The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, on Tuesday, attributed the country’s epileptic power supply to corruption within the power sector.

He said the commission initiated a probe into the sector, adding that what it uncovered during its investigations would make Nigerians shed tears.

Speaking during the visit of the House Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, Olukoyede lamented that contractors awarded projects to supply electrical equipment often opted for substandard materials.

He said this practice was a major cause of frequent equipment failures, outages, and grid collapses.

Olukoyede said, “As I am talking to you now, we are grappling with electricity. If you see some of the investigations we are carrying out within the power sector, you will shed tears.

“People who were awarded contracts to supply electricity equipment, instead of using what they call 9.0 guage, they will buy 5.0.

“So, every time you see the thing tripping off, gets burnt, and all of that, It’s part of our problems.”

He also stated that during its investigations, the commission discovered that in the last 20 years, capital project implementation and execution in the country were not up to 20 per cent.

He said the country could not achieve infrastructural or other forms of growth under such conditions.

“We discovered that in the last 15 to 20 years, we have not done up to 20 per cent of our capital project implementation and execution.

“And if we don’t do that, how do you want to have infrastructural development? How do you want to grow as a nation?

“So our mandate this year is to work with that directorate and with the National Assembly to see if we can meet up to 50 per cent of execution of our capital project for the year.

“If we do 50 per cent, we will be fine as a nation. The lack of implementation of this capital project, capital budget, is one of our major problems in Nigeria.

“If we can tackle that effectively, we will make progress as a nation. So we are doing everything to see how we can achieve that with your support.”

The anti-graft boss said the commission received over 17,000 petitions, adding that over 20,000 cases were currently under investigation.

He said, “We have several cases filed in court, apart from the conviction, running to thousands.

“In the last year, we have received over 17,000 petitions in EFCC. And right now, as I’m talking to you, we are investigating over 20,000 cases.

“Between last October and now, we have opened over 4,800 new cases. And what is our staff spread? We are less than 5,000 and now, with the additional responsibility of over 700 MDAs, 36 states, 774 local governments, and all of that.”

The Chairman of the committee, Obinna Onwusibe, called on the EFCC to collaborate with the judiciary to expedite the trials of suspects and reduce the number of inmates awaiting trial.

He said, “At this point, let me add that recently, on oversight visits to the maximum and minimum correctional centres in Kirikiri, Lagos State, numerous suspects have been awaiting trial for over one year, and yet we are all acquainted with the saying that justice delayed is justice denied.

“It is on this note that we call on the EFCC, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the judiciary to improve and ensure that the administration of criminal justice works in collaboration for an effective and efficient system that will bring about justice delivery to victims and society.”

He also urged the EFCC to ensure transparency and accountability in its operation.

“The negative maxim being peddled in certain quarters is that the agency is often being used to settle political scores, and this must be corrected by the EFCC,” he said.

The Ondo State Police Command, on Tuesday, said it had arrested one prophetess, Mrs Folashade Adekola, over the death of a woman, Jumoke Adesuwa and her newborn baby inside the church.

Our correspondent gathered on Tuesday that the deceased bled to death from complications after childbirth inside the suspect’s church located in the Oke-Aro area of Akure, the state capital. The baby was said to have also died immediately.

It was also learnt that the suspect was arrested by the men of the command after the deceased’s brother reported the matter at the police station.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, who confirmed the incident, said the prophetess was arrested and taken to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation.

“The case was reported by the deceased’s brother, that the sister died after childbirth in the church and the prophetess is already in custody. Investigations are still ongoing,” the PPRO said.

A source in the family who spoke to PUNCH Metro on the condition of anonymity, because he was not permitted to speak with the media, narrated that someone from the church called the family to inform the deceased’s husband that his wife had been delivered of a baby. The deceased’s husband called a family member and both rushed to the church.

