SUNDAY 23RD NOVEMBER 2025.

At G20 Leaders’ Summit, Tinubu Demands Fair Handling of Global Financial Flows, Recurring Debt Crises

Canvasses equity in global mineral trade, AI governance

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu yesterday

asked world leaders to come up with a more equitable and responsive system to manage

Unite Against Insecurity or Region Will Decline Further, Atiku, Dangote Tell

After Verification, CAN Puts Number of Abducted Students, Teachers in Niger School Attack at 315

Debunks allegation that school ignored security reports Gov Bago orders all schools closed

Dipo Laleye

Minna

total number of victims

by suspected terrorists from the St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri in the Agwarra Local Government Area (LGA)

Trump on Fox News, Says Nigeria Failed to Protect Citizens

Prosecute those behind attacks on Christians, Italian PM tells FG US congressman, Moore, urges FG to disarm Middle Belt militants Tinubu meets DSS DG, restates commitment to eliminate terrorists

Ejiofor Alike in Lagos and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

United States President, Mr. Donald Trump, has doubled down on his claim that there is Christian genocide in Nigeria, describing the country as a disgrace and accusing the federal government of failure to protect the citizens.

The US President made the remarks on Fox News Radio’s ‘The Brian Kilmeade Show’ on Friday night.

This is just as Italian Prime

Minister Giorgia Meloni called on the federal government to take decisive action against the perpetrators of the attacks on Christian communities.

In the same vein, United States Congressman, Riley Moore, has called on the federal government to urgently confront armed groups in the Middle Belt following the kidnapping of more than 300 children and 12 teachers from St Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State on Friday.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima (left), and South African President, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, during the opening ceremony of G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa…yesterday

MTN, Dangote Cement, Oando, 17 Others Incur N1.59tn on Loan Services, Others, Amid High Interest Rate

Generate N5.2tn profit before tax

Kayode Tokede

A total of 20 big firms in Nigeria incurred an estimated N1.59 trillion on loan services, among others, in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025, signalling a high-interest-rate operating environment.

This is about an 18.9 per cent drop from the N1.96 trillion they incurred in the third quarter (Q3) of 2024.

Loan services, interest expenses on lease liabilities,

interest on commercial papers, among others, are captured in the company's finance costs.

However, the net foreign exchange gain in the period under review affected most companies' finance costs, ultimately improving profit generation.

The affected companies are: MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, Dangote Cement Plc, Oando Plc, Nestlé Nigeria Plc, BUA Foods Plc, Nigerian Breweries Plc, International Breweries Plc,

BUA Cement Plc, Conoil Plc and Aradel Holdings Plc.

Others are: Lafarge Africa Plc, Transcorp Hotels Plc, Presco Plc, Transnational Corporation Plc, Transcorp Power Plc, Geregu Power Plc, Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, Seplat Energy and Totalenergies Marketing Nigeria Plc.

THISDAY learnt that the 20 companies in the third quarter (Q3) 2025 generated N5.2 trillion profit before tax, up from the N111.82 billion reported in Q3

2024.

Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc and Totalenergies Marketing Nigeria Plc were the only companies to declare losses in the period under review.

THISDAY analysed 20 companies across oil and gas, telecommunications, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Cement manufacturing, Power generation, and Breweries, among others.

The results show that MTN

TRUMP ON FOX NEWS, SAYS NIGERIA FAILED TO PROTECT CITIZENS

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has received security briefing from the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr Oluwatosin Ajayi and restated his commitment to eliminating terrorists and bandits in the country.

Tinubu also insisted that insecurity remains the most troubling challenge facing Nigeria, especially the Northern region.

Trump had, on November 1, threatened military action in Nigeria over an alleged persecution of Christians.

The US president had earlier, in a message on social media, acknowledged the atrocities that Christians in Nigeria faced daily and accused radical Islamists of being responsible for the mass slaughter of Christians.

school reopened without government clearance despite a prior directive suspending boarding activities in the area.

The Chairman of the Niger State chapter of CAN, Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who is also the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, gave the update after a verification exercise and a final census was carried out.

The update comes as the state Governor, Mohammed Bago, has directed that all schools across the state should be shut down until after the New Year while the schools in security affected areas in the state will be shut down until further notice.

A breakdown of newly

This is coming just as Nigeria also backed the creation of global ethical standards for Artificial Intelligence (AI), aimed at accelerating development across the world.

Tinubu made the call at the Third Session of the 2025 Group of 20 (G20) Leaders’ Summit, held at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, South Africa, themed “A Fair and Just Future for All: Critical Minerals, Decent Work, Artificial Intelligence.”

The president, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, stressed

He also declared Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).

But the Nigerian government rejected the Christian genocide claim, insisting that there is no religious persecution in the country.

During his first tenure, Trump had declared Nigeria a CPC, but President Joe Biden lifted the CPC designation in 2021.

But despite the pushback by the Nigerian government, Trump doubled down on his attacks on Nigeria on Friday, accusing the country of failing to protect Christians.

The US President made the remarks on Fox News Radio’s ‘The Brian Kilmeade Show’, said: I think Nigeria is a disgrace. The whole thing is a disgrace.

released data showed that 303 students and 12 teachers were affected.

Yohanna said, “After we left the school at Papiri, we decided to make calls, do a verification exercise, and do further enquiries on those we had thought escaped successfully, only to discover that 88 more students were also captured after they tried to escape.

“Our attention was drawn to when some parents whose children we had thought escaped from the attack also came asking about their children. We became curious, and that was when we did a census and discovered that they were abducted.

that for Nigeria and Africa, critical minerals are more than natural deposits, as they hold the promise of industrial transformation for the continent.

Tinubu has asked world leaders to come up with a more equitable and responsive system to manage global financial flows and sincerely address the recurring debt crises in a manner that meets the needs of all nations.

This, he said, had become necessary because many developing countries still

“They’re killing people by the thousands. It’s a genocide. And I’m furious about it.”

“And we pay, you know, we give a lot of subsidy to Nigeria, which we’re going to end up stopping.

“The government’s done nothing. They are very ineffective. They’re killing Christians at will. And you know, until I got involved in it two weeks ago, nobody even talked about it,” he added.

Trump’s comments came a few hours after a high-level delegation of Nigerian security leaders, led by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, met with some American government officials, including the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to discuss ways to stop violence in Nigeria.

In an update provided by the

“This now brings it to a total of 303 students (male and female), including 12 teachers (four females and eight males), bringing the total number of abducted persons to 315.”

He said the total of pupils and students before the incident was 629, with primary having 430 and the secondary having 199 students.

He also addressed the widely reported notion that there were intelligent reports before the abduction.

He debunked the allegations by the Niger State Government that the school reopened without government clearance despite a prior directive suspending

Special Assistant to the Secretary of War on Public Affairs and Senior Advisor, Sean Parnell, both leaders discussed ways to make tangible progress on stopping violence against Christians in Nigeria and combating West African jihadist terrorist groups.

“Secretary Hegseth emphasised the need for Nigeria to demonstrate commitment and take both urgent and enduring action to stop violence against Christians and conveyed the Department’s desire to work by, with, and through Nigeria to deter and degrade terrorists that threaten the United States.”

Prosecute Those Behind Attacks on Christians, Italian PM Tells FG

boarding activities in the area.

“Also, it is very pertinent that we address the issue of prior warnings from either the government or security agencies, as peddled in some quarters.

“I have just got back to the village this night after I visited the school where I also met with parents of the children to assure them that we are working with the government and Security agencies to see that our children are rescued and brought back safely but was gritted with what I term “propaganda” that the school was given a prior warning by the government through a circular.

“That is not true, we did

Nigeria Communications Plc, Dangote Cement Plc, and Oando Plc were the three major firms with the highest financial costs.

MTN Nigeria posted N404.18 billion in finance costs in Q3 2025, about a 33.2 per cent increase from the N303.37 billion it posted in Q3 2024. The N404.18 billion in finance costs in Q3 2025 by MTN Nigeria Communications contributed 25.8 per cent to the overall N1.66 trillion in

Meanwhile, the Italian Prime Minister, Meloni, has called on the federal government to take decisive action against perpetrators of attacks on Christian communities.

In a statement posted on X, Meloni condemned the latest outbreak of violence, describing the attacks as heinous and unacceptable.

According to an online medium, she also urged the government to intensify security measures and ensure those behind the killings are brought to justice.

“We strongly condemn the renewed violence that took place today against Christian communities in Nigeria,” she wrote.

“Religious freedom is an inviolable right: we ask the

not receive any circular, it must be an afterthought and a way to shift blame. In the past, around 2022, when we heard of rumours of a security challenge, we did not hesitate; we shut down immediately. Is it when there is a circular from the government asking us to shut down that we will now not obey?” he queried.

According to him, the affected school is owned by the Catholic Diocese and not any individual, as earlier reported.

“The school is owned by the Catholic Diocese and not by any individual. None of the Reverend Sisters travelled to Abuja as they alleged. Whoever made that misleading

finance costs in the period under review.

The telecommunication company noted that the 33.3 per cent increase in finance cost was mainly due to higher lease payments from the extended tower lease arrangements. Despite the challenges, MTN Nigeria Communications reported the highest profit before tax, reporting N1.13 trillion in Q3 2025, up from a N713.63 billion loss before tax in Q3 2024.

Nigerian government to strengthen the protection of Christian communities and all religious communities and to prosecute those responsible for these heinous attacks.”

The Italian leader said her country stands in solidarity with the families affected and communities living in fear as a result of religiously targeted violence.

“Italy expresses all its closeness to the victims and to the communities in Nigeria who today feel in danger because of their religious beliefs,” she added.

US Congressman Moore Urges FG to Disarm Middle Belt Militants

Continued on page 14

statement should know that it is a false allegation and should withdraw such or provide the proofs and evidence.

“We have asked the Education Secretary if he received a circular, he said no; or if he was asked to send any to us, he said no. We asked if he was verbally informed, and he also said no. Let them tell the world who they gave the circular to, or through what channel they sent it.

“We also asked the National Association of Private Schools, and they did not get any such circular. They claimed the school was shut down and reopened a few days ago, which is also not true. We are law-abiding.”

HANDLING OF GLOBAL FINANCIAL FLOWS, RECURRING DEBT CRISES

grapple with systemic barriers restraining economic growth, as well as weakening trade and limiting financial inclusivity.

The president regretted that the multilateral frameworks, currently being relied on, no longer reflect the complexities of the present world, as they were "built in an era far removed from" the present challenges, Tinubu pointed out that this year's theme of the summit, bordering on "inclusive and sustainable economic growth, trade, financing for

development and the debt burden, speaks to the realities of developing nations."

Demanding a fair deal for Africa and other developing countries of the world, he stated: "For trade to be truly inclusive, the G20 must take bold and deliberate steps towards reforming the international financial architecture and the global institutions that sustain it.

"Only a more equitable and more responsive system can manage global financial flows with fairness, address recurring

debt crises with sincerity and meet the needs of all nations, especially those in the Global South who have too often stood at the margins of global opportunity."

The president said it would be difficult for Africa to realise a positive paradigm shift "in its development trajectory without a collective resolve of the G20,"

He noted that the continent cannot rise on the wings of aspiration alone without confronting the persistent regional challenges confronting

it, particularly "the urgent need for sustainable financing to ensure the effective implementation of our developmental priorities." Tinubu observed that rising debt burdens have continued "to drag economies back into cycles of fragility," transforming "local difficulties into global vulnerabilities." Accordingly, he implored the G20 to place debt sustainability and the responsible utilisation of critical minerals at the heart of its agenda for inclusive development.

Edun Calls for Faster Reforms as Nigeria Showcases Economic Gains at G20 Dialogue

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, took the message of Africa’s economic urgency to Johannesburg last week, warning that the continent must accelerate reforms or risk being left behind in a rapidly shifting global landscape.

Speaking at the G20 Investment Breakfast Dialogue convened by MTN, alongside South African CEOs, development partners and the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Edun said Africa was navigating “a moment of profound global economic change” that demands courage, clarity, and coordinated

action.

Against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions, rising debt burdens and technological disruptions reshaping the nature of work, Edun painted a humancentred picture of a continent under pressure. He noted that Africa, where the median age is just 20, faces the dual challenge of creating millions of jobs while confronting a world in which traditional trade and financial flows are tightening.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) estimates the continent will spend about $163 billion servicing debt this year, even as foreign direct investment sinks below $100 billion.

“We are living through global shifts that threaten to outpace

Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba Order Closure of Boarding Schools over Insecurity

Kebbi shuts tertiary institutions

The Yobe, Adamawa and Taraba state governments have ordered the closure of all boarding secondary schools as part of a proactive effort to protect students amid rising security concerns in the country.

This is as the Kebbi State Government ordered the immediate closure of all stateowned tertiary institutions, except the College of Nursing Sciences and Midwifery, Birnin Kebbi, citing heightened insecurity across the state.

In Yobe, the directive, issued on Saturday by Governor Mai Mala Buni, followed a security meeting he held with heads of security agencies in the state to review recent attacks targeting schools in other regions.

The development was announced in a statement released on Saturday, signed by the Director General of Press and Media Affairs to the Governor, Mohammed Mamman, and made available to reporters.

According to the statement, the

Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has already circulated a notice mandating an immediate shutdown of the schools.

“A notice signed by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Dr. Bukar Aji Bukar, directed immediate closure of all secondary schools pending improvement in the situation,” the statement noted.

Mamman added that Governor Buni urged residents to support ongoing security efforts through prayers.

In Adamawa State, the state government ordered the closure of all public and private boarding schools in the state.

In a statement on Saturday, signed by the state Commissioner for Education and Human Development, Dr. Umar Pella, the government said the decision, made by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, was aimed at preventing a repeat of the recent abductions of students in Niger and Kebbi states.

us,” he said. “If we must build economies that work for our people, we have no choice but to act boldly, reform decisively and strengthen our ability to finance our own development.”

Edun used Nigeria’s experience since May 2023 as an illustration of the rewards and the pressures that come with reform.

He emphasised that the country’s economic reset has rested on two pillars: restoring macroeconomic stability to attract investment, and rebuilding

government savings to fund education, health, infrastructure and human capital.

To this end, the Tinubu administration scrapped fuel subsidies, liberalised the foreign exchange market, undertook sweeping tax reforms and initiated structural changes across power, energy, logistics and industrialisation.

These, he said, are beginning to bear fruit.

GDP grew by 4.23 per cent in Q2 2025, up from 3.1 per cent in the same period last year, while

inflation, though still high, has slowed consistently, reaching 16.05 per cent in October.

External reserves have climbed to $46.3 billion, and growth is broadening across sectors such as trade, telecommunications, construction, refining, rail and electricity.

“These numbers tell a simple story,” he told investors. “Nigeria is becoming more stable, more predictable, and more investable than it has been in years.”

He admitted reforms had been painful for many

households, but said the government had expanded social protection to reach 15 million households, with nine million already receiving direct cash transfers.

Setting a more strategic tone, Edun said Africa’s two largest economies must anchor the continent’s push for investment, integration and job creation. He highlighted that South African companies have long found profitable ground in Nigeria and urged them to reinvest rather than retreat.

Police Rescue 25 Abducted Women, Children in Zamfara

The Zamfara State Police Command yesterday said it rescued 25 abducted persons, mainly women and children, seized by armed bandits in Kuraje community.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Yazid Abubakar, confirmed the rescue in a statement issued in Gusau yesterday.

Abubakar said the bandits attacked Kuraje village in the Damba area of Gusau Local

Government Area.

He said the attack occurred on Friday at about 9:45 p.m., when armed bandits stormed the village firing shots.

“During the attack, the assailants abducted ten women and fifteen children, all residents of the Kuraje community,” he said.

Abubakar added that joint Police patrol teams and Community Protection Guards swiftly mobilised to the scene

after receiving the distress call.

The teams confirmed the incident, pursued the fleeing bandits, and engaged them in what he described as a coordinated operation.

“Thanks to the professionalism and gallantry of the operatives, all twenty-five victims were rescued unhurt,” Abubakar said.

He noted that the victims were moved to Sabongari, Damba, for safety and proper

profiling after the rescue.

“The rescued women and children have since been reunited with their families,” the command said.

The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Maikaba, praised the officers for their bravery, describing their efforts as commendable.

Maikaba assured the public of the command’s continued commitment to protecting lives and property across the state.

DHQ Debunks Video Claiming Military Plans to Forcefully Recruit Youths

Linus

Aleke in Abuja

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has dismissed a circulating fake video that falsely depicts the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede, making a statement about plans to forcefully recruit Nigerians aged 18 and above into the military.

According to the military, the video features a mischievously cloned image of the Chief of Defence Staff and contains a fabricated message aimed at misleading the public.

In a statement yesterday,

the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Samaila Uba, described the content as malicious and defamatory, noting that it was designed to tarnish the character of the Defence Chief and portray the Armed Forces of Nigeria in a negative light.

He stressed that the military remains a respected and voluntary profession, with thousands of patriotic citizens submitting themselves willingly during recruitment exercises into the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

“For the avoidance of doubt, let it be on record that the

purported statement was never made by the Chief of Defence Staff, any of the Service Chiefs, or indeed any member of the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” Uba said.

He added that the rise of artificial intelligence has made it easier for bad actors to create and circulate disinformation and misinformation, calling on Nigerians to exercise caution and verify the source and authenticity of statements or videos before sharing them.

Uba emphasised that all official statements from the CDS can only be obtained

through verified Defence Headquarters spokespersons and its authorised social media channels.

He urged the public to disregard the fake video and the false claims it contains, reaffirming the military’s commitment to transparency and professionalism.

Earlier, the Directorate of Army Public Relations (DAPR) dismissed the same comment, which had been attributed to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, by simply tagging it as fake and circulating it on social media.

Festus Akanbi

FEELING THE PULSE OF THEIR CONSTITUENTS…

L-R:

With US President’s Boycott, G20 will Struggles to Resolve Global Crises, Says Macron

Ramaphosa says G20 presidency won’t go to Trump’s envoy

French President, Mr. Emmanuel Macron, yesterday said the boycott of in G20 summit South Africa by the United States, the group of major world economies is “at risk” as it struggles to tackle international crises.

This is as the South African President, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, said they will not hand the next presidency of the group to a US embassy representative after President Donald Trump refused to attend the summit.

Macron was among two dozen world leaders at the summit marked by the absence

of President Trump, who is at loggerheads with Pretoria on a range of issues.

“The G20 may be coming to the end of a cycle,” the French leader told the gathering in Johannesburg.

“We are living in a moment of geopolitics in which we are struggling to resolve major crises together around this table, including with members who are not present today,” Macron said.

He referred specifically to a new unilateral US plan to end the war in Ukraine that accepts some of Russia’s

hardline demands.

European leaders in Johannesburg met on the sidelines of the G20 to discuss counter-proposals.

“There can be no peace in Ukraine without Ukrainians, without respect for their sovereignty,” Macron repeated.

The G20 is made up of 19 countries, including Russia, as well as the European Union and African Union regional groupings.

It was struggling to establish common ground on issues such as humanitarian law and sovereignty, Macron said.

World leaders needed to acknowledge that “the G20 is at risk if we do not collectively reengage around a few priorities,” Macron said.

“We must absolutely demonstrate that we have concrete actions to re-engage this forum and provide responses for our economies collectively around this table,” Macron said.

Meanwhile, the South African President, Ramaphosa, has said they will not hand the next presidency of the group to a US embassy representative after President Donald Trump

Unite Against Insecurity or Region Will Decline Further, Atiku, Dangote Tell Northern Leaders

John Shiklam in Kaduna

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and industrialist, Aliko Dangote at the weekend warned that the northern region risks deeper insecurity, economic stagnation and social collapse unless it urgently resets its development priorities and rebuilds unity.

Speaking at the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) 25th anniversary dinner in Kaduna, Atiku said the North cannot afford complacency at a time when insecurity, poverty and educational decline are crippling its future.

He cautioned that without a clear vision and collective resolve, the region would “stagnate and sink deeper into insecurity”.

The former vice president praised past ACF leaders for sustaining the body through “thick and thin”. But, he insisted, nostalgia must give way to honest assessment and

strategic action.

He recalled how, upon assuming office in 1999, he led efforts to unify the region’s divided political blocs through a reconciliation committee chaired by the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari — a process that birthed the modern ACF.

Atiku stressed that the forum was conceived not only to foster political harmony, but to drive development in line with the vision of Sir Ahmadu Bello.

He cited the Sardauna’s 1961 priorities — education, agriculture and industrial growth — noting that they remain more urgent today than ever.

He outlined past initiatives such as the Northern Education Project, which exposed the region’s crumbling school system and triggered reforms that boosted enrolment and transition rates.

He also referenced the

Northern Development Project, NDP, which sought to rebuild agricultural value chains and address climate-induced productivity challenges. Yet, he lamented that key obstacles — from energy poverty to multiple taxation — still plague northern industries two decades on.

Warning that diversity was becoming a weapon in the hands of adversaries exploiting fear and disinformation, Atiku urged the North to emulate countries like India and China, which have achieved economic transformation despite vast pluralism.

He challenged northern leaders to confront questions of population growth, food security, education, jobs and the region’s readiness for a knowledge-driven global economy.

“If ever there was a moment for the North to come together, that time is now,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Dangote, linked the North’s slow economic growth and rising insecurity to decades of policy inconsistency and chronic electricity shortages.

He said many promising northern industries collapsed because government policies “kept shifting the goalpost,” eroding investor confidence.

He recalled commissioning Arthur Andersen (now part of KPMG) to study why northern textile magnates and other industrialists failed despite strong starts.

The findings, he said, pointed largely to unpredictable government policies and an unreliable power supply. Dangote disclosed that his group connects to public electricity only in South Africa and Ethiopia, because of Nigeria’s unstable grid.

refused to attend the summit.

The Trump administration has boycotted the Johannesburg meeting that wraps up on Sunday and said it would send the charge d’affaires of its US embassy in South Africa for the handover, with Washington assuming the 2026 presidency of the group of leading economies.

Ramaphosa “will not be handing over to the charge d’affaires from the US,” Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told journalists.

“The United States is a member of the G20, and if they want to be represented, they can still send anyone at

the right level,” he said. This would be the head of state, minister or a “special envoy appointed by the president,” Lamola said. Otherwise, a handover could take place at government offices between officials of the same ranking, he said.

Trump’s absence from the Johannesburg summit follows his withdrawal of the United States from other multilateral events and his feud with Pretoria over a range of international and domestic issues including claims that white South Africans are persecuted.

Local Governments Lack Control over Outdoor Advertising, Another Court Rules, Backs ARCON

Ibrahim

Oyewale in Lokoja

The Federal High Court in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, has upheld the constitutional validity and scope of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) Act 2022, affirming the body's authority over outdoor advertising across Nigeria.

Delivering the judgment on the matter, Justice Isa Dashen dismissed the suit filed by Godec Power Nigeria Limited in its entirety, ruling in favour of ARCON’s regulatory powers over advertising content on all platforms targeting the Nigerian market.

Godec Power had challenged ARCON’s authority, arguing that regulation of outdoor signage falls exclusively under the jurisdiction of local government councils as stipulated in paragraph 1(k)(i) of the fourth schedule to the

constitution.

The company also contended that ARCON’s notice of violation infringed on its fundamental right to freedom of expression.

The company sought 13 reliefs, including a perpetual injunction restraining ARCON from enforcing the act and N100 million in general damages.

The judge in a judgement delivered on November 12, 2025, rejected all claims, stating that advertising regulation is not solely a residual matter and that the National Assembly acted within its constitutional powers when enacting the ARCON Act.

The court also dismissed the freedom of expression argument, describing the act’s pre-approval requirement as a lawful regulatory measure designed to ensure public communications meet standards of decency, truthfulness, and fairness.

The Ranodu of Imota, HRM Oba Mudashiru Ajibade-Agoro; Alara of Ilara, HRM Oba Olufolarin Ogunsanwo; Senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru; Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Moshood Jimoh; and the Olumobi of Imobi-Ijesha, Osun State, Oba Adetayo Hastrup, at the Senate’s South-west Zonal Summit in Lagos …weekend

CONGRATULATIONS TO NEWEST COUPLE…

L-R: Chairman of the Committee on Senate Services,

Nnamdi Kanu’s Conviction May Aggravate Tension in South-east, Obi Raises the Alarm

Life sentence isn’t the end, says Otti, urges dialogue

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, has said the recent conviction of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, could escalate tensions in the Southeast region.

This follows the court judgement handed down on Kanu on Thursday, November 20, 2025 in Abuja.

But the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, said the judgement

convicting Kanu is not yet the end of the road, assuring the people of Abia State that he has “activated and will continue to work on his freedom.”

Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment following his conviction for terrorism.

In a post on X, Obi described Kanu’s arrest, detention, and conviction as a failure of leadership and warned that it risks deepening divisions amid the country’s ongoing economic hardship and insecurity.

Obi said Kanu’s detention

Citing Rising Insecurity Across Nigeria, FG Postpones NAFEST 2025 Scheduled in Enugu

The Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy has announced the postponement of the 2025 edition of the National Festival of Arts and Culture.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the festival, which was to be hosted by Enugu State, was scheduled to begin on November 22

However, the postponement was announced yesterday in Abuja by the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the minister, Nneka Anibeze.

The decision followed a careful assessment of the national mood amid rising insecurity across various parts of the country.

“In solidarity with affected families and communities, and out of deep respect for lives lost, the Minister, Hannatu Musawa, in consultation

with stakeholders, has approved postponing the festival to a later date.

“NAFEST has always played a powerful role in nation-building by bringing Nigerians together, strengthening social cohesion and offering a platform for cultural diplomacy and soft power.

“As one of the few national events capable of projecting a positive and inclusive image of Nigeria, showcasing unity, hospitality and national confidence, this year’s edition, with over 28 states preparing to participate, was poised to send a strong message of resilience and unity.

“However, given the current national mood, the federal government believes it is more respectful and responsible to postpone the festival rather than proceed while many citizens are grieving,” the statement added.

was unnecessary and that the government should have prioritised dialogue, constructive engagement, and inclusive governance over coercion.

“The concerns Kanu raised were not unheard of, and the issues he demanded solutions

for were not insoluble,” Obi said.

He said addressing such grievances require wisdom, empathy, and a willingness to listen — qualities he believes were absent in the government’s approach.

The former Anambra State

governor cautioned that the government’s handling of the case has only heightened mistrust and distracted Nigerians from pressing challenges.

While acknowledging that “the law has taken its course”, Obi urged leaders to look beyond strict legalism. He cited examples from other countries where political solutions, negotiated settlements, and amnesty have been deployed to promote peace and stability when legal processes alone were insufficient.

Nigeria is Failing Children in a Horrifying Manner, Says Amnesty International

Global human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has lent its voice against a series of attacks sweeping across Nigeria.

In a statement issued yesterday, the organisation described the attacks, especially those on the abduction of students in the northern region of the country, as the Nigerian government not doing enough to protect the lives and guarantee the safety of its younger generation.

The reactions came after the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) confirmed the abduction of 315 students and staff members of the St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, in the Agwarra Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger state.

“The Nigerian authorities are failing children, as over 230 children in the north are in captivity of gunmen this week, after their abduction during two mass attacks on schools that also interrupted the education of thousands of

children because of closure of hundreds of schools in Katsina, Plateau, and other states.

“The latest wave of horrific attacks on schools in Kebbi and Niger state, clearly shows Nigerian authorities never cared to learn any lessons from such previous incidents in which some school children were also killed by gunmen.

“School children in some parts of northern Nigeria are constantly at-risk death or abduction. More than 780 children were abducted for ransom in 2021 during mass

attacks on schools or religious institutions, with some of the children killed during the attacks,” said Isa Sanusi, Director Amnesty International Nigeria.

“The future of thousands of school children in Northern Nigeria remains bleak, as hundreds of schools in some states have been closed indefinitely due to rising insecurity. Hundreds of children will entirely abandon education due to the psychological trauma of witnessing violent attacks or living in captivity,” said Sanusi.

Niger’s National Assembly Caucus Condemns Kidnapping of Catholic School Students, Teachers

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The members of the National Assembly from Niger State have expressed concern over the unfortunate kidnapping of students of St. Mary’s Catholic School in Agwara Local Government Area (LGA) of the state by armed terrorists.

The caucus in a statement issued yesterday, which was jointly signed by Senator Sani Musa, Senator Abubakar Sani

Bello, Senator Peter Jiya, among others, described the incident as another painful reminder of the severe security challenges confronting our state and our nation.

The caucus said: “As representatives of the good people of Niger State in the Senate and House of Representatives, we strongly condemn this criminal attack and reaffirm our collective resolve to work with security

agencies and all relevant authorities to ensure the safe and immediate rescue of the abducted students. No child or community in Niger State should be left at the mercy of terror.

