President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived in Enugu on a state visit. He arrived the Coal City few minutes ago and was welcome by the state governor, Peter Mbah and other officials from the state government including traditional rulers.
Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy shared the pictures of Tinubu arriving the state on his X handle.
“President Bola Tinubu in Enugu to commission various projects by Governor Peter Mbah,” Onanuga wrote.
Few hours before the president arrival in the state, the Igbo apex social group Ohanaeze Ndigbo had urged him to release Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB strongman, Nnamdi kanu.
Tinubu will write his name in ‘gold’ in the heart of the people of south east Nigeria, the group said in a statement.
Amidst the suggestions that the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zaccheus Adedeji, is gearing up to contest the governorship election in Oyo state, he has rebuffed those making the claim.
Adedeji, is among the potential governorship hopefuls in the Pacesetters State until he made it categorical on Friday that he’s not interested in succeeding the incumbent, Seyi Makinde.
“I want to use this to respond to a lot of requests. I, Zacch Adedeji, will not contest for the governorship election in 2027,” he declared.
Governor Makinde is expected to step down in 2027, at the expiration of his eight-year maximum term allowed by the Constitution.
Ahead the governorship election in two years, governorship aspirants such as Adedeji, Adebayo Adelabu, Minister of Power, amongst others have been mentioned as possible successors of Makinde.
The closeness of the FIRS boss and Adelabu to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has further fueled rumours that the president will throw his weight behind them as members from the ruling All Progressives Party, APC, to dislodge Peoples Democratic Party, PDP from power.
Speaking to journalists yesterday in Ibadan, the state capital Adedeji, a former Commissioner for Finance said he appreciates the calls on him by his supporters to take a shot at the governorship, but said he’s not interested.
He said hew would not be distracted from his job as Nigeria’s top tax man, calling on the people of the state to continue to pray for him to succeed in his current job.
He said, “I know a lot of people would not be happy about this, but everybody knows the responsibility and grace that God has given to us. I was commissioner of finance 14 years ago. And by that time, with the grace of God, we’ve done all of what God wants us to do in the state.
“He has given us that platform. So the only thing I need from you is your prayers for strength to end well with what I’m doing now. So I would not want to be distracted.”
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, apex Igbo socio-cultural organization has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to use the opportunity to Enugu state to release Nnamdi Kanu, leader of proscribed IPOB.
The president is currently on a state visit to the Coal City as the state is called, to commission some landmark projects executed by Governor Mbah.
By using the opportunity to set Kanu free, Ohanaeze said Tinubu would have written his name in ‘gold’ in the heart of Ndigbo, the people of Nigeria’s South east.
The appeal was contained in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the group, Alex Ogbonnia, who said Ndigbo are gradually noticing the ‘attitudinal’ change on the part of the federal government to Igbo people in the country.
The group said unity can only be ensured in the country if there is social justice and patriotism, adding that the release of the IPOB strongman would mark the beginning of a new chapter in the relationship between the Federal Government and Ndigbo.
The statement read, “It is therefore hoped that with the Enugu visit, President Tinubu will write his name with gold in the hearts of Ndigbo and all the well-meaning Nigerians, if he orders for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”
Kanu has been in detention following his arrest in Kenya on June 27, 2021, and all the appeals by Igbo leaders for his released have been rebuffed by the federal government, even though the court has ordered him to be freed.
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state has granted a lifeline to farmers in the state following his government decision to reduce the price of petrol to N600 per litre.
The average price of a litre of petrol in the country is between N1000 and N1200.
The Borno helmsman however said he took the decision to enable farming communities ravaged by war, saying the reduction is exclusively for farmers in war thorn communities in the state.
Zulum spoke on Friday in Bama, one of the communities ravaged by Boko Haram insurgency but gradually bouncing back to life as security agencies continue to decimate members of the deadly Islamic terrorist group.
According to him, the state government will buy the product in large quantities from dealers, and sell to farmers in turn.
He said the state government will work with security agencies to ensure that the plan is seamless.
Similar programmes have been executed in other insurgence ravaged communities such as Damasak, the governor said, adding that the initiative will help farmers recover from the years of insurgency and destruction, and increase food production.