He said, “When we got there, they were told that the baby died after childbirth but that the mother was alive. On sighting the deceased, we saw her in a pool of blood, bleeding profusely. So, we rushed her to a nearby hospital.

“Due to her condition, she was rejected at three hospitals and she died in the process of reviving her in the last hospital that admitted her. To our surprise, we got to the church to collect the baby’s remains and found the corpse in a room. The condition of the room was very worrisome as it did not look like a delivery room.

“We approached the Oke-Aro Police Station in Akure to report the case which led to the arrest of the prophetess in charge. The remains of the woman have been deposited at the mortuary.”

Edo APC Transition Committee on Monday recommended the institution of enquiry into the finances of the state under the outgoing administration led by Godwin Obaseki.

The 25-member committee headed by a former deputy governor, Pius Odubu, noted that the outgoing government didn’t provide audited financial statements published or unpublished.

The committee also asked the new administration to carry out a complete review of all Memoranda of Understanding on the management of the Central Hospital and Stella Obasanjo by the outgoing government.

It also recommended that all the local and foreign debts incurred under Obaseki must be accounted for, pointing out that even the procurement agency in its report to the transition committee indicted the government. 

The committee noted, “All employment carried out in recent past by the outgoing administration be cancelled, while Okpebholo has to investigate the true ownership of the Ossiomo Power Plant and Radisson Blu Hotel as well as the Museum of West Africa Art with a view to knowing the state’s equity in these companies as the outgoing government didn’t provide information on this.

“We also demand that the new administration should carry out a comprehensive review of the world bank funded EdoBest programme and that a probe be instituted to uncover its rather ‘opaque’ operations. All major contracts issued by the state government under the Ministry of Roads and Bridges should be reviewed as they appear not to have followed due process, including the payment advance awarded to the contractors.

“The procurement agency indicted the government in its own report to the Transition Committee hence we have advised the new governor to take a critical review. The ICT ecosystem should be streamlined as there appears to be a duplication of duties.

“The outgoing government didn’t provide audited financial statements published or unpublished hence the committee is advising the government to institute an enquiry into this. The government couldn’t account for the number of teachers in the state hence we demand a proper teacher head count, “the transition committee declared.

Recall that on October 14, 2024, the APC set up a Transition Committee made up of 25 members chaired by the former deputy governor of Edo State, Dr Odubu, to interface with the outgoing government for a seamless transition.

After three weeks of assignments, meetings, interactions, engagements, and analyses of the documents presented to the committee, the Odubu-led committee came out with the recommendations above.

Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has thanked the people of the state for their support during the governorship election of September 21, promising not to betray them.

Also, Governor Okpebholo promised to deliver the dividends of democracy to Edo people. He added that “the welfare of our citizens is top priority for us.”

Recall that he defeated the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP’s Asue Ighodalo and other candidates in the September 21 Edo governorship election.

Today, Tuesday, November 12, 2024, Okpebholo and his deputy, Dennis Idahosa, were inaugurated in a ceremony at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City today.

This is coming two months after winning the poll.

Speaking at the swearing in, Okpebholo said: “Today, you have officially given me the mandate to preside over our dear State as Governor for the next four years.

“We will not betray this confidence you have reposed in me and the Deputy Governor, Dennis Idahosa.

“Let me start by thanking God Almighty for His grace and incredible blessings. Democracy has triumphed again in our dear State.

“For me, this is a humbling moment; made possible by you all. Again, I want to use this opportunity to thank you for your peaceful conduct during the 21st September 2024 Governorship Election.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it has convicted over 50 persons for currency racketeering and dollarisation of the Nigerian economy in 2024 alone.

The EFCC’s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede revealed this in Abuja on Monday, while the Senate Committee Chairman on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Senator Emmanuel Udendeon was on an oversight and pre-budget presentation visit with other members of the Committee to the corporate headquarters of the EFCC.

Olukoyede described currency racketeering and dollarisation as an act of economic sabotage.