“The incident in Agwara LGA underscores the worsening insecurity plaguing Niger State and many parts of Northern Nigeria.

“From bandit attacks and mass kidnappings to

terrorism and communal violence, the rising wave of insecurity has continued to endanger lives, disrupt livelihoods, and destabilise communities.”

The caucus added that the situation in Niger State mirrors the broader national security challenge confronting Nigeria. It noted that addressing it requires decisive, coordinated, and sustained action at all levels of government.

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Senator Sunday Steve Karimi; Newly-weds, Temiloluwa Adeloye and Ibukunoluwa (nee Owa), and the Royal father of the day, Oba of Igbaruku Okeri, Kogi State, Oba Ilufemiloye Babalola, during the traditional marriage of Temiloluwa and Ibukunoluwa, daughter of Otunba Sam Owa held at Harbour Point, Victoria Island, Lagos... yesterday KUNLE OGUNFUYI.

PROMOTING INSURANCE...

Though Politically-divided, That Hasn’t Diminished

My Admiration for You, Tinubu Tells George at 80

Segun James

President Bola Tinubu has rejoiced with former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, for his love for country and contribution to nation building.

Tinubu, who said this at the 80th birthday celebration of the elder statesman in Lagos, added that though they have been on the political divide since 1999, that has never diminished my admiration for him.

The president, who was represented by the Secretary

to the Federal Government (SGF), Senator George Akume, noted that George's undisguised love for the country and his State of birth, Lagos, stands him out.

Tinubu said: "I am delighted to join you all today to celebrate the 80th birthday of elder brother,

Chief Olabode George who also presented his memoir formally.

"At 80, Chief George has lived a worthy life. He dedicated his life to see a prosperous country with a distinguished career in the military. As a leader of note and "Lagos boy' as he had

Obasanjo Demands Strong Ethical Values to Achieve Nation-building

James Sowole in Abeokuta

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has reaffirmed that sustainable nation-building can only be achieved when economic, social, and political development are anchored on strong ethical values and a deep sense of social responsibility.

Obasanjo made this call at the weekend in Abeokuta during the maiden edition of the Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Training Programme for Secondary School Prefects in Nigeria, organised by the Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute

TRUMP DOUBLES

Meanwhile, United States

Congressman Moore has called on the federal government to confront armed groups in the Middle Belt urgently.

In a statement posted yesterday on his X handle, Moore expressed outrage over the reported attack on a Catholic school in Niger State.

“As a father, seeing these attacks makes my stomach turn.”

He urged authorities to intensify efforts against those he accused of carrying out the violence, saying the government “must disarm the radical Muslim Fulani militants terrorising the Middle Belt.”

(OOLI).

The event was attended by about 1,000 head boys, head girls, and senior prefects from secondary schools across Ogun State.

According to the former president, social responsibility is a fundamental pillar of nation-building and must be embraced by both individuals and institutions.

He described the prefect system as a crucial leadership incubator, noting that prefects, though not teachers, are entrusted with a measure of authority to maintain discipline and support school administration.

Obasanjo said, “Economic, social and political development go hand in hand with nation-building. Societal responsibility is an ethical and character obligation for individuals and organisations to act in ways that benefit the society. Social responsibility is an imperative requirement of nation-building, so long as the government also plays its part.

“A prefect is a senior pupil invested with authority by the school management to help maintain discipline and assist in low-level administration. Power is

devolved to such students, whether as food prefect, sanitation prefect, or morning devotion prefect, to carry out delegated responsibilities.

“School prefects carry a little of a teacher’s authority and therefore must demonstrate exemplary conduct,” he added.

The former president, who emphasised leadership principles, urged the students to develop clear missions, visions, and goals, referencing Edwin Locke’s Goal-Setting Theory as a useful framework for personal growth and disciplined planning.

always proudly described himself, he has undisguised love for the country and his state of birth.

"Today's event is thus a celebration of a distinguished Nigerian and an outstanding politician.

"It gladdens my heart when I received the letter from Chief Bode Geroge inviting me to share in the joy of the day with him, his family, friends. The invitation letter to me reflects the Nigerian and Lagos spirit and good neighbourliness.

"The event of today has again demonstrated that, as politicians, though disagree, still, the values that bind us together as members of the same household living in different rooms are more enduring and stronger to us.

"Politically. Chief Olabode George and I have been on the political divide since 1999 but that has never diminished my admiration for him.

"In many ways, today is a very significant day. First, I am most happy for egbon, through the abiding grace of God, turned 80 years in good health despite vicissitudes of life that attended his way.

"Two, I am equally happy

DOWN ON GENOCIDE CLAIM, SAYS NIGERIA FAILED TO PROTECT CITIZENS

The congressman further alleged that violence targeting Christians in the country is worsening.

“The persecution of Christians in Nigeria is escalating out of control. I believe it is now a genocide,” he wrote.

He called for closer cooperation between Abuja and Washington to curb insecurity, saying, “It is up to the Nigerian government to work with the United States to stop the killings and kidnappings of our brothers and sisters in Christ.”

Moore warned that continued attacks could prompt action from the US administration.

“This human tragedy has to end, or else, @POTUS has

made it clear that he will take action to stop this tragedy,” he added.

Tinubu Restates Commitment to Eliminate Terrorists, Bandits

In a related development, President Bola Tinubu has restated his commitment to eliminating terrorists and bandits in the country, insisting that insecurity remains the most troubling challenge facing Nigeria, especially the Northern region.

He said urgent efforts were required to rebuild trust, strengthen unity and restore

safety across communities.

Tinubu, represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr Tajudeen Abbas, spoke at the 25th anniversary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the launch of its Endowment Fund.

The president said insecurity must be tackled decisively to prevent further economic decline and educational setbacks.

Tinubu said, “Nothing troubles me more gravely than the security crisis bedevilling Nigeria, especially Northern Nigeria.

“We cannot prosper when one limb of the national body is paralysed.”

He said his administration inherited complex security challenges but was addressing them with “urgency and determination.”

The president said that the government was committed to eliminating terrorist and bandit groups operating in the North and reversing the region’s economic decline.

He expressed optimism about Northern Nigeria’s economic prospects, saying he looks forward to the day crude oil tankers begin to roll out from Kolmani and other northern oil fields.

Meanwhile, the DirectorGeneral of the DSS, Oluwatosin Ajayi, met with President

and rejoice that he is alive to celebrate today in Lagos, rather than in self-imposed exile. He made a vow on national television that he would go into exile if I were to become President of Nigeria. I pleaded with him that he should have a change of heart, because we would all remain in Nigeria and work together to achieve a peaceful and prosperous Nigeria that was our collective dream.

"Since I became President, Chief George has been very gracious by offering advice and suggestions where necessary through many of his interventions on national issues. I find many of his suggestions very valuable and enriching," the President stated.

"The memoir we are here to launch is a personal account of his life, his early life in Lagos, education, and distinguished military career. As former Military Governor in old Ondo State, his life as a politician and leader in the Peoples Democratic Party, and his public service as Chairman of the Board of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA).

Tinubu to brief him on the country’s security situation following recent abductions and attacks, especially in the northern region of the country.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed the meeting in a post yesterday, noting that Ajayi met with the president at the Presidential Villa on Friday night.

Photos released showed the DSS Chief in the president’s office.

Although no further details of the briefing’s outcome were provided, officials said it focused on the current security situation.

L-R: Executive Director, Intense Group, Foluso Immanuel; Executive Director, Leadway Pensure, Mr. Femi Adebayo; Chief Executive Officer, Intense Group, Leye Makanjuola; Head of Digital Business, Leadway Group, Diana Mulili; Executive Director, Leadway Health, Mr. Temitope Falaiye; Chief Operating Officer, Intense Group, Bukonla Adebakin; and Chief Executive Officer, Leadway Pensure, Mr. Olusakin Labeodan, at the Leadway Digital growth Summit 2025 held in Lagos…recently.

AWARD FOR A GOOD JOB……

L-R: Chief Olusola Oke SAN; Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Gallery Security Services Limited, Senior High Chief Bibopere Ajube; and Ondo State Deputy Governor and representative of the governor, Dr. Olaide Adelani; during the 13th anniversary celebration of the security firm at Agadagba-Obon, Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State…yesterday

Insecurity: South-West Leaders Demand State Police, Indigenous Security Architecture as Senate Holds Regional Summit

Sunday Aborisade

The push for a sweeping overhaul of Nigeria’s security framework gained fresh momentum on Friday as top political leaders, security chiefs, traditional rulers and civil society representatives from the South-West declared that the region could no longer rely solely on centralised policing to combat rising banditry, kidnappings and violent crime.

At the South-West Zonal Security Summit convened in Lagos by the Senate leadership, stakeholders made an emphatic case for state policing, communitydriven security structures, and the deployment of modern

Tributes as LFIM Founder, Moses Oso, is Buried

Sunday Ehigiator

The Christian community in Nigeria has continued to pour tributes following the burial of Pastor Moses Gbenga Oso, the revered Founder and General Overseer of Laughter Foundation International Ministry (LFIM), who passed on recently at the age of 63.

Pastor Oso, fondly called ‘Daddy of a Million Babies’, was laid to rest amid tears, testimonies, and gratitude for a life many described as sacrificial, impactful, and completely poured out in service to God and humanity.

Over the years, Pastor Oso earned the endearing title ‘Daddy of a Million Babies’ after thousands of testimonies of miraculous conceptions were linked to his prayer ministry.

In an emotional tribute, his wife, Dorcas, described him as a man who “poured his entire life into the service of God” with unusual urgency.

“My darling husband, you stopped so suddenly with your task unfinished,” she said. “I supported you in every way; at home, financially, and in ministry. Keep resting in the bosom of your Maker. Your love remains fresh in my heart; until we meet again, rest on, my sweetheart.”

Also speaking, his firstborn, Paul Oso reflected on their father’s generosity, discipline, and deep faith: “You were a giver. Sometimes loudly, sometimes quietly, but always with intention. You documented everything; big or small, because you wanted to

honour life,” he said.

“Dad, you weren’t perfect, but your qualities were worth keeping, and I carry them with pride. Rest easy. We’ll take it from here.”

His daughter, Hannah Oso, remembered him as her “rock and support system,” whose prayers and guidance shaped her path.

“You gave us a sound foundation and never allowed us to lack,” she said. “Your kindness reached far beyond our home… Your legacy lives in me.”

His younger sibling, Pastor Oluwatoyin Oso described him as a brother who stepped in as a father figure after their father’s death.

“You taught me to pray with endurance; to fast purposefully,” she said. “Your footsteps remain impactful. Sleep on, my dear brother.”

Another brother, Dr. Femi Oso, expressed shock at his sudden departure: “You came, you saw, and you conquered. I will surely miss you, boda mi. Rest in peace till we meet to part no more.”

For many members of LFIM, Pastor Oso was more than a preacher; he was God’s instrument in their most desperate moments.

Deaconess Funmi Komolafe, speaking on behalf of her family, said: “Our beloved Pastor, how can I forget how God used you to break the yoke of barrenness in my marriage? You were compassionate and kind to many. The covenant God had with you lives on. Good night, Daddy of a million babies.”

surveillance technology, insisting that the country had reached a defining moment in the fight against insecurity.

Chairman of the South-West hearings of the Senate’s ad-hoc Committee on the National Security Summit, Senator Tokunbo Abiru, said the region must urgently fortify itself against the spread of terror networks and violent groups that have destabilised other parts of the country.

Abiru, according to a statement by his Media Aide, Eni Olukotun yesterday, warned that the red flags were already visible.

The Senator represents Lagos East and he is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions. Abiru on the occasion said, “While the South-West has not experienced the full brunt of terrorism as in

some other regions, the rise in banditry, kidnapping and violent crimes across our states is deeply troubling.

“Our villages and farmlands have come under increasing threat; farmer-herder clashes have intensified; our highways have seen more daring incidents.

The reported Lakurawa incursion into parts of Kwara and Kogi underscores the urgent need for proactive measures. If decisive action is not taken, the danger could spill fully into the South-West.”

He stressed that the region must not permit “a sanctuary for criminality or a battleground for those who seek to destabilise our nation.”

He urged residents, communities and institutions to “use every resource, human, material and technological, to defend our communities.”

Calling for unity and vigilance, Abiru said, “Security is a collective responsibility. We must build trust, stay vigilant, and report suspicious activities promptly.”

“No effort is too small in the quest to secure the South-West zone and our nation,” he added.

He also charged the media to support peace-building, saying journalists must “promote narratives that strengthen unity, inspire confidence, and avoid framing national challenges along ethnic or religious lines.”

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the CEO of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, Dr. Ayodele Ogunsan, declared that regional collaboration had become indispensable.

He said the governors of the South-West must strengthen the Amotekun Corps and equip

it with modern tools and a unified structure capable of cross-state operations.

Sanwo-Olu said, “As governors of this region, we must reaffirm our commitment to a regional security framework, which includes transforming Amotekun into a more unified, well-equipped, technologydriven command.

He emphasised that traditional rulers remained critical in intelligence gathering, noting: “No one knows the heartbeat of local communities better than they do.” Sanwo-Olu linked security directly to economic well-being, warning that insecurity “disrupts markets, farmlands, transportation, and investment,” thereby threatening livelihoods and GDP growth.

“A region that cannot promise safety cannot promise prosperity either,” he added.

Ahead of Resumption of Oil Exploration in Ogoniland, FG Engages Stakeholders in Confidence-building Efforts

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The federal government has commenced confidence-building in line with the agreement it reached with Ogoni leaders as part of the efforts to resume oil exploration in Ogoniland.

It was gathered that the government had already started the rehabilitation of four key health facilities such as the General Hospitals each in Eleme, Khana,

Terabor; and health centre K-Dere in Gokana.

The Ogoni leaders had demanded the establishment of the Federal University of Environment and Technology, Saakpenwa/Koroma; reconstruction of the Eleme section of the East-West Road; and consideration of qualified Ogonis for employment at NNPC Limited as well as interventions on critical infrastructures in Ogoniland.

While most of the demands had been met, it was gathered

that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu dispatched a monitoring team from the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) led by Director of Energy Security, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree; Special Assistant to the NSA, Goodluck Ebelo, and Secretary of the Energy Security Working Group, Prince Austin Kabari, to the area to facilitate the engagements.

The monitoring team reportedly visited key locations such

as the East-West Road, the Federal University of Environment and Technology campus, health facilities, and the proposed site for an industrial park, among others to see the extent of work.

Speaking at the weekend, the Acting Chairman of the NyoKhana Area Council of Chiefs and Elders, Mene Sunday Kabari-Nule, confirmed that progress was being recorded and expressed the hope that the hospital projects would help combat sicknesses in the area.

WAEC Insists Migration to Computer-Based Examinations on Course Amid Suspension Rumour

Funmi Ogundare

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) at the weekend, said it had not received any formal directive from the National Assembly to suspend its planned migration of the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) to Computer-Based Examinations (CBE).

The examination body insisted that the phased transition, scheduled to begin with pilot testing in 2026, remains on course.

The Head of the Nigeria National Office (HNO), Dr. Amos Dangut, made this known while briefing journalists after the 63rd Nigeria National Council (NNC) meeting in Umuahia, Abia state, amid widespread reports that the House of Representatives had

resolved to halt the initiative.

Dangut stressed that only an official communication, not media reports or public debate, could alter WAEC’s implementation plan.

“As we speak, we are only hearing that there is a discourse at the National Assembly. We have searched and found no formal communication,” he said.

“WAEC is a structured

organisation; we act only on official directives. Whenever any directive reaches us, we will consider it and take the decision that best promotes learning and sustainable human development.” He faulted what he described as misinterpretations of WAEC’s intentions, noting that the council never announced that all schools would write the 2026 WASSCE using computers.

in Abuja

Editor: Festus Akanbi

08038588469 Email:festus.akanbi@thisdaylive.com

As NAFDAC Mounts Pressure to End Alcohol in Sachets

The federal government has drawn a firm line in the sand, urging alcohol manufacturers to abandon sachet production and shift entirely to larger bottles and plastic containers. The move marks a decisive push to curb underage drinking and rising health risks as the December 2025 deadline approaches. Will the manufacturers fight back? Festus Akanbi asks

In the shadowed corridors of Nigeria’s economic heart, where the hum of bottling lines meets the clamour of street markets, a quiet national storm is gathering over sachet alcohol. These tiny packets, sold for as little as N100, offer fleeting comfort to the working poor but expose deeper social fractures. by December 2025, that storm will break. Armed with a fresh Senate directive, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is preparing to enforce a long-delayed ban on the production and sale of these miniature spirits.

The move stems from a 2018 agreement with industry leaders, repeatedly extended, and now finally hardening into law. But the manufacturers Association of Nigeria (mAN) warns of an impending economic shock: N1.9 trillion in investments at risk and hundreds of thousands of jobs potentially swept away. What is unfolding is not just a packaging dispute, but a collision of public health, industrial survival, and national identity.

The 2018 Agreement

This moment traces back to an accord forged in 2018 between the Federal ministry of Health, NAFDAC, the Distillers and blendersAssociation of Nigeria (DIbAN), and other industry bodies. That memorandum of Understanding (moU) proposed a phased withdrawal of sachets and all alcohol containers under 200ml by January 2024. regulators argued that the small, cheap packets fed rising addiction and underage drinking; manufacturers sought time to retool. but implementation faltered. Despite warnings and a clear timeline, producers continued churning out sachets, citing market realities, consumer demand, and investment costs. by 2023, it was clear that compliance had stalled, prompting industry appeals for another grace period.

The Final Deadline

Those appeals came to a head in Lagos, where DIbAN-led protests warned of mass job losses. NAFDAC responded with what it called a final extension to December 2025. Yet rather than resolve tensions, the extra time emboldened resistance. In November 2025, the Senate drew a line. Led by Senator Asuquo ekpenyong, the Senate passed a resolution ordering NAFDAC to enforce the ban without further delay.

To ekpenyong, sachet alcohol’s danger lay in its simplicity: cheap, discreet, and easily

smuggled into the hands of children, teenagers, motorcyclists, and drivers navigating busy roads. The Senate cited evidence linking sachets to underage drinking, reckless behaviour, and rising road accidents. The chamber’s message was unambiguous: the era of sachet alcohol must end.

A Clash of Imperatives

NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. mojisola Adeyeye, frames the ban as an act of protection, not punishment. At a November 2025 press briefing, she insisted the measure is grounded in clear scientific evidence of harm. Enforcement, she vowed, would begin in January 2026, with security agencies assisting in raids and market surveillance. No additional extension will be entertained.

mAN’s Director-General, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, counters with an economic ledger. He describes the ban as “counterproductive,” warning that it contradicts earlier agreements and could open Nigeria’s markets to a flood of unregulated imports. For mAN, the real solution lies in adopting the long-delayed Nigeria National Alcohol Policy, which emphasises taxation, education, and controlled marketing, not outright prohibition of a product category. Ajayi-Kadir argues that this more balanced, multisectoral approach would protect jobs while curbing abuse.

The Financial Stakes behind the debate lies a robust sector woven deeply into the Nigerian economy. Nigeria’s alcohol industry has long been a revenue engine. In 2019, beer alone generated $2.29 billion (N3.30 trillion), while the government collected $526.2 million (N758.60 billion) in taxes. even amidst inflation and currency instability, the sector proved resilient: by 2024, revenues rose to N2.1 trillion, up nearly 80% year-on-year. beer dominated volumes, sustained by social and cultural demand, while spirits saw increased patronage from value-seeking consumers.

Projections suggest even greater growth ahead. Statista forecasts combined at-home and out-of-home alcoholic beverage revenue hitting $40.1 billion (N57.78 trillion) in 2025, with nearly 10% annual growth through 2029. This ecosystem spans barley and sorghum farmers, glass manufacturers, logistics firms, and thousands of distributors nationwide.

mAN argues that sachet production represents a substantial portion of this chain, with N1.9 trillion in indigenous investment and more than 500,000 direct jobs linked to the value chain. Including transporters, retailers, and informal vendors, DIbAN estimates that 5.5 million people

are indirect beneficiaries.

A sudden ban, they warn, could fracture capacity utilisation in the food and beverage sector, which forms 1.5% of GDP. recent operations have only just begun to stabilise after the pandemic; disruption now could weaken local entrepreneurship and incentivise smuggling.

Already, Lagos authorities seized N500 million worth of counterfeit alcohol in 2024 alone. Civil society groups like Stand Up Nigeria label the planned ban “hasty and undemocratic,” arguing it undermines President Tinubu’s renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises indigenous industry.

Health Consequences

Yet behind the economic anxieties lies a formidable body of public health evidence. Sachet alcohols often contain high-proof spirits of 30–40% Abv, packaged cheaply and easily concealed. A 2020 study in Ibadan found that 28.5% of adolescents aged 10–19 consumed alcohol in the previous year, with sachets cited as a primary facilitator. The same study linked sachet use to risky sexual behaviour, with 33.6% of adolescent drinkers reporting consumption before their last sexual encounter.

more recent 2024 data from the Network for Health equity and Development (NHeD) reveal a harmful alcohol use prevalence of 34.3%, with much higher rates among men and rural dwellers. Five per cent of users report clinical dependence. WHo data show Nigeria ranking high globally for heavy episodic drinking, with unrecorded beverages, including illicit and homemade spirits, making up 36% of total consumption.

The medical consequences are sobering. The Nigerian medical Association reports rising cases of liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis, and alcohol-induced psychiatric conditions. Alcohol contributes to 26% of road traffic deaths and worsens hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Among the poor, the impact is especially devastating, exposing young people to cognitive impairment, addiction, and lifelong health problems.

beyond health, alcohol’s social costs are immense: violence, family breakdown, reduced productivity, and massive healthcare expenditures. CAPPA estimates alcohol-attributable health costs exceed N200 billion annually, while alcohol-related productivity losses erode up to 2.5% of GDP.

Evidence and Rebuttals

Public health groups reject mAN’s economic alarm bells. NHeD and CAPPA argue that the claimed job losses are exaggerated because sachet production relies heavily on automation

rather than large-scale manual labour. They note international parallels: when Thailand, Uganda, Ireland, and Scotland introduced packaging restrictions and pricing controls, youth consumption fell sharply without producing economic collapse. Uganda’s 2019 ban on sachet alcohol did not destroy jobs; instead, manufacturers transitioned to larger bottle sizes.

Global evidence aligns with these findings. WHo reports that well-designed alcohol regulations, including restrictions on packaging, marketing, and pricing, consistently reduce harm. Scotland saw alcohol-related deaths fall by 10% after minimum unit pricing. South Africa recorded an 18% drop in youth binge drinking following targeted restrictions.

Illicit

Markets and Policy Options

both sides acknowledge a looming threat: illicit alcohol. Nigeria already has a deep black market, with 36% of consumption unrecorded and counterfeit seizures on the rise. Critics argue that banning regulated sachet products could push consumers towards more dangerous, unregulated brews. Supporters counter that the ban removes the gateway product that fuels the problem and enables more vigorous enforcement.

The challenge, then, is not simply whether to ban, but how to manage the transition. WHo’s SAFer initiative, a package of measures including advertising restrictions, enforcement, and pricing, has proven effective in many countries. Nigeria’s dormant NationalAlcohol Policy offers a similar blueprint, calling for comprehensive, collaborative action across sectors.

A National Crossroads

The debate over sachet alcohol reveals Nigeria’s deeper tension between economic survival and public health. The alcohol sector is a powerful engine, generating trillions of naira and sustaining millions of livelihoods. but the human toll of excessive alcohol consumption is equally staggering, from hospital wards to highways to homes fractured by addiction.

As the final deadline approaches, Nigeria stands at a crossroads. It can enforce the ban with sensitivity, offering support to manufacturers transitioning to new formats, retraining workers, and activating the National Alcohol Policy, or allow the issue to spiral into economic and social chaos. The sachet may be small, but its implications are vast. The challenge is to craft a policy that protects both public welfare and economic stability, a suture, not a severance, in the country’s quest for balanced progress.

Some brands of sachet alcoholic drinks on display

Fuel Duty U-Turn Deepens Uncertainty Over Energy Reform

Nigeria’s abrupt suspension of the newly approved 15% fuel import duty has thrown the country’s energy reform agenda into fresh doubt. What was meant to strengthen local refining has instead reignited fears of policy inconsistency and deepened uncertainty across the downstream sector, reports Festus Akanbi

Nigeria has once again reversed course on a policy it had only just embraced, retreating from a decision that was meant to signal a bold new beginning for its troubled downstream petroleum sector.

In a quiet but consequential announcement, the Nigerian midstream and Downstream Petroleum regulatory Authority suspended the newly approved 15 per cent ad valorem import duty on petrol and diesel, only three weeks after President bola Tinubu gave the measure his formal backing.

The reversal has stunned industry stakeholders, unsettled investors, and revived the longstanding debate over why a country that pumps millions of barrels of crude oil daily remains chained to fuel imports. It has also forced Nigerians to confront the deeper question of whether the nation has the political will to pursue the painful reforms required for genuine energy independence.

A Turning Point

When the policy was first approved on 21 October 2025, domestic refiners hailed it as a turning point. For decades, Nigeria has relied on imported petrol and diesel, a dependence that drains scarce foreign exchange and leaves the economy vulnerable to global price shocks. The 15 per cent duty was intended to narrow the price gap between imported fuel and locally refined products.

Conserving Foreign Reserves

The Federal Inland revenue Service Chairman, Zacch Adedeji, had championed the proposal because imported fuel enjoyed structural cost advantages that made it nearly impossible for domestic refineries to compete. A modest duty, he argued, would encourage local refining, conserve foreign reserves and eventually produce a more resilient energy market.

The approval was greeted with enthusiasm from the Dangote Refinery, the continent’s largest single-train plant, which has been ramping up production and currently supplies tens of millions of litres of petrol and diesel daily. Industry bodies, think tanks and business associations quickly echoed the sentiment, celebrating the duty as a policy correction that aligned Nigeria with the strategic industrialisation paths taken by China, India, South Korea and even the United States.

Opposition figures accused the government of insensitivity and warned that the duty would push petrol prices beyond N1,200. energy economists cautioned that with imported products still accounting for the majority of national consumption, the duty risked imposing immediate suffering on consumers while leaving local refiners with an unearned windfall.

LCCI Calls for Caution

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry urged a delay until a reliable naira-for-crude supply system was secured for domestic refiners, arguing that the inability of local plants to obtain crude at competitive rates would undermine the intended benefits of the policy.

For weeks, the duty existed in a state of uncertainty. Though approved, it was never gazetted, and confusion persisted among importers, marketers, and state-owned entities such as the NNPC about when, or even whether, enforcement would begin. The ambiguity created anxiety across the downstream sector, as market participants considered the possibility of price hikes, supply disruptions and renewed hoarding. Then, almost without ceremony, the NmDPrA announced that implementation of the duty was “no longer in view”. It insisted

that national fuel supply remained stable and warned marketers against hoarding or panic-driven price increases.

Postponing Pain

The immediate consequence of the suspension is relief for consumers, transporters and manufacturers who feared yet another escalation in fuel prices. by keeping imported fuel cheaper than it would have been under the duty regime, the government has postponed the pain that many Nigerians braced for. For businesses already struggling with high logistics costs, currency volatility and shrinking purchasing power, the suspension offers temporary breathing space. Importers and marketers are also satisfied, as the removal of the proposed duty allows them to continue sourcing fuel at competitive international rates without additional levies.

The fallout for domestic refiners, however, is far more severe. The Dangote Refinery, which was built at a cost exceeding $20 billion, had counted on a more level competitive field to justify its massive investment. Without the duty, imported products, often backed by cheaper european credit, favourable shipping arrangements or transfer-pricing practices that artificially lower their landing cost, will continue to undercut locally refined fuel. Modular refineries, which were counting on a period of protection to scale operations or reach financial closure, feel particularly exposed. many of these smaller plants were struggling even before the suspension, challenged by inconsistent feedstock supplies, inadequate financing and an unpredictable regulatory environment. For them, the suspension is more than an inconvenience; it is potentially an existential threat.

CPPE Expresses Reservation

The Centre for the Promotion of Private enterprise wasted no time condemning the reversal. Its chief executive, Dr. muda Yusuf, described the suspension as a blow to industrial development and warned that

investor confidence in the refining sector may suffer lasting damage. According to him, abandoning the duty without establishing a competitive crude supply arrangement creates a lop-sided market in which imported fuel dominates and domestic production atrophies. He argued that until Nigeria can guarantee transparent and affordable crude supply for local refiners, any attempt to build a self-sustaining refining industry will be undermined by policy hesitation.

The saga has revealed long-standing structural weaknesses that continue to obstruct Nigeria’s refining ambitions. Chief among these is the persistent failure to establish a reliable domestic crude supply framework. Despite provisions in the Petroleum Industry Act mandating a domestic supply obligation, refiners still obtain most of their crude in dollars and at international market prices. A naira-based supply scheme exists in theory but remains opaque, inconsistently applied and limited in scale.

