The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • NDLEA busts syndicate’s warehouse in Asaba, seizes N150m worth of illegal narcotics 

    NDLEA busts syndicate’s warehouse in Asaba, seizes N150m worth of illegal narcotics 

    …launches manhunt for masterminds behind storage, trafficking

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Delta State Command, has busted a warehouse in Asaba, the state capital, operated by drug syndicate and seized illicit drugs worth over N150 million.

    The NDLEA Commander in the state, Dr. Halilu Hamidu, disclosed this at the weekend during a press conference to review the activities of the agency in 2025.

    Beside the single seizure of N150m narcotics in Asaba, the agency noted that its operatives had impounded other dangerous substances such as cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, among others, worth over N3bn in the state from January to December 12, 2025.

    Hamidu assured residents of the state that that the Command had launched an aggressive manhunt to identify, track, and arrest the masterminds behind the storage and trafficking of the drugs in Asaba.

    Specifically, the Commander revealed that on December 6, 2025, operatives acting on high-grade intelligence stormed a warehouse at Oko Market, Asaba, uncovering a massive stockpile of illicit drugs primed for distribution across Delta State.

    According to him, the raid led to the recovery of large quantities of Tramadol, Rohypnol, Hypnox, Diazepam, Exol-5, Codeine, and other highly dangerous substances, with a staggering estimated street value of ₦150 million.

    He described the discovery as shocking and deeply disturbing, particularly as families and communities prepare for the festive season. 

    The Commander warned that the circulation of these drugs represents a grave threat to public safety, youth wellbeing, and social stability, stressing that the single warehouse had the potential to unleash a wave of addiction, crime, and untold tragedy across Delta State and beyond.

    Hamidu emphasised that the operation sends a clear and uncompromising message: the Command remains resolute in its mission to safeguard Delta State.

    He added that throughout the Yuletide season and beyond, security operatives would continue to act decisively to ensure the safety, stability, and security of the state, regardless of the challenges they face.

    The Commander noted that the Command, in partnership with the State Drug Control Committee (SDCC), had strengthened youth-focused drug education by establishing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) clubs in secondary schools across Delta State.

    He said, “These clubs serve as safe learning spaces where students are empowered with practical knowledge, guidance, and support to resist drug use.

    “They help young people build confidence, make better decisions, and understand the long-term consequences of substance abuse in simple, relatable terms. 

    “Our sensitisation efforts also reached the NYSC Orientation Camp, tertiary institutions, religious organisations, workplaces, and various community gatherings.

    “In each engagement, we meet people where they are: families, youths, workers, and community leaders helping them understand the risks of drug abuse and how to protect those they care about.

    These outreach activities continue to strengthen community awareness, encourage collective responsibility, and build a more informed and resilient Delta State.”

    Hamidu said that Between January 2025 and now, the Command’s Drug Demand Reduction Unit provided counselling services to 704 individuals struggling with drug dependency (480 males and 224 females). 

    Additionally, he indicated that 14 clients were admitted for counselling and rehabilitation.

    He acknowledged the indispensable support received from the Delta State Government, the military, sister law enforcement agencies, traditional institutions, religious bodies, educational institutions, media partners, youth associations, NGOs and civil society organisations, saying their partnership remains fundamental to the progress they have made.

    He stated, “The Command remains firmly committed to strengthening its operations throughout Delta State. Our focus is to work hand in hand with all relevant stakeholders to build an environment where drugs are harder to access, harder to distribute, and far less attractive to potential users. 

    “By reducing both the demand for drugs and the supply channels that feed abuse, we aim to protect our communities and support healthier, more productive lives for our people.

    “This drive is fully aligned with the vision of the current administration and directly supports the successful implementation of the M.O.R.E Agenda. With continued cooperation from government bodies, security agencies, traditional institutions, and community groups, the State can move closer to achieving lasting safety and social stability.

    “Furthermore, under the strong leadership and national direction of the Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd.), the fight against drug abuse and trafficking continues to gain momentum. 

    “His commitment and strategic guidance have strengthened our operations nationwide, and the Delta State Command stands ready to intensify the battle even further in line with his vision for a drug-free Nigeria.

  • 2027: Re-elect Tinubu to consolidate his reforms, Faleke urges Nigerians

    2027: Re-elect Tinubu to consolidate his reforms, Faleke urges Nigerians

    …launches presidential coalition council in Ibadan

    The Director General for Tinubu Campaign Council in 2023 Presidental election, Hon. James Abiodun Faleke has urged Nigerians to prepare to re-elect President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.

    Faleke, who is now the national coordinator, Presidential Coalition Council (PCC), council established for the re-election of President Tinubu in 2027 said Nigerians should vote for President Tinubu again so that he could consolidate on the commendable far-reaching reforms his administration has embarked upon.

    Speaking in Ibadan at the launching of PCC and sensitisation on policies of President Tinubu administration to people of Oyo state, Faleke, who was represented at the event by Hon. Abiodun Mafe, urged party members to continue to win people to APC and spread the gospel of good governance.

    The launch of the council and sensitisation initiative was organised and sponsored by Hon Ayotunde Bakare.

    He charged party members not to entertained any fears as APC would come out victorious both at national level and in the state. 

    He however enjoined party members to keep their Permanent Voter’s Card safe, calling on those without PVCs to go and register for it. 

    Mafe after launching the PCC said other groups would begin to join the council, and presented PCC souvenirs to Hon. Bakare, who organised the event on behalf of Faleke

    In his remark, a member of the PCC team from Abuja, Hon. Abdullah Enilolobo said the launch of PCC beginning from Ibadan was strategic as Ibadan controls half of Oyo total votes. 

    He lauded Hon. Bakare for using his personal resources to organise the launch of PCC and sensitisation of the policies of the Tinubu administration.

    While shedding light on the policies of Tinubu administration, Enilolobo said Nigeria could have ceased to exist if President Tinubu did not won the 2023 presidential election. 

    He reminded people of Oyo State that Nigeria was borrowing to pay salaries and was on the verge of bankruptcy before President Tinubu assumed office. 