“One of the major challenges that are facing the farming communities here as regards irrigation farming is the increasing cost of fuel, as a result, I want to announce to the general public that the government will procure petroleum products and sell them to the farmers at a subsided rate, a litre of petrol is being sold in Maiduguri at the cost of about N1,200 but in sha Allah, henceforth for irrigation farmers this season a litre of petrol will be sold at the rate of N600,” Governor Zulum said.
All roads led to Government House Owerri in Imo State, Friday, as Governor Hope Uzodimma who is Chairman of Progressives Governors Forum as well as Chairman of South East Governors Forum took his wife, Chioma, to the alter to renew the vow of their 10 year old marriage.
It was an event that attracted dignatories from within and outside Imo State, including the Governors of Edo State, Monday Okpehbolo, Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Orimisan Ayedetiwa and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State.
Also in attendance were the wives of the Governors of Delta State, Ebonyi State, and that of the former Governor of Oyo State, Chief (Mrs) Florence Ajimobi.
Governor Sanwo-Olu described Governor Uzodimma as “an amiable man and one of Nigeria’s cerebral politicians, finest leaders, and political juggernaut who knows how to put things in order.”
At the Thanksgiving Service held at Government House Chapel Owerri and conducted by the Catholic Bishop of Orlu Diocese, His Grace,Most Rev Augustine Ukwuoma and a galaxy of other priests from other denominations, Governor Uzodimma said that his marriage to Chioma has brought fulfilment in his life hence the need to appreciate God in a thanksgiving.
The Governor said that Chioma has worked hard to fulfil the biblical injunction that wives should submit to their husbands and that her wife could also testify that on his part as the husband, he has loved her the way he is expected to.
Governor Uzodimma said despite all the challenges from all corners, including political distractions that most often tended to keep him away from his wife and the home front as due to politics, Chioma has remained a pillar of support and unwavering in her belief in their marriage, hence the need to thank God for her tolerance and accommodation.
He described marriage as challenging and expressed gratitude to God for his goodness, mercy, guidance and directions that have propelled his person to success.
He expressed happiness that they were able to renew their marriage in love and promised to same in the next 10 years.
Though Governor Uzodimma recalled the initial challenges he faced as he took over the reins of power in Imo State in 2020, he said it is a thing of joy and gratitude to God that even those who never gave him a chance are, today, beginning to see the hand of God in his emergence as Governor.
He was full of appreciation to God that “today Imo State is looking different and the narrative has changed.”
His words: “All sectors have been attended to, the broken down infrastructure is been repaid as the saboteurs and those sitting on the fence are joining the government having seen the positive changes recorded by my administration.”
Finally, he thanked all those who came in solidarity with him and the wife and wished them, not just a happy 2025, but prayed God for a safe return back to their respective places of abode for coming to support them, their family and their marriage.
In his homily, the Chief Celebrant, the Most Revd. (Dr) Augustine Ukwuoma, the Catholic Bishop of Orlu Diocese said that time is a precious gift from God to his people, noting that “what is important is how we spend this precious gift given to us.”
He said that God gave us time to use and apply it responsibly, and warned people not to waste their time unnecessarily, noting that “when properly used one will enjoy it, if not it will be a waste and we will regret it hence the need to use our time meaningfully to achieve something good.”
Again, he emphasised that “as Christians we should use our time to worship, praise God and bless humanity because at the end of the day we will give account of how we used the time given to us.”
He commended the Governor for deeming it wise to return thanks to God for preserving their marriage and for the renewal of the marriage vow, adding that “you don’t owe God anything but gratitude as Hope and Chioma have shown on this day, Friday 3rd of January, 2025.”
The Marriage renewal thanksgiving Ceremony was witnessed by the Archbishop of Owerri Metropolitan, the Most Revd. Dr. Lucius Ugorji, represented by Rev. Fr. Dr. Gerald Njoku, the Auxiliary Bishop of Orlu Diocese, the Most Revd. Dr. Thomas Obiatuegwu, the Bishop of Owerri Anglican Communion, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Chukwuma Opara, the Chairman CAN Imo State, Rev. Dr. Eches Divine Eches and many of other clergymen too numerous to mention.
Governor Sanwo-Olu who proposed the toast said that Governor Uzodimma is an amicable man who is full of life, passionate about his people, State, country, family, and extremely committed in whatever he does.
He said he was not surprised that Governor Uzodimma is transforming Imo State because of the support he enjoys from his wife.
