote for our candidate guarantee for yourself a pot of soup). While vote buying may not be a new phenomenon in Nigeria, most reports indicate that it was taken to a new level last weekend in Ondo State. Meanwhile, it is interesting that ‘pot of soup’ is fast becoming the defining metaphor for this season. When examined critically, there is only one conclusion to draw from the unfortunate Ondo spectacle: those buying the votes and the ballot sellers were united by the quest for a ‘pot of soup.’

While the voters were desperate to satisfy their immediate hunger, those buying the votes were thinking more of a lifetime of feeding frenzy at public expense. As things stand, most of the people elected to public offices at various levels are not thinking about the welfare of the people, they are only concerned about their own ‘pot of soup.’ And because of that, they bait voters with what could only satiate for a day while plotting for themselves a lifetime of opulence. That is the real essence of “Dibo ko se ‘be”.

In addressing the poser, “why do politicians buy votes?”, Razvan Vlaicu, a senior research economist at the Inter-American Development Bank’s Research Department, argues that it happens in countries where political parties fail to build brands capable of convincing voters that their electoral promises can be trusted. “Citizens, especially the poorest and most marginalized, can come to see the disbursement of cash before elections as the one and only thing they get from an ineffectual government,” Vlaicu wrote. “They can come to depend on it. As a result, a vicious circle emerges. Those who suffer most from corruption become paradoxically those least likely to oppose it.”

The idea of the social contract theory on which government is founded, according to Jean Jacques Rousseau, “may be stated simply: Each of us places his person and authority under the supreme direction of the general will”. But what happens in Nigeria today is a situation where most elected public officials believe they are in no way accountable to the people. However, by helping unscrupulous politicians to power, those who accept gratification for their votes are also putting their future and that of their children in jeopardy…

ENDNOTE: I wrote the foregoing eight years ago but except we want to deceive ourselves, the malaise of vote buying is not restricted to Ondo State, it is a national challenge. That’s why it’s rather simplistic to put the blame for all our electoral woes on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Ordinarily, off-season elections (arising from court rulings that overturn previous elections or death of elected officials) should be easy to conduct. But they are not, essentially because desperate politicians in the leading parties have turned them into a cash-and-carry affair. Besides, it’s only in Nigeria that elections are conducted every other day. It doesn’t happen in other countries.

In their book, ‘How Democracies Die’, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt argue that the greatest danger to democracy are elected leaders who work to subvert the very process that brought them to power. I subscribe to their thesis. In societies where leaders appropriate to themselves and their immediate families the collective ‘pot of soup’, it is easy to understand why elections are increasingly being reduced to mere bazaar for the highest bidders. Yet, if the underpinning philosophy of a political system is to trade votes for money, then it is not only democracy that is in danger, but also the very survival of such a society.

Who Will Tell the President?

On 2 September 2023, President Bola Tinubu recalled all the 42 career and 41 non-career ambassadors appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari. These were men and women serving in many of our 109 diplomatic missions worldwide, comprising 76 embassies, 22 high commissions and 11 consulates. More than a year after these envoys returned home, they are yet to be replaced. Earlier in the year, Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, attributed the development to financial constraints. “We met a situation where Foreign Affairs was not being funded like the way it should be. It is a money problem,” Tuggar explained in May this year. “There is no point sending out ambassadors if you do not have the funds for them to even travel to their designated country and to run the missions effectively, one needs funding.”

While I felt it didn’t speak well that our country would advertise to the world that Nigeria cannot appoint ambassadors because there is no money to fund them, I still concluded it might not be a big deal. Until I encountered a retired Nigerian ambassador in Washington DC, United States, last weekend. “Hi Segun, why have you not written about the fact that President Tinubu has not appointed ambassadors for any of our missions? Or you think it is not important?”