He said, “I would also like you to know that part of the economic sabotage is in the area of currency racketeering and mutilation and the dollarization of our economy. There is no country in the world that doesn’t regard its currency as a legal tender.

“We must respect the Naira. As I am talking to you now, our Special Task Force is all over the place and we have brought some sanity in the handling of the national currency. People are still committing the crime, I am aware of that. This year alone, we have procured over 50 convictions on it.”

This is as the commission said it has summoned a Nigerien national, Ibrahim Mohammad, his family, and other guests, over alleged naira abuse at his wedding to Amina Babagana Zannah, in Kano.

The invitation follows a viral video depicting individuals spraying naira notes at the event, drawing public attention and backlash as part of the agency’s ongoing campaign against currency abuse.

Worthy of note is also the ongoing ordeal of popular cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye popularly known as Bobrisky, who is being prosecuted for naira abuse and other offences.

Speaking further, Olukoyede said ensuring that the commission runs on the wheels of ethics and staff integrity, the EFCC would continue to be transparent in its operations.

“I take the issue of ethics very seriously and I have had cause to dismiss a number of workers on account of it, even as recently as two weeks ago.

Upon my assumption of office in the EFCC, I declared my assets and encouraged all others to do the same”.

Speaking on the records of achievements, he said “I am sure you must read the record of our modest achievements in the last year, particularly in the area of recovery. If you are fighting financial crimes, and you don’t make asset tracking and recovery one of the key issues that you have to embark on with all seriousness, you may not be able to go far.

“I say this because when the perpetrators of these crimes still have access to the proceeds of the crime, they can go to any extent to fight you.

“We are happy to report to you that in the last year, we have done close to N250 billion and several tens of millions of dollars and also quite a number of real estate across the country in asset recovery.

“Within the last year, we have secured close to 3,500 convictions. Some of these convictions are high profile, not minding what some people are saying. When you approve the annual report that we have sent to you, then we can publish it on our website”

Reacting to criticisms of the Commission in some quarters for devoting time to fight cybercrime, the EFCC boss declared that he can’t take his eyes off cybercrime because it constitutes economic sabotage and inflicts reputational damage on the country.

“You are also aware that upon my assumption of office, I identified economic sabotage as a major problem. There is no financial crime that is too small to investigate and prosecute and no one is too big.

“If you refuse to do the small one today, tomorrow they will become big. So, people should stop criticising us for investigating and prosecuting cybercrime.

“Some of these criticisms are coming from legal minds, people who should know better. A crime that has made us lose over $ 500 million in one year and somebody said we shouldn’t do it? You present your Green Passport on a global arena and they mark you out for profiling.”

The Director General of the National Teachers Institute (NTI), Professor Garba Maitafsir, has said that as a lecturer at the University, he came across a PhD Student who could not write his name properly.

He said that the falling standard of education was not as a result of systemic failure, but as a result of teaching, insisting that teachers’ quality must be properly checked if Nigeria must get its education system right.

Also, the Chairman of Teachers Service Board (TSB), in Kaduna State, Adamu Makadi said that teachers earn about 27% higher than their peers in the other sectors of the state government civil service.

The NTI boss and Adamu Makadi spoke at a One-Day Workshop on Teachers Issues In Conflict and Protracted Crisis Settings: Documenting the Effectiveness of the Kaduna Teacher Reforms.

According to Makadi, before the education reforms in Kaduna, it was discovered that. nothing really was wrong with the education system, but with the teachers, hence the need for the reform to check the recruitment, deployment and retention of teachers in the state.

“There is nothing wrong with our system of education, the problem is the quality of teachers, so Kaduna State Government took the bull by the horns by initiating a reform in the educational sector, particularly in the areas of recruitment, deployment and retention of teachers.”

“The recruitment exercise has been digitalised and adverts are open to all able and qualified candidates to apply, which has been working for us perfectly. The reform has enabled us to recruit and deploy based on their qualifications and competencies to see where they can best fit in. We also deploy teachers based on proximity to their places of residence.”