    He added that the removal of fuel subsidy, floating of the naira, and the new tax regime all ensured that the Nigerian economy got back on a sound footing.

    Enilolobo said borrowing to pay salaries before 2023 has now increased the national minimum wage, while financial allocations to states and local governments have quadrupled. 

    He urged members of the party to ready to work together to secure Oyo governorship and presidential elections for APC in 2027.

    While thanking the PCC team from Abuja, Hon Bakare expressed delight for their support. 

    He commended the leadership of Hon James Faleke, saying Faleke was not new to presidential victory as he was the DG for Tinubu Campaign Council in 2023.

    The event was graced by APC stalwarts in Oyo State, including Alhaji Mufutau Adisa Gbayawu from Ibadan, Alhaji Abu Gbadamosi from Oke-Ogun, Hon. Alli, a former Oyo House of Assembly member, Mrs Abegbo Lawal, and Madam Isijola. Serving Oyo Assembly members present were Hon. Shittu Ibrahim and Hon. Musbau Azeez.

    Other PCC members from Abuja present included Hon. Akeem Bamgbola, Hon. Tunde Williams, Hon. Femi Afikuyomi, and others.

  • Why civics education and history are critical to nation-building

    Why civics education and history are critical to nation-building

    The educational system of any nation is the most fundamental bedrock of her development, enlightenment and progress. Nelson Mandela famously once said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” And one of those significant personages in the world who transformed the way we see the physical fabric of the universe, Albert Einstein, also said: “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” Education, in other words, instigates out curiosity to know more and to unravel the basis of live and the universe itself. A state that wants to transcends its own limitations and articulate a set of advantages that will activate civility, decency, progress and patriotism. Political leadership across the world therefore reads the pulse and impulses of development and adjust their educational system in ways that answer the peculiarities of their different contexts and needs. The wave of STEM—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—education curriculum that states all over the world are adopting is a testament to their consciousness about the place of science and technology education in the wealth and progress of nations.

    However, states are also conscious about how to build up a conscious, patriotic and historically conscious citizenry that is amenable to the project of nation-building which is the basis of political order and stability. Nations that have been considered in many indices as violent and unstable, from South Africa to South Sudan, are now paying the price for a citizenry that has become weaponized by greed and ideological fragmentation. We then begin to see the ideological and philosophical implications of education as the medium by which a state instills critical values, ideas and skills. And the more reason why the educational policies of states is one of the most potent expressions of the state’s philosophy of national development objectives. The educational policy pieces together in a coherent framework the objectives of education within the larger policy, governance and development focus of a state.

    READ ALSO: Dominant APC waits with bated breath

    This is exactly the ideological essence of the Nigerian National Policy on Education (NPE). The document states that Nigeria’s overall philosophy is two-fold: (a) live in unity and harmony as one indivisible, indissoluble, democratic and sovereign nation founded on the principles of freedom, equality and justice, and (b) promote inter-African solidarity and world peace through understanding. This philosophy is founded on achieving five national goals: a free and democratic society, a just and egalitarian society, a united, strong and self-reliant nation, a great and dynamic economy, and a land full of bright opportunities for all citizens. more fundamental is that Nigeria’s philosophy of education—based on developing the individual into a sound and effective citizen, te integration of the individual into the community, and the provision of equal access to educational opportunities—is meant to facilitate “self-realization, better human relationship, individual and national efficiency, effective citizenship, national consciousness, national unity, as well as …social, cultural, economic, political, scientific and technological progress.”

    This philosophy of education is even all the more cogent, fundamental and well-conceived given that Nigeria is a fractured postcolonial society where religion, ethnic affiliation, cultural membership, income inequality and sexual orientation constitute the centripetal variables that disunite and establish the basis for political instability. It therefore means that every educational blueprints, paradigms and curricula at the disposal of the Nigerian state must be geared towards articulating a framework that brings together an effective citizenry and national development. In other words, the objectives of national development and progress can only be well-grounded if left to the concerted and patriotic efforts of a citizenry that is well-equipped with the fundamental and foundational ethic, values and knowledges that the nation requires to make sense of its future.

    The NPE poignantly stipulated the significance of history and civic education from basic education to senior secondary school. However, given that visions are often undermined by reality and circumstances, vital documents crucial for Nigeria’s progressive development are often the victims of political miscalculation and misbegotten oversights. For a country with a vast demographics and ethnic divergences, the national and political leadership did not see the urgency for an immediate introduction of civic education into Nigeria’s basic, primary and post-primary education curriculum until forty-eight solid years after political independence. By 1982 when Nigeria switched to the 6-3-3-4 system, history was removed from primary and junior secondary schools, and downgraded into an optional subject at the senior secondary level. And then, in 2009, the FGN yanked history from the curriculum. The administration thought that the low enrollment and lack of history teachers was sufficient to remove a course that connects Nigeria to its past and the future. And so, while the governments have been trying to advance Nigeria’s future through investment in science and technology education, they have been paradoxically undermining that same progressive policy through the downgrading of those courses that could channel the curriculum of science and technology education into truly progressive development through civic awareness and development.     

    No wonder Nigeria has been assailed by all sorts of terrible national malaise that borders on a disjuncture between national ideas and ideals and the citizens’ understanding of these. That it took Nigeria more than four decades to come to the understanding of the place of history and civic education in Nigeria’s national development framework is a traumatic testament to Nigeria’s failure to deal with the fundamentals and basics of progress, development and national integration. The Nigerian Constitution and NPE are documents filled with philosophical concepts and terms—justice, equality, citizenship, self-realization, national unity, self-reliance, national integration, etc. These are philosophical fundamentals that demand serious national dialogue on how they could inform policy intelligence that integrate them into a coherent sense of policy development. They are not just mere words that make the national documents look really philosophically grounded and thick. They inform how Nigeria looks into the world and integrate herself into global development, like the emergence of the knowledge society, and the fourth industrial revolution.

    A nation needs values, memories and history. It needs her citizens to be able to connects past to present and reevaluate the future.