Apart from the Governors, Senator Adams Oshiomole, Senator Osita Izunaso, Senator Patrick Ndubueze and Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi were in attendance, and the members of the Federal House of Representatives- Akarachi Amadi, Emeka Chinedu, Cannice Moore Nwachukwu, Princess Miriam Onuoha, Eugenia Dibiagwu.
The Deputy Governor of Imo State, Lady Chinyere Ekomaru and the husband, Chukwuma, the Speaker Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chike Olemgbe, the Head of Service Imo State, Mrs. Chikodi Emenalom (Mni), the Secretary to the State Government, Chief Cosmas Iwu, the Chief of Staff, Barr Nnamdi Anyaehie and members of the Imo State expanded Executive Council.
Also present were Justice of the Supreme Court, Hon. Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, retired Hon. Justice Mary Odili, the Minister of Mines and Solid Minerals, Chief Uche Nnaji, former Governors of Imo State Ikedi Ohakim and Sen Ike Nkwachukwu, former deputy Governor, Prof Placid Njoku and the wife, Bola, high ranking traditional rulers, APC leaders such as the Deputy National Chairman South, Chief Emma Enukwu, the South East National Vice Chairman, Dr. Ijoma Arodiogbu, the APC State Chairman, Sir Macdonald Ebere and business moguls like Chief Tony Chukwu, among others.
President of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu, his Secretary, Ambassador Okey Emuchay and other key figures in the body were present.
Governor Uzodimma’s in-laws could not hide their joy as they put up appreciable presence at the event.
Nigeria’s number one Opposition Leader, Peter Obi, says he is full of admiration for Dele Farotimi, activist, Lawyer, who has just been released after about a month in Prison custody for an alleged libel and defamation of the character of Senior Lawyer, Chief Afe Babalola in a book he authored.
Farotimi was arrested in Lagos and taken to Ado Ekiti by the Police where he arraigned before a Magistrate Court.
The Court threw him into Prison Custody and was refused bail until after he had spent about a month behind bars.
When granted bail, it was with stringent conditions and a N30m bail bond.
While in prison custody, Farotimi was visited by Obi just as he visited Babalola in Ado Ekiti.
On Farotimi’s release December 3, Obi visited him in Lagos where he expressed his administration for him thereafter in a tweet.
He disclosed that Farotimi was in high spirits and described him as a symbol of courage in the face of adversity.
Wrote Obi after the visit to Farotimi: “Since his return from the correctional center in Ekiti, I have not had the opportunity to meet with him. I was pleased to find him in good spirits and deeply encouraged by his unwavering dedication to the struggle for a better Nigeria.
“Dele Farotimi exemplifies courage in the face of adversity, consistently taking bold stands for good governance in our nation.”
For the records, Farotimi is a staunch member of Obidients – a group solidly behind Obi’s political aspiration.
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Owerri, His Grace Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, has regretted the shooting to death of a teenager in a Church by a Rev. Fr.
On the eve of the New Year, Rev. Fr. Joseph Enyinnaya, the Priest in charge of St. Columba Catholic Church Amaimo, Ikeduru,
while saying the Mass, drew a gun and shot a teenager to death for setting off a firework within the Church premises. One other teenager was also injured by the shots fired by the Priest.
Rev. Fr. Enyinnaya. In Police custody.
In a condolence letter signed on behalf of the Archdiocese, Archbishop Ugorji regretted the circumstances which led to the tragic incident.
Ugorji sent heart-felt condolences on behalf of the Archdiocese to the bereaved family, prayed for the repose of the soul of the dead, and the quick recovery of the injured. He also called for a full investigation.
The letter, personally, signed by the Archbishop reads: “The Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri highly Regrets the shooting incident that took place on the eve of the New Year at the premises of St. Columba’s Catholic Church Amaimo, leading to the death of a young man and the wounding of another.
“The Archdiocese of Owerri condoles with the bereaved family, and prays for the repose of the dead, and the speedy recovery of the injured.
Meanwhile, the Police is investigating the incident and the circumstances surrounding it. We, therefore, call for calm at St. Columba’s Parish, Amaimo.”
For now, Parishioners are shocked that a Rev. Fr. carried a gun and entered the Church. While some people put it down to the insecurity in the land, insisting that the Priest was only being cautious, others described his action as unwholesome and unbecoming of a Priest.
Meanwhile, Rev. Fr. Enyinnaya is under Police custody.