As long as local refiners are forced to buy crude at rates comparable to international buyers, their ability to compete with cheaper imports will remain compromised. This challenge precedes the current administration and has crippled multiple attempts to revive Nigeria’s refining sector.

The second fault-line is regulatory inconsistency. Nigeria has a long history of announcing ambitious policies only to reverse them at the slightest political pressure. Investors who watched the duty rise and fall within three weeks are acutely aware of this tendency and may hesitate to commit further capital in an environment where government policy is unpredictable. This inconsistency is especially damaging for modular refineries, many of which rely heavily on long-term financing arrangements that require policy stability to remain viable.

A third challenge is the entrenched power of fuel import interests. The fuel import ecosystem is large, politically connected, and lucrative, and any policy that threatens to reduce import volumes faces strong resistance. Although the government has repeatedly expressed a desire to encourage domestic refining, the influence of import-dependent networks remains potent and often shapes policy outcomes behind the scenes.

Above these factors lies the unavoidable politi-

cal reality: Nigerians are exhausted, financially strained and increasingly resistant to policies that raise the cost of living. The administration’s decision to suspend the duty appears driven in part by fear of social unrest and the political difficulty of convincing citizens, many of whom already feel betrayed by the fuel subsidy removal of may 2023, that yet another price hike is necessary for long-term national gain.

While presidency officials insist that the duty has been deferred rather than abandoned, and hint that a technical committee is working on compromise options such as phased tariffs or reduced rates coupled with guaranteed nairadenominated crude supply, confidence remains low. Investors have seen too many committees, reports, and announcements collapse into inaction. Nigeria’s refining policy has been trapped in this announcement-and-retreat cycle for decades, and many believe the suspension of the duty is yet another example.

The suspension, though politically expedient, is economically costly. It preserves the status quo in which Nigeria, one of Africa’s largest oil producers, continues to rely heavily on foreign refiners. It ensures that billions of dollars in scarce foreign exchange will continue to flow out of the country annually to pay for imported goods. It delays the growth of domestic capacity and weakens the financial viability of local refining projects. Yet it is equally valid to argue that imposing the full duty without first addressing crude supply challenges would have burdened citizens and rewarded only a small group of producers. The government was trapped between two unappealing choices and chose the path of least immediate political pain.

The logical path forward requires careful sequencing rather than abrupt policy swings. Nigeria must first establish transparent, enforceable and accessible crude supply agreements for domestic refiners. only after local plants can obtain crude at predictable and competitive terms should the government introduce gradual protection that encourages domestic production without imposing a sudden shock on consumers. Anything less risks creating a policy landscape driven by pressure rather than planning.

A container-laden vessel

Musa Adede:

High Taxes, Cost of Aircraft Maintenance Overseas Impinge on Viability of Airline Business in Nigeria

Senator Musa Adede, owner of King Airlines Limited, one of the oldest business jet companies in Nigeria, said to make Nigerian airlines grow and become profitable, government must have to cut down taxes paid by the operators. He also spoke on air safety; high cost of aircraft checks and the need to have more domestic aircraft maintenance facilities in Nigeria. Chinedu Eze brings excerpts:

How does Nigeria compare with other Africancountriesintermsofaviation costsandinfrastructure?

Nigeria ranks among the most expensive countries in Africa for air travel. According to the African Airlines Association (AFrAA) reports, we are third or fourth in charges. meanwhile, countries like South Africa, ethiopia, and Senegal have modernised their airports during CovID-19, improving efficiency and passenger experience. To compete regionally, Nigeria must prioritise airport upgrades, streamline fees, and support airlines with domestic mros and equipment concessions.

Whatrecommendationswouldyougivethegovernment tostrengthentheaviationsector?

There are key recommendations that will help the aviation industry. These recommendations are reduction of taxes and levies on passengers and airlines to improve profitability, support for domestic maintenance repair and overhaul (mro) development through concessions and customs exemptions, upgrade of airport infrastructure to international standards to include boarding bridges, lifts, conveyor belts, control towers, and air conditioning systems. There is need to ensure that regulatory oversight remains transparent, consistent, and effective.

There should be harmonisation of regional fees and procedures to support initiatives like the Single Africa Air Transport Market (SAATM). With these measures, airlines can operate more efficiently, enhance safety, reduce capital flight, and compete regionally and internationally. You see, many stories are written about aviation problems, but a few propose genuine solutions. Some urgent priorities include the construction of a second runway at Abuja airport for overflight and security reasons; ensuring all airports operate 24 hours with proper lighting and encouraging foreign airlines to employ qualified Nigerian pilots and staff, given the number of unemployed qualified Nigerians in this sector.

YoutalkedaboutadditionalMROdevelopment;arethe domesticMROsthatwehavecurrentlyinsufficient?

Yes. Domestic MROs—including the one in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, ExecuJet, and Aero—are necessary but not enough. Sending aircraft abroad for maintenance is expensive and inefficient. Domestic facilities allow airlines to oversee maintenance work directly, reduce aircraft downtime, build local expertise and enhance safety. MROs handle avionics, wheels and brakes, landing gear, and structural checks. Major inspections involve disassembling interiors, inspecting for corrosion, reassembling, and test flights. There should be government support through customs concessions. This is vital to encourage investment and reduce costs.

Whatistheroleofdomesticaircraftmaintenancefacilities inimprovingtheaviationindustry?

Domestic MROs reduce capital flight, create jobs, and enhance safety by keeping aircraft maintenance local. Airline engineers can monitor work directly, ensuring quality and transparency. The government should provide incentives, such as customs exemptions on equipment, to encourage investment in mro facilities. This supports training, local expertise development, and faster aircraft turnaround times. I am sure you have been to Dubai. Do you see the number of aircraft maintenance hangars? I don’t think the mros we have, including what Air Peace is going to build, is too much. No, it’s not. Okay. If you know the amount of money airlines spend to fly airplanes out of the country for maintenance and fly them back. If you look at the fuel costs, if you look at the maintenance itself, if you look at the crew costs, landing, all of that, having MRO here is good. To ferry a plane to and fro empty is costing you a lot of money. You may ferry the airplane there for maintenance and they finish fixing it, but on your way back, you can lose your radar. If you are not too far from your point of departure, you may have to go back there for them to fix it. Because you can’t continue, let’s say, from Johannesburg to Lagos or from London to Lagos. It is impossible. But if you have the MRO here, you have to understand the concept of an MRO. There are different departments in the maintenance of

the organisation.

Howwillgovernmentaviationreforms,lessorsoffering Nigerianairlinesaircraftondryleasearrangement,impact theindustry?

Dry lease arrangements are a positive step, but not a complete solution. Airlines still face high operational costs due to taxes, levies, and infrastructure limitations. Airport upgrades are also essential. For example, runways 18Land 18R at Lagos airport could be extended for 24-hour operations. Many African countries have modernised airports efficiently during COVID-19, but Nigeria has lagged behind.

Upgrading Murtala Muhammed InternationalAirport (MMIA) and other airports involves relatively simple interventions: boarding bridges, conveyor belts, lifts, and air conditioning. These improvements enhance efficiency, safety, and passenger experience without requiring entirely new construction.

HowdotaxesandothercostsofoperationimpactonNigerian airlines’viability?

Nigerian airlines face high taxes and levies, which reduce profitability. For example, on a ticket to Accra, taxes may exceed $180, while the airline earns less than $100. Despite these constraints, airlines remain operational, expand routes, and invest in infrastructure. Profit margins in aviation are typically only 2–3%, so minimising operational costs is essential for sustainability.

Recently, a former Governor of Abia State and Senator representingAbiaNorthSenatorialDistrict,OrjiUzorKalu, madeaseriousallegationthatmostNigerianpilotsareunder theinfluenceofalcohol.Whatracedthroughyourmindwhen youreadhisallegationsontheflooroftheSenate?

The reason you have two crew members in the cockpit is for safety reasons. And if you find that one of them is under alcohol, then you have to inform the crew member, the other flight crew members, because it’s a safety matter. And not many people know that all over the world, there are regulations guiding flight operations. So, when you see a pilot coming in to fly, that pilot must have maintained a minimum crew rest period. Under which he must never be under any alcoholic influence or drugs. But in the event that it is found, then you have to report it. And in this case, if Senator Oji Uzor Kalu found someone, did he report that pilot on that flight or did he allow the flight to continue?

That is question number one. If any of these two questions were answered in the affirmative or otherwise, the next thing he would have done, having been an operator before, he owned Slok Airlines before, he would have brought this to the notice of the leadership of the Senate and the Senate committee chairman on aviation, where they would have further taken this matter up with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, which is the regulatory body for all of this, and to fish out that person. If found guilty, disciplinary action will be taken.

We have seen it in foreign airlines. They catch a drunk pilot, they take appropriate action, and you are suspended. I am not holding brief for Captain Najomo, but I know that he’s a very seasoned captain in the industry. He has managed scheduled airlines. He has flown as a captain himself. He has been the CEO of a company. He knows the regulations. So, he would never compromise on safety when it comes to safety of airplanes. Therefore, I think Orji Uzor Kalu owns the industry details of whoever he found in that state, because that is the only way he can save the industry, by reporting the matter.

That in my mind that is what I think he would have done. In recapping, was it wrong for him to come to the floor of the Senate to make such allegations? You must first explore all the opportunities, especially when you have not provided the evidence. If you are on the floor of the Senate and you have said, B737-500 flying with me, and the pilot’s names are on so and so date, then it now shows that he has come up with factual information. even though he may still have factual information, he still owes the Civil Aviation Authority the duty to inform them of who that individual was, so that they can take appropriate action. I think that is one thing that should have gone. And then he also talked about our pilots not being able to fly even a B737-500. They are on automatic. I don’t know if you remember. With these kinds of remarks made by my friends, it will send negative messages and signals to not just the lessors, but also the insurance companies and others. Our insurance premiums are extremely high in Nigeria. This kind of statements should be curtailed. We should learn to manage information in a way that it will not create problems for the industry. But of course, yes, I must say that the minister has done so much.

Severalstatesareestablishingairlines—Enugu,Bayelsa, Ogun(planningGatewayAirlines),CrossRiver,andAkwa Ibomarealreadyestablished.Somecriticsseethisasmoney laundering,thoughaircraftimportationhasincreaseddomestic passengercapacityandmayhavehelpedreduceticketcosts. Howdoyouseeit?

Since the removal of fuel subsidy, state and local governments have seen significant windfalls. In some cases, their FAAC allocations have probably quadrupled. With full local government autonomy granted by Mr. President, these allocations now go directly to the local governments. Given the type of country we are, every businessman—especially foreigners operating here—has proposals on how to spend their money. For some, investing in aircraft becomes a viable option. The importation of aircraft has indeed increased passenger capacity domestically and may have helped temper ticket prices compared to the past.

ThereareinsinuationsinsomequartersthatNigerianpilots arenotcapableofoperatingautomatedaircraftliketheBoeing 737-500.Thissoundsunbelievable;butasanairlineandaircraft owner,whatisyourtakeonthis?

Some statements about pilots not being able to operate the Boeing B737-500 are inaccurate. The B737-500 is equipped with an Automatic Flight Control System (AFDS), which supports autoland—but only if the aircraft has the autoland option installed and the destination airport has a suitable Instrument Landing System (ILS), certified for Category II or III operations. For example, Abuja Airport is Category II certified, while Lagos is not. So, the aircraft’s ability to perform an automatic landing depends on both its equipment and the airport’s infrastructure. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) strictly enforces regulations, ensuring that aircraft meet minimum equipment requirements. Mandatory systems like the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) are essential for safe operations.

• Adede

NIGERIA’S

COP30

CLIMATE COMMITMENTS AND CONTRARY CONDUCT

The dispute between the FCT Minister and military officials over 30 hectares of land should serve as a catalyst to Nigeria’s commitment to its climate objectives, argues CHUKWUEMEKA UWANAKA

At the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) held in Brazil from 10 to 21 November 2025, Vice President Kashim Shettima had stressed to the global audience, that Nigeria’s renewed climate agenda was anchored on ‘a solemn national commitment to preserve the planet for future generations’, while urging them to appreciate the economic value of nature, in adopting funding mechanisms for ecosystems restoration and protection that are predictable, accessible and equitable. However, the recent public discord between Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister and Nigerian military officials over a plot of land in Nigeria’s FCT, underscores some of the failures with Nigeria’s conduct that can make development and funding partners skeptical about Nigeria’s commitments to climate and environmental protection.

What then is nexus between Nigeria’s COP30 commitments and the FCT land under contest? Records from the FCT administration show that the contested land forms part of a contiguous 30 hectares of green space for the Gaduwa district of Nigeria’s FCT, under the management of the FCT Authority’s Parks and Garden department.

Therefore, that a green space which forms a part of Nigeria’s carbon sink ecosystem in the country’s capital is being converted to urban concrete - at a time when the federal government is advocating for more accessible climate due to its compliance with ecosystem protection and environmental restoration at the COP30 premier UN climate event, is a policy signal that can connote noncompliance with its climate goals, thereby negating the chances of accessing more climate financing opportunities.

Given the huge publicity generated by the altercation at the land site, the event however provides an opportunity for the government to reaffirm it’s pledges made at the UN COP30 by Vice President Shettima, by publicly restoring the location to a green space- as originally designed. This will signal to climate investors at COP30 in Brazil and across the world, that Nigeria is committed to meeting its climate and environmental obligations.

With Nigeria facing fiscal constraints and budget deficits with its GDP of $243 billion for over 200 million people, accessing investments from the buoyant global climate finance sector, which saw $2. 1 trillion investment in 2024 for low-carbon energy transition according to BloombergNEF, will be a significant economic boost.

From a policy perspective, restoring the area to its green design aligns with the policy objectives of FCT Minister, who had on assumption of office in 2023, identified the restoration green areas and parks as one of his major policy objectives. The minister’s environmental restoration policy was well received at the time, given that Abuja was planned to have 40 percent green cover.

The Minister’s 2023 environmental policy objective was coming on the back of somewhat interesting statements by his predecessor in office, Muhammad Bello. Bello, while handing over at the end of his 2015-2023 tenure as FCT Minister, had warned that the sustainability of Abuja’s environment was at risk. In his words, ‘In the next two years, the Jabi Lake may dry up due to encroachment because once you lose environment, vegetation, and water bodies, it is impossible to regain them’.

For a city that bore huge socioeconomic costs especially from 2003-2007 efforts that led to the restoration of its green and efficient status, the fact that a minister who spent eight years in office will be complaining about threats to the city’s environmental sustainability, situates the hopes expressed when the current minister assumed office.

Utilizing the opportunity of restoring the Gaduwa district green area, the minister and the federal government should also restore major green areas and water bodies in the city that have been built on, such as the popular Zone Six Berger roundabout greenery, Ministers Hill Maitama, Jabi Lake green area, and the Katampe Extension diplomatic zone. Given the large diplomatic presence in Abuja, such restoration efforts can communicate to the international community through the reports from diplomatic countries to their home countries, that Nigeria is demonstrating clear commitments to environmental and climate protection, and should have increased access to climate investment opportunities. Also, there should be prosecution of land use violators, and approving officials to serve as deterrence to others, and sustain environmental protection.

And there are multilateral climate investment organisations that Nigeria is potentially able to attract more investments from, if the optics are better. They include the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), whose CEO is the Nigerian-American Tariye Gbadegesin. With $12.5B pledged, the CIF is one of the largest active climate finance mechanisms in the world, and is the only climate fund working exclusively through six multilateral development banks (MDBs), with the World Bank Group including the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Development Bank (EBRD), and the Inter-American Development Bank, as implementing partners for its climate action projects in over 80 developing countries. CIF has approved funding of $7.7bn,and expected co-financing of $73.1bn consisting of government $9.8bn; bilateral / others $16.8bn; MDBs $23.2bn; and private sector $23.2bn.

CIF is composed of two funds: the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF), both supporting different programs focused on specific areas of climate action such as Accelerating Coal Transition (ACT) Investment Program; Climate Smart Cities Program; Forest Investment Program (FIP); Industry Decarbonization Program; Nature, People and Climate Investment Program (NPC); Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR); Renewable Energy Integration Program (REI); Scaling up Renewable Energy Program in Low Income Countries (SREP); and Global Energy Storage Program (GESP).

Though CIF has channeled over USD62 billion in co-financing into climate change mitigation and adaptation in developing countries, Nigeria has just one CIF approved project of $2.1 million funding, with expected co-financing of projects at $75 million.

China will continue to work with Nigeria and other African countries to build a closer community, writes YU

DUNHAI

AN OPEN CHINA FOR A SHARED FUTURE

Not long ago, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was convened in Beijing. During the session, the document, Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, was deliberated and adopted, charting the course for China’s development over the next five years.

The plenum called for steadily expanding institutional opening-up, safeguarding the multilateral trading system, promoting broader international economic flows, and advancing reform and development through opening-up, thereby creating broader space for China and the world to share development opportunities.

In early November, the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) was successfully held in Shanghai. As the first major economic and diplomatic event following the Fourth Plenary Session, this year’s CIIE not only demonstrated the vast potential of the Chinese market but also served as a platform for global partners, including Nigeria, to connect and collaborate.

Nigeria participated in the Expo a Guest Country of Honor. During the event, the Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House of Representatives, attended and addressed the opening ceremony.Chinese Premier Li Qiang held a productive meeting with the Hon. Abbas and his delegation. Building on these high-level engagements, Nigeria’s presence was further highlighted at its national pavilion.

Showcasing the country’s economic achievements, investment potential, and highquality products, the Nigeria Pavilion attracted considerable attention from Chinese buyers and investment institutions. Nigerian businesses used this platform to gain direct access to China’s vast market and enhance their brand visibility through exchanges with international exhibitors. Key Nigerian exports—such as agricultural products, processed foods, and creative industry goods—continued to be well-received by Chinese consumers, injecting new vitality into bilateral economic and trade relations.

This year, the CIIE upgraded its special exhibition zone for products from the world’s least developed countries, many of which are from Africa. This upgrade enabled enterprises and products from all 53 African countries that have diplomatic ties with China to fully benefit from zerotariff treatment. More than 80 business associations from over 50 countries and regions participated as groups, underscoring the CIIE’s unique role in supporting global small and medium-sized enterprises. The Hongqiao International Economic Forum, held in tandem with the CIIE, focused for the first time on the themes of“economic

resilience” and “sustainable agricultural development” in the Global South, further demonstrating China’s commitment to advancing hand in hand with developing countries.

Over the past five years, China’s economy has maintained steady growth amid a complex international environment. By the end of 2025, China’s total economic output is expected to reach around 140 trillion yuan (approximately USD 19.4 trillion), contributing about 30% to global economic growth. China has continued to promote technological innovation and green transformation while further expanding opening up, creating new opportunities for global cooperation.

Nigeria, as a major African economy with a young population and vast market potential, has seen its relations with China enter a fast track of development under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state. Bilateral trade has grown steadily, surpassing USD 20 billion in the first three quarters of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 32.56%. China has remained one of Nigeria’s top trading partners for many years. The two countries have achieved fruitful cooperation in energy, agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, and the digital economy, while also exploring new opportunities in green transformation and emerging industries.

The year 2026 will mark the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nigeria. China is ready to take this opportunity to deepen the alignment of development strategies with Nigeria, effectively connecting China’s 15th FiveYear Plan with Nigeria’s “Renewed Hope” Agenda, expand practical cooperation across multiple fields, and support Nigeria’s industrial and agricultural modernization.

Today, the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. China cannot be separated from the world in achieving development, and the world also needs China for prosperity. No matter how the international landscape evolves, China’s determination to expand high-level opening up will remain unchanged; its resolve to share development opportunities with the world will remain unchanged; and its commitment to promoting open, inclusive, balanced, and win-win economic globalization will remain unchanged. China will continue to advance high-level opening up, work together with Nigeria and other African countries to build a closer China-Africa community with a shared future, and jointly create a better future defined by openness, cooperation, and mutual benefit.

Dunhai is Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria

Dr. Uwanaka writes from African University of Science and Technology, Abuja. chukweks@yahoo. com

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA

Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

VIP POLICING AMID NATIONAL SECURITY CRISES

The police should be restricted to their primary duty of enforcing laws, and preventing crime

Despite the surging insecurity across the country, about one-third of the operational police strength is deployed to protect politicians and other Very Important Persons (VIP), according to a recent report by the European Union Agency for Asylum. This is an indicting report that should ordinarily compel a serious response from relevant authorities. But the deployment of a huge contingent of police manpower to private individuals and political office holders has remained a longstanding problem. With “an estimated strength of 371,800 serving a total population estimated in 2024 at 236,747,130”, the agency bemoans the disproportionate number of police personnel deployed to guard duties. Corruption and limited resources by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have led to slow emergency response times and left many communities with little or no security protection, the report states even, as more than 100,000 police officers protect the rich and the powerful to the neglect of millions of ordinary citizens.

The police are constitutionally mandated to maintain law and order, preserve the peace, prevent and detect crime, and related duties. For the size of our population, the police are glaringly inadequate, falling far short of the United Nationsrecommended 1:450. It is worse that a sizable number of the available manpower is diverted away from public security.

about with files, umbrellas and briefcases belonging to the civilian principals they are detailed to protect, it is disconcerting that police authorities in the country have for decades sustained the habit of deploying their officers and men at the expense of public good.

In a country where crime has become prevalent - from insurgency to kidnapping, and banditry, the police have practically chosen to run errands for prominent citizens in both the private and public sectors. But this is now an institutional challenge. Shortly after assuming office as Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun ordered the withdrawal of Police Mobile Force operatives from VIP duties, saying the tactical unit would be reserved strictly for strategic national operations. Unfortunately, this directive, which was also made by his predecessors, has been observed in the breach as a significant percentage of police manpower continues to serve private people.

At a period when sundry cartels of criminals are running riots all over Nigeria, killing in churches and abducting innocent school children, it is unconscionable that police personnel have become ‘Maiguards’ for prominent and not-so-prominent citizens

This has led to a situation in which military troops are deployed in all the 36 states for what are ordinarily the constitutional responsibilities of the police. Evidently overstretched, the military now suffers from low morale of troops, especially following recent losses and the need to inject into the theatre battle changing strategies, weapons and equipment. Without the requisite number to cover large areas of ungoverned spaces which have served as haven for bandits and insurgents and little support from the police, it comes as no surprise that Nigeria now faces a serious national security challenge.

Painfully, the glaring misuse of the police comes with diminished pride, dignity and professionalism as their personnel, posted as escorts and orderlies, are subjected to domestic chores by government officials and businesspeople. Beyond the fact that police orderlies deviate from official term of reference by hopping

SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

editor DAViDSON iRiEkpEN

deputy editors FESTUS AkANBi, EJiOFOR ALikE

Managing director ENiOLA BELLO

deputy Managing director iSRAEL iwEgBU

chairMan editorial Board OLUSEgUN ADENiYi

editor nation s capital iYOBOSA UwUgiAREN the oMBudsMan kAYODE kOMOLAFE

THISDAY NEWSPAPERS LIMITED

editor-in-chief/chairMan NDUkA OBAigBENA

group executive directors ENiOLA BELLO kAYODE kOMOLAFE

iSRAEL iwEgBU

divisional directors SHAkA MOMODU, pETER iwEgBU

ANTHONY OgEDENgBE

deputy divisional director OJOgUN ViCTOR DANBOYi snr. associate director ERiC OJEH

associate director pATRiCk EiMiUHi

controllers ABiMBOLA TAiwO, UCHENNA DiBiAgwU, NDUkA MOSERi director, printing production CHUkS ONwUDiNJO to send eMail: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

Meanwhile, it is common knowledge that at the core of the problems bedevilling the NPF is poor welfare, with accommodation being a major issue. Yet, as one of the first government institutions to relocate from Lagos to Abuja, the NPF was privileged to be given vast expanses of land across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). But successive Inspectors General of Police (IGPs) have sold most of these lands under questionable circumstances to the detriment of their personnel. It is the same situation in most of the 36 states where senior police officers now compete for barracks accommodation with junior ones, depending on who is more connected to the powers-that-be. How can the personnel of such an institution function effectively?

Perhaps it is time to review the Police Act, especially regarding how to handle VIP protection. For instance, the outsourcing of non-essential protection duties to licensed security private guards in South Africa has freed thousands of police officers to concentrate on their primary duty of maintaining law and protecting communities. At a period when sundry cartels of criminals are running riots all over Nigeria, killing in churches and abducting innocent school children, it is unconscionable that police personnel have become ‘Maiguards’ for prominent and not-so-prominent citizens.

Letters in response to specific publications in THiSDAY should be brief(150-200 words) and straight to the point. interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. we also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (950- 1000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive. com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer

LETTERS

NIGERIA AND THE RISING WAVE OF INSECURITY

Nigeria is inching into a troubling chapter where insecurity is no longer a distant concern but a daily shadow stretching across communities, highways, markets and now, the country’s schools. The recent surge in kidnappings has unsettled citizens and raised serious questions about the effectiveness of national security frameworks. What used to be episodic attacks have evolved into a sustained campaign of abductions, village raids and highway banditry that expose deep cracks in the country’s ability to protect its people. Across many states, residents speak of fear as a constant companion. Travellers avoid certain routes, farmers abandon farmlands, and families adjust their routines around the unpredictability of violence. Security agencies, though making efforts, continue to appear overstretched and often reactive. Attackers strike quickly, vanish into unmapped forests, and resurface in another location days later. Communities are left grieving while

government assurances rarely transform into long-term relief.

In a development that underscores the urgency of the situation, several states have now moved to shut down schools as a precautionary measure. Katsina State has ordered the closure of all public schools, following credible threats linked to the activities of kidnapping gangs.

In Kwara State, schools across Ifelodun, Ekiti, Irepodun, Isin and Oke-Ero LGAs have been closed over rising concerns of attacks on vulnerable institutions. Plateau State has taken similar steps, placing selected schools on indefinite shutdown. Findings across the northern region show that over 180 schools have been affected by either temporary or ongoing closures linked directly to insecurity. This trend represents one of the most alarming signals yet. When schools begin to shut down not because of strikes or infrastructure decay, but due to the inability of government to guarantee the safety of children, the crisis deepens. The

consequences are severe: disrupted learning, displacement of pupils, psychological trauma, reduced enrolment, and widened educational inequality. Children bear the heaviest burden of a battle they did not choose.

The broader insecurity plaguing the country is not without roots. Years of ungoverned spaces, porous borders, arms proliferation, youth unemployment and an over-centralised policing system have created fertile ground for criminal groups to thrive. Banditry has become organised; kidnapping has become transactional. The combination of economic desperation and weak local intelligence systems has allowed small groups of armed men to wield disproportionate influence in rural communities.

Still, this moment calls for more than routine condemnations. What Nigeria faces requires a recalibration of its security priorities. Intelligence must take precedence over brute

force. Communities need to be integrated into early-warning mechanisms. Technology— especially aerial surveillance, communication tracking, and real-time mapping of forest corridors—must shift from policy statements to operational deployment. States must also be allowed clearer, legally backed roles in security management, as the current centralised structure is no longer sufficient to address a crisis spread across vast territories. Public trust, already weakened, can only be rebuilt through visible, sustained action. Citizens want coordinated operations, not conflicting statements. They want preventive measures, not post-attack visits. They want accountability in security spending and clarity in strategy. Above all, they want assurance that their children can sit in classrooms without fear.

Abdulhamid Abdullahi Aliyu, Abuja

Ending Nigeria’s Kidnapping Economy: How Government Can Fix Security, Deploy Innovation and Protect Our Children’s Futures

toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji

For over a decade now, Nigeria’s insecurity crisis has evolved from being a sporadic law-and-order challenge to a deeply entrenched business model.

As someone who chaired social intervention programmes for the Victims of Terrorism Support Fund in Benue and Taraba States between 2021 and 2024 and led the VSF COVID-19 Intervention Programmes, I have seen first-hand the human cost, the institutional failures and the ripple effects on our communities, governance and economy. This is not just about banditry: this is a national emergency that threatens our very prospects to become a stable and economically powerful nation.

In the latest wave of horror in the past week, gunmen stormed Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, kidnapping schoolgirls and killing the school’s vice principal as he tried to protect his students. In Papiri, Niger State, terrorists invaded St. Mary’s Catholic School, abducting students and teachers in the early hours of the morning, dragging terrified children through the bush into uncertainty.

In Eruku, Kwara State, attackers descended on a church service, killing three worshippers and abducting between 30 and 35 congregants, including the pastor, before demanding millions of naira ransoms per victim.