    Nigeria has struggled with decades of military regimes that contributed in no small measures to her disjointed historical, constitutional and political trajectories and dynamics. Now that a democratic experiment has been underway, it is high time we saw the place of values and ideology in Nigeria’s political destiny. The goal of national integration in Nigeria is to ensure that Nigerians at best forget their ethnic affiliation and at worst downgrade it into a secondary position behind a civic awareness of their identification with the Nigerian state and her national imperatives. As it is, national integration is not moving along because Nigerians have not learnt to live together. We are still struggling with the import and consequences of putting our religious, cultural and ethnic identities above what it means for us to be truly and genuinely Nigerians. This is why it is difficult for us to arrive at an electioneering campaign moment without generating serious hullabaloo around Christian-Christian/Christian-Muslim/Muslim-Muslim tickets. And this is also why Nigeria has a solid youth bulge that cannot be mined and harnessed for its generational and diversity capital because a significant portion of the youth population has no sense of what history signifies for them and for Nigeria. 

    Democracy needs education. A flourishing democratic ethos requires a significantly vibrant curricula on civic education and history. Civic awareness and civic engagement that keep feeding knowledge about government, its functions and its responsibilities to its citizens. Indeed, it is such a civic awareness that makes democracy and democratic sophistication possible in the first instance. It is civic engagement that serves as the vibrant path towards preserving the democratic spirit. We can say, without any need to hypothesize, that Nigeria’s democracy will not grow and succeed if civic education is not strengthened in Nigeria’s school system. In other words, if the Nigerian citizenry is not informed and civically aware, then it does not have the capacity to guard democracy. And it leaves the political space open for all forms of demagoguery and selfish political mobilization that continue to undermine political stability in a country where tension has become a normal thing.

    Civic education is inextricably linked with history. We cannot even begin to understand what type of democracy we need to grow into, and what we need to do with our democratic aspiration, if we do not have a sense of history. We cannot make any significant move towards nationhood if we lack a coherent sense of where we are coming from and where we need to be. We cannot put Nigeria’s political history into a democratic container if, to quote Chinua Achebe, we continue to obscure “where the rain began to beat us.” History is Nigeria’s window into those events, actions, errors and mistakes that nudged us into the wrong national path and determined our current national struggles for reckoning. We remember the axiom that those who neglect history are bound to keep repeating its errors and mistakes.     

    Civic education and history connect immediately with urgency of learning to live together; of curating educational curricula that have the objectives of national integration and democratic awareness at the core. Nigeria’s public sphere is the most enlightening and disturbing barometer for measuring the civic possibility. A browsing of the comment section of any newspaper, and on any national issue, will demonstrate that Nigerians are far from being united. It will also sadly reveal the level of ignorance about the basics of national history. Thus, while consecutive Nigerian governments have been concerned with the need to integrate science and technology education—or STEM—into the Nigerian school curricula, Nigeria’s civic potential keeps diminishing! The pupils and students are acing mathematics and basic science and technology, and yet we keep killing one another! This tells us the critical fact that STEM education can only yield a very narrow understanding of what it means to redirect technological progress along the path of humane development. It does not speak to the crucial necessity of learning to be compassionate, empathetic and humane within a national context of difference.

    Nigeria needs students—and a broad human capital development trajectory—that possess the unique and significant twenty-first century skills: the capacity for communication, critical thinking, creative innovation and confidence. They also need to be able to maneuver these skills within a space—communal, national, workplace—of diversity and difference. To be a genius in science and technology, or to be an Albert Einstein in Nigeria, without these skills and humane capacities is simply to be an educated robot. But more significantly, and within a postcolonial space like Nigeria, it is simply to be a dangerous and narrow-minded bigot who is pushed to divert his or her knowledge into prejudicial means that endanger others. History and civic education matter for Nigeria. And our political will should be channeled towards making them matter even more in our policy architecture beyond just injecting these subjects into the curricula.

  • Education upgrade

    Education upgrade

    All stakeholders must recognise that improved funding remains essential for growth

    Citing chronic underfunding relative to the problems plaguing the sector as the critical challenge of education in Nigeria, critics have persistently pointed out that budgetary allocations to education by the federal and state governments over the years have always fallen far short of the 26 per cent recommended by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

    Such failure to meet the ideal set by the UN organisation may be true but does not indicate an insensitivity by successive governments to the need to properly fund education as a necessary condition for meeting the country’s developmental objectives.

    Despite the fiscal constraints making it impossible to meet the appropriate levels of funding required by diverse sectors including education, for instance, the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, recently pointed out that the President Bola Tinubu administration has significantly raised the budgetary allocation to education over the last two years.

    Speaking at the 2025 Nigeria Education Forum (NEF) organised by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education and other stakeholders in the sector, Shettima stated that allocations to education in annual budgets rose from N1.54 trillion in 2023 to N3.52 trillion in 2025.

    He gave specific examples of areas impacted by this increased funding through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the newly established National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). To enable more Nigerians access tertiary education, the NELFUND has disbursed over N86.3 billion as loans for tuition fees and monthly upkeep allowances to over 450,000 students spanning 218 institutions. Through the UBEC, the sum of N92.4 billion has been allocated in this period to facilitate state-level grants, teacher training and community development projects in 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In the same vein, the budgetary allocation to TETFUND now stands at N1.6 trillion having grown from N320.3 billion in 2023 to N683.4 billion in 2024.

    READ ALSO: Benin Republic demons

    Reinforcing the submission of the Vice President, Chairman of the NGF and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq stated that state authorities have recorded significant improvements in this regard.  His words: “Across the states… we are seeing a promising shift. States spent N1 trillion, that is, 12 percent of their total expenditure on education in 2022. In 2023, N1.6 trillion was provided for in the budgets of the states for education. In 2024, states committed N2.4 trillion for education.”

    Continuing, AbdulRazaq noted that “in 2025, state governments collectively increased education budgets by 53 percent, from N2.4 trillion to N3.6 trillion driven largely by a 69 percent rise in capital allocations.” 