I really did not know how to respond to his questions. But I didn’t have to. The retired diplomat went on a long lecture on the role of an ambassador before he shared insider information about what is going on in Abuja. He said a few career diplomats were appointed as Consul Generals to New York and Atlanta (USA) and Shanghai (China) among others “but this is not the same thing as appointing substantive ambassadors”. Right now, according to him, “we have no ambassador in Washington DC, none in Beijing, none in London, none in Paris, none in Moscow and no Permanent Representative at the UN headquarters in New York, or Geneva and Vienna. Yet, Nigeria is supposed to be gunning for a permanent seat at a reformed UN Security Council. What a joke!”

The retired diplomat asked, “So, who follows up on those agreements being signed by President Tinubu everywhere he goes in search of some imaginary foreign investment? You think a CDA (Chargé D’affaires) can do that? Diplomacy is a rank conscious affair. In most countries, a CDA would only be referred to some desk officers in their Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I served as CDA in an important country before I became an ambassador. So, I know how these things work.”

After asking whether I had time to visit the Nigerian embassy in Washington DC to buttress his point and I said such was not within my plan, he continued, “an officer of our foreign ministry who strangely was posted to act as CDA here (Washington DC) was also asked to oversee the UN Permanent Mission during that period. It is not only bizarre but totally unacceptable. Nigeria should not be in such a position.” He told me several other things about the situation in many of our embassies, high commissions and consulates abroad before he concluded the monologue: “What I fail to understand is why a president who has so many people managing his personal image at home cannot see the importance of appointing those who should manage the image of our country abroad.”

I agree with the diplomat. The same president who will not appoint ambassadors has 12 people (three special advisers, six senior special assistants and three special assistants) managing his media. So, it is a question of what President Tinubu considers a priority between his personal image and that of the country. I hope someone will impress it upon him that Nigeria needs ambassadors abroad.

  • You can follow me on my X (formerly Twitter) handle, @Olusegunverdict and on www.olusegunadeniyi.com 

Logan Paul, a popular American YouTuber and brother to Jake Paul, the boxer who just defeated Mike Tyson has been accused of using his massive audience to profit off shady crypto deals.

According to a BBC report, Logan Paul who has a staggering 23 million YouTube subscribers promoted certain investments while hiding his stake in them. He reportedly influenced investment prices and allegedly sold tokens to collect profit.

New Evidence reveals Logan Paul made $120,000 from Elongate Memecoin  

The BBC said it has uncovered new evidence that Logan Paul benefited from promoting a meme coin which rugged. BBC findings fingered a wallet linked to the Known Logan Paul wallet which acquired $160,000 of Elongate memecoin an hour before Logan Paul promoted the memecoin via a tweet.

After Logan Paul’s promotional tweet, New buyers rushed in driving the price of the token only for the fingered wallet to sell all its tokens after 12 hours making a profit of $120,000.

A Time magazine report collaborated with the BBC report spotting a similar pattern with another cryptocurrency and wallet.

Logan Paul increased the suspicion around his involvement with a statement to his online community. The YouTuber exclaimed that Elongate the memecoin made him rich in a video shared with his closed Maverick club fan community.

“Elongate made me rich. Elon baby let’s go!” Logan exclaimed

Efforts to hold Logan Paul accountable for the alleged crime have proved abortive with the Youtuber avoiding the BBC for months.

The internet sensation finally agreed to an interview in Puerto Rico but a Look alike showed up instead and the BBC team was harassed at the scene.

A legal notice from Logan Paul’s attorney was later forwarded to the BBC warning them against publishing their findings.

Celebrity Memecoin Scams

Logan Paul’s stint with Elongate memecoin joins a long list of celebrity-related memecoin scams which often take the same pattern. A celebrity promotes a memecoin he or she secretly has a stake in only to sell all his tokens as soon as the price of the memecoin surges following new buyers responding to the promotion by the Celebrity.

Davido and Sabinus mid-year launched their memecoins which have gone on to lose virtually 90% of their value a few days after launch. Davido has been accused of shilling shitcoins repeatedly exploiting his audience for quick profits.