And in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, gunmen raided a quarry site, kidnapping workers, who remain missing as their families negotiate with faceless criminals. These are not isolated incidents, they form a pattern of organized criminality, not even always ideologically motivated, but economically driven. This system rewards criminal groups and entrenches their operations. Breaking this cycle isn’t only about arresting perpetrators it requires dismantling the financial infrastructure that makes kidnapping profitable.

If we fail to confront this crisis seriously, we risk entrenching a brutal parallel economy, one where the business of abduction becomes normalised, and our citizens remain hostages in more than one sense. We mourn the dead. We pray for the safe return of every abducted girl, boy, woman, teacher, worker and worshipper across these states. We hold their families in our hearts as they sit in the agony of waiting. No nation hoping for sustainable progress can afford to treat the kidnapping of its children and youth as a routine news cycle. The future of any country lies in its young people, its students, its innovators, its future workers and its prospective leaders. When criminals repeatedly target schools, churches and workspaces, they are not just attacking individuals; they are attacking Nigeria’s next generation and sabotaging the country’s long-term aspirations.

These recent attacks are not random events. They represent a pattern I have observed closely in my work across Benue and Taraba States and in my 10year service as a Member of the Presidential Committee on the Victims of Terrorism Support Fund working in the BAY states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa which have sadly, been most hard-hitten in this prolonged insecurity crisis for as long as we can remember. I saw how entire communities were trapped in cycles of fear, how families depleted lifetime savings to pay ransoms and how the psychological wounds often linger long after victims are released. The kidnapping crisis is

no longer a fringe matter, it has evolved into a sophisticated, illicit industry, one that threatens our national security, economic stability and global competitiveness.

Data and the anatomy of the crisis paint a stark picture. Between July 2024 and June 2025, Nigeria recorded 4,722 abductions and paid over N2.57 billion in ransoms.

Research from the National Bureau of Statistics estimates that Nigerians paid N2.23 trillion in ransom within a single year. Bandits and terror groups are no longer merely opportunistic; they are operating a parallel economy, complete with financiers, informants, logistics networks and weapons suppliers. The audacity with which these criminals strike, sometimes in broad daylight raises urgent and uncomfortable questions: Where are they getting their weapons? How are their supply chains structured? What financial networks allow them to move freely, demand billion-naira ransoms and then vanish without a trace? This is not just banditry, it suggests a highly organized infrastructure, possibly enabled by weak intelligence, porous borders and latent institutional capture. Our Security agencies must confront not just the foot soldiers, but the financiers, logisticians and arms suppliers behind these groups. In a booming illicit economy, kidnapping is now, in effect, an illicit but thriving economic circuit. The sums

of money being demanded and often paid are no longer token gestures but substantial, organised demands.

The kidnapping economy affects far more than the families of victims. It affects every Nigerian. Businesses in Abuja reported a 33% drop in revenue due to insecurity. Many establishments now close before sunset, transport costs have surged, and insurance premiums for assets and personnel have skyrocketed.

Investors, domestic and foreign, calculate risk above sentiment. A nation cannot become an economic or innovation powerhouse if its workforce cannot commute safely, if its children cannot attend school without fear and if its entrepreneurs operate under constant threat of extortion.

Beyond the economic impact, the human cost is incalculable. In the communities we worked with in Benue and Taraba, children who survived abductions struggled to sleep; farmers abandoned fertile land; markets thinned out; daily life became a negotiation with danger. Security officers deployed to these areas often lacked realtime intelligence, actionable data or the technology needed to track perpetrators across forests and ungoverned spaces. These gaps create an enabling environment for criminals who are increasingly organized, emboldened and financially motivated.

This is why we must transition from reactive interventions to a proactive, intelligence-driven strategy. With my doctoral research focused on the assessment of artificial intelligence in Nigeria’s national and economic security, I believe strongly

that the country can defeat this menace, but only with a modern, data-anchored, multi-stakeholder approach. AI-driven surveillance tools, geospatial mapping, satellite imagery, predictive analytics and ransom-flow tracing technologies can provide security agencies with the precision needed to map likely hideouts and monitor movement in real-time to prevent attacks and dismantle criminal networks. But technology alone is not enough. Human intelligence [HUMINT] remains indispensable and informant networks must be restructured, protected and fairly compensated to ensure credible, actionable information.

Financial disruption must become central to Nigeria’s anti- kidnapping framework. These groups thrive because ransom payments flow through unmonitored channels. A specialised inter-agency unit equipped with AIenhanced financial tracking should be established to follow money trails, freeze related bank accounts and identify collaborators who facilitate these transactions. This must be complemented by community-level interventions that include youth employment and digital skills development programs vocational training and educational investments in regions where criminal groups recruit by taking advantage of poverty, hopelessness and lack of opportunity.

There is also an urgent need to integrate trained and equipped local community guards more effectively into the national security architecture. In many rural areas, they are the first responders, but they lack training, institutional support and technological reinforcement. A coordinated community-state security model, built on trust and accountability, can significantly improve early warning systems and local resilience.

This moment also calls for decisive leadership. The President and Commander in Chief of the armed forces, Service Chiefs, state governors, traditional rulers, religious leaders, the private sector and the international community must align behind a unified strategy and multisectoral response that treats kidnapping not as isolated banditry but as a national economic threat. Security is foundational to national development.

Innovation cannot thrive where students are afraid to attend school. Investors do not commit capital in places where personnel risk abduction. Human development collapses where children are stolen and women are targeted.

Nigeria must reclaim its future by protecting its people, especially its young. The kidnapping of schoolgirls in Kebbi, the abduction of hundreds of students in Niger, the seizure of workers in IjebuOde, and the assault on worshippers in Eruku are not merely tragedies, they are alarms. Loud ones. And we neglect them at our peril.

Nigeria cannot continue to see its children become bargaining chips. Our schools should be sanctuaries of learning, not targets for ransom gangs. Worship places must be havens of peace, not hunting grounds.

This is a national emergency but also a moment of choice. With data-driven strategies, social investments and relentless political will, we can choose to dismantle this illicit economy, invest in protection and restore hope. We must immediately act now with clarity, compassion and conviction.

Violence will not define Nigeria’s Future.

• Akerele-Ogunsiji is an Artificial Intelligence for Development Leader & Edtech Social Entrepreneur who wrote from Lagos.

Oluyede

EU Deepens Ties With Nigeria, Unveils Africa–Europe Culture Project

Vanessa Obioha

The European Union on Thursday launched the Nigeria cluster of the Africa–Europe Partnerships for Culture (AEPC) in Lagos, reinforcing its commitment to empowering artists, expanding creative networks and strengthening cultural ties between both regions. The Nigerian launch follows similar introductions in Burkina Faso, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin Republic and Ghana.

The €30 million EU-funded project, implemented by Goethe-Institut, aims to support the entire arts and culture ecosystem. It seeks to reshape cultural cooperation, exchange, co-creation and dissemination within and between SubSaharan Africa and Europe, while promoting intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding.“We see culture as a driver of mutual understanding, creative innovation, and economic opportunity,” said the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, emphasising that the launch of the initiative in Nigeria signals the EU’s strong support for culture between Africa and Europe. “Culture is part and parcel of our Global Gateway strategy, aiming at connecting people and creating opportunities and sustainable shared prosperity.

“The EU remains committed to deepening partnerships that amplify African voices and foster cultural diversity. Our goal is to create spaces where voices can be heard, where creative talents can grow without limits and where stories that often remain unseen and forgotten can find themselves in the global community,” he added.

AEPC, according to Amb. Mignot is not the only EU-funded programme in Africa. Others include the Strengthening African-European Museum partnerships, a €20 million programme to support collaborative projects between African and European museums, and Creative Africa, a €15 million upcoming project that will support collaboration between the two audiovisual ecosystems.

“We also support the strengthening of cultural policy in Nigeria, like in many other countries in the world, through UNESCO. And then, there is a string of smaller support that we bring to cultural actors, like the Festival of Illustrators that took place here a couple of months ago or the Eastern Nigeria Film Festival in Enugu, where I will be next week.” Reaffrming the EU’s commitment to giving Nigerian creatives broader access to collaboration, training and global exposure, he urged creators to apply for support under AEPC. “Together, we can ensure that no creative is left behind, and that

Lucky Edet, Finance and Grant Officer, Africa–Europe Partnerships for Culture Nigeria; Ambassador Gautier Mignot, European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS; Toluwanimi

Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS; and Dr Nadine Siegert, Director, Goethe-Institut Nigeria, at the official launch of the Africa–Europe Partnerships for Culture

talent from West, East, South and North Nigeria can thrive on international stages.”

In her remarks, the Director of Goethe-Institut Nigeria, Nadine Siegert, acknowledged the growing global recognition of Nigeria’s creative industry.

“We believe that Nigeria’s creative sector is a force to be reckoned with. It’s diverse, it’s innovative, and it’s increasingly acknowledged and recognised on the global stage,” she said.

“Goethe-Institut is committed to ensuring that opportunities in the cultural sector are accessible to all. By supporting creative hubs, digital platforms, and funding mechanisms, we aim to bridge gaps in resources and visibility, empowering a diverse range of artists and cultural professionals to thrive.”

Sixteen countries are participating in the West Africa cluster, including Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin Republic, Cape

At 5th NFVCB Digital Conference, Nollywood Reflects on Growth, Struggles, Global Recognition

Afrik International Film Festival (AiFF), a new entrant in Nigeria’s creative landscape, is setting out to change how flm festivals are organised in the country. Slated to debut in Port Harcourt next year, AiFF promises to tackle long-standing challenges faced by major festivals by offering flmmakers more meaningful empowerment.

“The primary reason for Afrik International Film Festival is to celebrate the African story, to celebrate the African flmmaker, and to also pave the way for new and emerging flmmakers,” said flmmaker and Program Coordinator of AiFF, Toka McBaror.

For founder and CEO, Wisdom Nwankpa, the vision extends beyond showcasing authentic African narratives. He emphasised the need to build investor confdence in Nollywood.

“What we intend to do is create a platform that encourages investors to put their money into the industry and promote foreign collaborations,” he said.

McBaror added that the festival is determined to avoid pitfalls that have dogged other events. From delayed screenings to disorganisation, AiFF, he noted, plans to be modest but impactful.

“We want the festival to directly impact flmmakers. There will be training and masterclasses,” he said, stressing the need for continuous capacitybuilding in Nollywood. “If you submit a short flm or a proof of concept at AiFF, you should have the opportunity to make a flm for a company.”

Nwankpa also revealed that AiFF has scheduled a major programme for January 2026, where flmmakers, directors, screenwriters and other creatives will participate in a masterclass.

“We intend to sponsor the project at the end of the day,” he added.

Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and the EU.

According to AEPC cluster coordinator Toluwanimi Owolana, the project began nine months ago with initial activities in six West African countries, with a particular focus on festivals. “What we are trying to do with this is unite the cultural creative ecosystem.”

The initiative is expected to train 250 professionals, support 450 artists, link 48 festivals, and deepen West Africa–EU cultural relations for long-term social and economic impact.

The project is expected to facilitate the training of 250 professionals, support 450 artists, network 48 festivals, and deepen West Africa–EU cultural relations for lasting social and economic gains.

AiFF Wants to Make a Difference in Nigeria’s Film Festivals

Vanessa Obioha

Conversations around the next chapter of Nollywood, following its explosion in production volume globally over the decades and earning it the title of the second largest film industry after Hollywood, took centre stage at the 5th edition of the Peace Anyiam-Osigwe Nigeria Digital Content Regulation Conference (NDCRC).

In a new era defined by streaming, technological advancements in filmmaking, generative artificial intelligence, and digital monetisation, Nollywood is yet faced with a quagmire of finding its footing in translating its volume of production into real value. The NDCRC recognised this problem and led this year’s conference with the theme: ‘From Volume to Value: The Future of the Nigerian Motion Picture Industry in the Digital Age.’

Organised by the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), which is making its mark by deepening the digital licensing system, enhancing enforcement structures, and expanding capacity-building initiatives to make compliance more transparent, the Director-General of the board, Dr Shaibu Husseini, highlighted the importance of this year’s event.

“Today’s conference gives us an opportunity not just to reflect on our strengths and challenges, but to collectively shape a vision for the future. A future that will no longer measure success in terms of numbers, but in terms of value. And I’m talking about value for audiences, value for investors, value for creators, and value for Nigeria.”

Husseini’s insight served as a springboard for honouree and keynote speaker Bolanle Austen-Peters’ (BAP) address. She tried to define value, quality, audience needs, and the unfair comparisons between Hollywood and Nollywood. “We all strive in this extremely fascinating, potentially rich, but also chaotic environment because we struggle. We struggle for many reasons: funding, lack of infrastructure, and distribution. The challenges are a lot, but in spite of that, we keep churning out content after content and have built an industry that the world says is number two in terms of content production. So, we know what we say about ourselves: something is working. Every filmmaker in this room needs to celebrate himself or herself for having done work that has made us artists on the international stage,” noted BAP.

She added, “People produce content because they need to survive. In an industry where subsistence is the order of the day, a lot of people just need to keep churning out content.”

BAP further elaborated that filmmakers should know the audience and the platform they produce for, and what is required of them based on budget. Regardless, they should define value not just by blockbuster numbers, but also through storytelling.

Represented by the Director-General of the Nigerian Film Corporation, Dr. Ali Nuhu, the Minister for Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Barr. Hannatu Musawa lauded strides made so far by the industry, reiterating how technological advancement in filmmaking can be leveraged along the film production pipeline, while moulding the visions of the industry through regulatory standards, protection of IP, and infrastructure development.

The wife of Ooni of Ife, Olori Temitope Enita Ogunwusi, shared similar sentiments with emphasis on “value in the accuracy of our cultural representation,” while maintaining the highest film production standards.

Various panel sessions were held over the course of the two-day event, which took place on November 18 and November 19 at The Muson Centre. The opening panel comprised Actress Stephanie Linus; Executive Head of General Entertainment Channels, MultiChoice Group, Dr. Busola Tejumola; and Filmmaker Femi Odugbemi, discussing how to position and regulate platforms in digital spaces, regulation of artificial intelligence to protect creative IP, and understanding audiences and their platform preferences to guide creative paths.

Alongside BAP, who was honoured with a plaque and portrait for her contributions to the industry, other honourees included Joy Odiete, Femi Odugbemi, Funke Akindele, Cinemax, Filmone, Moses Babatope, Chioma Ude, and the film ‘Gingerrr’.

Additionally, a total of 23 film practitioners, who turned 50 and 60 respectively, were honoured and treated to a glamorous reception at the Shell Hall of The Muson Centre. They included Taiwo Adeleye, Steve Gukas, Ronnie Dikko, Seyi Siwoku, Aquila Njamah, Bond Emeruwa, Chimdi Chiama, Segun Arinze, Ngozi Ezeonu, among others.

Iyke Bede

L–R:

Owolana, Cluster Coordinator, Africa–Europe Partnerships for Culture Nigeria Cluster; Mr Ayomide Adeagbo, Special Assistant to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy; Chioma Osuji, Programme Manager, Social Protection, European

(AEPC) Nigeria Cluster.

Bunmi Ajakaiye, Zulumoke Oyibo, Yinka Ogun, Ojoma Ochai, Dr SHaibu Husseini, Chichi Nworah and Kemi Adesoye

In person, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru possesses a presence that fills a room effortlessly. He greets with a firm handshake, listens intently, and chooses his words as though each one must earn its place. There is nothing hurried about him. Though he belongs comfortably to many worlds — corporate, political, traditional, and social —he wears each with the same understated grace.

The late-afternoon light filters softly through the wide glass panels of his Ikoyi home, catching the edges of framed photographs and polished wood. On the centre table, a neatly stacked file sits beside a cup of tea gone lukewarm. It is one of those Lagos afternoons that invite reflection, and Ashiru, chairman of Odu’a Investment Company Limited, seems to oblige it.

In less than a year, the venerable conglomerate will mark its 50th anniversary, a milestone he regards not merely as a corporate event but as a moral obligation to history.

His phone buzzes at intervals with logistics calls, committee updates, and confirmations, but he barely breaks stride in conversation. “I like to see things done properly,” he says with a quiet firmness that feels rehearsed by years of habit. “If you must do something, do it well.”

That, perhaps, is the story of his life: a persistent refusal to approach any task halfheartedly. Whether in the boardroom, in government, or at the quiet centre of family and faith, Ashiru has built a reputation for thoroughness, grace, and quiet achievement. The upcoming golden jubilee of Odu’a has simply given that instinct a new expression. Friends say he is pulling all the stops, curating ideas, reconnecting with stakeholders, and reimagining how a legacy company should tell its story.

For Ashiru, the preparations for an event still months away go beyond speeches and ceremonies. They are an act of stewardship, a reflection of a creed that has followed him since his earliest days: whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might.

For all the polish and poise that now define him, Ashiru’s foundations were remarkably simple. Born in Ijebu-Ode to a family of distinction and duty, his father, the late Pa Simeon Adeyemi Ashiru, was a respected statesman; his mother, Princess Moradeun Ashiru, descends from the Fidipote royal family of Ijebu-Ode and the ruling house of Owu-Ijebu. Yet in that household, royalty was never an excuse for indulgence.

Ashiru

Bank’s merger transitions and his eventual move to Stanbic IBTC, he became known for precision, mentoring younger bankers to see professionalism as a standard, not a role.

“My parents didn’t raise us to think privilege meant exemption,” he recalls with a faint smile. “My father was clear about one thing. If you wanted respect, you had to earn it. And my mother, despite her royal background, believed that hard work was the truest expression of grace.”

Those lessons would become his compass. Discipline was nonnegotiable, humility expected, and education considered a sacred trust. Drawn early to the logic of commerce, he studied Marketing and later earned a Master’s in Strategic Management.

People from well-connected families often rush to dabble in things because they want to prove to themselves that they can stand on their own without relying on their privilege. But he was different, says a longtime friend. “You could see he wasn’t trying to be someone else. He was trying to be excellent.”

When Ashiru joined the then Chartered Bank in 1989, he was one of many young graduates drawn to the prestige of banking, but he carried with him a sense of purpose that soon distinguished him.

Over the years, through Chartered

From his early days as Head of the Private Banking Unit to his later roles as Regional Coordinator, Country Director for Personal and Business Banking, and eventually Group Head for Public Sector, Ashiru’s career was a slow, steady climb built on consistency rather than drama. He often mentored younger bankers, teaching them not only the mechanics of finance but the ethic of professionalism. “You could tell he was grooming you not just for a role, but for a standard,” one former colleague remembers.

Those three decades in banking sharpened his instincts for structure, performance, and integrity. “Banking taught me the discipline of systems,” he says, “and that the smallest lapse in judgment can undo years of work.”

Public service often comes calling for people like this. Ashiru’s turn came in 2011, when he was appointed Ogun State’s Commissioner for Commerce and Industry. “When the governor called, I just knew it was time to serve,” he says with an easy nod. “I had spent years building systems in the private sector, and I wanted to use that experience to help my state grow. Sometimes, you don’t plan these things. Duty just finds you.”

If he felt any trepidation at leaving the orderly world of banking for the chaotic and unpredictable terrain of governance, he didn’t show it. Instead, he showed results, and they were hard to ignore.

During his tenure, Ogun State’s internally generated revenue grew by over 1,200 per cent. More than 300 factories and companies established a presence in the state, and the World Bank’s Doing Business report ranked Ogun among the top five

known to keep his morning devotion and quiet time, insisting that a calm mind produces better judgment. Friends say he rarely raises his voice, but when he speaks, people listen.

At home, that ease of command deepens into warmth.. “He believes in balance,” Olukemi says. “He works hard, but he also knows when to pause and just be present.” Perhaps that is the secret to his composure.

When the conversation returns to Odu’a Investment Company, the energy in the room changes slightly. Odu’a, to him, is not just an investment conglomerate. It is a heritage. If all the Yoruba peoples are one family, then Ashiru regards Odu’a as one of its most valuable heirlooms, a legacy passed down by the founding western states. It carries deep intergenerational meaning and regional

Under his chairmanship, Odu’a has revitalised its key assets, expanded its portfolio, and strengthened governance. “We have tried to build confidence,” he says. “If you get governance right, every other thing begins to fall into place.”

He talks about the company’s renewed focus on real estate redevelopment, agriculture, logistics, and digital infrastructure. The revival of iconic assets like the Premier Hotel and Lagos Airport Hotel, the acquisition of a marginal oil field, and the creation of the Odu’a Investment Foundation all feature in his account. “We are not just managing old assets,” he says. “We are building new stories. The goal is to make Odu’a a company that can stand shoulder to shoulder with any global institution.”

The foundation, in particular, seems close to his heart. He explains it was seeded with one per cent of the company’s profit before tax to support digital education and youth empowerment.

So any concrete plans for the 50th anniversary he can share with the public now? He smiles in that way that hints at something carefully kept under wraps. “Let’s just say we are planning something worthy of Odu’a’s legacy. It will be a celebration, yes, but more importantly, it will be a statement about the future.”

investment-friendly states in Nigeria, up from thirty-sixth position.

But beyond the numbers was a philosophy. “I wanted the government to work with the same seriousness as business. The goal was not just more money in the state’s coffers but tangible progress that the ordinary citizens can touch and feel. More work, better salaries, higher quality of life. Policy only makes sense when people can feel the impact in their daily lives.”

By the time he left office in 2018, he had earned a reputation as one of Ogun State’s most effective commissioners in its entire history. Perhaps, he could have done even more as commissioner? “Perhaps,” he agreed. “But I gave it my best shot, and that is the most important thing.”

The conversation drifts easily, and it is at this point that the madam of the house, Olukemi, walks into the living room. She pauses to listen, a soft smile on her face, before settling beside him on the arm of the chair. “He likes to talk about values,” she says, teasingly, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder. “But everything he says, he actually lives.”

Ashiru laughs, the kind that comes from being caught mid-seriousness. “I grew up in a home where faith was not optional,” he says. “My father used to tell me that your name is the only inheritance you can’t afford to waste.”

“That’s exactly who he is,” Olukemi adds. “Very disciplined, but never harsh. He believes in doing things properly, no matter how small.”

That combination of firmness and grace seems to define him. Even at the height of his public service, he was

He pauses, glancing briefly toward a framed photograph of the company’s early founders on the shelf nearby. “The men who started this dream did not have much, but they had belief. We owe it to them to make the next 50 years even more impactful.” It feels like a promise that he is determined to keep.

Beyond Odu’a, he chairs Blackcod Asset Management Group and sits on the boards of Iwosan Investments Limited, OGC Foods and Beverages, and other enterprises. Yet each role seems to echo his creed. “You can’t choose when to give your best,” he says. “Once excellence becomes part of you, it shows everywhere in how you work, how you lead, even how you live.”

He talks about Odu’a’s future, strengthening the company’s capital base and embedding a governance culture that endures. But his thoughts do not stop there. There is still that unspoken pull toward public service, a lingering sense that his story with Ogun State is not quite finished. “I’ve always believed leadership is a lifelong calling,” he says, smiling as if to soften the weight of his words.

“If the opportunity comes again to serve in any capacity, I’ll be ready. You don’t retire from service. You just find new ways to offer it.”

The conversation shifts towards legacy, “I want to be remembered as someone who built people, who created structures that made life easier for others. If years from now a young person somewhere says they were inspired to lead or to build because of something I did, that will be enough.”

So does he consider himself a successful leader? He gazes toward the fading skyline, thoughtful. “The real test of leadership,” he says finally, “is whether the house still stands when you’ve left the room.”

with KAYoDe ALFreD 08116759807, E-mail:

Adebowale Olujimi Strikes Gold

Some victories arrive without drums.

One morning, you wake up and a new oil field begins to hum 30 kilometres off the coast. The country barely notices at first. Then the numbers surface, and the magnitude becomes hard to ignore. This is the current state of things for Adebowale Olujimi, in brief.

Emadeb Petroleum Exploration and Production, led by Olujimi, has achieved first oil at the Ibom Field in license PPL 236. The field was discovered in 1979 but remained untouched for decades. Emadeb acquired it in the 2020 Marginal Field Bid Round and has since invested more than one hundred million dollars.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission approved a phased development plan in November 2024. Commercial production has now begun. Olujimi says it is a product of local expertise, collaboration and persistence. The company plans two more wells in a second phase that could triple output by the last quarter of 2026.

Behind the announcement lies a barely whispered shift in ownership. Indigenous operators are moving deeper into upstream territory once ruled by international giants. The Ibom breakthrough signals both technical maturity and a bet on national energy security. A risk like this means something: it shows confidence in staying power.

Olujimi credits operational discipline, community engagement and environmental care. And what is his message if not that Emadeb wants to grow without losing public trust? Oil scandals have stained the sector for years, yet here the emphasis is on governance and measurable work.

Emadeb began in 2007 and was fully operational the following year. It first focused on downstream services such as petroleum distribution and retail sales. Over time, it expanded into exploration, LNG and lubricants. The shift into upstream operations required patience and regulatory navigation. Now the gamble has materialised into barrels.

Success rarely announces itself with fireworks. Sometimes it appears as a wellhead in the Gulf of Guinea, turning quietly while the country waits to see who was paying attention. And while Nigerians were waiting, Olujimi was building up the necessary momentum to strike gold. And now, he has.

Wole Olanipekun at 74

Some careers grow with applause; others grow quietly until applause becomes unnecessary. At 74, Chief Wole Olanipekun appears to belong to the latter group.

He was born in Ikere Ekiti in 1951 and rose from Amoye Grammar School to the Inner Bar. By 1976, he had been called to the Nigerian Bar. In 1991, he became one of the youngest Senior Advocates Nigeria had seen. The title did not change his step. It only confirmed his direction.

His reputation came through performance. Courtrooms learned to expect measured persuasion rather than theatrics. His advocacy shaped constitutional debates, election petitions and impeachment rules. The Inakoju v. Adeleke ruling still echoes

A country that treats football like oxygen should not be gasping this frequently. Nigeria has now missed a second World Cup in a row.

in law classrooms. It drew the boundary between power and its limits.

He built a firm with national reach. Wole Olanipekun and Co. became a passageway for young lawyers. Many later became judges or professors. Others simply speak of the discipline he enforced and the generosity he offered. Mentorship seemed to be part of the office furniture.

Public duty kept calling. He led the Nigerian Bar Association between 2002 and 2004. He served as Pro Chancellor at three universities. He sat on legal councils and judicial bodies. Colleagues called him an oracle. Yet he rarely introduced himself that way.

His influence moved beyond technique. In tense national moments, he became a reference point: calm,

principled and unafraid to speak. He staged a walkout on presidential power when he felt the rule of law was being treated as decoration. Few advocates earn fame through restraint.

Nigeria’s Football Needs a Grown-Up

It is no longer news that the Super Eagles fell to DR Congo in Rabat after a penalty shootout. But considered deeply, this result feels heavy, really something deeper than defeat. Unsurprisingly, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) apologised and called for reform.

In reality, players had boycotted training earlier over unpaid bonuses. A playoff match followed; a penalty shootout decided everything. The manager hinted at voodoo. Former players blamed mismanagement. Fans saw a pattern that stretched beyond a poor night in Morocco.

Evidence grew quickly. A House of Representatives probe is tracking 25 million dollars in missing grants. Youth development has stalled. Grassroots programs struggle for funding. Selection battles linger while tired players face pressure without structure. Even substitutions in key matches raised questions of planning and tactical clarity.

Football administration has become the

Kwara State’s Elites Panic Over Insecurity

Even luxury estates in Ilorin, Kwara State, are beginning to trade news of bandit sightings with strong urgency. Fear has entered elite circles, where safety was once assumed. And because they are ordinary people too, despite having affluence and influence, they have begun to wonder about how close danger is to their gates.

Tuesday evening in Eruku offers a grim answer.

That evening, around six o’clock, bandits stormed Christ Apostolic Church, shot the pastor, killed another member, and abducted worshippers mid-service. With much of it captured on video and seeing chairs become useless shields, panic has spread across Ekiti Local Government and is even creeping toward neighbouring Kogi State.

Such incidents have multiplied across Kwara’s borders. Oke-Ode experienced two deadly church attacks within weeks. In one assault, 12 vigilante members reportedly died on a Sunday morning. In another, a police officer

fell with four residents. Each attack carried the same message: security lines have softened.

What once felt like distant rural trouble now feels like a creeping perimeter. Abductions along the Isanlu-Isin highway, raids in Igbonla, and ransoms demanded in food show a frightening shift. Bandits no longer hide their intent. They walk into towns and ask for supplies.

To be sure, Kwara’s geography assists them. Thick border forests offer criminal cover.

Infiltrators from Zamfara and Sokoto are believed to enter through Niger State. With the state’s rural areas remaining poorly policed, bad roads slowing response times, and poverty creating recruits, kidnapping is now fueling its own economy.