    Shettima hit the nail on the head when he stressed that, despite the substantially increased government investments in education, the funding gaps in the sector remain too huge for the government alone to bridge. He cited the alarming number of millions of out-of-school children in the country, which he rightly noted has become a national emergency needing urgent reversal.

    This aptly illustrates the continued funding crisis in education which obviously cannot mop up an additional near-18 million out-of-school children when the larger number of those currently in school are inadequately catered for.

    One reason the substantial increase in funding is not having the desired impact in terms of  qualitative infrastructure, including well-equipped libraries and laboratories, decent classrooms and hostels and a dignifying environment across the various levels of education, is the sheer number of school children to be provided for. This is a natural function of the country’s large population of over 230 million people, which ought to be an asset with the requisite investment in developing human potential.

    World Bank data indicate, for instance, that the country had about 30 million primary school pupils as at 2021 while the records of the UBEC indicate that the number had risen to an estimated 45 million by 2023. World Bank statistics showed that the number of junior and senior secondary school students grew from about 8.5 million in the 2018/19 academic year to 13.9 million as of 2021.

    According to estimates of the National Universities Commission (NUC), there were approximately 1.8 million undergraduates in Nigerian universities in the 2018/19 academic year; and by 2022, there were about 2.1 million students enrolled in the country’s universities with the majority in the public universities. There would naturally be considerable increases in these numbers now.

    Such a large number of school children would require consistent and continuous investment in school infrastructure at all levels over the years. Unfortunately, a huge deficit has been allowed to accrue in this regard over the years and a country just gradually emerging from a severe and protracted economic crisis cannot minimise the resources to fill the gap at the requisite speed.

    The number of students requiring education also raises questions about the adequate number and quality of teachers to meet this need at different levels. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data shows that the number of registered primary school teachers rose from 1,408,511 in 2020 to 1,445,480 in 2021 and to 1,469,528 in 2022. The records of the National Teachers Institute (NTI) put the number of registered secondary school teachers at 546,681 in 2020, 573,670 in 2021 and 590,261 in 2022. The number of tertiary institutions’ teachers was put at 24,538 and 29,075 in 2021 and 2022.

    It is obvious that humongous amounts must be budgeted for recruiting the required numbers of additional teachers to provide for healthy teacher-student ratios at all levels while also ensuring constant training and re-training of both new and older staff to ensure qualitative teaching.

    Another crucial issue is that of adequate remuneration of teachers to enable the necessary motivation and commitment on the part of this critical section of the workforce. When teachers are demotivated due to poor salaries and allowances and little attention is paid to other welfare packages such as decent accommodation, affordable healthcare and transportation subsidy, the result is low self-esteem, decline in productivity with the children as the most negatively affected. Public tertiary institutions are the ones most hard hit in this regard with the resultant incessant strikes of academic and non-academic staff over welfare issues as well as the consequent frequent disruption of academic calendars to the detriment of students and parents.

    No less critical is the need for the provision of funds for the constant review, modernisation and upgrading of curricular to ensure that the content of education meets the needs of a constantly changing and ever increasingly competitive, globalised world.

    This is why we agree with the Vice President that building a resilient education system requires co-investment from the private sector, industry leaders, alumni associations and communities. 

    It has also become evident that the budget for the education sector must have its own security component as the safety of children, teachers and school infrastructure has become a key factor in many terror-prone parts of the country.

    The establishment of the Nigeria Education Forum demonstrates an awareness of the seriousness of the problem and the body should be properly funded and effectively and innovatively managed to play a lead role in coordinating stakeholders towards finding solutions.

  • TY Danjuma at 88: Legacy of service and unanswered questions

    TY Danjuma at 88: Legacy of service and unanswered questions

    As General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma marks his 88th birthday, Nigeria pauses to acknowledge a figure whose life has been inextricably woven into the fabric of the nation’s military and political history. He is, by any measure, a tested soldier and statesman in every right, having served this country on the battlefield, as Chief of Army Staff and later as Minister of Defence under the Obasanjo administration. His trajectory from the barracks to the corridors of power represents a significant chapter in Nigeria’s post-independence story.

    Danjuma’s military career was distinguished by his rise through the ranks during some of Nigeria’s most turbulent periods. As Chief of Army Staff, he commanded respect and wielded considerable influence over the nation’s security architecture. His later appointment as Minister of Defence under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s civilian administration demonstrated a continuity of confidence in his strategic acumen and leadership capabilities. These positions placed him at the epicenter of a number of critical decisions that have helped shape Nigeria’s military doctrine and defense policy.

    It must be acknowledged that General Danjuma has not done badly as a civilian either. He belongs to that class of military officers who benefited immensely from the benevolence the Nigerian nation availed them—opportunities in business, oil blocks, and unhindered  access to the commanding heights of the economy. His post-military success in the private sector, particularly in the oil and gas industry, has made him one of Nigeria’s wealthiest citizens. The transition from military general to business mogul is a path well-trodden by his generation of officers, and Danjuma navigated it with remarkable success.

    Yet, as we celebrate longevity and acknowledge service, posterity will always ask questions. History as a master of the times demands accountability, and time’s passage does not erase the weight of certain events that continue to cast long shadows over personalities and their distinguished careers.

    READ ALSO: Dominant APC waits with bated breath

    One cannot discuss General Danjuma’s military career without confronting his roles in a number of events beginning from the tragic happenings of July 1966. As a young officer and coup plotter, he was deeply involved in the counter-coup that led to the deaths of his Supreme Commander, General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, and the Western Region’s Military Governor, Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi as well as brother officers and civilians who were slaughtered for the January 15th coup. The circumstances of their deaths in Ibadan remain one of the darkest moments in Nigerian military history despite Danjuma ‘s “akuko na egwu” story of losing control over the troops he commanded.

     While the complexities of that period—ethnic tensions, political instability, and institutional fragmentation—provide context, they do not erase the fundamental questions about loyalty, command structure, and the sanctity of military hierarchy. What conversations can occur in the quiet moments when one reflects on the death of a commander under one’s watch? The coup (July,1966) may have been justified, Ironsi’s delay in punishing the January boys as well as his push towards a unitary system of government did raise fears, but the senseless killings pushed the country into a series of pogroms and a civil war which still stokes tensions even to this very day. What is more alarming is that the government which Danjuma did help entrench became more unitary than Ironsi would ever imagine, conferring an unfair advantage on a section of the country over others.