On the foreign scene, celebrities like Iggy Azalea, Caitlyn Jenner, and Andrew Tate all launched memecoins that have lost significant value. The credibility of celebrity-backed memecoins is at an all-time low following the unpleasant experience of traders who backed the above tokens.

What to Know  

• A rug pull refers to a scam where a cryptocurrency or NFT developer promotes a project to attract investor funding, only to shut down or disappear, taking investor assets with them.
• Logan Paul also has a rug pull case hanging over his head following his failed NFT project CryptoZoo.

[Nairamtrics]

Elder statesman and legal icon, Aare Afe Babalola has declared that Nigerians must fear and respect the Police the way they regard the military, in order to guarantee order and security in the country.

Alternatively, he said Nigeria’s laws should be amended so that the military would be saddled with the enforcement of law and order in the country.

Babalola spoke on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti, at the 4th edition of the Aare Afe Babalola Distinguished Personality Lecture Series, entitled, ‘Insecurity, leadership and peace building in Nigeria: Dynamics and challenges’.

The event took place at the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD).

“For me, the military today, is the most disciplined institution in this country. The problem we have today in Nigeria is nothing other than lack of discipline. And this is right from leadership, to the followership.

“How can there be security, leadership and peace when there is no order?,” he queried.

Continuing, he said, “There is even a Biblical saying to wit, that order is the first law in heaven. As a person, I appreciate, and also enforce it.

“If an offender sees a policeman on an Okada, he does not accord any of them any iota of respect.

“However, when a man sees a soldier, he quickly comports himself. That is the quantum of respect often accorded the military.

“The time has therefore come for all of us to unite, ensure order, because orderliness and and discipline in our society is the only and the surest way forward.”

Babalola, who commended the type of uncommon discipline in the military, said he was surprised in 2016, when he was conferred with the honorary Doctor of Letters, (D. Lit) by the Nigerian Defence Academy.

He noted that the hall where the event held was not only perfectly quiet, but also nobody attempted to leave his or her seat throughout the duration.

“To me, that was the peak of orderliness and discipline. Before that day, I had believed that my university was the epitome of order, orderliness and discipline, such that some are even saying ABUAD is more of a military institution.

“But with what I saw that day at NDA, I gave, and still give kudos for the military for its discipline,” Babalola added.

Earlier in his lecture, the Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, Major Gen. John Ochai, said the Nigerian military is doing its possible best to protect the territorial integrity of the country.

But he remarked that citizens should not expect 100 percent scorecard in that regard.

[Dailypost]

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, has adjourned till January 21, 2025, to rule on applications in a suit filed by the Labour Party seeking to declare vacant the seats of 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

The LP, in suit number FHC/PH/25/2024, is also praying the court to determine whether the defection of the 27 lawmakers said to be loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was proper.

The suit also asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct a by-election to fill in the vacant seats of the lawmakers to enable the LP and other interested parties to participate.

When the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday in the court presided over by Justice Emmanuel Obele, our reporter observed the presence of the claimant, who is the LP’s Caretaker Committee Chairman in the state, Hilda Dokubo.

Meanwhile, during the sitting, Ferdinand Orbih — counsel for the second to 28th defendants in the matter including the embattled Speaker of the state legislature, Martin Amaewhule, the PDP, among others, told the court that the 29 defendants in the case planned to consolidate their applications.

Orbih informed the court that the application deals with the same subject matter which is praying the court to direct parties in the matter to file and exchange pleadings and call for evidence in proof of their respective cases.

He stated, “We respectively pray for your order consolidating the three applications.”

Orbih further presented their motions, insisting that the applications be backed up with paragraphs of affidavits and urged the court to grant the applications.

In his argument, counsel for the claimant, Clifford Chukwu, did not object to the consolidation of the applications but opposed the applications submitted by the defence counsel.

Chukwu urged the court to dismiss the motion by the first, second to 28th, and 29th defendants.

After listening to the submissions by the parties in the matter, the trial judge, Justice Obele adjourned the matter till January 21, 2025, for ruling on applications by the parties.

[Punch]