Reno Omokri, a great adversary of Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party during the 2023 General Elections, has said that Obi would go far in 2027 if he packages himself to be less Igbo-centric and ask the Obidients to be more civil and less abusive.
Omokri, a huge supporter and ally of Atiku Abubakar, 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDD, also in his refreshing post, rated Obi, politically, above Atiku.
He said Obi is the number one Opposition Leader in Nigeria, and that any other person claiming to hold thar position was only daydreaming.
In what not a few people interpreted as a dig at Atiku, Omokri said Obi has retired him (Atiku) and he is on a political life support because of his money.
Omokri, also, expressed his admiration for Obi because he has withstood all obstacles and courageously trudged on.
Omokri: “Peter Obi is currently the Number One opposition figure in Nigeria. Bar none.
“Some people in one or two opposition parties have already been retired by Obi, but they just don’t know it yet because their money is keeping them on political life support.
“If only he could be less Igbo-centric, appeal to his Obidients to use persuasive rather than abusive words and admit, then apologise for his ‘Yes Daddy’ religious war’ comment against the Muslim Ummah, he would go far”.
“I find it interesting that everybody defines me as being Nigerian. I identify less with the country than with the specific ethnicity [Yoruba]. That’s what I really am. I have nothing in common with the people from the north of the country, Boko Haram, where Islamism is. Those were our ethnic enemies and yet you end up being lumped in with those people”
“My point is that the only authentic identity for the African is the tribe… I am Nigerian because the white man created Nigeria and gave me that identity. I am black because the white man constructed black to be as different as possible from his white. But I was Igbo before the white man came.”-Chimamanda Adibie
In regard of the first excerpt above Badenoch is guilty of generalisation and lack of empathy for the cause of promoting Nigerian national integration and little else. In which case, she belongs to the camp of the majority of Nigerians who are similarly alienated from contemporary Nigeria. Her real offence boils down to Marshall McLuhan’s concept of the “medium is the message”
‘The medium is the message” is a phrase created by Marshall McLuhan which sums up that the medium through which we choose to communicate holds as much, if not more, value than the message itself; that the form of a medium embeds itself in the message’. If, therefore, Badenoch is not a potential Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, UK, I doubt she would have provoked the current agitation of Nigerian commentators.
Similarly, conflating the entire Islamic North with the precolonial Sokoto caliphate is a category mistake to which we are all prone and care less about. It is reflected in such Yoruba local parlance as Gambari pa Fulani, ko le jo nnu (that a Gambari kills a Fulani is of no concern or consequence, they are understood as six and half a dozen). A ponle ni malla, Hausa ni Hausa jé (calling Hausa a malla is superfluous, Hausa is Hausa).
In his typical diabolical humour, Olubadan Asanike once issued a warrant of arrest on Audu Sokoto. Search parties reported they could not found Audu Sokoto but found another Audu called Audu Kano. Asanike promptly ordered the arrest of the latter as a good enough.
Any agitation beyond this amounts to scapegoating the top British politician
for the ugly political reality of Nigeria. Badenoch’s outburst is the symptom of a deeper underlying malaise with a deep tap root in colonial and precolonial Nigeria. As Anthony Kirk Green, soberly reflected, “The tragedy of 1967 is that many of its seeds were not, as is often claimed, sown in October or even July 1966, but in the 1950s or, as some see it, in 1914 or maybe in 1900 itself.
Nigeria has gotten this nasty habit of provoking the worst instinct from her citizens and then turn around to blame them for commensurate behaviour. Among Badenock’s critics are worse culprits including certified felons and nation wreckers who have stolen Nigeria blind; the oil subsidy scandal rogues and thieves, government spokesmen who openly propagated genocidal hatred against the Igbos; those who would deliberately lacerate Nigeria’s cleavages with unconscionable Muslim/Muslim Presidential ticket.
Amongst them are those who follow the Buhari precedent to institute Yoruba parochial and discriminatory overcompensation; who arrogantly fostered apartheid rule over Kaduna state. Among them would number those who support the institutionalisation of Almajiranchi; who employed political sharia to subvert a president who does not share their ethno-religious identity. Not to talk of a rogue Judiciary.
Akin Osuntokun
They bury their heads deep in the sand like the ostrich, and choose to break the mirror for projecting their ugly but correct image back to them. With or without Badenoch, isn’t the most popular refrain in the country today is Nigeria is more divided now than at any time of post civil war Nigeria?