Government response has been muscular yet uncertain. Military forces and airstrikes have been deployed to border zones. Vigilantes now fight side by side with security agents. The state assists victims and urges caution. But when has fear moved more slowly than policy?

According to observers, the wealthy now

central suspect. Critics argue that the system produces failure with consistency. The NFF leadership insists on renewal ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Yet calls now focus on the presidency. Many say President Bola Tinubu must appoint a seasoned sports administrator whose mandate covers football directly.

Tinubu created the National Sports Commission last year and named Shehu Dikko as chairman. That role controls broader sports development. It does not fix the NFF. Stakeholders want a figure with technical depth and executive authority. Someone who understands football as a long-term investment rather than a public drama.

Nigeria still has a vibrant league. Ikorodu City, Nasarawa United, and Rivers United dominate the early standings. Talent remains abundant. What is missing is stewardship: the capacity to turn resources into a vision. The national team needs a manager. The system needs an adult.

whisper the same concerns long held in villages. Clearly, security has become a shared language. And while some elites hire more guards and others pray harder, the majority are wondering if the safest strategy is quiet relocation.

Makinde and Wike: Brothers at War

Political friendships in Nigeria age quickly; yesterday’s ally can become today’s courtroom adversary. Seyi Makinde and Nyesom Wike once shared a strategy table. They led the G5 governors who defied their party’s presidential bid in 2023 and insisted on a southern party chair. Their alliance helped President Bola Tinubu win power. It also began their quiet separation.

The split widened after the election. Wike took a ministerial seat in the APC government. Makinde stayed in the PDP and grew wary. What looked like tactical alignment soon appeared to be ambition in disguise, and suspicion flowed both ways.

Control of the PDP became the battlefield. The National Secretary position, held by Senator Samuel Anyanwu, is the current prize. Wike accuses Makinde of refusing to honour agreements and trying to replace Anyanwu with Ude Okoye. Makinde’s camp paints Wike as an APC insider, weakening the opposition before 2027. The quarrel travelled from the airwaves to the pavement.

At the Abuja party secretariat this week, the two men arrived separately for rival NEC meetings. Governor Bala Mohammed joined Makinde. Their convoys blocked Wike’s entrance. As the Police fired teargas and supporters surged, the Commissioner of Police had to beg them to clear the road.

Each side claims to defend democracy; each seeks control of the same building. Both emerged teary-eyed from the gas but unwilling to blink first. Wike stayed in his vehicle. Makinde insisted he must exit the premises. What began as a political disagreement now carries personal tones. Wike says their friendship was never private. Makinde’s allies say the minister struggles to keep allies for long. That question sits at the centre of the PDP crisis and shapes its uncertain future. Once, Makinde and Wike shared strategies; now they trade expulsions. The party talks of caretaker committees and fresh congresses. Nigeria watches two brothers fight over a house while the roof keeps shaking.

olanipekun

Makimde

Tinubu

Abdulrazaq

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa once walked with the stride of a man carrying both promise and trouble. Now, as his projects expand, his critics have multiplied, and in Ondo State, a question hangs heavy in the air: who is quietly working against him?

Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s Growing Critics

The recent refinery deal has become the latest lightning rod, drawing fire to the governor. It began with the announcement of a $50 billion agreement with a private firm, touted as a breakthrough investment for industrial growth. Yet, within days, the deal was being brandished as evidence of recklessness.

In response, the Attorney General, Kayode Ajulo, issued a detailed defence, insisting that no state funds were risked and that every legal safeguard was applied. However, these assurances seemed to fuel more curiosity than relief.

Public interest immediately shifted from the documents to the intent. Lawmakers and political tacticians began to ask: who vetted the deal, who stood to gain, and who felt threatened? Even rumours of an EFCC probe (though quickly dismissed) travelled far enough to plant seeds of doubt in the public mind.

Meanwhile, outside the refinery debate, new angles of pressure are forming. Budget implementation is being criticised as weak; reportedly, less than 40 per cent of

allocated funds were utilised, even as a supplementary budget of over N500 billion was requested.

To some, this looks like strained governance. To others, it hints at political war-gaming ahead of the next election cycle. For Aiyedatiwa, it is simply bad PR.

Civil society groups have also joined the fray with legal suits, citing alleged diversions of local government funds. Simultaneously, opposition parties claim the state’s schools are too costly and its hospitals are neglected, essentially accusing the governor of chasing prestige while citizens endure decay.

Aiyedatiwa’s allies believe he has stepped on seasoned toes. They argue that his industrial push has unsettled networks that profit from stagnation. In their telling, progress has a price, and powerful forces have arrived to collect it.

If they are right, Aiyedatiwa’s biggest risk was never the refinery; it was the people who wished it to fail. If they are wrong, Aiyedatiwa is in serious trouble.

Fola Adeola and the Hospital That Joined a Bigger Story

In Lagos, hospitals do not usually make headlines. Yet Paelon Memorial Hospital quietly did, by changing owners and possibly altering the future of private care in Nigeria. All thanks to Fola Adeola

Iwosan Investments, co-founded by Adeola, announced the acquisition as part of its growing plan to build a national network of advanced medical facilities. The deal placed a respected hospital inside a wider healthcare strategy.

Paelon had already earned a reputation. It became Africa’s first SafeCare Level 5 certified hospital. Patients often cited its efficiency and quieter, more personal atmosphere. Now it would operate with new resources while keeping its clinical standards. Iwosan promised investment in people, systems, and infrastructure. A hospital known for precision might soon be known for scale.

Iwosan began in 2019 with modest steps. It grew by targeting institutions that already had

trust. In 2022, it bought the Lagoon Hospitals Group. That acquisition birthed the Iwosan Lagoon Hospitals brand on Victoria Island, which now serves as one of the city’s hubs for advanced clinical services.

The latest move renewed conversations about what wealthy Nigerians do with capital. Adeola built a career that ranged across finance, infrastructure, and philanthropy. He helped found GTBank, guided Main One Cable Company, and supported thousands of young entrepreneurs through FATE Foundation. His ventures often started with institutions and ended with systems.

That history made the hospital purchase feel intentional. Adeola had long shown an interest in structural change. Healthcare might be the new sector where systems could be tested. The deal suggested that private investment was drifting toward life and longevity rather than only profit.

Lagosians Talk, Lagos State Government Listens

If states are judged by how they handle complaints, Lagos recently passed that test on the Lekki/Ajah corridor, where protests over timing did what traffic management could not.

The government of Babajide Sanwo-Olu had scheduled eight months of rehabilitation work beginning on November 15. Commissioners outlined phases, diversions, and night shifts. Then Lagosians spoke up. The calendar was too close to Detty December, a period known for nightlife, visitors, and heavy spending. The government shifted its plans.

The decision arrived through a statement from the Commissioner for Transportation. Preliminary works would continue, he said, but full construction would wait. A new date would come later. That pause became a signal: policy was now moving with public rhythm.

Other examples already existed. Complaints about rainfall damage in Ikorodu and Lekki pushed the government to accelerate repairs. Residents noted smoother drives afterwards.

The Sanwo Olu Listens programme distributed financial assistance to vulnerable households. It

Elumelu’s Vision and Quiet Rebellion

Nigeria rarely pauses to ask who will keep the lights on when ambition fades. Tony Elumelu has spent two decades answering that question. He climbed the banking ladder, built UBA into a pan-African institution, and turned Transcorp into a model for indigenous enterprise. His record gives his ideas weight: he has outlasted cycles. Those credentials shaped his latest call to entrepreneurs. Speaking in Lagos on November 18, he urged businesses to think beyond survival mode. Profit, he argued, is too delicate on its own. Structure, governance and succession planning determine which ideas become institutions. Starting was easy; sustaining required design.

Elumelu’s rise was itself a lesson in endurance. From Standard Trust Bank to UBA, he pushed for systems that could grow without personality cults. Analysts credit him with redefining how African banks could scale across borders. He treated strategy as

architecture: something that must hold its shape when pressure hits.

The same instinct drove the Tony Elumelu Foundation(TEF). More than 24,000 young Africans received capital and training through its 12-week program. It was mentorship wrapped in discipline. The goal was to elevate entrepreneurs from dreamers to job creators. That track record positioned him as a rare figure who believed legacy could be engineered.

Nigeria’s economy is crowded with startups but thin on scale-ups. Many fold under diesel costs and unpredictable policy. Elumelu reads these problems as structural flaws, not destiny. He argues for stable regulation, financing frameworks and digital infrastructure that match the country’s ambition.

Investors listen to him because his ideas are built in the real economy. He turned principles into payroll. His Africapitalism philosophy rejects charity; it frames business as a public good. Every thriving firm, he says, widens the

A quiet man can still walk with a blade in his hand. Once, Governor Umo Eno projected soft edges, fittingly wearing the image of the gentle pastor who preached harmony across Akwa Ibom. That image shifted when two aides were dismissed after a political convention in Ibadan. The order had been clear: follow him to the APC or step aside.

Joseph Ikpak and Felix Ekuri were removed from their posts. Their offence was attendance at the PDP convention. Moments later, photographs of the two circulated online. The government framed the move as restructuring; insiders whispered disobedience and punishment.

was framed as a direct response to hardship rather than long policy cycles.

Budget planning also opened its doors. Forums across the state gathered suggestions from residents. Roads like Oro Oke were added to discussions because people asked that school and clinic access be given priority. Consultation began to shape allocation.

Environmental worries found space, too. Pressure over flooding and plastic waste led to renewed restrictions on single-use plastics and styrofoam. Government statements linked the measures to citizen concerns. Engagement moved from online debate to regulatory action.

The Lekki/Ajah case stood out because it touched culture as well as infrastructure. Detty December contributes billions of naira each year to Lagos nightlife and tourism. A blocked corridor could have stalled concerts and travel. Planners appeared to agree.

tax base and narrows insecurity.

In Nigeria, enterprise normally chases quick reward. But Elumelu treats time as the most valuable capital. To him, legacy is a strategy stretched across a lifetime.

Eno confirmed the dismissals himself. From his language, it is clear that he hinges everything on consequence; how public service had rules, and loyalty formed the spine.

According to the governor, no one could serve a government and wander into rival territory. It sounded administrative, but anyone with sensitive ears would recognise the firmness that bordered on warning.

The governor had already demanded allegiance from all aides before the incident. Those unwilling to cross into the APC were advised to resign. That ultimatum hinted at a doctrine: loyalty first, ideology second. The tone had been quiet, but its force came later.

Critics remembered older stories: a family quarrel, disputed business practices, and promises of unity that now looked brittle. Some argued that Eno’s “Akwa Ibom United” slogan dissolved the moment dissent surfaced. The smile in his posters felt different when viewed beside his decisions.

Supporters took another view. They saw discipline and clarity. They praised him for clean lines and firm rules. One aide even wrote online that no one could serve two masters. In that reading, governance needed backbone, not gentle speeches.

The question remains: was Eno misunderstood all along, or did power repaint his portrait once it reached his desk?

Eno Umo: Dagger in His Smile

Aiyedatiwa

Umo

Adeola

elumelu

Sanwo-Olu

president Bola Tinubu: Is this Mandate Still Standing?

HAS Left Us

Many people didn’t meet Segun at his prime. He was the best of the best - jovial, personable and a people’s person. Suddenly he just left us, just like that? This is very sad.

I was busy doing what we all do in Lagos last Thursday when my phone started getting hot with calls, messages and chats: “Edgar, is it true? Edgar, did oga just die? Edgar, was he ill?”

You may wonder why they were calling me for confirmation before some of you will start thinking that maybe I am now an Awolowo, or maybe I now come from Ikenne. We had become quite close as a result of my successful play on his grandfather, the great Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

I had met him through his cousin, Ladi Soyode, and since then, had tried to maintain a good relationship with him.

The news was devastating, but I still needed to confirm. So I called Otunba Bimbo Ashiru and could not get him, and then I called Ladi, who asked me to call back. By this time, the news wires had gone amok, and the news was everywhere.

An arrowhead of a receding generation has just left. Segun

This is the question I think President Bola Tinubu should be asking himself right now. The country is on fire, and calls for his resignation have started ringing true. I don’t know if I support those calls just yet, but the way Nigerians are losing their lives is now reaching epidemic proportions. The sad thing is not only in the way they are losing their lives but in the seeming helplessness the authorities are displaying in tackling the grave situation.

It is now a national embarrassment because all we see as responses are press releases, presidential orders, condolence visits and very tepid arrests here and there. So, bandits will raid a whole village, kill almost everybody and cart

represented a new lineage of youths who had pushed the levers of social rebellion through music and with the anthem - Asiko awa youth re - with the ebullient Sir Shina Peters as its mouthpiece. He didn’t stop there but went ahead to build a super career in public service, energising Nigeria’s super-influential trade czar.

Mbok, let me leave it for now, as the pain for his mother, the elegant Abah Folawiyo, can only be imagined. May his soul will rest in peace. What else can we say?

NASIr el-rUfAI: A STroNg poINT

Mallam El-Rufai made a very strong point in Jos, Plateau recently. He is quoted to have said that 230 million Nigerians will defeat 25 governors at the 2027 polls. These are my fervent prayers. I do not like bullies, and it is looking like what is happening is bullying in the political space.

Anybody who believes that these movements are not orchestrated and voluntary is definitely smoking something. They are very far from voluntary, and history will tell us the true reasons behind these defections. It is this defection that is making

away the rest, and the next thing we see is the government celebrating the arrest of one pick-pocket with headlines screaming ‘Bandit Kingpin Arrested.’ The next day, the whole local government will be desecrated.

My Commander-in-Chief, are we chiefly commanding well? Are you sure this mandate is still strong enough for us to stand on?

Are we overwhelmed? If we are overwhelmed, it is not a problem o, the problem will now be our refusal to ask for “help”

There is nothing wrong with asking for help from those who have faced this kind of problem before and

people like me resolve not to support this APC for anything. How can we be moving towards a one-party state at this time in our democracy? Even the military, when they were in power, formed two parties and encouraged a guided multi-party democracy. And now, after over 20 years of democracy, we, like sheep, are being herded towards one party.

This is why El-Rufai’s statement has resonated with me. Let the governors go and let Nigerians come out en masse and speak to fair play, justice and all the freedoms that come with democracy.

Once we can defeat the spirit of apathy amongst Nigerians, a strong message would have been sent to these cowards that weasels have never been made leaders.

Thank you.

JUSTIce KeKere-eKUN: THe wIg AND THe MANDATe

My dear sister, we all watched with suffocating wonderment at the singing of this APC anthem at your conference with all of your people in firm attention. Well, your spokespeople have come out with a barely acceptable explanation claiming that the anthem was played by the military band, and

successfully stamped it out. By this time, we should be building an international coalition to tackle this thing because of its risk to subregional stability. But all we see are just press releases and instructions to the Army to stamp the thing out, instructions that are entering one ear and coming out of the other ear. Daddy, they are not stamping out anything ooo, they just killed a General ooo, they just attacked a Church in Kwara ooo, they have carried our girls in Kebbi ooo, and the country is on fire ooo. Show me that mandate, let me tear it ooo. Nigerians are in pain, and there is blood flowing all over the place, and you just can’t be sleeping well. You can’t, Oga. Wake up, Sir.

since they did not want to be pulled into a Wike-Yerima type squabble with the military band, who would have received instructions from a retired COAS, they kept quiet. That said, Nigerians have remained aghast at this whole thing, which has thrown up once again the debilitating issue of the independence of the judiciary. You will agree with me that your arm of government and indeed your profession is going through a very serious crisis of credibility. I am sure that by now, you would have read Senator Ojodu’s treatise on how judgments are procured even before there is a matter. A crime that will be committed ten years from now already has judgment written and kept in a refrigerator waiting to be defrosted and released when the matter comes up.

My dear Big Aunty, you remain in a high reputation, but I fear that your personal reputation will not be enough to solve this problem. We need bold judicial reforms; we need to restore public confidence in the judiciary, and the judiciary needs to go back to what it was originally designed to be – a separate and independent arm of government and not this one that we are seeing. That is the only mandate you should be standing on, Aunty.

Thank you.

SegUN Awolowo: A gooD MAN

Sanwo-olu

Tinubu

Awolowo

Nasir el-rufai

Makinde

SeYI MAkINDe: TUrNINg TAbleS

There is something about leadership – vision. You cannot be a true leader without having vision, the power to see far and beyond the ordinary person. As I watched the “attack” on the PDP headquarters in Abuja, I watched Governor Seyi Makinde very intently.

I almost laughed at him as he looked lost and listless. He was pushed, shoved and tear-gassed, and after it all, he sat with the Chairman as that one made his statements.

Governor Seyi Makinde was part of Wike’s comedic group, who wore colourful costumes, danced all over Nigeria like drunken thespians in a gibberish attempt at scuttling the hopes and aspirations of Nigerians who dreamt of leveraging the PDP platform.

Today, he has broken ranks with his leader and is on the other side of the fence and for his efforts, he was tear gassed, shuffled and bullied. This is what you get when you don’t move with vision in leadership. Just two years ago, he was Wike’s sidekick, and if he had vision, he would have seen the “Nebuchadnezzar” that was leading him in G5. But as the “follow follow” that he was at that time, he joined hands to scuttle democracy and foster on Nigerians the pestilence we now see. Thankfully, like the biblical Saul, the scales have fallen from his eyes, and he is trying to right the wrongs of his past effort. I truly do wish him well, but he should come and take a masterclass in vision-driven leadership.

bAbAjIDe SANwo-olU: leT MY people go

As a young Ibibio lad growing up in Shomolu, Lagos, that building that the Lagos State Government, through its LAMATA, just brought down held a lot of significance. It was the rallying point of a very humble and meek tribe. We are Ibibios; we do not look for trouble, we do not control whole markets in another person’s land, we do not own massive real estate, and we have not claimed to have built Lagos. We mind our business, carry on with our jobs, stay in our little ‘face me I face you’ and generally just do what we know best to do – eat afang, pursue witches with prayers, and generally just try to have fun in Lagos. Now you come and bully us? Because you think we cannot fight. This my brother is shameful. You come and break down our Community Centre and promise us compensation of N11m as reported? What is that amount for? Is it to pay for the fuel we will use to transport ourselves back to Uyo?

A property valued at N250m?

And you are offering N11m for a decidedly illegal operation?

The good thing is that it is not only our people that you have flogged, you have kuku flogged your own people and voters in Oworonsoki, leading them to block the Third Mainland Bridge.

That notwithstanding, this bullying is all the more painful and tear-jerking because it is just plain “chancing.” We do not have the muscle to fight, after all, who are we? Are we not just Ekaette and Udoh? Is it not house

boy and house girl that we came to do? We will do what we know best to do, we will take our pain and tears to God in strong supplications, and like He has always done, He will fight this Pharaoh for us. Thank you o for this disgrace and humiliation. Thank you.

DAN AgbeSe: MY CoNDoleNCeS

Newswatch was a “must” for Nigerians in those days, and Dan

Agbese’s prose was a must for me. Mbok. The guy can write sha. Kai! I used to walk from my house in Shomolu to Onipanu bus stop to do “free readers association” with Newswatch.

Agbese was my favourite and I would read him and say to myself, one day, I will write like this and voila, today, I am writing like him. You see the power of dreams. Kai, I have just read that he passed

vDM AND jolloff: THUgS IN THe AIr

I am not bound by the most vaunted omoluabi of the Yorubas, so I can criticise anyone that I like. You see, after watching the clip of these two fighting in an aircraft, what came to my mind hurriedly were the strong words of my classmate and great political scientist of our time, Dr Obinna Ihunna. When two people were fighting those days at the great Independence Hall of the University of Ibadan, he would fold his hands and say, “Cloth a pig, dress a pig, put a pig in fine jewellery, a pig is a pig.” That is exactly what I will use to describe these two who threw all decorum into the air and engaged in a very shameful fight, right inside an aircraft. Following the very fine examples of their father, Kwam 1 and the barebreasted warrior of Ibom Air fame, they went at each other with everything they had and at the end of it offered apologies while

they await their certificate of ambassadorship from NCAA – that is the reward for unruly behaviour in the aviation sector.

One more thing. I hear that Mr. Jollof bit VDM. Mbok, why would a full-grown man resort to biting? If this is true, then this is double shame for Mr. Jollof because a man must take his beating with pride. Why bite? It can never be accepted, and he has, by this act, if true, brought double shame and disgrace to his people and tribe. The last time “Gisonrin” the agbero beat me in Shomolu, I did not bite o despite the massive blows that almost fractured my skull. That is the mark of a man, not to be biting up and down simply because you are being pummelled. Anyways, these two irritants must be made to face the full wrath of the law. After all, they are not the president’s favourite musician; they should be dealt with. Period.

away at the ripe old age of 81. He lived well and fulfilled not only his career goals but also his life goals. I wish his family well and also pray that God accept his soul in heaven. He was a beautiful writer and a great man. Rest in peace, sir.

ezrA olUbI: wHAT kIND of A MAN Ezra Olubi is the multi-billionaire co-founder of giant Paystack, one of the unicorns in Nigeria’s Fintech space worth trillions of Naira. He is, however, weird in sexual orientation. He once wore lipstick and painted his nails to go and receive national honours from conservative Buhari, who almost choked when he moved forward.

Well, Ezra, as reported, found himself in a unique but very enviable type of relationship. He was dating a pair of lesbians - what will I give to find myself in this kind of situation? Anyway, he also had a not-so-secret life of fantasies.

Mbok, let’s just say fantasies because I don’t believe any human can do those things that he reportedly tweeted. He had, sometime in the past, been tweeting about his sexual attachments to cats – yes, cats, what Yorubas call Ologbo, and minors. So, one day, he borrowed one of the girls in the circle $55,000 to pay her brother’s school fees. But the lady could not pay back the loan. One thing led to the other, and Ezra said he was no longer interested in the relationship. In retaliation, she retweeted his past tweets, and Nigerians started vomiting all over the place. The tweets are just so revolting that I cannot mention them on this page because Editor will faint. His company, Paystack, has suspended him; others have called for police investigations to make sure that no cats or minors were abused, and he has scurried off social media in shame.

Mbok, tell me how can a full-grown man be playing with the nipples of a cat? Is that not juju? Kai, Sodom and Gomorrah in Lagos. Na wa.

CHIef evArISTUS eTIM bASSeY: ADIeU wITH gArlANDS

The passing of Chief Bassey has been announced in a letter to the Nigerian Security and Printing Company by his son, the very brilliant Henry Bassey. You may start to wonder “wetin concern Duke for this one.” Let me tell you. Chief Bassey is a man of history. He was Nigeria’s pioneer bank note security printer. He set up the African Printers Association. He also played a pivotal role in setting up the MINT in 1963 and served there till he retired as Executive Director, just before he set up the Abuja Factory, which was commissioned by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in 2022.

These are the kinds of unsung heroes that we should seize every opportunity to throw up. His contributions, though not fully in the face of the public, continue to impact the economy and, by extension, our lives, hence my honouring him on the occasion of his glorious passing.

To the family, you all should remain proud that your family gifted Nigeria one of its most principled and visiondriven leaders. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Thank you.

jollof (left) and veryDarkMan

Fayose’s ‘Love’ Le t er to Former President Obasanjo

When former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose invited former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to his 65th birthday, not a few were astonished by the former’s gesture. More surprising was that the ex-president honoured the invitation. It is no secret that there is no love lost between Obasanjo and Fayose, as both have often engaged in one feud or another. Therefore, many expressed scepticism about the assumed reconciliation. And they were proven right following the fallout that came shortly after the party.

Fayose, known for his controversial character, sent a ‘ thank you’ letter to Obasanjo, where he called him unprintable names two days later.

The “thank you” note sent by SMS read: “Dear Baba Obasanjo, I trust this meets you well. Your coming to my birthday party, I appreciate it, except for your very irresponsible comments at your age. You went so low, but I am not surprised because someone once said you are supposed to be kept away in the zoo. Sincerely, that’s where you belong.

“I kept quiet or did not reply to you at the function so that the world will know the difference between a sane and a mad man that you are. It is also obvious that you have also lost your sanity, or should I say, it is the heightened stage of dementia.

Not to worry, Baba, I shall set the records straight in due course of time. Lastly, I shall appreciate it if you return my money since you publicly admitted you received it, but Dangote brought you back. Your leopard will never change its skin.”

The former president replied tacitly: “Ayo, thanks for your ‘Thank You’ message, which undisguisedly revealed who and what you are, unchanged and unchangeable. Your money has been sent back through Foluso Adeagbo, who brought it and in the same bag as he brought it, unopened by me.”

As gathered, Fayose’s note was a response to Obasanjo’s remarks at his birthday party. At the event, the former president mixed praise with sharp rebuke.

“You are not the best of my political children, you are not… But you have made achievements that must not be ignored,” he said.

He added that the invitation to the event was not extended directly by Mr Fayose but through former aviation minister Osita Chidoka.

“When Osita came to me and said, ‘Ayo,’ I asked, ‘Ayo who?’ He said Ayo Fayose. I told him to tell him, the message has been delivered,” Mr Obasanjo said.

The former president also revealed that some

associates had warned him not to attend because of Mr. Fayose’s past insults.

“Before I started coming here, some people called me… ‘Can’t you remember that he abused you?’ I said, ‘Thank you for reminding me.’”

Despite the rocky relationship, Obasanjo said Fayose had apologised to him in the past on more than one occasion.

Dr. Olasumbo Aduke Soyemi, a United States–based business woman is regarded as one of the few individuals who are constantly in the warm embrace of history, whether making or recreating it.

In reminiscence, the circumstances of her birth, according to reliable sources, had prepared her family for her current enviable status and profle.

On Saturday, November 15, 2025, her name was further engraved in a hall of fame during the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

On that red-letter day, Soyemi and her beautiful daughter, Dr. Sharon Matesun, were conferred with chieftaincy titles by the paramount ruler of Egbaland.

While Soyemi was bestowed with the title of Fimosewa of Egbaland, her daughter was installed as the Asiwaju Iya Abiye of Egbaland.

For the record, this is the frst time in the history of Abeokuta that a mother and daughter have been honoured with traditional titles on the same day and at the same event.

Those who have encountered Soyemi in life attest to the fact that she is graceful in dignity, elegant in deeds, and deeply rooted in Yoruba culture. She has an endearing personality, and her aura continues to catch the fancy of her admirers.

With a large heart, she sees philanthropy as a critical vehicle for social stabilisation and empowerment; hence, she supports visionary ideas, invests in sustainable businesses, and impacts her immediate environment.

On her part, Boluwatife, the frst of three children, has proven to be a shining light in healthcare services.

A trailblazing physician, she is involved in clinical practice, public health, global health, epidemiology, and health education.

Her work elevates patient care, trains healthcare professionals, and advances global public health standards.

Her academic brilliance is exemplary: Distinguished Honour Roll and valedictorian in high school; a bachelor’s degree in Psychology (Health Track); an MPH in Global Health and Medicine; and now a medical practitioner.

To further appreciate her coronation, the brilliant doctor yesterday, Saturday, pulled all stops as she hosted her friends, business partners from all walks of life at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta. The shindig that was the top of discussion among the elite and the socialites surely lived beyond expectations as guests had fun at the event that had music sensation, Yinka Ayefele at the bandstand.

Kola Dada Hits New Jackpot

As a businessman and friend to many leaders and government officials across Africa, upwardly mobile businessman Kola Dada has explored many business opportunities across the continent, and he has succeeded in many of them, thanks to his innovations and resourcefulness.

The ambitious business mogul is ready to show his workings to the world after many months of unannounced planning and strategising on his next move.

Just a few months before the end of the year, KDD, as he’s fondly known, a bird chirped that Dada had hit the jackpot in Ilorin, Kwara State.

KDD, through his company, has sealed

Princess Fifi E jindu Gets International Honour

High-flying architect and entrepreneur, Princess Fifi Ejindu, has not only realised her dreams but has also made significant strides in the realms of architecture and international diplomacy. Renowned for her innovative and timeless designs, she has established herself as a prominent figure in real estate, where her commitment to quality over quantity sets her apart.

The beautiful woman also possesses an exceptional eye for detail, ensuring each of her architectural creations embodies both aesthetic appeal and functional excellence. She masterfully blends elements of medieval and Renaissance architecture with contemporary influences, creating structures that are as unique as they are captivating. Her meticulous approach to design ensures that each building she conceptualises stands as a testament to her creativity and expertise. Having successfully completed numerous projects in bustling urban centres like Dubai and Nigeria, she has proven her prowess in the construction industry.

Her reputation as a savvy businesswoman

If bells rang for every achievement, Lanre Da Silva-Ajayi would chime unceasingly. Every time Lanre appears on the scene, the bells would toll in honour of an extraordinary fashion mogul whose impact will resonate for generations. She is one of Nigerian fashion luminaries reimagining the tapestry of African style

a waste management deal with the Kwara State government, and according to information at our disposal, the deal took off in November.