    The allegations surrounding the February 1977 invasion of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s Kalakuta Republic also demand examination. The brutal assault on the commune, which resulted in the burning of the property and the fatal injuries that led to the death of Fela’s mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, represented state violence against a citizen whose primary offense was speaking truth to power through music. While various military figures have been implicated in this atrocity, Danjuma’s position in the military hierarchy at the time has led to persistent questions about his knowledge of or involvement in the operation.  The Nigerian state’s failure to properly investigate and prosecute those responsible remains a stain on our collective conscience.

    More recently, during his tenure as Minister of Defence, the military operations in Odi, Bayelsa State, in 1999, and Zaki Biam, Benue State, in 2001, raised profound questions about proportionality and the rules of engagement. The Odi operation, in particular, resulted in widespread destruction and civilian casualties that human rights organizations documented extensively. The Zaki Biam invasion similarly left communities devastated. While both operations were officially responses to security challenges—the killing of security personnel—the scale of the military response and the civilian toll have been subjects of intense criticism. As the Minister overseeing these operations, General Danjuma bears a measure of responsibility for the decisions made and their devastating consequences.

    These are not mere historical footnotes. They represent moments when the instruments of state power were deployed in ways that many Nigerians believe crossed the line from necessary force to excessive violence, from maintaining order to inflicting collective punishment.

    As General Danjuma enters his 88th year, one must wonder: Is he happy with the state of Nigeria today? Does he look at the country—with its persistent insecurity, its fractured unity, its struggling institutions—and feel satisfaction with the foundations he helped entrench? The Nigeria of today bears the imprint of decisions made by his generation of military and political leaders. The normalization of military intervention in politics, the weakening of democratic institutions, the entrenchment of corruption, the erosion of meritocracy—these are legacies that those who wielded power must reckon with.

    In his later years, General Danjuma has at times spoken candidly about Nigeria’s challenges, even controversially urging Nigerians to defend themselves against security threats. These interventions suggest a man perhaps grappling with the distance between the Nigeria that might have been and the Nigeria that is and his roles in helping create such. Yet, candor in twilight does not erase responsibility for decisions made at noon.

    As we mark this milestone birthday, we honor General Danjuma’s service to the nation while acknowledging that true statesmanship requires accounting. The questions posed by history are not indictments alone but invitations to reflection, to truth-telling, and perhaps to reconciliation. For a man who has lived through so much of Nigeria’s story, who has shaped it in profound ways, the ultimate measure of his legacy will be determined not by the positions he held or the wealth he accumulated, but by how honestly he engages with the full weight of his actions and their consequences for millions of Nigerians.

    Happy 88th birthday, General. May the years ahead bring wisdom, peace, and the courage to speak fully to history.

  • Revered (Sir) Remi Omotoso speaks on Ekiti Agro-Allied International Airport

    Revered (Sir) Remi Omotoso speaks on Ekiti Agro-Allied International Airport

    “To God be the glory, great things He hath done, so loved He the world that He gave us His Son, who yielded His life an atonement for sin, and opened the life-gate that all may go in” – Fanny Crosby(1875)

    It was a joyful moment for Ekitikete as the Ekiti Agro- Allied International Cargo Airport commenced commercial flights in grand style (ABUJA – ADO – EKITI) with all the four former governors of the State- Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Dr Ayodele Fayose, Engr Segun Oni and Dr Kayode Fayemi – on board. 

    It was indeed a moment of pride for all Ekiti sons and daughters as the United Nigeria Airline touched down at the airport and took off with passengers heading to another destination.  It was a beautiful experience,  historic and quite exciting . 

    With the airport in place Ekiti has taken a major leap in the quest for economic development.

    Thanks to God and  BAO’s transformative leadership” – a euphoric Funmi Bold on the Ekiti New Dawn WhatsApp platform.

    The Eagle has landed.

    And finally the much storied Ekiti Agro- Allied International Airport, Ado – Ekiti, received its maiden commercial flight to a euphoric welcome on Tuesday, 10 December, 2025.

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    Nobody can legitimately begrudge any Ekiti man or woman today if he/she heartily bursts into the above song of gratitude in appreciation to God or  if we Ekitis choose to sing the most sonorous  of our songs to the various leaders who made this a reality.

    This is a project that has many shades and colours, and passed through various stages of acrimony before finally birthing in ultimate glory. God be praised.

    Commenced during the administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi as a dual purpose infrastructure, it has a 3.2 km runway facility and obtained the NCAA approval in October, 2025.

    One of the many phases the project passed through, though behind the scenes, was the mostly combative, absolutely politically motivated discussions that predominated our Ekitipanupo@yahoogroups.com web portal, comprising over 2000 Ekitis home, and Diasporan. Our

    debates were so acrimonious they remind me, uncannily, of promotion exercises at the Pre – Clinical departments of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ibadan in the 70’s, when two distinguished Nigerian professors of international repute – who will remain nameless here – headed the departments of Anatomy and Physiology, respectively, and

    no matter the brilliance of candidates from the other department you knew, apriori, what type of recommendation to expect from the opposing Head of Department.

    In our discussions, therefore,  your views merely reflected where you belonged in the state’s politics.

    However, one contributor differed, completely, from the ensemble as, even in all the ongoing cacophony, he took the professional path which is why his contributions are very vital, and relevant today, for both the Ekiti state government and, in particular, for those who will be responsible for the day to day management of the facility.

    That exactly is why Sir Remi Omotoso will be speaking to us today about the Airport. Yes speak, via his intervention to my article captioned: Still on The Ekiti Airport Project. His contribution was dated 7 November, 2019.

    Sir Remi Omotoso MFR, (1945 – 2020) was a true servant leader who poured out himself in service to God and humanity through institutions such as the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Unilever Plc, Odu’a Group of Companies, Standard Chartered Bank, Greenwich Trust Group, DN Meyer Plc, University of Ibadan, the Institute of Directors, Nigerian Institute of Marketing, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, the Ekiti State  and his home community of Ayedun-Ekiti.

