OPINION: A Smorgasbord Of Sad ‘Newses’

By Steve Osuji

‘Newses’ is of course not correct grammar. News is an uncountable noun. News is news. But when events become overwhelming, we take some  liberties and lapse into the unusual.

This columnist is so snookered by the rash of sad news items he found in the newspapers in one day that he couldn’t help but call them ‘

newses.’

Going through the newspapers last Tuesday June 16, to source ideas produced over 10 issues of serious national concerns that could have taken up this space. How do you have such a number of unpleasant occurrences and still term them news? They naturally have to be ‘newses’ and we must manage the space to accommodate as many of them as possible. This is hoping someone would see them and take some positive action.

So below is a smorgasbord, a salad of offensive matters happening in our country currently.

YELEWATA: A BLOOD MONUMENT FOR 272 CITIZENS  KILLED IN COLD  BLOOD

June 13, 2025 will forever remain a dark day not only for the people of Yelewata in Guma LGA of Benue State; it is indeed a never, never day for the entire world and the human race.

The hapless people of that remote precincts of central Nigeria were slaughtered, annihilated and incinerated in a four-hour holocaust.  It was the kind of tragedy possible only in an ungoverned jungle. But it happened in Nigeria.  Four hours of blood festival.

If the massacre of Yelewata couldn’t be preempted by superior intel, if four hours was too short for Nigeria’s military to stem the blood lust, what has government done in 365 days? Virtually nothing.

A slew of suspects have been arrested and are undergoing trials. One thought that a matter of this nature with self-evident proof of massacre would be conducted with expedited trial and  justice?

Beyond bringing the murderers to quick justice, not much else has been done  in that blood soaked patch. Even the marbled memorial was donated by a foreign NGO. Displaced compatriots have not been resettled, fear pervades the land as farmlands are still besieged.

All 272 innocent Nigerians quenched in one night – 67 children, 83 women and 122 men quenched. No metrics or mention of lost limbs and broken heads. Even many more Nigerians have been put down across Nigeria since June 13, 2025.

The orgy of blood letting and destruction rages on daily. Government remains at sea… confounded and helpless.

GENERAL RABE AS METAPHOR

It’s a failed State, isn’t it?  Okay, let’s tweak the question: how many army generals and officers would a country lose to ‘bandits’ before such an entity would be termed a failed State? One? Two? How many exactly before the commander in chief takes umbrage and command the troops to annihilate the threat once and for all?

Let’s count: Gen. Dzarma Zirkusu; Gen. Musa Uba; Gen. Oseni Braimah; and now Gen. RABE Abubakar.

This is not to forget numerous other officers killed without a song or bugle by the military and  government.

Exactly on June 13th, the first anniversary of the Yelewata blood party, government announces the death of Gen RABE in the hands of terrorists within Nigeria’s territory.

The late, retired Rabe and wife were captured during a trip. They were held captive somewhere in Katsina State with other victims for 14 days. Nigeria’s military couldn’t rescue her General for all of two weeks right here on our soil!

But here’s the sad twist: Gen RABE died in the bush and was brought home by the so-called bandits who killed him, for burial. Nobody threw even stone at them. They walked in and out. Nobody has been sacked. Nobody is chagrined!

What about the other victims. Are they collateral damages? No one word.

If we had a military or even a government, why are these non-State actors operating freely and with brazen impunity? Why is nigh the whole country besieged and overawed by terrorists?

Why is President Bola Tinubu looking so helpless? Why has Nigeria become the terrorism capital of the world? Why is no other country in Africa being terrorised like Nigeria?

One thinks Mr President should resign if he has no answer to this 20-year-old war against Nigeria.

JUSTICE LIFU’S BEFUDDLEMENT

How could a grown up man act so befuddlingly? Could it be that Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja lost his marbles or he’s bent on self-destruction?

We and the entire Nigerian are right now wondering why he would make such an utterly irrational judicial call.

He decided to deregister some political parties, including the giant, ADC.

It’s common knowledge that the court have no such powers.

It’s also known to all that there’s a subsisting appellate court case on the matter.

Even a layman can see that this is a matter of serious national interest as parties are in advanced stages of preparation for the next election.

Since Lifu’s pronouncement is nothing short of a mendacious act  liable of causing a national breach of peace, we urge the National Judicial Council (NJC) to step in as a matter of national emergency to moderate the situation.

That’s the very least Nigerians expect.

YARI’S N4BILLION GOLD BARS AND ALAKE’S LAXITY

A Sitting senator and former governor of Zamfara State has been fingered in a N4b gold bars trafficking saga. But he denied it furiously blaming political adversaries who according to him, are bent on tainting his “hard-earned reputation.”