After many months of meetings with the team at the Kwara State Ministry of Environment, led by Dr Abubakar Ayinla, KDD is ready to display its brilliance and acumen in the sector, having shone like a bright star in faraway South Africa, where his achievements have become legends among experts.

Though the bubbly KDD has kept the deal to himself and the close-knit members of his inner caucus, he’s said to have been shuttling between Lagos and Kwara.

A source revealed that this won’t be the last of KDD’s business strides, as he is said to be keeping mum on other projects and deals that he’s currently working on at the moment.

is complemented by her recent foray into international diplomacy, where she serves as the president of the Angola-Nigeria Business Council. In this role, she is dedicated to fostering collaboration and complementarity between the two nations, unlocking their full potential in various sectors, particularly in oil and gas and mineral resources.

Fifi Ejindu’s diplomatic endeavours have strengthened the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Angola, facilitating high-level meetings that attract global investors. Her keen negotiation skills and commitment to resolution have positioned her as a pivotal figure in enhancing the economic ties between the two countries.

In recognition of her remarkable contributions, she was recently honoured by the Angolan Embassy in Abuja during the commemoration of Angola’s 50th Independence Anniversary. This accolade celebrated her tireless dedication, exemplary commitment, and unwavering support towards building bridges between Angola and Nigeria, marking her as an influential advocate for international cooperation and development.

and global fashion entrepreneurship.

Born with a silver spoon to Lagos State-born former Secretary to the State Government, Sir Leo Babarinde Da Silva, she never planned to become a fashion designer.

In fact, if anyone had told her that she would someday be a force to be reckoned with in the fashion world, she would have dismissed it. But since she ventured into the business in 2005, it has been one laurel after another.

No doubt, this is another proof that Da-Silva-Ajayi, who holds a Master’s degree in Accountancy, is cut for greatness. The business, which started like a mustard seed in her parents’ sitting room a few years back, has now grown into a reputable business empire.

Through her multifaceted career, Princess Ejindu continues to inspire many, demonstrating that with hard work and vision, one can significantly impact both architecture and international relations.

Her driving force, as gathered, has been her belief that success, as we all know, is not something that happens overnight. It’s a learning curve that comes with patience, perseverance, hard work and endurance.

Even in the face of the stiff competition in the industry today, LDA, as she is fondly called by friends and admirers, is still a leading outfit in the industry, thanks to her ingenuity. There is no gainsaying that the last two decades have brought goodness and joy to the path of the top designer. She has remained a trailblazer in African fashion, celebrated for her timeless elegance and unique ability to blend vintage glamour with bold African identity.

Fayose

Dada

Historic Moment for Olasumbo Soyemi, Daughter at Alake Palace

Dr. Olasumbo Soyemi and Daughter Sharon

Ejindu

Silva-Ajayi

A publicAtion

An Art Space Where Lagos Lets Its Imagination Breathe

Nestled in the discreet crescents of Lagos’s Lekki Phase one, an understated art space pulses with quiet confidence, offering a haven where the city’s restless creativity can pause, experiment, and find its own rhythm. okechukwu Uwaezuoke reports

Lekki Phase One—the upmarket Lagos enclave where sleek, contemporary façades flaunting newfound wealth coexist with the ever-faithful hum of generators like long-suffering roommates—has, since December 2021, been home to a purposeful, understated art space. Launched amid the fanfare of campaign blitzes, Cera Cerni’s Art Hub has claimed a quiet niche alongAkintundeAdeyemi Street, a discreet crescent off Adewole Kuku Street. It blends into the area so seamlessly that one might almost forget the street was ever without it. Then, there’s a sense of patience here, a quiet confidence that the Lagos art scene, restless as it is, will gravitate to its doors in due time.

Its clientele is a sampling of Lagos in its dynamic flux: children from modest and affluent homes alike; Gen Z chroniclers filming their “Eureka!” moments with the same devotion they give to their feeds; suit-clad professionals sneaking in a moment of decompression; retirees rediscovering the simple pleasure of leisure; and visitors curious to test the city’s creative pulse for themselves. Presiding over it all is Sarah Adenike Sanni—muralist, aerosol virtuoso, and tireless advocate for walls as expressive as the city’s infamous yellow minibuses, popularly known as danfo. Her career reads like a Lagos plot twist only the curious weaving of fate could orchestrate. A University of Benin computer science graduate, she once traded the predictability of a lucrative nine-to-five for the Bohemian uncertainty of an artist’s life—a reminder that destiny sometimes lurks behind a course outline and a SIWES (Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme). Today, more than 400 of her murals adorn corporate corridors, private residences, and public façades across Lagos and beyond, yet commercial success has never dulled her appetite for something more intimate: a space where art could be taught, explored, and lived—not merely bought and sold. For three years, the idea gestated, slowly evolving into what would become Cera Cerni’s Art Hub—a place that mirrors Lagos’s own chaotic-but-aspirational rhythm. Sanni had long observed a gap in the city’s art ecosystem: instruction was either too rarefied, too remote, or too dependent on insider networks. Amid the megacity’s relentless energy, the simple notion of accessible, everyday creative learning had been largely overlooked. The hub emerged to fill that gap—a necessary counterpoint, a breathing space where Lagos creativity, in all its restless improvisation, could express itself, experiment, and finally claim its stage. Behind its walls, the hub wears three hats: skills centre, recreational arena, and exhibition space. The recreational painting sessions carry the easy camaraderie of a Sunday hangout—finger foods and drinks included—while the pottery corner offers a deeply tactile escape, the kind that gathers the mind into quiet concentration with almost meditative force. Structured classes span three proficiency levels, with business skills

woven in—a practical nod to the Nigerian reality where the “starving artist” is a genuine hazard, not a romantic trope.

The rooms themselves—Igbokwenu Hall, the Owanbe Room, the Horsemen Room, Splash Studio, the Flower Room, and Potters’ Corner—are personalities in their own right, each shaping the mood and tempo of whatever unfolds within them. As for the hub’s offerings, Drum Roll sessions come with complimentary small chops and a drink for N10,000—a tidy way to drum up inspiration while nibbling away. Sip & Paint invites guests to flaunt their brush-wielding flair, with canvas sessions at N15,000 and shirt painting at N25,000. Pottery enthusiasts can opt for table moulding at N15,000 or take a spin on the potter’s wheel for N20,000, both served with refreshments and the hub’s trademark warm hospitality.

For those chasing a burst of expressive freedom, Spin ’n’ Spill hosts one to three participants at N35,000, while Hand-inHand—designed for duos synchronising creativity—runs at N40,000. The Art Cycle, N30,000 per person, keeps the rhythm going, and Shoot Ur Shot, supported by treats from The Side Cafe, offers medium-scale fun at N50,000 or large-scale mischief at N80,000. Finally, tufting—the chic art of rugmaking—rounds out the menu, complete with a meal, small chops, and drinks for N90,000 for one or two participants.

Acrew of roughly 20 staff members keeps the hub buzzing with the precision of a lean production house. Its seven-day debut leaned into Sanni’s technological roots, kicking off with VIRAL: Technology Enabling Art— a wink to the discreet co-conspirators of Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook that quietly amplified its presence across Lagos and beyond.

Beyond instruction and recreation, the hub courts established artists through its “Hot Easel” programme, offering studio time without the usual Lekki posh-neighbourhood pomp. The upper floor doubles as an exhibition space, while the rest accommodates intimate gatherings—from soft-launch soirées to bespoke events, each likely featuring at least one guest insisting they came “just to support.”

Thus, in a city that rarely pauses, Cera Cerni’sArt Hub provides a countercurrent: a space where creativity is no elitist indulgence but a public utility. Its guiding philosophy is straightforward—every Nigerian harbours a spark of ingenuity somewhere between survival instinct and daily improvisation, and that spark deserves space to stretch, play, and breathe.

And so the hub endures, a quietly defiant statement from Sanni that even in Lagos, where pressure has become the city’s theme song, art can still claim its space—calmly, persistently, and, delightfully, on its own terms.

The hub's façade

The reception area

The Owambe Room

When A Painting Urges Us to Look Beyond

Jess Castellote

Last week I came across an article about Johannes vermeer's “The Geographer”, a wonderful work painted around 1669. It shows a scholar in his study, surrounded by maps, globes, and measuring instruments. The geographer has paused mid-work, turning toward the window, his posture tense with suspended discovery. vermeer captures that moment just before insight strikes and the mind floats between confusion and clarity. You can almost feel the urge to sketch a new line and to revisit the map with fresh eyes. We don't know what he sees or thinks, but we sense something has shifted. vermeer catches him stepping beyond the material world into reflection, imagination, perhaps discovery.

When vermeer painted this work 350 years ago, Dutch ships were active along the Gulf of benin, pushing eastward from their West African trading posts. Though they never settled in what is now Nigeria, they traded regularly in the western Niger Delta, around the benin river and the mangrove lands of the Itsekiris. I like to imagine vermeer's geographer tracing those unfamiliar Nigerian inlets and sandbars—pausing, as in the painting, just as a new line reveals a larger horizon. or perhaps, in that moment, he was thinking beyond maps altogether, contemplating something far more important than coastlines and trade routes. Looking closely at this painting made me think about how certain artworks help us look beyond. They stay with us not because of what they show, but because of what they reveal. They make us pause, look again, recognise that meaning often hides beneath the surface. Sometimes, they help us think about ourselves. The geographer's gesture of looking beyond captures something basic about

In Ogunajo’s

Yinka Olatunbosun

This November, one of Nigeria’s foremost contemporary artists, Demola ogunajo, takes centre stage as Soto Gallery, Ikoyi, unveils one of the year’s most anticipated art exhibitions: Womb 2 Street.

The month-long solo exhibition—open from November 5 to December 8—features about 20 rarely seen works by the celebrated painter and conceptual artist, marking a defining moment in his decades-long creative journey. renowned for blending pop-art aesthetics with graphic design, illustration, and a disarming visual sincerity he proudly calls his trademark, ogunajo has built a practice on exploring the meeting point between the sacred and the everyday. His paintings are vivid crossroads where bumpersticker humour meets celestial warfare; where the mundane collides with the mythic.

In Womb 2 Street, audiences enter a lush visual universe animated by angels, Lagos street motifs,

A

art's power: it trains us to see more deeply, to look beyond surfaces, beyond appearances, beyond our own assumptions. In an age drowning in images and distractions, this is a valuable gift. ordinary life encourages rapid scanning over careful looking. Social media teaches scrolling, not thinking deeply. Advertisements flash past. Photographs vanish in seconds. but standing before a good painting demands a different rhythm. Our eyes begin moving with patience over colours, shapes, lines, textures. We notice relationships between light and shadow, and between what's shown and what's suggested. And sometimes, they invite us to stop and think about something altogether different.About something that is beyond what the artwork portraits.

In his book The object Stares back, the art historian James elkins explains that looking is never as simple as it seems; when we slow down, images

begin to reveal more than we first notice. I felt this while looking at vermeer's Geographer. At a quick glance, it seemed like nothing more than a man in a room with his maps and instruments. but when I looked at it more slowly, just as elkins suggests, the painting began to "look back" at me. I noticed the pause in the man's body, his hand resting on the table, and his powerful gaze turned toward the window instead of the tools before him. It felt as if he had stopped measuring the world and begun thinking about something larger, something that cannot be captured on a map, something that went beyond the present. His pause was a doorway where the mind steps beyond maps into something larger. In that moment, it reminded me of what elkins means: real looking is not just seeing what is there but sensing what lies beyond it.

That gesture of looking beyond is not only his; it becomes an invitation. Just as the geographer looks past the room containing him, great artworks invite us beyond the canvas, into deeper ways of thought and possibility. In a world shaped by haste, art becomes a training ground for learning to see and learning to reflect.

Artists often use the visible world to point toward what lies beyond what we can see. What matters most is frequently what is implied rather than literally shown. Art becomes a doorway to the unseen, a space where absence and presence mix together. Looking beyond means perceiving connections between the painted and unpainted, form and feeling, reality depicted and ideas suggested. Good art expresses longing, memory, transcendence, fear, mystery, and much more. These are realities that resist straightforward description. In an era ruled by information and data, art reminds us that the world is larger than what we can measure. Art also challenges our assumptions. We think seeing is neutral, but we actually see through filters shaped by experience and culture. Art can shake up these filters, reveal their limits. It teaches humility—that

our first interpretation may not be the whole story. Another side of looking beyond comes from art's ability to create empathy. Seeing beyond what we initially notice often means seeing into another person's experience.Aportrait confronts us with someone's gaze and vulnerability. Anarrative painting places us inside a story. A contemporary installation can draw us in the emotional world of migration, inequality, environmental destruction. This is not merely intellectual—it's deeply emotional. These works invite us to expand our emotional horizons and look beyond our comfort zones. Art also helps us see what we don't yet fully understand. Today's artists grapple with identity, ecological crisis, artificial intelligence, global migration. engaging with their work requires looking beyond the present moment into developing realities.

Perhaps the deepest shift occurs when art teaches us to look beyond ourselves. encountering a work becomes a mirror reflecting our inner life. Some works invite looking inward; others unsettle us, raising questions we did not know we needed to ask ourselves. Through this process, we expand inwardly. returning to vermeer's geographer, we sense that as he looks out of the window, he confronts not only the world but also himself. He stands at the edge between known and unknown, between certainty and inquiry. When we stand before such a painting, we are invited to consider our own boundaries. What are we overlooking? What assumptions shape our thinking? What is missing in my life? What might we discover if we paused and looked more attentively?

read full Article online - www.thisdaylive.com

•Dr.Castelloteisthedirector,YemisiShyllon MuseumofArt,pan-AtlanticUniversity

Womb 2 Street, Creativity Hits the Street

EXHIBITION

Yoruba symbols, and the irreverent pulse of pop culture. Drawing from Nigeria’s vibrant visual language—from truck decals and barbershop signs to comic-book heroics—ogunajo creates works that are at once playful and profound, cartoonish yet cosmic. They confront enduring themes of faith, transcendence, divine struggle, and the absurdities of modern life.

At the core of his practice lies a continual reimagining of identity and belief. This new body of work represents a deeply personal inquiry—what ogunajo describes as an exploration of Christconsciousness, probing the tensions and harmonies between his Yoruba heritage and Christian faith.

“For me, creativity is like a child in the womb,” Ogunajo reflected while discussing the exhibition’s title. “It’s an autopilot kind of thing—the child doesn’t know, but it is being nurtured from within. The womb is the ambience that envelops everything I do.”

This symbolism captures the rhythm of his creative process: a movement from womb to

street, from inner gestation to public expression. one of the works on display, “Stilt Walk and Scorpion,” illustrates this metaphor with striking clarity. The colourful painting shows a man stepping carefully to avoid a scorpion—a visual allegory, ogunajo explains, for how one navigates

experiences that once caused pain or distress. “It is an attitude of carefulness,” he noted.

A graduate of obafemi Awolowo University, IleIfe, Ogunajo has spent over four decades refining his craft. Though widely recognised as a conceptual artist who works across multiple media—from acrylics to found objects—he maintains a fluid approach: “I allow each medium to define itself within the moment. This time around, it’s acrylic that I’m showing you.” more than an exhibition, Womb 2 Street stands as a bold intervention in contemporary art discourse. It challenges the secular biases that often dominate the art world while resisting any simplistic reduction of spirituality to dogma. by fusing Yoruba visual traditions with Christian iconography, ogunajo proposes a radical kind of inclusivity—one in which faith and culture are not competing forces but dynamic, evolving companions.

In an age when identity and belief are increasingly politicised, Ogunajo’s work offers a refreshing, transcendent vision: faith as lived experience, tradition as dialogue, and art as fearless testimony.

Governor and the Chronicle That Celebrates His Legacy

Yinka Olatunbosun

marked by celebration and reflection, a ceremony held on Wednesday, November 5, at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) became a defining moment for Nigeria’s literary and academic communities.

UNILAG Consult Limited officially unveiled Leadership Chronicles of Governor Douye Diri and announced the establishment of a Professorial Chair in Leadership and Good Governance in honour of the bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri.

Hosted at the Tayo Aderinokun Lecture Theatre, the event drew an impressive gathering of political leaders, scholars, and dignitaries from across the country. The hall brimmed with guests, including bayelsa indigenes in vibrant traditional attire who turned out in large numbers to celebrate their

governor.

Among the distinguished attendees were the Guest Speaker and Governor of Plateau State, Caleb mutfwang; the Chairman of the occasion, vice President Kashim Shettima, GCoN, represented by Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. obafemi Hamzat; and the Guest of Honour, Governor Douye Diri. Also present were the managing Director of UNILAG Consult, Dr. John Lekan oyefara; Prof. Hope eghagha; Prof. Gabriel olatunde babawale; mr. Sola ojewusi; and High Chief emonena victor Wayles egukawhore (JP), among others.

The 312-page publication—reviewed by TvC Public Analyst babajide Kolade-otitoju and compiled by the UNILAG Consult team—offers a comprehensive account of Governor Diri’s six years in office. Edited by Prof. Hope Eghagha and mr. Sola ojewusi, the book documents achievements

in healthcare, education, housing, agriculture, and technological innovation, supported by photographs and independent research carried out by the UNILAG team in bayelsa State.

In her welcome address, UNILAG vice-Chancellor Prof. Folasade ogunsola described the gathering as “more than a book launch,” calling it “a reminder that leadership, when anchored on knowledge and guided by values, remains the surest path to sustainable development.”

She noted that the newly endowed Professorial Chair would provide “a structured platform for research, teaching, and mentorship in leadership and governance,” underscoring the need to nurture integrity, accountability, and service among Nigeria’s future leaders.

vice President Shettima, in his goodwill message, praised Governor Diri and the people of bayelsa State, stressing the importance of historical documentation. “The important thing is to document our history for our children and the next generation,” he said.

The Geographer by Johannes Vermeer

A painting at the exhibition

IN THE ARENA

A Judiciary with Broken Trust

While the repeated calls on the judiciary to safeguard its dignity, uphold integrity, and curb misconduct are a necessary reminder of its critical role in a democracy, they often fall on deaf ears and rarely reflect in court judgments, Davidson Iriekpen writes

Judges and judicial officers who gathered for the 2025 All Nigerian Judges Conference at the National Judicial Institute in Abuja last week did not believe what they heard. They were denigrated, chastised, derided, reprimanded and scolded. It was an opportunity to remind them to always uphold the integrity of the judiciary to build public confidence in the courts.

even president Bola Tinubu spoke to them in scathing words, telling them pointblank that justice must never be for sale.

He did not only warn them to shun corruption, but advised them to safeguard the integrity of the judiciary.

According to the president, corruption in any form weakens the nation and destroys the sector to the core. He said governance loses its integrity and democracy loses its foundation when justice is compromised.

“Let us be clear. No amount of reform can succeed if integrity is compromised. Justice must never be for sale. The bench must never be called a sanctuary for compromise,” he said.

The president stressed that public confidence in the courts depends on a fair and untainted interpretation of the Constitution. He warned that public perception of the bench should concern every judicial officer, especially at a time when the nation’s democracy depends heavily on trust in justice institutions.

“A judgment may be grounded in law and delivered with clarity, but unless the public perceives it to be fair, impartial, and untainted, its moral authority is diminished,” he said.

“we must acknowledge, with candour, that public perception of the judicial process has not always been favourable. Citizens have expressed frustration at delays, concerns about integrity, and anxiety over access to justice.”

Tinubu noted that the growing backlog of cases and the slow pace of justice delivery were unacceptable and harmful to Nigeria’s democratic stability. He posited that Nigerians have repeatedly expressed frustration over delayed judgments, questionable conduct of judges, and the difficulty of accessing justice.

The president also said these concerns require honest reflection and decisive action. He urged judges to implement reforms that strengthen discipline, reduce congestion in courts, and make justice more accessible and affordable to citizens.

“Our courts must no longer be places where cases languish for years. They must become beacons of efficiency, where disputes are resolved swiftly, and where litigants depart with renewed confidence in the rule of law,” he added.

Similarly, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice

Kudirat Kekere-ekun, called for deeper judicial independence, stricter ethical discipline, and far-reaching reforms to restore public confidence in the Nigerian justice system.

She emphasised that a judiciary that commands national respect must be firm in upholding independence, committed to strong ethical standards, and determined to eliminate administrative inefficiencies.

According to her, the judiciary still operates within a framework of financial dependence on the executive, a situation she said weakens true independence and threatens the integrity of justice delivery.

“A judiciary that commands respect must be unwavering in upholding independence, firm in strengthening ethical standards, and resolute in eliminating inefficiencies in court administration. True independence is the bedrock of justice; where it is absent, the temple of justice trembles.

“we must also acknowledge a difficult but undeniable truth: The judiciary continues to operate within a democratic framework where financial dependence on the executive persists. without genuine financial autonomy, judicial independence remains fragile.

“True independence is the bedrock of justice; where it is absent, the temple of justice trembles. Independence is not a privilege; it is a moral and constitutional obligation that guarantees fairness and equality before the law,” the CJN said.

Addressing the issue of corruption within

the system, the CJN admitted that some judicial officers have fallen short of the ethical expectations of the bench, warning that the judicial robe “is never a cloak for impropriety but a symbol of incorruptible honour.”

The CJN urged judges to prioritise substantive justice over technicalities and ensure that their decisions reflect fairness, equity and the spirit of the law. She said courts must be sanctuaries of truth, accessible and efficient, and must lead the process of reform rather than merely adapting to change.

while acknowledging the judiciary’s historic role in safeguarding Nigeria’s democracy, the CJN said it must now go further by deepening democratic values through transparent and timely justice delivery.

while president Tinubu may have used unpalatable words in the judiciary, many feel that his executive arm of government is the one fuelling corruption in the all important third arm of government.

They added that it is not the duty of the executive arm of government to build courts, houses and buy cars judges.

Those who spoke with THISDAY in confidence stated that for a complete independence of the judiciary, adequate funds should be provided for it to embark on its projects with interference.

But beyond the sermons at the event, public confidence in Nigeria’s judiciary remains low, according to a 2025 survey by the Africa

p OLITICAL NOT e S

polling Institute.

The study found that 79 per cent of Nigerians have little or no trust in the judiciary, citing delays, perceived corruption, and limited access to justice as primary concerns.

Analysts say this trust deficit directly affects the legitimacy of judicial decisions and the public’s faith in the rule of law. experts and judicial leaders have also warned that a strong, transparent, and efficient judiciary is indispensable for national stability.

Corruption is widely considered the greatest bane of the Nigerian judiciary. It appears in forms such as bribery, selective application of the law, and manipulation of court processes, leading to the perversion of justice and an unequal system that favours the wealthy and the influential. public confidence in the judiciary is low, partly due to persistent allegations of corruption.

The third arm of government struggles with substantial influence and pressure from the executive arm of government. This interference affects funding, and decision-making, compromising impartiality. The executive’s occasional disobedience of court orders further erodes the rule of law. Also, the allegations of bias and bribery continue to be reported, indicating the urgent need for institutional reforms to safeguard judicial integrity.

Also, judicial appointments are frequently influenced by political, ethnic, and religious considerations rather than merit, legal experience, or intellectual depth. This practice compromises the quality and integrity of judicial officers and creates a system where career advancement can depend on political loyalty.

Added to all these, the court system is notorious for delays, endless adjournments, procedural abuses by lawyers, and a backlog of cases, resulting in prolonged justice delivery. Justice delayed, they say, is justice denied. These delays can lead to public apathy towards litigation.

reports indicate that over 243,000 cases were pending in superior courts of record as of early 2024, while litigants frequently waited years for resolutions.

Civic surveys, including those by HeDA, reveal that almost half of the citizens who interacted with the courts admitted to paying officials to expedite processes. The HeDA report noted that without addressing these systemic weaknesses, public perception will continue to suffer.

Nigeria’s judiciary, as the guardian of its laws and order, must reflect on its past mistakes that have undermined public confidence and make necessary corrections. This will also create a stable political and economic society at large.

Is Makinde paying for His Sins against pDp?

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, last week disclosed the reasons behind his fallout with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, he said his disagreement with the FCT minister was centred around party discipline and the need to uphold the rules of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Makinde emphasised that the PDP should be a multiparty democracy, allowing Nigerians to have options when choosing their leaders.

Earlier, Wike had accused Makinde of orchestrating a breach of trust and betrayal of their agreements.

Ironically, the same Wike and Makinde were key members of the G-5 governors within the PDP that

worked against the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 general election, Atiku Abubakar.

The group, formed in 2022, included Wike, Makinde, Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia),andIfeanyiUgwuanyi(Enugu).Theircampaign against Atiku and their agitation for the resignation of the then National Chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, weakened the main opposition party and facilitated the victory of APC.

However, their united front eventually crumbled over disagreements on the party’s presidential ticket and leadership.

Ahead of the 2027 presidential election, Wike has said that the PDP’s presidential candidate party must emerge from the south otherwise it won’t be acceptable to him and his loyalists in the party.

With the support of the APC-led federal government, Wike has become so powerful that he gives PDP conditions.

However, many would argue that the humiliation received by Makinde fromWike and his camp serves the Oyo State governor right.

When he joined other members of the G-5 to build Wike, his fellow governor, to become strong politically and acquire the capacity to destroy the PDP and ensure that it lost the 2023 presidential election, he did not know that the day of reckoning would come.

And little did Makinde know that in no distant future, their actions will come back to haunt him. Today, the consequences of his actions against the party are haunting him.

Justice Kekere-ekun

Makinde

BRIEFING NOTES

One Week, Many Casualties

The recent capture and execution of the Brigade Commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade, Brig. Gen. Musa Uba by ISWAP terrorist group, the mass abductions of students in Kebbi and Niger states, the attack on a church in Kwara State and the kidnapping of a Catholic reverend father, Bobbo Paschal, in Kaduna, will send a wrong impression of terrorists winning the war against the Nigerian state, unless political leaders de-emphasise their 2027 political ambitions and mobilise the military to respond with unrestrained force, ejiofor Alike reports

The killing of the Brigade Commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Brig. Gen. Musa Uba at the Damboa-Biu axis in Borno State by the fighters of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), has exposed the weaknesses of the military in the war against insurgency, particularly as it concerns intelligence gathering.

His death was a sad reminder of the previous killing of the Brigade Commander of the 28 Task Force Brigade in Chibok, Brigadier-General Dzarma Zirkushi in a similar ISWAP ambush on November 13, 2021.

Both 25 and 28 Task Force Brigades shared boundaries.

Zirkushi and seven soldiers fell to ISWAP ambush while he was leading reinforcements to Askira-Uba Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State.

Uba was killed with four soldiers and two civilian JTF.

Before Zirkushu was killed, the highestranking army officers killed by terrorists in the North-east were colonels.

The Commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Damboa, Colonel Dahiru Bako, was killed by Boko Haram terrorists in September 2020, while the Commanding Officer of the Chief of Army Staff Mobile Intervention Battalion in Borno, Col. Hussaini Samaila Sankara died in July 2021 following the injuries he sustained when his vehicle ran into a landmine of Boko Haram.

With enough prior intelligence before the mission, Uba and his men would not have been trapped between two notorious dense forests, a known ISWAP crossing route.

Military analysts believe that had there been prior intelligence gathering and adequate war equipment - gun trucks, anti-aircraft guns, Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), Mine-resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles and flank cover - no ugly situation could have warranted the senior military officer to be stranded alone in the forest, waiting to be captured by ISWAP.

Though he survived the initial ambush at Wajiroko and established communication with the Theater Command in charge of Operation Hadin Kai fighting insurgency in the North-east, the rescue operation by ground troops and air support were not swift and decisive enough to rescue him.

Few hours after the military had announced that he survived the ambush, the terror group announced that they had killed him.

It attached a picture of the General showing when he was in office and when he was “captured.”

ISWAP taunted the Nigerian Army, describing its statement that Uba was safe as an “outright lie and a miserable security failure.”

While there were speculations of possible interception of the military’s communication network, which led the terrorists to track his location, many also not ruled out the possibility of the existence of moles among the troops.

There is no doubt that the killing of the Brigade Commander, may have blighted the federal government’s usual claim that it is winning the war against insecurity in the country.

With the near-simultaneous abduction of 25 female students in Kebbi State, the attack on ECWA church in Kwara State, and the abduction of a Catholic priest in Kaduna State, the terrorists are becoming increasingly bold and audacious.

Five days after the Kebbi School attack, terrorists in the early hours of Friday,

stormed St. Mary’s Papiri Private Catholic Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, abducting several students and teachers.

Many analysts blame the political leaders’ undue attention to the politics of 2027 for the worsening security challenges.

According to analysts and opposition leaders, political leaders are more obsessed with their 2027 ambitions and defections than mobilising soldiers to tackle insecurity.

In a statement released through his official X page on Monday, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described the tragedy as “unequivocally a failure of political leadership.”

