By Ayodele Oni

The Director-General of the World Trade Organization, (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said that there was no time she criticized or condemned the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

According to her, as a neutral international civil servant, there are still people in Nigeria desirous to use her name, apparently, for political gains.

In a statement posted on her official X handle, the WTO Chief Executive condemned the unauthorized use of her name and image by political actors in the country, clarifying that she remains a neutral international civil servant.

This follows a Facebook post attributing statements to her regarding Nigeria’s economic policies.

Okonjo-Iweala clarified: “It appears that there are people in Nigeria trying to use my name and image on social media to fight battles on different sides of the political divide, putting words in my mouth that I never said.

“Therefore, I want to alert everyone that the message below is fake. This is a stern warning to all those trying to misuse my name for their political ends that I will continue to rebut any attempts to use my name and image falsely!”

The controversy stemmed from a Facebook post alleging Okonjo-Iweala’s criticism of the economic decisions of the administration of President Tinubu amidst a reported rise in national debt to N24 trillion within two months, despite the removal of fuel subsidy.

The post stated: “I call several times to help and advise but the current administration and cabals refuse to let me come in. How can you remove fuel subsidies with a debt of 24 trillion in 2 months?”

In response, Okonjo-Iweala emphasized the importance of accurate information and urged the public to verify sources before believing and sharing content, especially on sensitive economic matters.

“This incident highlighted the importance of being vigilant in distinguishing between fact and misinformation, especially in discussions about national economic policies”.

By Adesina Soyooye

The recent visits by some Northern Politicians to former President Muhammadu Buhari, may not be ordinary, afterall. It may be political and may have everything to do with the 2027 Presidential Election which is three years away.

In the past couple of days, a number of prominent Northern politicians across Political Parties, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who was the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, in the 2023 Elections, Atiku Abubakar, the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, and former Speaker of the House of Representatives who was also a two-term Governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, have visited the former President in his Daura, Katsina home.

Ostensibly, the visits were, according to them, to pay Buhari Sallah homage.

But not a few people think that the visitors are hiding under a Sallah homage for some high-wired politics with an eye on 2027.

One of those in this league is Shehu Sani, a  former Senator who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District. According to him, the recent visit by some prominent Northern politicians to Buhari is aimed at sacking President Bola Tinubu from office in 2027. But he is confident the plan, and any such attempt, will be dead on arrival.

On his verified Facebook page Monday, Senator Sani wondered if the Buhari they are trying to lobby in order to remove Tinubu in 2027, is not  the same Buhari who presided over the affairs of Nigeria for eight years, ignored the North, almost, and left the region in a worse situation than it was when he took over office from President Goodluck Jonathan. It is too early to forget, Sani said, as he reminded them of a number of projects in North abandoned by Buhari.

His words: “The recent visits by some prominent Northern politicians to Daura appear to be the usual Eid homage, but looking deeper and beyond the facade, it’s surreptitiously a new attempt to build a strong northern alliance using ex-President Buhari as a rallying point to challenge and evict President Tinubu’s government in 2027.

“It’s a regrouping of Northern political forces for the next general election. A project that will eventually kiss the dust.

“They want to resurrect Buhari’s political charm, fanaticism, and mobilize the gullible to another hollow and bewildering end. They want to stock up and light up the Arewa sentiment without considering the inferno it would eventually generate.

“By the time he left power, poverty and insecurity were at their peak more than at any time in Nigeria’s history.

“They had power and wasted it; what do they want to do with it again?

“A Southerner has been in power for just one year. It’s too early for the desperate and power-hungry northern elite to start plotting. The South never did that to Buhari. Their intended action has the capacity to ruin the democratic process and wreck the fragile unity of the country when the South is awakened to this reality.

“Their obsession with power is condemnable. Opposition to Tinubu from the point of policies, promises, and programs of his administration is a democratic right of any Nigerian. People have the right to speak and criticize the government.

“But attempts to whip up Northern sentiments to achieve their political ends is a dangerous political experiment and expedition at this material time. No serious southerner challenged Buhari for eight years; these power-drunk Northern politicians are dragging the region into a new political journey through a landmine.

“Buhari’s reign ensured nepotistic placement, installation, and dominance of Northerners at strategic positions of authority and power for eight years. Results had shown that they only enriched themselves, pillaged the economy of the country, and pauperized our country.

“The Daura homage of the disgruntled and the obsessed will fail. Our people in the North should reject these faces and their plots.

“They have nothing to offer. From the abandoned Baro Port, Ajaokuta, Lake Chad Basin refilling, and Mambilla hydropower, they failed. They came to power when the North was in the hands of terrorists and left it in the joint hands of terrorists and bandits. The Northern Talakawa should reject their antics.”

For the records, Buhari, also, defeated Atiku in the 2019 Presidential Election.

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election Peter Obi has expressed concerns at the growing number of Multinationals exiting the country due to the bad business climate.

Obi noted that the reasons being adduced by these departing firms after many years of operations in the country are similar and largely governance problems that require urgent attention to stem the tide

Writing in his X handle on Monday, the former Anambra State Governor said “I am compelled to address the alarming exodus of multinational companies from Nigeria, which has cost our nation a staggering N95 trillion in the past five years. According to The New Telegraph, in the last year alone, over ten multinational giants such as GlaxoSmithKline, Equinor, Sanofi-Aventis, Bolt Food, Procter & Gamble, Jumia Food, PZ Cussons, Kimberly-Clark, Diageo and others, have exited Nigeria, citing eerily consistent reasons.

“According to The Punch, “Multinational firms exit Nigeria over harsh business climate.” The Guardian reports, “Insecurity, high energy costs force companies to leave Nigeria.” The Nation states, “Poor business environment, inconsistent policies drive companies out of Nigeria.”

“These companies have highlighted the same problems across the board. These issues are not coincidental but symptomatic of a larger governance problem. Why are we not facing and solving these problems head-on? The responsibility lies with our leadership, those we put in charge to urgently address these challenges.

“Tackling these issues requires creating a business-friendly environment that fosters investment, innovation, and growth. This includes prioritizing security, stabilizing our policies, and reducing energy costs. We must also cultivate a culture of transparency, accountability, and good governance.

“We can build an economy that benefits all Nigerians, not just a privileged few. Let us unite to transform Nigeria into a nation conducive to business, attractive to investment, safe and prosperous for all citizens. Together, we can make Nigeria a beacon of hope and progress in Africa and the world. A new Nigeria is possible.