Well, while the EFCC owes Nigeria a duty to get to the bottom of this (and this is easy if the commission wants Nigerians to take her seriously),

more cogent is that this episode is a further confirmation that Nigeria truly has a huge wealth of fine gold deposit in Zamfara and a few other States.

This matter has been going on for quite a while and the FG seems to have been complicit in the relentless stealing Nigeria’s most precious solid mineral resources.

We urge Mr Dele Alake, Solid Minerals Minister to be more upfront with Nigerians about the status of our abundant non-oil minerals.

Unfortunately, the Minister seems to have sustained the opacity inherent in the sector.

Alake needs to be more open, more accountable and more acute in capturing our solid mineral resources in a more structured national framework the way oil and gas is operated.

Enough of this finders-keepers system.

Considering that the free for all carting away of our gold and other minerals is a major inspiration for terrorism in Nigeria, Alake must do better. He has made little impact in the sector so far.

His time is far spent.

ALL HAIL SHETTIMA’S 10,000 ELECTRIC TRICYCLE ROLLOUT!

Who will help the Tinubu administration to think clearly? The bane of the government seems to lie squarely in the lack of a think-tank.

Emblazoned in the news on the same day is a shouting headline by Vice President Kashim Shettima in which he proclaimed rather proudly that the APC government would unveil ten thousand electric tricycles by August.

He presents it as part of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) initiative. He also said it was a part of a proposed integrated logistics chain of sea ports, rail lines, CNG-powered trucks, inland waterways, airports and local feeder roads that would work together to support the economy.

First, it is hoped that these tricycles wouldn’t be branded as RENEWED HOPE GIFTS if they are truly to be rolled out.

Second, NEDC funds are for special high-end infrastructure projects and not for funny tricycles that rigs the people deeper into poverty.

Third, Shettima wants  development commissions in other zones to emulate this tokenistic IDIOCY as policy. No sir.

Development funds are for high impact infrastructure and each zone has peculiar needs.

Nigerians must resist any attempt by the FG to impose its wonky will on zonal commissions.

WE CAN’T BREATHE, COOKING GAS  PRICE CHOKING THE POOR TO DEATH

Nigerians can’t breathe. At least not properly anymore. Tens of millions are falling into poverty every year yet the Tinubu government seems oblivious of this. Prices of essential needs continue to soar daily.

Cooking gas, which is the main fuel in kitchens today is getting out of the reach of the populace.

Prices have jumped from about N1000 in January this year to about N2400 currently. Such steep hike in only six months. To think that Nigeria has one of the highest gas deposits in the world.  Yet she still imports gas.

Petrol, the life blood of the economy has had its pump price spike by 500% in just three years of Tinubu. Prices of every commodity, including food have leapfrogged in this manner.

This of course, is no way to run a country. It’s unsustainable.

President Tinubu must  rework his model or something would give soon.

INFLATION HITS 16%

The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS has reported that inflation has continued to rise in the last three months peaking at 16% in May.

With petrol and cooking gas prices hitting the skies, headline inflation is the logical result.

President Tinubu has made no attempt to make life easy for the people. It’s unlikely he has such an agenda.

The question is: as the 2027 elections approach, what is he going to tell Nigerians who are suffering acute hunger?

VANDALS DESTROY 14 POWER TRANSMISSION TOWERS IN NIGER STATE

Niger State is one of the hotbeds of terrorism in Nigeria today. So also are Borno (the headquarters) and Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, and lately,  Kwara States.

Niger is also fondly referred to as the POWER STATE because it’s home to the Kainji  and Shiroro hydro electricity dams.

It’s also the country home of many army generals, both serving and retired.

But a running irony today is that terrorists are in control of many LGAs in the State.

Everyday, there’s always a tale of blood and sorrow emanating from the marauders running the towns there.

Their latest news offering is  that they have just destroyed 14 transmission towers, among other facilities of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN.

The enemies of Nigeria seem to be attacking from all fronts. Apparently they seek a total eclipse of the giant of Africa. The vandals are succeeding. The question is: who will  stop them?

LAST LINE: STATE POLICE… YES, YES, STATE POLICE!

This debate has gone on for far too long now that it has become irritating. It has become like a mountain-sized community fufu which everyone approaches from whichever side he cares to.

This column will applaud President Tinubu if he can push this through.

That will represent a phenomenal milestone for Nigeria – for better or for worse.

Decentralised policing works all over the world. Why would Nigeria be different.

Let’s give it a shot please. If it fails, it wouldn’t be the end of Nigeria.

But it can jolly well succeed. Let’s say some governors might just make a model of the police in their states; giving it verve and  enduing it with a healthy competition that would drive many other States… the way Alex Otti is making most other governors shamefaced with his stellar performance in Abia.

Let’s do it!