Atiku accused President Bola Tinubu of prioritising political battles over his responsibilities as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

Also reacting to the multiplicities of tragic terror attacks across the country, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, bemoaned what he described as the apparent insensitivity of the government.

Obi wondered why, amid the gloomy picture created by insecurity, the struggle to destroy

opposition parties should be paramount to the government and their agents.

On his part, a former Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, in a Facebook post, said the frequency and scale of recent assaults have weakened public trust in the government and emboldened terror groups.

He said the attacks on communities in Plateau, the killing of the General and the incidents in Kwara and Kaduna states all within a week, were “too much to be ignored”.

“The government has failed to provide adequate protection for its citizens, as evidenced by the surge in terrorist attacks and mass kidnappings in some parts of the country – challenging our national security,” Amaechi said.

“To Mr. President: your primary assignment is the security of lives and property,” he said.

The former Rivers State governor added that government must “probe wrong decisions, strategise and make tough calls”, strengthen military intelligence, and sharpen response to terrorist activities.

However, despite what seems like a worsening insecurity, the Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulum, on Wednesday said the security situation in the state has significantly improved, declaring that “the worst is over.”

The governor’s latest remark came barely 24 hours after he had appealed to the Nigerian Armed Forces on Tuesday to launch an urgent, full-scale offensive against terrorist strongholds in the Tumbus Islands of Lake Chad, the Mandara Hills and the Sambisa Forest

But speaking during a meeting with the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Shuaibu Waidi, in Maiduguri, Zulum stated that compared to the peak of the crisis years ago, the current security landscape, despite recent setbacks, shows significant improvement.

“Yes, we have witnessed a series of attacks on our communities and the security forces, but the worst is over; we shall continue to collaborate and provide the needed intelligence to our security forces to bring this madness to an end,” Zulum said.

“The frequency and scale of attacks on our communities then were overwhelming. Today, while we grieve any single setback, we can also see that the worst is indeed behind us. The trajectory is toward peace, and we are committed to sustaining it,” he added.

Many believe the security situation would have been much better if political leaders had not focused much attention on the 2027 general election, leaving the earlier gains recorded in fighting insecurity to be eroded.

FG’s Obsession with Dismissal of Genocide

Despite the unabated killings in Nigeria and the recentwarningbyU.S.PresidentDonaldTrump,who accusedNigerianterroristsofcarryingoutaChristian genocide,officialsoftheNigeriangovernmentshould focustheireffortsonendingtheviolenceratherthan fixating on dismissing the genocide claim.

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), last week added his voice to the dismissal of U.S. President DonaldTrump’s claim about the genocide of Christians, stating that there was no systematic targeted killing of Christians or any religious group in Nigeria.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF),SenatorGeorgeAkume,onThursdayalso described the claim as dangerous and inaccurate. Many would have thought that Fagbemi would

have revealed what his office is either doing or has done to the perpetrators of killings, but instead, the administrationissodeterminedtodismisstheclaim. Yet, the recent killings and abductions in different partsofthecountrysuggestthatinsecurityisgetting worse.

Trumpwasangrypartlyduetothelackofaccountability and justice for the victims, which is the area that concerns Fagbemi as the AGF.

WiththeUnitedStates’pressureonPresidentBola Tinubu’s administration to do something about its claim, the president’s soldiers seem to be deploying the wrong tactics. It is okay to defend your country from a foreign narrative.Itisokaytowanttoshowthatyoucanbein controlofaperceivedsituationbutwhenthatenergy isexpendedindismissingaclaim,younotonlyerode

public confidence but also risk the lives of citizens.

The past few weeks have seen the country plunge into one of its darkest days. From the gory killings of Christians during a service in Kwara to the abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi, bringing back the painful memory of the notorious 2014 Chibok Girls abduction, insecurity in Nigeria is spiralling, and the consequences may be deadlier than imagined if not urgently contained.

TheaverageNigerianhasgrownsowearyofendless rhetoricandcounterclaims.Thecountryisbleedingfor peaceandunity,ademandthatmaywellbecomethe litmus test for this administration, already accused by the opposition of deepening ethnic divides. Therefore,Tinubu and his administration should focus that energy on ending the killings instead of debunking genocide claims.

Tinubu

Fagbemi’

Nuhu Ribadu: From Fighting Graft to Hatching Nation’s Safety

Forget November 21, 1960. There are many other important dates and milestones that hold historical meaning in the life story of Mallam Nuhu ribadu, the current National Security Adviser (NSA) to President bola Ahmed Tinubu.

They include 1980, when he gained admission into the Ahmadu bello university, (Abu), Zaria and 1984, when he was called to the bar and enrolled as a solicitor of the Supreme Court; even January 1, 1986 that he became an Assistant Superintendent of Police, up to 2002, the year he occupied the office of Head, Legal and Prosecution Department of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

What can easily be deduced from ribadu’s rise in his professional ladder is the fact that he expanded on his academic training in law through an impactful and wide-ranging hands-on experience in the maintenance of law and order within the Nigeria Police. but the defining moment for the Yola, Adamawa State-born police officer came in April 2003. That was when he assumed office as the first chairman of the anti-graft body – the economic and Financial Crimes Commission (eFCC). earlier on November 29, 2002 – that was eight days after he turned 42 years of age – then President Olusegun Obasanjo announced his appointment to head the novel panel to tackle official graft and financial despoliation of Nigeria’s economy.

The argument as to whether ribadu made eFCC a name to reckon with or that eFCC made the man what he has become in national and global circles as an anti-corruption czar, verges on similar causal loop of chicken and egg controversy. However, evidence that the elite police officer did a good job in the office of eFCC chairman could be seen in his reappointment for a second term by Obasanjo in 2007. Nonetheless, events in the life of the chief corruption-fighting officer were to open new windows of opportunities for him. either on account of his zealous pursuit of corrupt people, who happened not only to be mostly politically exposed persons but also big guns in society, what could have been ribadu’s second stanza of tour of duty ran into troubled waters.

Many politicians, particularly state governors, ministers from very juicy federal ministries, senators and state governors who tended to dismiss ribadu on account of his weight had to cringe and clabber by what the slender but personable police officer said. His was not an easy resort to braggadocio, but a style driven by scrupulous search for exhibits and facts.

And, with time, the man’s clinical forensic procedure began to earn him plaudits, just as the big men began to cry. As things panned out, the big men were not limited to sleazy politicians alone. The fat cats in the banking industry – those that served as the umbilical cord of financial corruption – were also caught pants-down.

Yet, as the new panel on sleaze continued to net the conviction of many high-profile financial criminals in court, including his boss, fear of him increased, just as those on the run and in the shadows of the Commission’s dragnet continued to plot against ribadu, the team lead.

Those who cared to interrogate his motivation discovered that ribadu was pained to the marrows that from the year of his birth to when he assumed office as eFCC chairman, more than $380 billion found its way into sundry private pockets, offshore and dingy bank accounts and ladies’ Gucci bags.

Given the number of culprits he sent to

jail and amount of money recovered for the federal government, those whose bribes were rejected decided to vote with their passport and visa into foreign lands. Others remained in their closets convulsing in fear, wishing that harm befalls the anti-corruption czar or at worst, that he should be sacked so that they can breathe easily and frolic with their ill-gotten wealth. Perhaps, the one singular exploit that exposed ribadu for both vilification and veneration, was the issue of $15 million bribe to stanch investigation into the massive sleaze by a state governor from one of the South South states. Was such a humongous amount offered as bribe? if so, did ribadu receive or reject? Did ribadu have a change of mind and sent the money to the Central bank? Where is the evidence that the said $15 million actually came from the governor as alleged? it should be noted that while the back and forth over the famous $15 million bribe lasted, an attempt was made on the life of the eFCC chairman. Only ribadu himself can say whether his decision to leave the country was based on the two assassination attempts or hurdles placed on his patriotic performance of his assignment as eFFC’s number one enforcer and policy executor. but the fact of the matter remained that his promotion to the rank of Assistant inspector General of Police by the outgoing President Obasanjo administration provided fresh supply of dry gunpowder for ribadu’s detractors to combine in new conspiracy plots. between framing the promotion as unmerited and offering him an opportunity to expand his leader-

ship training and professional learning, ribadu was programmed for further training. but despite the official position that the eFCC chairman, who had then just been encouraged with another term, was entitled to the course, many Nigerians believed that ribadu’s admission to the National institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NiPSS) at Kuru, near Jos, was but a stylish way to get him out of the commission.

eminent stakeholders that described ribadu’s study leave as politically motivated regretted that the creative graft fighter was not commended for achieving much with just a 32-man team that pioneered eFCC into a renowned fraud-fighting force for Nigeria.

Like a little star that was destined to twinkle in many corners, ribadu’s controversial dislocation from both the eFCC and the Nigeria Police Department proved salutary in many respects. For instance, during his self-imposed exile, the former eFCC chairman took up a fellowship at the Centre for Global Development (CGD).

CGD, which is a uK-based think tank committed to providing independent non-partisan research, has as its focus global poverty reduction. Coming to CGD, therefore, was like opportunity meeting willingness, because ribadu had already seen first-hand the nexus between corruption mass poverty.

With his experience as an anti-graft operative coupled with training in law, ribadu matched CGD’s philosophy of function, especially in its aim at reducing global poverty and inequality. What is more, ribadu was an asset for the organisation on account of its commitment to transparency and professionalism founded on personal integrity.

So, out of what was perceived as a downward slide in his rising profile, ribadu turned the accident into a great opportunity to retool himself and equip himself for future challenges. it was perhaps based on the challenges he saw and the capacity he built through the fellowship with CGD

that the former crime hunter delved into partisan politics.

His days in exile, spent acquiring new knowledge and expanding his world view, all cumulated in his desire to exemplify disruptive leadership, which he has always cited as bane of the third world. That yearning paid off in his adoption as the Action Congress of Nigeria’s (ACN) presidential candidate for the 2011 general election.

On that fateful January 14, 2011, Nigerians saw a new model ribadu grabbing a golden opportunity to continue the search for sanity in governance and leadership. Although that venture did not yield desired fruits, the young lawyer saw Nigeria from another but deeper standpoint: Politics. i t was that innate desire to further impact on Nigeria through leadership that brought r ibadu so close to the playmaker of Nigeria politics, Asiwaju b ola Ahmed Tinubu. And having come close to the notable head-hunter, it was not surprising that upon becoming the President on May 29, 2023, Tinubu did not waste time to tag r ibadu as the first ever non-military National Security Adviser (NSA).

The extramural experiences and leadership lessons he garnered after his removal from e FCC headship must have prepared the former police officer for the new role. As NSA, it was not surprising also that the major breakthrough that r ibadu has achieved in office was the arrest of some prominent operatives in the Cryptocurrency exchange gymnastics – b inance – that was engaged in security and exchange market manipulations.

both in education, professional training, carriage and comportment, Mallam Nuhu r ibadu has become a model for young and emerging leaders to emulate. As the quiet and reform-minded TeD fellow turns 65 on Friday November 21, it is obvious that the star performer will continue to twinkle.

• Sobechi writes from Abuja

ribadu

Leo Sobechi

If I Were PBAT: Sentencing Nnamdi Kanu to Life Imprisonment not Nigeria’s Problem but National Unity

The bane of the Nigerian society has been variously identified. In 1987, Professor J.S. Cookey noted in his Report of the Political Bureau that corruption and indiscipline was the bane of the Nigerian society. He dated the commencement of the bane to 1967. And true enough, but most unfortunately, since 1967, corruption and societal indiscipline has been part of national life. The seriousness of corruption in Nigeria prompted British Minister David Cameron in 2016 to describe Nigeria as fantastically corrupt. But who is contesting that Nigeria is fantastically corruption? Nigeria is truly and fantastically corrupt.

The United Nations Convention against Corruption promotes the need for incorruptible judges that are capable of inspiring and compelling a corrupt-free conduct in the society. Most unfortunately, Olu Fasan has shown that ‘judges are the biggest bribe-takers in Nigeria,’ (vide his column, Vanguard, April 25, 2019). But why is it so? Olu Fasan even factored the biblical dimensions to the discussion. Deuteronomy 16:19 told judges ‘not to pervert justice’ not to show partiality, and not to accept bribe because ‘for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, and perverts the words of the righteous.’ In Nigeria, corruption, bribery, partiality, etc. have become the hallmark of the justice system of Nigeria. In the words of former US Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell and Mathew Page, Nigeria has ‘a judiciary notorious for accepting bribes and awarding favourable rulings to the highest bidder.’

Against this background, we observe here that it is because Nigeria, as a nation-state, does not exist, that every Nigerian wants survival first by taking advantage of the non-Nigerianess in the polity to engage in sharp practices. A leader who is notoriously corrupt cannot have the temerity to tell his followers not to engage in corrupt practices.

Nnamdi Kanu not Nigeria’s Problem, National Unity is:

Is money Nigeria’s problem? It was observed following the surrender of Phillipe Effiong on January 12, 1970, by which time Nigeria’s civil war came to an end, that money is not Nigeria’s problem but how to spend the money. The civil war was followed by oil boom. Nigeria showed acts of altruism to many brotherly countries, by even paying the salaries of their civil and public servants. As of today, can it be rightly argued that Nigeria now knows how to spend her hard-earned money? Can Nigeria clearly respond to the challenges of globalisation and technological innovations? How do we explain the fact that, under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT), the Government has always been insolvent to the extent that PBAT has to always ask for fresh loans? Nigerians are divided on the extent to which fresh loans are desirable. Some argued that new investments are necessary for sustainable growth. Others argue that Government has been unnecessarily wasteful, that efforts at nation-building have been far-fetched. To what extent can the incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu account for national disunity? Nnamdi Kanu is not Nigeria’s problem. Nigeria’s main problem is lack of national unity, lack of commitment to nation-building.

A second bane of the Nigerian society is the abundance of natural resources. Until of recent, exploitation and exportation of crude oil accounted for more than 70% of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings. The southeast and south-south are known to be the major reservoir of the crude oil resources. Consequently, all eyes have been on the Niger Delta which has been asking for the right of resource-control. Today, there is a growing decline in interest and emphasis on crude oil. Greater emphasis is increasingly being placed on solid minerals richly found in the northern region of the country. This partly explains why global powers are more interested in protecting the resources of the Northern region. The United States may be truly interested in protecting Christians and stopping Christian genocide in the North, but other U.S. interests cannot be ignored. China has shown support for Nigeria, also warning the United States to be cautious with its threats of ‘guns-a-blazing.’ China is also protecting its own interests.

: 0807-688-2846 e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

Even though Nigeria is seriously challenged by problems of critical infrastructure deficits, general insecurity, economic insecurity, as well as governance and corruption problems, national consciousness about being a Nigerian, of considering all national resources as being a national common patrimony that must also be jointly protected is still lacking. This is basically because politics as a professional business is unnecessarily overrated and given a status that is above every other profession in the country. This is why there is no Nigerian nation. Apparently, in an attempt to promote patriotism, Nigeria’s National Anthem was changed and militarised under President Olusegun Obasanjo.

In the same vein, PBAT revisited the Independence National Anthem and set aside General Obasanjo’s new anthem. Both leaders apparently think that a national anthem can transform an individual into a patriot. Without doubt, listening to a national anthem can influence and make people think to change to become more patriotic. However, in the absence of national consciousness about being a Nigerian, singing or reciting any national anthem cannot but be meaningless.

More often than not, it is always argued that Nigeria’s problem is not about religion and that Muslims and Christians live happily with one another. In the southern part of the country, this may be true but quite arguably in the context of the North. The northern elite generally frowns at Christian-Christian presidential ticket while in the southern part of the country, Muslim-Muslim ticket is not seen as a big deal. There was the time Chief M.K.O. Abiola, a devout Muslim, and Babagana Kingibe, another devout Muslim, had a joint ticket and there was no big deal with it in the south. In the same manner, PBAT and Alhaji Kashim Shettima, both

As noted earlier, no one can be rightly coerced into national unity in which the constituent parts suspect one another. National unity must be natural in evolvement, attractive in outlook, beneficial in implementation, patriotic in pursuit, and collective in defence. When the Nigerian team is playing against any foreign country, the manifestation of national unity is always natural. The instinct of togetherness is always visible. When an Igbo person is victim of oppression abroad, one naturally sees the Hausa or the Yoruba coming into his defence without being invited. It is this type of national spirit that PBAT should try to promote in building a new Nigeria. This cannot but be consistent with his struggle for true federalism which he pursued committedly when he was Governor of Lagos State. Pardoning Nnamdi Kanu has the potential to lessen tensions, particularly in the southeast, and therefore reduction in defence spending. PBAT’s image, especially from the perspective of Donald Trump, will be stronger as a unifier. His diplomatic image will also be greatly enhanced. National unity cannot but be better sustained. Currently, the Government of Nigeria, before and during PBAT’s tenure, is believed to be complicit in the Christian genocide. PBAT needs to disabuse the minds of such believers by pardoning Nnamdi Kanu in the mania of pardon of Odumegwu Ojukwu, Niger Delta militants under Yar’Adua, Biafra war general amnesties under General Yakubu Gowon, and MKO Abiola family recognition under Buhari. Pardoning is not weakness but statecraft that can enable PBAT to lay a new foundation for peace and togetherness.

Muslims, had a joint presidential ticket. It is not taken as a big deal in the south. However, this situation raises questions as to why the Northern political elite is afraid or does not want any ChristianChristian ticket. The question can still be raised at the level of the Christians: why is it that they never insist on Christian-Christian ticket? While the Christians think it is insensitive to insist on the same religion ticket, the Northern elite holds a different view. Consequently, it is difficult to argue that religion is not an issue in Nigeria. Several videos on discrimination against Christians in the North are in circulation. PBAT cannot but do well by seizing every available opportunity to truly unite the country. In order to strengthen national unity at the end of the civil war, the National Youth Service Corps was introduced by General Gowon. Corpers were deployed to states other than theirs to serve. National unity efforts were visible and appreciated. As of today, no one wants to go beyond his or her own area. Patriotism has become a rarity. Politicians can be members of the People’s Democratic Party in the morning, members of the All Progressives Congress in the afternoon, and members of the All Democratic Alliance in the evening. The story can still be different the following day. This is a case of no unity of purpose, no ideology of purpose, but only self-survivalist interests to the detriment of national unity. In all these, Nnamdi Kanu’s incarceration has a lot of bearing with the need for national unity. His life imprisonment has the great potential to generate anger of his people. His people are not likely to accept government’s allegations of terrorism levied against him. His people support his separate agenda. One good approach is therefore to first of all douse the growing tension of anger, then discuss the many options for peaceful co-existence. Nigeria’s multidimensional problems are well known. There is the problem of weak institutions in which case rules cannot be objectively enforced because of corruption. Nigeria’s federal system is one in which power is overcentralized and the economy is still largely dependent on oil. Insecurity ranging from boko haramism, kidnapping, and armed banditry to kidnapping, oil theft and IPOB insurrection, is a major problematic in Nigeria. Corruption has gone beyond the individual level. It is now systemic. There is also the problem of power supply. It is important to note here that there has been a significant progress in electricity supply in some areas, the manufacturing industries are still complaining. Nigeria is witnessing a rapid population growth of about 2.4% yearly but unemployment is on the increase, as well as youth frustration and increasing poverty. Nigeria of today is that of many conflicts: North-South divide, Christian-Muslim divide, majority-minority ethnic groups divide, Fulani herdsmen-Farmers divide, etc. With these problems, weak industrial base and poor urban planning and infrastructure, Sharia-Criminal Code divide, etc., PBAT needs to pause and re-strategise and take advantage of the Nnamdi Kanu’s case to correct what is wrong with Nigeria. Nigeria’s most critical problem is national unity. Nigeria cannot be operating the Sharia code in the North and the criminal code in the south at the same time. Government and PBAT must not think that the incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu in faraway Kano is a solution to Nigeria’s problem of national unity. Nnamdi Kanu has a great followership and can still make political governance difficult. PBAT does not need to wait for that type of situation before seeking to nip it in the bud.

If I were PBAT, I will Pardon Nnamdi Kanu Nigeria truly qualifies to be called a state in international law and relations, at least, for meeting the criteria of government, population, and territory, as well as having been recognised as a state and having a recognised government. Nigeria is not a nation-state in its true sense of developing a nation in its socio-cultural sense. As a result, in order to give meaning to new nation-building, a political solution appears to be the only way to achieve a new Nigeria. First, it is myopic to think that taking Nnamdi Kanu to a Kano prison would prevent people from protesting in Kano. One truth that PBAT must not forget is that he is on record to have championed the advocacy for true federalism in Nigeria (Vide Bola A. Akinterinwa, editor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Struggle for True Federalism (Ibadan: Vantage publishers, © 2000), 320 pp, ISBN 978-000-30-4). Most unfortunately in this case, the establishment of a true federal system still remains a dream as of today. One major reason for agitations for self-determination or separateness is because of lack of a true federal system. The current federal system is most unfair in the dispensation of justice. We believe that if ethnic group is complaining about unfairness, injustice, marginalization, etc. the use of force cannot be the best appropriate way forward. It is political dialogue that ought to be given priority attention.

One truth about the incarceration of the IPOB leader is that he has a large crowd of supporters. His major opponents are basically the political leaders from his region whose positions may be threatened if he is given freedom. More truly, there is no disputing the fact that the life sentence judgment given to Nnamdi Kanu does not mean an end to the agitation for a separate existence of the Igbo people. The Catalans in Spain have been fighting for separate existence for more than three hundred years. The Spanish authorities have been permanently put on red alerts of no war and no peace. Nigeria should not be put in the same situation of no war and no peace.

•Kanu

REsOuRcE pERsONs …

L-R: Keynote Speaker and Guinness World Record Holder, Dr. Seyi Anifowose; Rapporteur and Lecturer in Media & Communication, Pan Atlantic University, Mrs

Babcock University and former President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Nigeria, Prof. Segun Ajibola; and Keynote Speaker and immediate past COO of the Fintech Association of Nigeria,

and

at a policy dialogue jointly organised by the African Resource Development Centre (ARDC) and Edutimes Africa in Lagos…recently

Ejiofor Blames ‘Social-Media Lawyers’ for Derailing Kanu’s Case, Says Trial Was Led Into a Judicial Trap

Festus Akanbi

Former lead counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has issued a blistering rebuke of those he accused of turning Nnamdi Kanu’s high-stakes trial into a “judicial ambush,” saying the avoidable setback was engineered by legal novices more interested in social-media fame than legal strategy.

In a searing statement issued yesterday, Ejiofor, who handled Kanu’s defence for nearly a decade, said he had hoped to remain silent.

Ejiofor however added that the distress and confusion

among supporters compelled him to speak.

He recounted how, under his team and later under the leadership of Prof. Mike Ozekhome (SAN), the case had been positioned for another breakthrough after the Court of Appeal discharged and acquitted Kanu in 2022. But that progress, he insists, was sabotaged when Kanu allegedly divulged sensitive information to opportunistic figures who weaponised it to pressure the legal team into changing.

According to Ejiofor, this marked the turning point. “A high-profile, internationally sensitive criminal trial is not

Decentralise Nigeria’s Security Architecture, Says Mimiko as Ayedatiwa, Alaibe, Kuku Hail Ajube on Niger Delta Peace

Former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, yesterday, call for the decentralisation of the security architecture in the country, saying effective security starts from the local community.

Mimiko stated this at the grand finale of the 13th anniversary celebration of Gallery Security Services Limited, founded by Senior High Chief Bibopere Ajube, at Agadagba-Obon, Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State.

Dr. Mimiko spoke as chairman of the event just as the incumbent governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Ndutimi Alaibe, and a former presidential aide/chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr. Kingsley Kuku, all lauded Ajube’s patriotic role in the enduring peace in the Niger Delta region.

Mimiko stated that by its performance, Gallery Security had shown that if the country was serious about tackling insecurity to achieve positive result, it must decentralise its

security architecture.

He said: “Some 13 years ago, Senior High Chief Bibopere Ajube, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gallery Security Services, approached me as the then sitting governor of the state and tabled his idea of starting a local security outfit that could complement the regular national security agencies in fighting crimes in our waterways and riverine communities. After a thorough review, I gave the go-ahead. So, I was part of Gallery Security Services from day one.

“Chief Ajube, the little seed you planted 13 years ago has grown to become a big Iroko. Kidnapping, sea piracy, armed robbery and many other high profile crimes have by far vanished from our riverine communities and coastal waterways. Gallery has brought calm everywhere in our waterways.

“He also orchestrated a synergy with another man, Chief Otello Mafimisebi. While he monitors the Ijaw area, Otello leads the Ilaje side. Soon, the two ethnic groups forgot their hitherto tense relationship.

a circus ring,” he wrote.

“But once these delusional entertainers-in-wigs inserted themselves into the process, everything degenerated into a grotesque parody of legal representation.”

He accused the new handlers of prioritising virality over victory, filming court sessions, posing for photos, updating social media pages, and crafting online content. At the same time, the real work of legal research and strategy was abandoned, he said.

He said the result was catastrophic: “A trial that could have been halted was pushed forward, a conviction

that could have been avoided occurred, and critical legal avenues were squandered.

He argued that the encouragement given to Kanu to embark on partial self-representation, despite judicial warnings, sealed the disaster, exposing him to a full criminal trial “designed to consume the unprepared.”

Ejiofor expressed shock that some of Nigeria’s most respected Senior Advocates, among them Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), and Chief Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), were sidelined at the decisive moment, leaving “legal lightweights intoxicated by social-media relevance” to

helm a matter of international significance.

“Who replaces world-class surgeons with herbal storytellers during brain surgery?” he asked.

He further noted that misleading public statements, exaggerated updates, and outright falsehoods pushed online by the new legal handlers became damaging contradictions in court, giving the prosecution ammunition and undermining the defence’s credibility. Yet, he lamented, instead of remorse, the same actors have returned to social media, issuing fresh videos and false hopes.

Looking ahead, Ejiofor

said any genuine rescue effort will require globally respected legal experts first to clean up the “monumental damage” already done. He called for a sober, strategic, low-publicity approach, warning that flamboyance and digital theatrics have no place in a case of such gravity.

“This is not the time for comedy. Not the time for inflated egos. And certainly not the time for social-media theatrics,” he declared. “It is time for competence. Time for real advocacy.” He signed off with a stark message that reflects his frustration and the dire state of the case: “#EnoughIsEnough.”

Diaspora Group Claims Plateau, Middle Belt Killings Coordinated Plans to Depopulate Christians Communities

Alex

Enumah in Abuja

Some Nigerian citizens in the United States of America have alleged that the killings in Plateau State, as well as the entire Middle Belt, are intentional and coordinated plans to depopulate and dispossess Christian communities of their ancestral homes.

The Nigerians, resident in the USA, made the allegations while speaking under the auspices of the Plateau State Association, USA, Inc. (PSA-USA),

In a press statement released to journalists, National President of PSA-USA, Dr Barth Shepkong,

Education

claimed that communities in Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Bokkos, Kanam, and other affected areas are facing organised killings, systematic displacement, seizure of farmlands, and the deliberate destruction of homes and livelihoods.

He said, “The Plateau State Association USA (PSA-USA) issues this firm and urgent statement regarding the ongoing Christian persecution, genocidal violence, and coordinated war of occupation devastating Plateau State and the wider Middle Belt of Nigeria”. According to him, these atrocities are intentional, coordinated, and aimed at depopulating

Experts

Demand

and dispossessing Christian communities from their ancestral lands. While stressing that “This is not communal violence; it is a sustained and ruthless campaign,” the national president alleged that what is happening is genocide, driven by targeted Christian persecution and enforced through a war of occupation, adding that the entire communities are being erased with deliberate precision.

“PSA-USA asserts that this crisis persists largely due to a dangerous failure of political will to confront perpetrators, dismantle violent networks, and provide adequate protection for

Digital-age

Curriculum,

vulnerable populations.

“Silence in the face of mass killings is complicity, and any peace built on denial or political convenience is both false and unsustainable,” he said.

Shepkong therefore called for immediate action, including investigation, arrest, and prosecution of all perpetrators and sponsors of the crime, without political interference.

The group also urged the federal government to provide urgent humanitarian relief to internally displaced families, reform security architecture and establish credible community protection mechanisms.

Teacher Reforms as ARDC, Edutimes Africa Host High-Level Dialogue

Educators at a policy dialogue jointly organised by the African Resource Development Centre (ARDC) and Edutimes Africa have called for urgent and farreaching reforms in Nigeria’s education sector.

The high-level engagement, held in Lagos, brought together scholars, economists, and education reform advocates who

warned that Nigeria’s current education system is failing to meet the demands of a modern, knowledge-driven economy.

The forum, themed “Plugging the Gaps in Our Educational System,” featured presentations by Dr Babatunde Obrimah, Professor Segun Ajibola, and Oluwaseyi Anifowose, each highlighting systemic weak-

nesses and proposing solutions to reposition the sector.