I’m not a fan of right wing politics, let alone the neo Trumpian extreme right radicalism posturing. They generally tend towards bigotry; the pseudo ideologues, the demagogues and sundry political mercenaries who without real ideological convictions merely employ the platform as a tool for political gain.
I had earlier taken the position to refrain from joining the fray until we started seeing a trend of gross and chauvinistic demonisation of Badenoch complete with a left handed salute to her esteemed parentage
For those who thrive on dealing with the symptom while ignoring the underlying disease,let us provide authoritative retrospective context to the fulminations of Mrs Badenoch.
In a typically honest appraisal of the ugly Nigerian reality, His Eminence, Sultan Saad Abubakar, on the 29th of January 2021, said “We are not saying Fulanis are not part of the kidnappings as mentioned by the Secretary of Miyetti Allah, seven to eight kidnappers arrested are Fulanis, but that doesn’t mean every Fulani is a criminal, no they are not”. I wholeheartedly agree with him.
On May 19th 2019, Mr Nigeria himself former President Olusegun Obasanjo lamented what has become of Nigeria “It is no longer an issue of lack of education and lack of employment for our youths in Nigeria which it began as.“It is now West African Fulanisation, African Islamisation”.
On the 24th March 2018, the man who should know, Theophilus Danjuma fingered the Nigerian state as complicit in the genocidal atrocities being perpetrated on the Middle Belt Christian community “If you wait for the armed forces to stop the killing, you all die one-by-one,”
“The ethnic cleansing must stop in Taraba State and other parts of Nigeria. otherwise, Somalia will be a child’s place. I urge all of you to be at alert and defend your country. defend your territory, defend your state,”
On June 5th 2022, two days preceding the attack on the Owo Catholic church, the chairman of the Miyetti Allah, Bello Bodejo, “addressed a mammoth crowd of Fulani pastoralists from across Nigeria and beyond and “rained curses on some state governors whom, he claimed, chased Fulani pastoralists away from their states assuring them that peace will continue to elude them until they reverse their decisions “We know our friends and enemies and we will act at the right time,”
On the 11th of June 2022, Professor Wole Soyinka responded “He (Governor Rotimi Akeredolu) was targeted and there is no question about that. It was not an accident and it passed a message to the rest of us. That is why I’m here. I want the governor to know that we have received the message”.
“We understand it and we came to sympathise with him that he was selected as a medium of that message”
On the 27th July 2018 ‘a major actor in the 1967-70 Nigerian civil war, Gen.Alani Akinrinade(rtd) took a cursory look at what Nigeria has become 39 years after its end and declared “I regret fighting in that war” which he says “could have been avoided if the Aburi Accord (reached in Ghana) was not unilaterally jettisoned by General (Yakubu) Gowon”.
“it was useless fighting that war” and regrets his participation in it. On the Buhari charge that Nigerian national unity is not negotiable, Akinrinade remarked that: “Anything that’s not negotiable cannot make progress.”
On 7th August 2021 Obasanjo asked the Beninoise authorities to grant Sunday Igboho asylum, and not to return him to Nigeria.
On the 1st of May 2022 ‘Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka met with Yoruba Nation campaigner, Sunday Adeyemo also known as Sunday Ighoho.
Also at the meeting was Professor Banji Akintoye”.
Is it a coincidence that all these personalities are Yoruba save the Sultan? All these in a situation in which Buhari was playing Sinn Fein to the IRA of the Fulani militia.
Further back in time was the corrosive and subversive contribution of the British colonialists who nurtured a relationship of hatred and enmity as the legacy of colonial rule to Nigeria. Testimonies abound:
“Lugard pledged to the Sultan of Sokoto the commitment of the British administrators to protect the Muslims of the north from Christian proselytization. Sir Theodore Adams went as far as to say, in 1941, that the emirs considered the Northern provinces as a separate country and that enforced cooperation with the South would lead to a demand for ‘Pakistan”
In its 1958 editorial, the Time magazine captured the scene at the London conference on the independence of Nigeria in 1957 with a sense of foreboding, “Under the great chandeliers of the Lancaster House music room, the Premiers (Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello and Obafemi Awolowo) bickered, shot insults back and forth like poisoned darts.”