    He served without expecting anything in return, his  satisfaction coming from seeing people and processes improve, and knowing that the Almighty God would be glorified.

    He joined the Saints Triumphant on 5 June, 2020. Eternal rest grant him O Lord.

    Happy reading.

    My dear compatriots,

    In o kun o.

    I have followed with keen interest the various views expressed by many of our people. Some are for and some are against the establishment of an airport in Ekiti, everyone advancing reasons for position taken.

    In a democracy, this is what it should be: you talk and I talk and Democracy no go vex. However, a responsible Government under a worthy leader would take a decision on any matter, hopefully, in the best interest of the people.

    Let me state upfront that I was a member of the Committee set up by Dr Kayode Fayemi during his first coming to consider the pros and cons of having an airport in Ekiti. There was hardly any view expressed today that didn’t come up during our Committee meetings. Tope Porta’s views on this forum on the airport almost covered the views of those on the Committee who were opposed to the establishment of the airport. The views of Femi Orebe and Femi Ebenezer more than covered the views of the proponents of the establishment of the Airport. From outside of the Committee were also strong views. Late Prof. Mike Filani, a highly respected Transport Geographer didn’t  see the need for the Airport, at least for now. He didn’t see its viability from the passenger size and also didn’t seem to see the prospect of agribusiness so soon to keep the Airport alive and running. His views in my personal discussion with him was that the airport would only serve elitist interest and would be grossly underutilized. So, the Committee had a wide array of views to base its decision on.

    I must disabuse the minds of some of us who felt that Chief Afe Babalola who was Chairman of our Committee wanted the Airport ” tipa ti kuku”( by all means) for the relative comfort of the parents of the young students of the Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti ( ABUAD). Yes, this could be part of his interest in the airport but beyond that, Chief Afe Babalola has the largest private commercial agribusiness in the Southwest of Nigeria today. His mango farms which runs into hundreds of hectares will benefit from the Ado-Ekiti airport by way of export.

    As a member of the Committee,  I was the most vociferous canvasser for the airport to be established to be run largely as a specialised agric. produce cargo airport. I submitted that apart from Ekiti State, the west of Kogi, the south-east of Osun, and a good part of Akoko north-west will serve as good catchment areas for the airport, almost entirely for agro Cargo export.

    There has been the pessimistic question asked by those not in support of the airport: what and where are the cargoes? Here are the agro products:

          1)  YAMS.

    Today, Ghana is reported to be among the largest exporters of yams, largely  to the US. In 2016, Ghana exported $N27.5m and was reported to be the 6th largest exporter and holds 10..3% of world yam export. Ghana total annual production is put at about 6.6m/tonnes compared with Nigeria production of 32.3m/ tonnes but with no notice in the world market for export. 

    Yagbas in Kogi west and the Igbiras are great yam producers along with us in Ekiti North, Akoko Northwest and Northeast. A good proportion of  the 32.3m/tonnes must be between Benue and Ekiti and those locations mentioned in Kogi.

    Now, please, reacall that Gov. Sgun Oni established a Yam Conditioning Plant at  ILASA EKITI which was not completed  and commissioned before he left office. If the current Fayemi-led government gets this plant completed and put it to use through sale or lease to a private company, Ekiti would be ready to take over Ghana’s position in the world in the export of YAMS. The yams are airfreighted.

          2)FRESH PINEAPPLE FRUITS

    The market for fresh pineapple fruit export from West Africa is dominated by Ghana and Cote D’ivoire. I visited  Ghana some years back to find out more about the success of the country just to see how Ekiti can enter this lucrative business. All around Greater Accra, young families own, courtesy Govt empowerment program, each hundreds of hectares of pineapple farms cultivated under strict pytosanitary certification for specific offtakers. The offtakers also in collaboration with Govt ensure extension services are provided which assures consumers confidence in direct consumption without any further quality control. As at the time of my visit about 2011, at least a Boeing 737 cargo plane load of pineapple was exported daily from Kotoka airport.

    The demand for organic fruits is exploding in the  world and Ekiti stands to benefit from this development. Ekiti share same geographical and ecological conditions with the Pineapple producing region in Ghana. Add pineapple export to that of Yam and you will begin to see the viability of Ijan-Ado Ekiti Airport. There are more promising fruits from Ekiti  you can add to these because of their commercial potential.

           3) BANANA/PLANTAIN.

    The Ikere-Ilawe- Igbara Odo Axis has best clime and ecology for Banana and also plantain similar to what prevails in Ghana where export to Europe is thriving. If Govt helps to establish strains and off-taķers the business potential is huge. Obviously,  bananas are plantains are usually airfreighted.

         4) MANGOES and AVOCADOS.

    Oga Aare Afe Babalola has a large mango farm as part of ABUAD. I understand the mangoes ere of Israeli strain. When they are in full blossom, the Ijan-Ado road airport will be a huge advantage.

          5) CHILLI PEPPER.

    This is also in huge demand in the world market. This is a crop women deal in a lot. Some cooperative movement of a sort can engage in growing and processing for export.

    All these crops and more are more than enough to justify the establishment of a medium size cargo airport in Ado-Ekiti designed to be scalable with adequate cargo-handling systems and facilities.

    Ekiti is an agrarian, landlocked State. This should not disadvantage us if we embrace agribusiness seriously on an industrial scale. It should not be long before we start to add value.I saw an astonishingly beautiful factory in the outskirts of Accra where fruit COCKTAILS were being prepared and shipped out of Kotoka airport to various locations in Europe from where they are distributed to various food chains in those locations.

     Some have argued that AKURE AIRPORT can still serve the purpose of handling the business. I have my reservations on this. Akurr isn’t designed for Cargo handling.  Secondly, it has its drawback on cost of getting these products to Akure. In the cost configuration for them, freight is a key factor and can negatively affect competitiveness. The nearer point of production is to point of airfreight the better. It’s no brainer that yams will leave Ilasa Yam conditioning Plant and get delivered to Ado airport than to Akure airport located on Akure-Owo road. If I were involved in the business, I would prefer Ado. Apart from the cheaper transportation costs, Ado airport will  have holding facilities for my export haven been designed to handle agro cargoes.