“The State Government under Senator Uba Sani has done a lot towards ensuring that competent and qualified teachers are retained in Kaduna State through provision of incentives including special allowances over other civil servants. For instance, if you are a teacher on a particular salary grade level and step, compared to your colleague who is not a teacher but in the same grade level and step, you will discover that teachers earn about 27% higher than other civil servants,” he said.

Professor Oladele Akogun, a University Don and Regional Research Director, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Nigeria & South Sudan, said Teachers should be treated better than Medical Doctors to get the education system right.

He said, that apart from the challenge with the educators (teachers), Nigeria also needs to check its education policies, as the country cannot achieve its desired education standards if policies and practices are at variance.

According to him, a situation where the country has a beautiful policy of free and compulsory education for up to 18 years, but in practice, it is not being
implemented cannot yield the desired result.

On the challenges of teachers, Professor Akogun said, teachers must be handled carefully the way Medical Doctors are treated, insisting that there was danger in handling teachers with kid gloves as doing so could affect generations unborn.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has insisted that President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies and approach to governance were killing Nigerians.

He said the President should focus on solving this problem rather than attacking the opposition which is not in the saddle.

Atiku in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, in Abuja, yesterday, spoke in response to an earlier statement issued by the Presidency.

The Presidency’s statement which was issued on Sunday, stated that Atiku’s criticisms of Tinubu’s policies were driven by jealousy.

Atiku said: “On July 8, 2024, Tinubu announced that import duty on essential goods like food would be lifted for 150 days. “

“But over 120 days later, the policy is yet to take off, while Nigerians continue to die daily due to increasing costs, including food inflation, which now exceeds 40 per cent, the highest in decades.

“The brazen disobedience to a government policy by Tinubu’s appointees and the failure of the Finance Ministry to issue a gazette after over four months reflects the fatuousness, inanity and incompetence that characterizes the Tinubu administration.

“Sadly, rather than focus on governance, they are preoccupied with verbally assaulting their opponents, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, while using compromised courts to foster crisis in the opposition. What a shame.”

Atiku argued that Tinubu’s abysmal performance in the last 18 months had made it clear to all Nigerians that he came into office unprepared, hence the many policy flip-flops that have so far characterised his tenure.

He added, “Tinubu was unprepared for office. He acts first and thinks of the consequences afterwards. This was why he announced an abrupt removal of the petrol subsidy without any cushions. After seeing the effect, he then hurriedly decided to push a CNG initiative, which even he and his ministers have not embraced, hence their refusal to use it.“

“The CNG initiative has so far failed to fully kick-off because of a lack of gas infrastructure in most states. The result is that transport costs continue to soar along with prices of food.“

“In his mid-term expenditure framework, he projected the exchange rate at N700/$1 in 2024 and N650/$1 by 2025. Rather than sack his economic advisers, he continues to live in a fool’s paradise, deceiving Nigerians about the FX reserve of $ 40 billion when, in fact, the net reserves are less than 20 per cent of that. Let the CBN release its financial statements of 2023 if he is sure of his achievements.”

Atiku described as unfortunate the announcement by the military authorities on the emergence of a new terror organisation known as Lakurawa.

He argued that coupled with the incessant grid collapses in the North due to the activities of criminal elements, Tinubu ought to focus more on improving security, which is a sine qua non for investments.

He said that the President had decided to play politics with security by appointing his kinsmen in top security and economic positions.

Atiku said: “Even on the economy, he put his kinsmen in every key position beginning from Finance Minister, Trade and Investment, CBN, Customs and FIRS. Even President Muhammadu Buhari was not this brazen.

“”Unlike Tinubu, Atiku is not a bigot. He has also not refunded money to the United States for alleged drugs trafficking.