Presenting a paper titled “Revising the Nigerian School Curriculum for the Digital Age,”

Dr Babatunde Obrimah described Nigeria’s curriculum as “largely obsolete” and poorly aligned with the realities of the digital economy.

He said the continued emphasis on rote learning and examinations

had widened the gap between educational outcomes and labour market needs, contributing significantly to youth unemployment.

Obrimah proposed a five-pillar reform agenda encompassing foundational digital skills, strengthened technical and vocational education, STEAM integration, entrepreneurship, and digital citizenship.

Funmi Unuajefe; Keynote Speaker

Professor at

Dr. Tunde Obrimah,

ENGAGEMENTS

When Does a Nation Die?

Recent trends in our national life have forced Nigerians to abandon the virtue of incurable optimism and unconditional hope in the nation as a perpetual reality. It used to be that in all circumstances, Nigerians would never believe that the nation is under any terminal threat. But in recent times, the percentage of Nigerians awaiting the imminent collapse of the nation has now far outnumbered the minority still hoping that the country will survive its present travails. It seems that we are fast approaching that slippery joint where it is hard to find any believers in the survival and meaning of Nigeria. Instead, throughout the length and breadth of this vast land, a new and unhappy consensus has emerged: Nigeria is dying!

The usual refrain of “God is in control” or “This, too, shall pass” in difficult times has given way to a silent indignation and resignation. A silent poor woman who used to be a trader in trivia at the roadside has nothing left to sell and no money to buy what she needs. She raises her open palms skywards in speechless supplication as tears stream down her cheeks. She has become for me an embodiment of the tragedy of the times in which we now live.

By a curious irony with a tinge of tragicomedy, the Tinubu government is trumpeting ‘hope’ as its most important offering.The regime has adopted what it calls “the Renewed Hope Agenda” as its mantra and unique caption of the -mandate of this presidency. In a note of tragic irony bordering on self -deprecation and mockery, each appearance of the President at a public forum (including gatherings of judges!), a new regime anthem titled “On Your Mandate, We shall stand” has become informally mandatory. It sometimes precedes the old resurrected National Anthem. It sounds more like a comic choir rented to laugh at a nation in the throes of death.

Suddenly, we seem to have arrived at this unhappy consensus: Nigeria is dying! This existential admission of the imminent death of our nation is the unfolding legacy of our endangered democracy. Our elections lack credibility or popular following. In recent elections in Ondo, Edo and Anambra states, the consistent average voter turnout has been below 35%. People register to vote but find nothing worth voting for. They are taking stock of previous years of this ritual of voting and find nothing cheery. They just stay home instead of being counted as part of the statistics of deceit and betrayal.

As it turns out, the greater percentage of this miserable recent turnout are even transactional votes. On the election days, partisan buyers and sellers of votes mount point of sale checkpoints at most polling booths. Your voters card entitles you to a miserable cash handout: N2000-N5000. T could be higher depending on the cash power of the contestants. The votes that show up at INEC’s voter machines represent the balance sheet of total sales and purchases made at all the polling stations at the election.

Other aspects of our democracy are equally in disarray. The party system is shattered. The ruling party has become a power monopoly intent on swallowing other parties. The major opposition party, the PDP, has a resident destabilizer with a single mandate: to kill the party and ensure that it is its carcass that walks into the next general election. The rest of the opposition platform has been frightened into disarray by sundry agents of the state and party in power. The various alliances and rumours of alliances are merely scare crows manipulated by agents of the ruling party.

In itself, the ruling party is saddled with hand -picked officials who make no distinction between the party as an institution of democracy and the government in power or indeed between the political party and the state. A democracy in which there is no distinction between the party in power and the party in government leads to a degrading usurpation of the state by the political elite of the ruling party. A factional elite cannot govern a state without wholly appropriating the machinery of the state to its individual and collective advantage. State capture is complete when the leading lights of the ruling hegemonic party become also the leading lights of the nation. The likes of Wike, Umahi and Akpabio become the faces of the nation. These constantly nattering Nabobs of current power negativity have been elevated to the status of arbiters of values for the nation. They brandish their wealth and false identities to frighten ordinary citizens. In itself, the business of governance under Mr. Tinubu has become a humdrum ritual of boring reflexes. Great national happenings are marked by high school grade routine statements from the

pinnacle of power. No actions are initiated. Once a presidential pronouncement is signed off, the leadership moves on to await the next tragic checkpoint. The life of the nation progresses from one tragedy as preparation for the next. No action plan follows the train of tragedies and failures. Just move on in the hope that tomorrow will be a better day, without bad news and disheartening occurrences. But bad news has become our new normal.

Whatever happens to the nation, one sector never sleeps. Politics of anyhow and anything remains in business. Politicians keep decamping from other parties or no parties to the ruling party in droves. No need to state why people are decamping. The parties they are coming from or the one they are migrating to stand for nothing. No ideology. No core beliefs. Nothing. And in any case, there are no consequences for changing parties like filthy underpants. So the beat goes on: breakfast in Labour Party. Lunch in PDP. Dinner in APC. Even those in the ruling party either as cabinet members or legislators do nothing in particular to justify their large charges on the public treasury. In return for doing practically nothing, a bunch of jobless politicians earn an entitlement to costly SUVs, free housing, large entourages of domestic and official minions and vast troves of cash in all currencies as kickbacks and contractors’ gift packs. There is delight in chasing off road users with limitless motorcades of official nonentities escorted by authorized state hooligans in uniform.

While politicians luxuriate in plenty, the daily life of our citizenry is mirred in want and penury. Recent policy measures have further eroded the living standards of the ordinary Nigerian. An endless litany of taxes, levies and tolls has rendered every item of living cost unaffordable. Prices of everythingrangingfromgasolinetocooking gas, school fees to transport fares, basic medication to hospital bills and building materials have shot through the roof. Even if these were elements of economic management, nothing has been put in place to indicate that the state has a compassionate aspect. Instead, there is an unhidden hand of cruelty in new policies. A few days ago, the government expressed an intention to impose a 15% surcharge on the already astronomical prices of gasoline. Only the fear of mass protests as in Kenya,Tanzania and Algeria frightened the government into pulling back on this tax on an existing tax regime on gasoline!

While the public keeps expecting the

ness. Even in cases where the law is challenged to defend and protect the rights of individuals or track and punish violators of the law, the Nigerian judiciary has been consistently wanting. Judges deliver judgments to fit their bills. Material appeasement of the highest echelons of the judiciary in the form of cash, automobiles, free houses and unaccounted vacations have blurred the boundaries between justice and injustice. The rights of citizens now have a price tag.

The agencies of public accountability only exist to hound those whom the state does not like. The police arrests and detains those it adjudges state adversaries while authorized criminals roam and wax freely. Public protest against misrule and injustice is rewarded with tear gas and bullets and prolonged incarceration without charges or trial. A nation in which the Accountant General can steal most of the funds in the treasury without setting off any audit alarm is at best a rogues’ piggy bank guarded by squads of pick pockets.

Our general perception in the world outside our borders has tumbled to an all time low. From being the voice of African strength, we have degenerated to a sorry state. Our foreign policy exertions have sunk to a diplomacy of the beggarly. Imagine the recentThreat by DonaldTrump in the days of Murtala Muhammed and Obasanjo either as military leader or elected president.

government of the day to alleviate mass suffering, the very essence of our national existence is eroded by the day.The most elementary obligation of the state, the protection of life and property, is everywhere in peril. People are now dying daily on an industrial scale. Terrorists, jihadists, bandits, gangsters, casual criminals compete with each other as to how many they kill, abduct, dispossess or cause to disappear.

Those paid by the state to protect the rest of us look on in indifference or manifest the most embarrassing incompetence in the discharge of the duties. At best, non performing or delinquent security officials are fired in droves with no explanations to the public. The other day, the DSS sacked over 100 officers with no public explanation.These hounds have been unleashed into the amorphous public space to heighten an insecurity that has defied decades of tepid government effort. These are officers who are trained in weapon handling and other skills that they will easily deploy to increase our insecurity.

A state that cannot guarantee basic security of life and limbs of citizens has of course failed to protect and guarantee its territorial integrity. Nigerians no longer know where Nigeria stops and bandit territory begins. Every other forest, savannah stretch and unoccupied building in Nigeria is now an ungoverned space literally owned and inhabited by non- state actors. The possession of arms and weapons of war used to be the exclusive preserve of the state. Guns and uniforms used to frighten ordinary people off government. Not any more. Now, the most sophisticated weapons of war are in the hands of terrorists, bandits and sundry criminals. The most garish uniforms are now worn by non-state organized squads. Jihadists in rags now outgun our best kitted military units. Literally, the Nigerian state has been outgunned by the forces of those that do not wish us well and the government of the day looks on in sheepish incompetence. In some states, elected governors stage ‘peace’ meetings with bandit leaders and their armed cohorts while the police and military provide “security” in full view of television cameras. So, whose nation is this anyway?

Onlyrecently,asymbolicdramawasstagedonthe streets of Abuja. In a motor park -like encounter, FCT minister, Nyesom Wike was engaged by a mid-level Naval officer in an encounter over landed property. Instructively, the military high command sided unanimously with the naval officer. In this symbolic scuffle between the military and political wings of the ruling elite, the military asserted itself stiffly as a contender in the game of political supremacy. In an atmosphere where a rumoured coup is being investigated, wise politicians have since sided with the military in this land grab encounter. Wike, a noisy political jackal with scant common sense has been stripped naked and left sulking alone. The justice system is not left out of the hopeless-

Against the foregoing backdrop, citizen loyalty and confidence in the state has dropped to near zero. The common man in the streets who used to be proud of his nation in spite of its faults has withdrawn to his or her tent. People are more concerned about surviving to the next day than bother about the niceties of national survival and community. At best, people are now cursing and abusing Nigeria. Many now wish they were never born here. Our passport and identity have become badges of shame abroad. Most significantly, a nation that used to believe that God will ultimately rescue the nation has lost that last anchor of hope in divine provenance and providence. Citizens have begun to doubt the efficacy of divine solution that will save the nation as it is today.

While a general disillusionment has eroded hope and confidence in the nation, the government of the day cannot find the courage to compare itself to any of its predecessors. But governments do not exist in isolation. They derive their credibility from fitting themselves into a historical spectrum provided by their predecessors.

It is not for us to pronounce judgment on the Tinubu government in terms of its record of performance. From the return of democracy in 1999 to the present, citizens can now pick and choose when they last had a good meal, affordable life or peace of mind from insecurity. We miss Obasanjo’s banking reforms and liberalization of the stock market. We miss his initiative in opening up the telecommunications market. We miss the introduction of debit and credit cards and cashless platforms in the economy. We miss the Jonathan era before he found himself in the midst of Boko Haram. Looking back now, who will not prefer the Naira at 175 to the dollar and multiple access to credit for consumption and business? Or a bag of cement at a little over N2,000? Even Buhari’s N400-N500 to the dollar cannot be compared to today’s hellish N1,500 to the dollar. Or gasoline at N185 a liter compared to today’s N1,000 average for a liter at the pump.

Obasanjo was feared as a strong willed warrior, respected as a nationalist elder statesman and accepted by all as a detribalized national leader. Yar’Adua was admired as a man of Spartan discipline and honest patriotism. Jonathan never pretended to be what he is not. He said he would not make too many promises for fear of failing to deliver on any. Buhari was a patent ethnicist, religious fanatic and unrepentant autocrat but he would rather borrow to keep his rusty government going than impose further suffering on the ordinary people.

Against the record of his predecessors since 1999, Tinubu will bear the burden of selfassessment at the end of his remaining two years. Put simply, Tinubu will judge Tinubu. Whether his eventualassessmentwillbeconfirmedorrepudiated by the electoral outcome of the 2027 election is a puzzle that Nigerian democracy will have to unravel in the years ahead.

The questions are simple:Will Nigerians renew the mandate of a leader who is subjecting them to such harrowing hardship? Will the majority of Nigerians vote again for a party that has been responsible for such ruinous misrule of the nation for over a decade?

•Tinubu

email:duro.Ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

Rivers United Crumble in Group Stage Opening Fixture at Pyramids

CAF CHAMpIONS LeAGUe

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Nigeria’s r ivers United began their CAF Champions League group stage campaign with a 3-0 defeat against egypt’s Pyramids in Cairo on Saturday night.

Pyramids’ Ahmed Atef scored all three goals in the second half after rivers United battled the hosts to a barren result in the first half.

Atef however fired Pyramids to the front in the 52nd minute and added a second five minutes later. He completed his hat trick with the third goal in the 72nd minute to seal all three points for the defending champions. elsewhere, mamelodi Sundowns and Young Africans both opened their CAF Champions League group stage campaigns with home victories on Saturday.

Sundowns, semi-finalists last season and widely seen as Group C favourites, recovered from a brief scare to defeat Dr Congo’s St Éloi Lupopo 3-1 in Pretoria. Nuno Santos was the hero for the home side as he scored a brace to seal the comfortable victory in the tricky tie.

The South African side struck early through Santos, who finished off a clever move from miguel reisinho after just five minutes.

Lupopo weathered the early storm and were rewarded shortly before half-time when Wanet Kashala equalised, capitalising on a loose defensive moment to silence the home crowd. but the second half belonged entirely to Sundowns.

marcelo Allende restored the lead with a composed finish on 61 minutes, again combining with the influential Santos.

Substitute Arthur Sales then made an immediate impact, providing the assist for Santos to claim his brace in the 77th minute and seal a deserved victory.

In Dar es Salaam, Young Africans edged moroccan giants FAr rabat 1-0 in a tight Group b encounter played at a neutral venue, with the Tanzanian champions relying on discipline and efficiency. After a cagey first half, Yanga found the breakthrough in the 58th minute when Prince Dube reacted quickest inside the box to steer home the winner. both results underline Sundowns’ and Yanga’s intention to challenge strongly in this year’s campaign.

Liverpool’s Woes Continue with Nottingham Defeat at Anfield

preMIer LeAGUe

Liverpool’sseasonofabject misery worsened as they were beaten 3-0 with embarrassing ease by a hugely impressive Nottingham Forest at Anfield.

Arne Slot’s Premier League champions were looking to bounce back from a heavy defeat at manchester City, but instead ran into a Forest side revitalised under new manager Sean Dyche and looking back to their best. Liverpool head coach Slot gave £125m british record signing Alexander Isak a start, but he was totally anonymous once more and only lasted 67 minutes. Forest went ahead after 33 minutes when defender murillo shot powerfully past fit-again Liverpool keeper Alisson to subdue an already anxious Anfield.

Igor Jesus had a second ruled out for handball, but Forest doubled their advantage 47 seconds after the break when former Liverpool defender Neco Williams set up Nicola Savona for a crisp finish in front of The Kop. Liverpool could barely raise a response in a desperate display, Forest increasing their lead 12 minutes from time when

Gibbs-White scored after Alisson saved from omari Hutchinson. It means Liverpool, who lie 11th before Saturday’s late fixture, have now lost six of their past seven Premier League games as Slot’s near £450m summer spending spree comes under further scrutiny. Forest, meanwhile, are surging away from the relegation zone and are up to 16th.

Elsewhere, Harvey Barnes fired Newcastle United to a memorable 2-1 victory against manchester City in a rip-roaring Premier League contest. barnes, who also opened the scoring, prodded home from inside the box to secure all three points at a raucous St James’ Park.

ruben Dias earlier equalised for the visitors when his effort took a deflection off Fabian Schar after Newcastle failed to clear their lines from a corner. but Newcastle showed their own powers of recovery to retake the lead a few minutes later. Jacob murphy swung the ball into the box and, although bruno Guimaraes’ header cannoned off the bar, Barnes was in the right place to hook the ball into the net.

Mixed Fortunes for Super Eagles in Europe after International Break

*Injured

It was a mixed bag of fortunes for Nigerian internationals in their various clubs in europe after returning from the international break meant to conclude the 2026 World Cup African Playoffs.

In Istanbul, victor osimhen who got injured in Nigeria’s last African Playoff clash with Dr Congo was rested by Galatasaray in their home fixture against Genclerbirligi which ended 3-2 in favour of the host team.

In england, Samuel Chukwueze provided an assist as Fulham pipped visiting Sunderland 1-0 in the Premier League on Saturday, his teammates Alex Iwobi and Calvin bassey were in actions for 89 minutes and 90 minutes respectively without getting

on the scorer’s sheet.

The former AC milan man, Chukwueze, who came on in the 64th minute, sent in a brilliant cross which was finished off by raul Jimenez on 84 minutes for Fulham’s winning goal of the

encounter. Fulham are now 14th on 14 points in the league table.

At the molineaux, Tolu Arokodare fired blanks again in the Premier League as struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers lost 2-0 to Crystal Palace.

Arokodare’s Super eagles teammate Chrisantus Uche was an unused substitute in the encounter.

Second half goals from Daniel Munoz (63rd minute) and Yeremy Pino (69th minute) secured the win for Palace. Palace are now in fourth spot on 20 points and Wolves remain bottom with just two points with. elsewhere in europe, Super eagles second choice goalkeeper, maduka okoye, failed to keep a clean sheet as Udinese lost 3-0 to bologna in Saturday’s Serie A game.

The Nigerian international, who was making his fifth league appearance this ongoing season, has kept only one clean sheet for Udinese. bologna took the lead in the 54th minute through Pobega’s clinical finish to silence the home supporters.

Plateau, Lagos Emerge Winners at 2nd Capital City Race

Jonathan James of Plateau State and Aminat Adenike of Lagos State emerged champions in the men and women’s categories respectively at the second edition of the Capital City race held yesterday in Ikeja.

Adenike clocked 35 minutes, 43.73 seconds to clinch the women’s title and the N500,000 prize money, narrowly edging out Plateau State’s blessing Shambor, who finished second in 35:55.24. vivian obadiah, also from Plateau State, completed the podium in 35:43.74.

In the men’s category, James dominated the 10km race with

a winning time of 31:00.04, claiming the top prize ahead of fellow Plateau runners Irmiya Dachuny (31:12.40) and musa bala (31:54.84).

“I am happy that I am winning this race. I thank God,” James said after his victory.

Adenike, celebrating her maiden victory at the event, expressed delight at representing Lagos State on home soil saying, “I believed in myself that I can compete with anybody.”

The race, which started from Ikeja City mall and concluded at the AvmCC Field, GrA, Ikeja, attracted even more participants than last year’s maiden edition that drew over 1,000 runners.

Lagos State Sports Com-

mission Technical Director, Uthman okunnu, praised the improvement in organisation compared to the inaugural event.

“Obviously the first year, there were some teething problems but I will say this time around, it is really a good one but it can be better,” okunnu said.

“This time around, we had more runners, distribution of medals very seamless, the ceremony very good. And the organisation this time around was great, more sponsors as well.”

race convener, oladapo Ajayi revealed ambitious plans to expand the Capital City race concept beyond Lagos.

Osimhen rested * Chukwueze bags assist, Iwobi, Arokodare, fire blanks

Kunle Adewale

Pyramids’ Ahmed Atef (standing) scored second half hat trick to send Rivers United back home empty-handed from their first match in the group stage of the CAF Champions League in Cairo on Saturday

Samuel Chukwueze ...provided an assist as Fulham snatch full points against Sunderland

morgan

ECONOMY OF THEIR STATES IN THEIR MINDS…

Insecurity and the Cost of Politics

In the words of an anonymous author, “I love politics. It’s politicians I can’t stand.” Alas, there can’t be politics without politicians. I have watched, in horror, the conduct of Nigerian politicians in the last 26 years and I have been thoroughly appalled at the way they play dirty politics with everything under the sun. There is an absolute lack of boundaries, even in matters of national security. For as long as a matter would enable them to score a cheap political point, they do not care about the nuances and consequences. For them, it is politics first, politics second, politics third. Nothing else matters. I see this mentality on display all the time, no matter the party in power or in opposition.

Clearly, these are trying moments for Nigeria. Around the same time US President Donald Trump turned the heat on the Nigerian government over allegations of Christian persecution, terrorist attacks and abductions curiously intensified. In one week, a brigadier-general was captured and murdered by terrorists, hundreds of students were abducted and a church in Kwara state was invaded during service. While these are currently concentrated in parts of northern Nigeria, I don’t think anybody should go to bed saying: “Thank God, it is not me.” What used to be the daily lot of Nigerians in Zamfara, Kebbi and Katsina states is fast spreading and making its way to the south.

Nigeria is under attack. These incidents, rather than giving us a sense of responsibility and uniting us against a common enemy, have instead become a perfect bedrock for politicking. And I am here asking myself: can we, for once, put aside political differences and think as Nigerians who are under siege from deranged characters? There will always be other opportunities to play politics as 2027 approaches. We can politick over inflation, devaluation, unemployment, GDP, corruption, defections, and the like. But when it comes to banditry, terrorism and insurgency — things that are wasting the lives of Nigerians — I prefer we draw a line and, for once, purpose in our minds to set politics aside.

In an article I wrote 11 years ago, ‘Everything Can’t Be Politics’ (THISDAY, March 2, 2014), I took a swipe at opposition figures for turning everything into politics. Boko Haram had just attacked the Government Secondary School, Buni Yadi, Yobe state, and massacred 59 male students in their sleep, setting 14 buildings ablaze. The All Progressives Congress (APC) was just getting into the groove as the main opposition congregation and its modus operandi was to make the country as hot as possible for President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They celebrated every Boko Haram attack as proof of Jonathan’s incompetence. It became a thing of joy for them.

So, I wrote: “…recent events have saddened me. I am talking about the renewed Boko Haram onslaught. By any definition, this is a national tragedy that requires all hands on deck, irrespective of political or religious affiliation. Anybody who has human blood in his veins should never turn this tragedy into an opportunistic campaign for 2015. It is nothing but a massive insult to our crippling injury. The Boko Haram militants have consistently attacked Muslims and Christians, men and women, boys and girls and politicians from all divides. Everybody who does not share their beliefs

Tinubu

is an enemy — simple.” I wrote this over 11 years ago — and it could pass as a fresh article today.

To displace the PDP, the APC had painted terrorism as something they would easily defeat if elected to power. But I cautioned: “What we need at this critical moment is a compassionate, patriotic and constructive conversation on the way forward. Terrorism is no child’s play. A cursory study of terrorism in countries such as Lebanon, Pakistan and Iraq will reveal that it is not something to be toyed with. They’ve been battling it for decades. It is not a war you start tonight and finish tomorrow. Pakistan has superior military capability compared to Nigeria, but it has not comfortably tackled terrorism. Quenching terrorism is not the same thing as quelling a riot.” Yes, I wrote this in 2014.

In April 2014 — weeks after I wrote that article — the Chibok abductions happened. The APC, along with its allies in civil society and the media, milked the tragedy mercilessly, painting Jonathan as “shoeless”, “clueless” and unfit to lead Nigeria. They took the campaign to global levels, turning #BringBackOurGirls into one of the most effective and barely disguised political campaigns in history. Jonathan was irreversibly damaged. It was not as if Jonathan covered himself in glory with some of his actions and inaction as well as steps and missteps, but it was utterly cheap opportunism by the opposition. They were having a ball under the guise of offering something better to Nigerians.

I recall that on November 5, 2014, in Ilorin, Kwara state, at a political rally organised by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed to declare his second-term bid, the APC leaders spoke one after the other about insecurity in Nigeria. Among those in attendance were Gen Muhammadu Buhari, then a presidential aspirant; Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, also an aspirant; Rt Hon Aminu Tambuwal, then speaker of the house of reps; and Alhaji Lai Mohammed, then the APC spokesman. Tinubu, who was the national leader of the party, said: “I saw the sea of refugees caused by the Boko Haram insurgents and the lies coming from Jonathan’s administration. They have exhibited failure, lack of capacity, vision and creativity.”

Not done, Tinubu fired more shots: “The lies of yesterday are what they repeat today and are what

they will repeat tomorrow. They are lying to you. They are lying about security, toying with the security of this country. I don’t have time to explain the logic of their lies. But if you control the armed forces and you are the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic, why should any part of this country be under occupation? And you give us excuses every day. In any civilised country Jonathan should have resigned. But if he will not resign, he should wait for our broom — we will sweep him away.” They swept Jonathan away but here we are — a decade later. Tinubu is now the commander-in-chief but Nigeria remains under siege. We could poke fun at the APC today and say they are only getting a dose of their own medicine. But it is human lives — the lives of Nigerians — that we are talking about here. We are talking about a reign of terror, about helpless Nigerians being abducted, about hapless Nigerians being killed for fun. If nothing else, it should make us sober. If nothing else, we should learn from our past and put politics aside regarding matters of security. I am not impressed seeing the same APC politicians that played dirty politics to take power in 2015 now relocating to another party ahead of 2027 and repeating the same tactics.

By the way, I am not here to vindicate Jonathan. It was his job to secure the nation. It was not the duty of the opposition. As I wrote in 2014, “President Jonathan should know that the responsibility to secure the lives and property of Nigerians is his primary duty -more important than getting a second term in office.” And I am not here to make excuses for Tinubu either. It is his job to make sure Nigerians are safe. It is not the job of his critics. However, politicisation comes at a cost: we cannot forge a consensus or develop a sense of unity against the enemy. It is not as if having a consensus will automatically eradicate insecurity, but we are inevitably empowering the enemy with our discord. That said, the Tinubu administration needs to address insecurity more decisively. Nigeria is on fire. Nigerians are panicking. We are dealing with a hydra-headed monster coming at us from different directions. There is no shame in asking for help wherever we can get it.

Although Trump has been misled into thinking Christians are the only victims of insecurity in this country, we can use his help if he is genuinely concerned about us. This is a national emergency — these terrorists and bandits are becoming bolder every day. Whatever the challenge is, we cannot throw up our hands in surrender. I shiver to think of what Nigeria could become in the next one year if insecurity is not contained.

Still, my point is that playing dirty politics while Nigeria burns will only hurt us more. Let us learn from the past. Sweet talk can get you into power — as it did the APC in 2015 — but it may not end insecurity. To quote that article again, “The war cannot be won on the pages of newspapers. The opposition must accept the fact that we need a Nigeria before they can even think of taking it over in 2015, so they must not see this (insecurity) as yet another opportunity for politicking.”

Some are so obsessed with elections that they do not mind spreading fake news and half-truths. As the APC must have discovered since 2015, good electioneering is not the same thing as good governance. Fact.

And Four Other Things…

KANU CONUNDRUM

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been found guilty of terrorism and sentenced to life imprisonment by a federal high court. This has generated anger among his supporters and sympathisers who see him as a freedom fighter for the south-east. Simon Ekpa, another Biafra separatist, was jailed by Finland in September for terrorism and tax fraud. I am totally against violent separatist agitations (as should be evident from my writings since 2003), but I am of the opinion that we may just have to find a political solution to the Kanu situation without the Nigerian state abdicating or compromising its responsibility to enforce law and order. Complicated.

WOMAN OF COURAGE

There was a US Congressional hearing on Thursday on the designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern over allegations of Christian persecution. The damage had been done over the years by our failure to counter the globalised campaign that only Christians are being killed by Boko Haram. Ms Oge Onubogu, director and senior fellow, Africa Programme, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, bravely declared that labelling the insecurity in Nigeria as Christian persecution “oversimplifies the situation”. Of course, the social media mobsters came after her but she is definitely more honourable than the propagandists stoking sectional fire in Nigeria. Kudos.

SAD END

Brigadier-General Musa Uba, commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade, has become one of the most senior military officers to be killed by terrorists since the war started in 2009. Uba was travelling with his men and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) along the Damboa-Biu axis, Borno state, when Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants ambushed them. Two soldiers and two CJTF members were also killed in the ambush. In 2016, Lt Col Muhammad Abu Ali, commander of 272 Tank Battalion, was killed in an ambush in Malam Fatori, Borno state. Our soldiers continue to put their lives on the line to defend this country. They deserve our respect and empathy. Painful.

NO COMMENT

If you are having a bad day in the office, just remember that a national football team coach has blamed voodoo for his team’s defeat — after a flat display. Super Eagles’ coach, Eric Chelle, spiced up the tragedy with some comedy last week when he claimed that Nigeria lost to Congo DR on penalties in the World Cup qualifying playoff final because a Congolese official invoked “juju” power during the penalty shootout. Despite hoping against hope, I was not too disappointed that we failed to make the final cut for the intercontinental playoff in March. I was so bored watching the match that I slept off, only to wake up at midnight to see the result. Was it the juju that lulled me to sleep? Hahahaha.

LR: Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun; Plateau State Governor, Mr. Caleb Mutfwang; Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Yahaya; and Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, at the G20 Investment Breakfast Dialogue convened by MTN in Johannesburg, South Africa…yesterday