    MY APPEAL TO EKITI  STATE GOVERNMENT.

    Please,  as the airport is being constructed, let adequate preparation be commenced to prepare the farmers that will produce the agro cargoes. The gestation periods of these crops must have worked into them land preparation, the selection and preparation of the farmers, their training and psychosocial conditioning. It should be possible for rhis new crop of farmers  to operate like any other businessmen and women without being isolated in farm settlements. Contiguous farms will promote experiential learning and information sharing among the farmers.  Selection of Extension Service providers should start at the right time, that is at.the time of seeking offtakers and strains of crops to focus on. Govenment should be responsible for procuring phyto sanitary certification from the offtakers.

    Let me dare to recommend that the selected farmers.should be exposed to practices in Ghana, Cote D’ivoire or Kenya and a few of them to the offtakers as well as the food chain stores and direct consumers. The success of Unilever in its various markets is the attention paid to training of the employees, knowledge of the market and consumer behavior and preferences. Nothing happens unless people make them happen.

    So, as work goes on in the construction of the Airport, work goes on regarding growing of the crops and their packaging. When the airport is ready, there should be cargo to push through it.

    I am passionate about the Ado-Ekiti Airport, just as I am of the emerging opportunities in the exponential growth in agribusiness in Ekiti. I look forward to the day I will shop for organic fruits and yams in Eirope and America and find the label;.PRODUCE OF EKITI, NIGERIA or PROUDLY EKITI NIGERIA. 

    Nothing would befit the memory of our late compatriot more than for  governor Oyebanji to carefully distil Sir Omotoso’s seminal article, and allow the suggestions therein, guide him, first and foremost, in the formulation of the policy guidelines which will propel its operations as well as in his choice of the individuals who would be in charge of the Airport’s management.

  • Ipas hosts workshop for journalists, content creators, others

    Ipas hosts workshop for journalists, content creators, others

    The urgent need to address a potential rise in maternal mortality rates has once again come to the forefront. As part of its efforts to promote reproductive justice through improved access to abortion and contraception, Ipas Nigeria Health Foundation organised a workshop for journalists, content creators, advocacy groups, nurses, and health workers.

    The three-day training, held in Keffi, Nasarawa State, focused extensively on Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (WSRHR).

    Dr. Lucky Palmer, the country doctor of Ipas, delivered an in-depth session on ‘Value Clarification and Attitudes Transformation (VCAT).’

    He highlighted the vital role of the media in shaping public discourse, reducing stigma, and framing sexual and reproductive health as a human rights issue—beyond just health or moral considerations.

    Journalists were encouraged to report on SRHR with accuracy, empathy, and sensitivity, employing language that is respectful and suitable, and presenting information clearly and concisely.

    A gynaecologist, Dr. Talemoh Wycliffe Dah, addressed ‘How Unsafe Abortion Fuels Maternity Mortality.’

    In his presentation, Dah discussed the experiences many women undergo to terminate pregnancies and the associated dangers.

    He stated that instead of viewing abortion purely as a moral issue, it should be regarded as a public health concern.

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    He also spoke about access to safe abortion, contraception, adolescent sexual health, and the effects of stigma on women’s ability to seek care.

    Additionally, a lawyer, Emanuella Azu, led a session on ‘VAPP, National and International Convention Policy, on WSRHR.’

    She covered topics related to women’s sexual rights and Nigeria’s international commitments to women’s rights.

    She urged journalists to consistently remind the government of these agreements when reporting.

    The facilitators agreed that women should have the freedom to make choices regarding their sexuality and sexual health.

  • Foundation unveils awards to promote good governance

    Foundation unveils awards to promote good governance

    An organisation, the TOCSS Foundation and the Temidayo Ogan Music Medicine, has unveiled its plans for the 19th TOCSS Awards.

    In a statement by the Chair of the 19th TOCSS Awards, Johnson Johnson, it would unveil the TOCSS List of World Change Catalysts.

    It said the initiative aims at promoting quality governance, public health, global corporate excellence, and continuous quality improvement around the world. “This year’s awards focus on data-driven selections and quality management systems to achieve the goals of the awards management system,” Johnson said.

    He said the awards policy celebrates excellence and encourages continuous improvement for global population health.

    “Our goals include advancing continuous quality improvement and supporting efforts to promote the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” he added.

    The TOCSS Awards have been presented annually since 2007 to promote global public health and safety.

    The statement noted that a separate prize programme was launched in 2024 to further recognise quality performance in individuals, corporations, and governments.

    It noted that the TOCSS List of World Change Catalysts aims to use motivational tools to promote quality performance and quality governance globally.

    “The new list is data-driven and integrates public opinion into the awards management system,” Johnson added.

    READ ALSO: Dominant APC waits with bated breath

    He explained that the framework randomly collects data from strategic pools and uses evidence-based objectives and the TOCSS Awards’ goals to select winners.

    Johnson noted that the theme for the 2025 list, “Global Population Health,” focuses on improving health, wellness, and safety worldwide.

    He stressed that the event will emphasise reducing disparities and ensuring that everyone around the world has access to quality healthcare, safety, security, and general wellbeing—including good nutrition, safe schools, clean water, and other SDG-related needs.

    The statement added that this year’s list will be published in the media on December 23, 2025.

  • ECOWAS Commission President’s seat up for grabs as Touray’s tenure ends 2026

    ECOWAS Commission President’s seat up for grabs as Touray’s tenure ends 2026

    The race to succeed Dr. Omar Alieu Touray as President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has gathered momentum, with Ghana and Liberia emerging as key contenders as his tenure approaches its end in 2026.

    Touray, a 60-year-old Gambian diplomat, has served as President of the ECOWAS Commission since July 2022, following his unanimous appointment in October 2021 for a four-year term. He made history as the first Gambian to head the regional bloc.