“Despite a huge revenue challenge, Tinubu commits over $13billion to the controversial Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, rendering scores of Lagos residents homeless just to please his associates while other pressing matters are starved of funds.”

Atiku advised Tinubu to make hay while the sun shone as Nigerians had grown tired of his administration.

He reiterated that the President has just barely two years left in office and he should focus on improving the lives of the people.

In a significant diplomatic engagement, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has assured Nigeria of robust support for its ongoing economic reform programmes.

He gave this assurance during a bilateral meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday in Riyadh,  on the sidelines of the joint Arab-Islamic Summit.

The high-level discussion between the two leaders focused on expanding cooperation in key sectors, including oil and gas, agriculture, and infrastructure.

They also discussed the establishment of the Saudi-Nigeria Business Council, which aims to bolster trade and investment ties between the nations.

Notably, Nigeria is seeking a $5 billion bilateral trade agreement with Saudi Arabia to further stimulate economic growth.

One of the standout points of collaboration is the involvement of the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC), which made a substantial investment of $1.24 billion in 2022 to acquire a 35.43% stake in Nigeria’s Olam Agri.

Current negotiations seek to increase SALIC’s participation in the firm, enhancing its potential to become a global agro-allied leader.

The Crown Prince also lauded President Tinubu’s economic reforms, drawing parallels to the strategies he employed to fortify Saudi Arabia’s growth when he assumed the position of Prime Minister.

He expressed confidence in the partnership and committed to ensuring that discussions from the meeting materialize into actionable projects.

In attendance at the meeting were Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi Minister of National Guard, Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Minister of Defense, along with senior officials.

Separately, the joint Arab-Islamic Summit, convened in Riyadh on November 11, 2024, has renewed the mandate of Nigeria and other member states on the Ministerial Committee.

This committee, originally established during the first summit in 2023, is tasked with seeking solutions to the conflict in Gaza and Lebanon.

The resolution urged the committee to amplify efforts and extend its diplomatic activities to address the aggression affecting Lebanon, with periodic progress reports to be shared with member states by the OIC and League of Arab States.

The committee, led by Saudi Arabia and comprising foreign ministers from Nigeria, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia, Palestine, and Jordan, is set to deepen engagement with leaders across the Global South to build broader international consensus aimed at ending hostilities and the Israeli occupation.

The summit’s resolutions highlight a collective push towards peace and stability in the region, reflecting shared aspirations among participating nations.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State to mobilize overwhelming support for the victory of the party in the governorship election coming up on Saturday.

The former Vice President, in a press statement on Tuesday signed by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, noted that the PDP flag bearer in the election, Hon. Agboola Ajayi is a consummate politician who has what it takes to not only galvanize the party to victory in the election but also improve the lot of the people of the Sunshine State.

“The governorship election that is coming up in Ondo State this Saturday presents an opportunity for the people of Ondo State to elevate the condition of the state into increased prosperity.

“The APC, as it has been made clear to everyone, is a grossly unpopular party which does not have the interest of the people as a core objective.

“The people of Ondo State have an opportunity in Hon. Ajayi of the PDP to tell the APC that enough is enough.

“As leaders of the party, we shall provide all necessary support to ensure that the APC is not allowed to repress the wishes of the electorate in this election.

“This is also a sound warning to all election management officials and volunteers that the PDP will stand firmly against any malpractice in the Ondo governorship election,” Atiku added.

The former Vice President, however, called on the people of the Sunshine State to come out in large numbers to cast their ballot and also make sure that their ballots count.

“When the tide is high, it becomes too big to rig. The people of Ondo State are known for their forthrightness, and this particular election calls for eternal vigilance,” Atiku noted.

Prof Usman Yusuf is a former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). In this interview monitored on Arise Television, he speaks on the arrest of minors involved in the #EndBadGovernance protest, the new Tax Bill before the National Assembly, among other issues. 

What is your perspective on the implication of prosecuting minors and your views on the legality and ethics of charging these young protesters for treason?