According to Ruth First “a frequently heard quip was that if all the Africans were to leave Nigeria, the Southern and Northern administrations could go to war”
“In administration, in land policy, in a dozen different fields of colonial government, the administration reinforced not the unity of the colony, but the differences between North and South”
In her day, Lady Lugard had contrasted “the higher types of the Northern States” with the “cannibal pagans” of the South. “The nearer to the coast, the worse was the native type… Sorcerers, idolaters, robbers and drunkards, they were indeed no better than their country” pined Flora Shaw”
‘Aided by his wife, Lugard’s fabrications still colour Whitehall’s attitudes to Nigeria, which can be summed up as pale-skinned Moslem North good, black-skinned Christian South bad’
Fast forward to contemporary Nigeria and the siege laid to the South-West by preponderantly Fulani marauders and what you get is a sense of dejavu
Dr Olufemi Adegoke died in the thick of another Yoruba nationalist resistance politics in 2021 against the degrading invasion of a Fulani herdsmen militia.
For people who were not resident in the South West at the material time, it may prove difficult to appreciate the provocative sense of degradation and helplessness.
Victims are seldom constrained to view their perceived tormentors with detached objectivity. Who feels it, knows it.
It begs the question: historically, how should the Yoruba characterise the caliphate seizure of Ilorin and their instrumentality to the collapse of the Oyo empire especially as the theme keeps recurring in subsequent history of the Yoruba?
Reminiscing on the tragedy of Ilorin, Samuel Johnson noted: “Ilorin now passed into the hands of foreigners, the Fulanis, who had been invited as friends and allies”.
In sum, this was the socialisation Badenoch received on Nigeria at the time of her father’s death.
Osuntokun, former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, is a professor of History and International Relations
My Fellow Nigerians, Happy New Year! As we begin the New Year 2025, it has become imperative for me to speak to you as a Nigerian interested in the progress of the country.
The political, economic and security situation of our country is worsening daily, despite contrary positions and claims by the government of improvement in different spheres of human endeavour.
Our national challenges are visibly worsening. Our nation and its fortunes are in clear reverse. The indices are clearly indicative of our decline,
Our national indices tell a disconcerting story
Nigeria remains one of the poverty capitals of the world, with over 100 million people living in extreme poverty and more than 150 million in multidimensional poverty. The situation has deteriorated significantly over the past 18 months under the current administration.
As a nation, we have fallen from being the largest economy in Africa, with a GDP of $574 billion and a per capita income of over $3,500 in 2014, to now ranking fourth on the continent. Our current GDP is less than 50% of what it was a decade ago, standing at approximately $200 billion, with a per capita income of barely $1,000.
Nigeria remains one of the most insecure and least peaceful nations in the world, with countless communities and families displaced from their homes and now living in IDP camps. According to the Global Peace Index (GPI), Nigeria ranks 143rd out of 163 countries in terms of peacefulness – an indication of a high level of distress.
Food insecurity has become our new national norm, making Nigeria one of the hungriest countries in the world. Gainfully employed and middle-income Nigerians now spend nearly their entire incomes on feeding, with some even resorting to borrowing just to eat.
For those living on the margins – low-income earners and the unemployed – the situation is even more dire. The newly approved minimum wage of N70,000 cannot afford a bag of rice or even half a bag of beans. As a result, many Nigerians go to bed hungry, while a significant number now rely on palliatives and charitable support. Tragically, this has recently led to several avoidable deaths. Nigeria’s ranking on the 2024 Global Hunger Index is 110th out of 127 countries, reflecting a critical level of hunger and food insecurity in the nation.
We have earned the dubious distinction of being one of the countries with the largest number of people without access to electricity.
In 2024, despite abysmal and unacceptable power generation and distribution, the frequency of National Grid collapse increased significantly, with the Grid failing 12 times in 12 months. As a result, we are now mockingly referred to as the “generator country.” This persistent lack of adequate energy supply continues to hinder our national development.
Corruption, official malfeasance, fiscal profligacy, and the mismanagement of public resources continue to rise astronomically in our country, spreading across all spheres of government. Similarly, nepotism and the disregard for the Constitution, the rule of law, and due process have become the norm.
*Our national debt has risen astronomically, from approximately N15 trillion in 2015 to N100 trillion today. This sharp increase has occurred within the past 18 months under the current administration. Ironically, these borrowings are largely allocated to non-regenerative programmes and projects, leaving little to no tangible developmental assets to show for the debt.
Inflation remains at an all-time high, businesses are collapsing, and manufacturing companies are barely surviving, further contributing to the already high unemployment rate.