    The process of selecting a new Commission President formally began at the just-concluded 95th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers held in Abuja.

    By long-standing convention, the position rotates among member states based on alphabetical order. With Touray from The Gambia as the current occupant, Guinea-Bissau would ordinarily have been next in line. However, Guinea-Bissau’s recent coup d’état and its subsequent suspension from all ECOWAS activities have disrupted the sequence.

    This development has opened the way for Ghana to assert a claim to the position under the alphabetical order principle. However, The Nation Weekend gathered that Liberia has also indicated interest, pitching the two countries against each other.

    READ ALSO: Dominant APC waits with bated breath

    Liberia’s position, according to sources, is anchored on the argument that Ghana has already occupied the office for a cumulative period of about 12 years in the past, while Liberia has never held the post. Ghana, on the other hand, is insisting on its eligibility, citing adherence to the rotational principle and its commitment to ECOWAS obligations, including regular payment of the community levy.

    Although Ghana had earlier conceded the slot to Guinea-Bissau on grounds of fairness, it is now pursuing the position following Guinea-Bissau’s suspension.

    Cape Verde was also reported to have shown interest. However, its ambition is constrained by ECOWAS rules, as the country currently holds the presidency of the ECOWAS Court of Justice. The regional body’s regulations prohibit any member state from occupying more than one top position at the same time.

    Meanwhile, in a related decision, ECOWAS Ministers have unanimously endorsed Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, as West Africa’s sole candidate for the chairmanship of the African Union (AU) in 2027.

    Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, confirmed the endorsement in a post on X on Friday, following deliberations at the 95th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers in Abuja.

    “ECOWAS Council of Ministers meeting in Abuja, Nigeria has unanimously endorsed President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana as the sole candidate from ECOWAS for Chairperson of the African Union when the rotating chairmanship gets to West Africa’s turn in 2027,” Ablakwa said.

    “The Authority of Heads of State and Government is expected to adopt this declaration on Sunday.

    “Ghana is exceedingly grateful to ECOWAS for the confidence and support for our beloved visionary and Pan-African President, H.E. John Dramani Mahama.”

    He noted that the endorsement reflects Ghana’s status as “an important ECOWAS member state” and its contribution to the bloc’s “international standing,” while also aiming to “maintain and increase the chances of ECOWAS occupying positions in regional and international organisations.”

    The AU chairmanship rotates among Africa’s regions. Southern Africa currently holds the position following the election of Angolan President João Gonçalves Lourenço earlier this year, while West Africa is scheduled to assume the role in 2027. All AU member states will vote at the time, with a two-thirds majority required for victory.

    The ECOWAS Council of Ministers concluded its 95th Ordinary Session late Friday, with political and security challenges dominating discussions.

    Speaking after the meeting, Chair of the Council and Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Timothy Kabba, said ministers examined key threats confronting the region, including violent extremism in the Sahel, the proliferation of small arms, transnational organised crime, maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea and unconstitutional changes of government.

    “During our discussions, we confronted with precision the key issues shaping our region’s trajectory,” Kabba said, adding that ECOWAS’ strength lies in unity, solidarity and coordinated diplomatic and operational responses.

    Economic integration also featured prominently, with ministers stressing the urgency of advancing initiatives such as the ECOWAS single currency, free movement of persons and the Customs Union to boost intra-regional trade amid global economic uncertainty.

  • PDP, Edo govt bicker over Radisson Blu hotel

    PDP, Edo govt bicker over Radisson Blu hotel

    • Okpebholo to petition EFCC

    The Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State and the Edo State Government have locked horns over funding of the Radisson Blu hotel under former Governor Godwin Obaseki.

    Obaseki had named the Radisson Blu hotel as one of his legacy projects.

    The Edo PDP, in a statement, said the onslaught against the many legacy projects of Obaseki was neither accidental nor coincidental.

     It said it was the conduct of a government without ideas, without vision and without a basic grasp of modern governance.

    Spokesman for the Edo PDP, Dan Osa-Ogbegie, in the statement, said the APC resorted to tearing down investments they neither initiated nor understood.

    He explained that the Edo State’s ₦2 billion contribution was seed equity injected to de-risk the project and attract credible private capital.

    He said the core private investor brought in substantial equity of its own.

    “Other funds referenced by the government, including portions of bond proceeds, were deployed as loans to the Special Purpose Vehicle for construction and completion of the hotel, with clear repayment obligations tied to future operations. This is not plundering. This is development finance.

    “Even before commencement of operations, the Edo investment in the Radisson project had already appreciated significantly, conservatively valued at over ₦65 billion, with further upside expected once operations begin. This is what happens when governments think strategically, attract private capital and invest in long-term economic assets.

    READ ALSO: Benin Republic demons

    “The insinuation that the project was “sold for peanuts” or gifted to cronies is false, malicious and defamatory. Edo State retained equity in the project. At no point did Mr Godwin Obaseki have any direct or indirect ownership interest in the hotel.”

    Edo to petition EFCC

    But Edo Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, said the state government would formally submit a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to bring Obaseki to book once investigations into various projects have been concluded.

    Afegbua stated that the Okpebholo-led government was set to correct all the injustices, financial misadventure and happenstances of the Obaseki’s administration.

    He assured that no amount of blackmail, name-calling and hate-mongering would stop the resolve to heal the wounds in the land.

    His words, “Okpebholo is more interested in doing the needful to make our people happy, rather than pandering to please Godwin Obaseki and his cronies. Godwin Obaseki should return home and face the investigative panel if he has nothing to hide. Seeking refuge under the courts will not help his case.

    “The Courts are desirous of accountability and transparency. The Courts also desire good governance that will enrich our people and make their lives better. Those who are guiltless should not be afraid of a probe and investigation. We may not possess the financial wizardry of hiding figures, but we know the devil in the details when we see them.

    “The Radisson Hotel remains that of the Edo State government. Every kobo of Edo taxpayers’ money spent and invested in the project would be accounted for. You cannot use the Edo State government as a collateral entity to source N25b from the stock market, and invest the money for the benefit of your friends and cronies.”