I won’t give you the legal angle because I’m not a lawyer, but I will talk about ethics and morals. Video clips were sent to me from no lesser place than outside the country. I didn’t see them. I got one sent from Chicago from an unknown number, and the other one from as far away as Brisbane, Australia.

I called the numbers. These guys were journalists. They had seen the clips before I saw them. And they were asking me: Is this real? Is this part of my school abductions?

I mean, watching this clip, to be honest, was heart-wrenching. The point I bring about this foreign journalist calling me is we do not know the damage this thing has done to us in this country.

The image of Nigeria and this government is dented by this. For us in the North, this is clearly reminiscent of the days, when you had mass school abductions by bandits. And we bring them out in this large number. Fortunately for us, the case we saw, arraigned by the Minister of Justice to a Federal Court, looks much worse than what we always get from bandits.

Even bandits take care of children better than our government. I mean, fellow Nigerians, these children, over 2,000 protesters were arrested during this #EndBadGovernance Protest, a protest that is the legitimate right of every citizen. Many were kept without their parents knowing where they were.

They were blindfolded. We are getting reports from those who were released. They were blindfolded and transported and detained in centres across the North.

These children were brought from Kano, Kaduna, Jos and Gombe to Abuja. What were their alleged crimes; treason, trying to incite mutiny and change of government by the military, waving Russian flag and causing regime change. This government is so jumpy and insecure because of what it’s doing to this country.

I mean, there’s no two ways about it. This government is trying to terrorise us and terrorise the most vulnerable amongst us, our children, and decriminalizing legitimate protests in this country. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a beneficiary of protest and agitation in this country.

And what his government is doing is trying to stifle any voice and the voices of children. President Bola Tinubu is not only our commander-in-chief but leader of a nation that is a signatory to treaties all over the world in protecting the rights of children.

He’s also the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). What is he going to tell them? This is a blow and a huge shame to this country that we’re doing this to our children by the government. When we collect these children from bandits, we take them to the hospital and take care of them.

This government is trying to terrorise us and terrorise the most vulnerable amongst us, our children and decriminalizing legitimate protests in this country

But what did President Tinubu’s government do to these children that collapsed in the court of law? They took them back to jail and what did the Attorney General do when he came out? He said he was going to recall the file.

Excuse me, Mr. Attorney General, there’s no file to recall. What we Nigerians demand is immediate and unconditional release of all of these children. They need to be taken care of in the hospital. They need to be better nourished. All their medical issues need to be taken care of.

They need to be fully compensated for the pain and suffering this government has cost them. And their parents need to be fully compensated. And full investigation must be done as to who is responsible. The Inspector General of Police must take full responsibility for this because this disturbing act was done on his watch.

We are hearing reports that the police abducted children from cities in the North – Kano, Kaduna, Jos and Gombe – and illegally transported them for rendition in Abuja to unknown locations. Many of their parents do not know where they are. Their appearance in court was the first time they saw them.

So, President Tinubu by this action is terrorizing our citizens with the full complicity of the security services that swore to protect us and the courts that swore to uphold the law.

This is unacceptable. It’s not going to be accepted. The law is a noble profession, and I salute, and every Nigerian should salute the efforts of the lawyers of these children, who doggedly and pro bono defended these children.

Without them, we would not have known this. In the same breath, I am going to condemn, and every Nigerian should condemn the callous actions of the prosecuting lawyer and the prosecuting judge. The law, like medicine, is common sense. The judge should have known that these children needed medical care, not to be left lying on the floor in a court of law. Where are they?

How many have died? How many are going to die? We need to have a full account of this. These children must be reunited with their families and fully compensated. The president needs to address this nation and stop this criminality we are seeing. It’s not acceptable.

Despite the condemnation that this has rightly generated what about those who are not minors; are you also saying that the crimes they committed should be ignored? The second part is about the minors; don’t you think that this speaks to a larger concern, particularly in the North, about out-of-school children?