We hold periodic elections that are no longer genuine. Our electoral processes are visibly flawed, lacking transparency and credibility.
Although Nigeria is a democratic country, the electoral processes fall far below acceptable standards, with the people’s votes often not counting.
Suggestions on the way forward
From all indications, Nigeria urgently needs selfless and exemplary leadership across the three arms and tiers of government.
However, this much-needed exemplary leadership must begin at the very top. Since the ultimate responsibility lies with Mr. President, I will direct my attention to him. Mr. President, present-day Nigeria aligns closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s powerful words: “We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. This is no time for apathy or complacency.
This is a time for vigorous and positive actions.” Because we all love Nigeria and desire its prosperity, I would like to suggest some actions I would have personally approached differently. It is time to confront our national problems boldly, decisively, and with a sense of urgency. My suggestions are as follows:
Commence a visible and verifiable reduction in the cost of governance to allocate much-needed resources to critical areas of development, such as security, health, education, and poverty alleviation.
Aggressive and visible attention should be given to combating corruption effectively. While addressing past corrupt activities, we must ensure proper investigations and recoveries related to missing funds or their sources. The focus should be on eliminating current and future official malfeasance through increased transparency and accountability in public procurement and contract award processes, as well as thorough monitoring of execution to ensure that limited resources are efficiently utilized and applied productively.
All future borrowing must be tied to regenerative investments and visible, productive assets that benefit the nation. This will ensure both productivity and the ability to service and amortize such loans, rather than continuing the current practice of accumulating massive debt with no tangible returns, which places undue strain on future development revenue.
Mr. President, out of the approximately 580 days you have been in office, it is reported that you have spent over 30%, or around 180 days, on more than 30 publicly recorded overseas trips. My appeal is that you dedicate at least 20% of 2025 – roughly 72 days – to visit each of Nigeria’s 36 states for two days each. As President, such visits would give you the opportunity to better understand the dire economic and security situations across the country.
Furthermore, it is time for you to visit our national hospitals. Consider, for example, that your next medical examination be conducted at one of our National Hospitals or Regional Federal Medical Centres, such as the FMC in Sokoto or Birnin Kebbi or Calabar or Umuahia or Akure, among others. This will allow you to assess the state of healthcare facilities available to Nigerians. It will also help you understand the condition of our hospitals and clinics, enabling you to make informed decisions on how to upgrade and make them efficient.
Endeavour to travel by road to observe the condition of most highways. You can take short trips, for example, from Calabar in Cross River State to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, a distance of less than 100 km, or from Benin in Edo State to Warri in Delta State. I recall taking President Olusegun Obasanjo on a trip from Awka to Onitsha on a federal highway when I was the Governor of Anambra State. That journey prompted him to immediately approve the reconstruction of parts of the road by the Anambra State government, with subsequent reimbursement by the federal government. Such actions are immensely valuable.
Make both impromptu and planned visits to our tertiary institutions, where our children and future leaders are being trained, are essential to familiarize yourself with the available infrastructure, facilities, and amenities. These visits will provide valuable insight into whether the resources of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) are being utilized optimally and what is needed to sustain the education system. I recall President Shagari visiting the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, when I was a student there and telling us, ‘I have seen the facilities myself, and I assure you of my intervention.’ Institutional facilities improved significantly thereafter.
As Commander-in-Chief, visit our military formations and security agencies, especially during their field operations, and provide them with morale-boosting assurances and support for operational efficiency. Reiterate that they and their families will always be taken care of.
Mr. President, many Nigerians are ‘refugees’ and ‘exiles’ in their own country. Visit various IDP camps and assure these Nigerians that they will soon return to their communities, and that you are working hard to restore peace and normalcy to the country. Nigeria is not a war-torn nation. The proliferation of IDP camps is a troubling sign.
As President, you are no longer the Governor of Lagos State; therefore, consider spending your holidays in different parts of the country. Let your next Sallah, Easter, and Christmas holidays be spent in places like Adamawa, Sokoto, Jos, Akure, Yenagoa, or Abakaliki, among others.
The single most challenging test you face is ensuring that future elections are credible and truly reflect the will of the people.
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Finally, Mr. President, Nigerians need to hear directly from you, not through your proxies. Quarterly updates on what you are doing to improve the situation in Nigeria is crucial.