You are preaching to the choir but you are not going to give any excuse, any excuse to anybody for this nonsense we’re seeing. Nobody, no government should be responsible for what we are seeing. So out-of-school, in-school is no excuse for this.

There are those that we elected, in states and federal, that are supposed to take care of these children, and they are the ones you should bring to this chair and ask those questions of. I am here to protest against what the Federal Government has done to our children.

Whether you are a baby or a 90-year-old, you have the right to protest, and nobody should criminalize protest, and that is what this government is doing. Give nobody any excuse for this. If you want to talk about out-of-school children we’ll make it another day and we will call the governors of all the states. But don’t make that as an excuse.

I am not holding forth for any government, but no government should give us any excuse for what we are seeing. I’m not talking the legal; there are lawyers to do that, I’m here to talk about the fundamental human rights of these children that have been violated. I’m here to talk about children who should not have been there.

I’m here to talk about if there are problems in Kano, Katsina or Kaduna, they should be prosecuted there, not children blindfolded and transported in the middle of the night in black Maria by Gestapo police to Abuja. It’s not acceptable, and the world should know that. We must all raise our voices.

These children are being accused of treason for raising the Russian flag but some Nigerians are wondering if these malnourished children are the ones pushing for regime change?

Why the children are there is the failure of government at all levels, local, federal and state, and the failure of communities. We all went to school.

Our parents were not wealthy. From the commonwealth of our people, our education was paid for. We went into the world and competed favourably because leaders of that time invested in us.

That is why today, each time we raise our hands, we pray for three people, our parents who departed, our teachers who taught us well, and our leaders who invested in us. You can’t say the same of leaders of today. It is the failure of government, it is the failure of leadership that we have these children all over.

The last Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, said has been the longest-serving Minister of Education and he’s not proud of it because during his time, we have over 20 million Nigerian children out of school. So it’s the failure of government, and that’s what we’ve been talking about. Corruption and bad governance, this is what we have since the arrival of democracy in this country.

What is your take on the pushback from Northern governors on the Reformed VAT Tax Bill before the National Assembly?

Northern governors met in Kaduna to talk about VAT and they want to accrue more money. Let me say that they were not there for us and the country or the region. They were there because they were not going to get more money. But this is the truth about VAT; VAT is a consumption tax.

If Dangote has a cement factory in Obajana, Kogi State, he doesn’t pay VAT in Kogi; he pays VAT in Lagos because Lagos is his headquarters. Many of the oil companies are in the Niger Delta region. That’s where they have their operations, but their headquarters are in Lagos. So, they pay VAT in Lagos. What has Lagos done to earn that?

Lagos is getting all of that money and now you say that money is yours. No, it isn’t. Lagos is what it is today thanks to Nigeria’s commonwealth. All the infrastructures were built by the Nigerian commonwealth, the ports, the bridges and everything. If anybody asks you, you must pay.

So people need to be sensible. There is this thing they call the old Zulu adage, Ubuntu, ‘You are who you are because of me.’ It’s common humanity. But there is this selfishness of ‘it’s me’ and the President is following that. It’s raising an antenna alarm in the North.

What the President essentially is doing is trying to pool all the resources to the South-West, particularly Lagos. It doesn’t matter whether it’s true or not, but the President needs to hear the pulse of the North, the pulse of our people. Dangote is paying VAT in Lagos with his factories in the North.

Yes, the President has sent a bill to the National Assembly about his tax reform and that is his right as the executive. But it is the right of our representatives to reject the bill and we are watching them very closely. It is the right of our representatives to fight for us and kill that bill if it does not do well for the people they are representing.

End of story. There is no argument. This is what democracy is all about. President Tinubu, on his own, cannot do things without reverting to the National Assembly and we have our representatives there that we will hold accountable. That’s how much I will say about this

[New Telegraph]