The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • PDP factions square up over reopening of national secretariat

    PDP factions square up over reopening of national secretariat

    • Sealed building to be reopened Monday, says Anyanwu •Turaki group warns police against giving pro-Wike faction access

    The two factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) launched into a fresh face-off yesterday after the pro-Wike group announced its plan to reopen the Wadata Plaza national secretariat in Abuja for business on Monday.

    The announcement did not go down well with the Tanimu Turaki-led faction which warned that any such move would amount to self-help, and declared that “responsibility for any injury to persons or damage to property arising therefrom should be placed solely on the aggressors and their security collaborators.”

    The building was sealed by the police on November 19, 2025 following a clash between the Taminu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) and that of the factional acting National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed.

    It has since remained out of bounds to both sides.

    However, the Wike faction said at the end of Thursday’s meeting between the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) and leaders of political parties that it was preparing to resume operations at the building on Monday.

    The faction’s admission into the meeting was based  on a recent court interim injunction.

    Asked why the party leaders had not possessed the Wadata Plaza, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, the acting National Secretary, said the building  was locked, following a clash between the two groups in the party.

    “We wrote to the police. Remember that the police sealed the place and then the other group went to court to ask the police to open it.

    “The matter was dismissed because they have no locus. So by Monday, we are taking over the office,” he said.

    Anyanwu claimed  that there are no factions in PDP and that the party remains under the leadership of Mohammed, the reason they attended INEC meeting with other political parties.

    His words: “Yes, we had issues, court issues, and last week Friday, as a matter of fact, the Federal High Court in Ibadan made it very clear that the problem of PDP is over because the so-called convention of November 15 and 16, 2025 is a nullity.

    “No other person should parade himself or herself as a member of the NWC of the PDP.

    “The body that has the full powers to speak for the party and administer the party is the National Caretaker Committee, led by Hon. Abdulrahman Mohammad,” he said.

    Anyanwu said that members are now happy that normalcy has returned to the party.

    For those who were afraid that PDP would not have candidates in the forthcoming elections, he said it was now settled that the party would field candidates for all positions.

    “So we’re happy; people are happy that normalcy has come to the party now.

    “You can see something different because you have old hands who have been in this party, who have been managers of this party for a long time, for the last 25 years.

    “We are still involved. So, we are going to fast-track everything,” he said.

    On the forthcoming FCT area council elections, Anyanwu said that interim caretaker committee would work for the victory of the party in the exercise.

    “We are going to hit the ground running with our campaign until the February 18, the last day for campaign,” Anyanwu said.

    Read Also: INEC can’t choose leadership for PDP – Turaki

    The faction said the decision of INEC to recognise the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led  National Caretaker Committee would  help restore stability and constitutional governance within the party.

    National Publicity Secretary of the caretaker committee, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, said in a statement that the decision of the commission to respect lawful court order was commendable.

    “By affirming a lawful leadership structure following the Federal High Court judgement, INEC has helped to remove uncertainties capable of undermining the party’s organisational processes and electoral readiness,” Mohammed said.

    He added: “This development should serve as a rallying point for all loyal party faithful. The time has come to set aside differences, embrace reconciliation, and channel our collective energy towards strengthening the PDP ahead of 2027 Elections.

    “Nigerians look to our party for responsible leadership and a credible alternative, and we must not allow internal disputes to distract us from this historic responsibility.

    “We therefore urge stakeholders across all levels of the party to support the recognized leadership of Abdulrahman Mohammed as it works towards organising a successful convention, restoring cohesion, and laying the groundwork for the emergence of competent candidates who will carry the banner of the PDP to victory in the next electoral cycle.”

    The Nation gathered that the Wike group also plans to conduct a  thorough screening of party staff with a view to weeding out  the  ‘compromised.’

    “A screening and likely replacement of such persons are being considered,” a source said.

    National Publicity Secretary of the Wike group, Hon. Jungydo Haruna Mohammed, said plan by the Turaki faction to approach the court would not hinder ongoing plans to reposition PDP and hold a more acceptable national convention.

    “The Kabiru Turaki group actually plans to go on appeal as we heard, but they will never succeed; fact is fact and law is law. Nothing can change that.

    “But we appeal to them to reconsider their position in the overall interest of the party,” he said

    “We are putting in place all necessary machinery and arrangements toward the conduct of an acceptable National Convention; we will ensure that all state congresses are conducted where necessary in accordance with the judgement of Justice Omotosho, and we shall also ensure that PDP does not suffer in the conduct of any off cycle election.”

    The group, invoking Article 29(2)(b) of the PDP Constitution, has constituted Caretaker Committees for the various states, including Zamfara, Oyo, Bauchi and Yobe states where the governors and former National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Ilyas Damagum, remain opposed to Wike loyalists ahead of its planned National Convention  next month.

     Those appointed for Plateau State are Dr. Gideon Nandem Tyem (Chairman), Hon Plangnan Gorip, Alh (Dr.) Samaila A.A. Rukuba, Hon. Rangdat Moeshep, Hon. Francis David Pam, Alh. Adullahi Useni, Hon. Clara Adidi, Alh. Ishap Umar, Anthony M. Bukum, Hon Silas Lukawan, Hon. Mrs Lubabatu Mohammed, Hajiya Mariam Aliyu and Hon. Goje A. Hirfo (Secretary).

    Those appointed for Zamfara State are: Hon. Zilkikar Auwal Tambaya (Chairman), Hon. Salisu Usman Zurmi, Hon. Abubakar Adullahi Anka, Hon. Ashiru Muh’d Dan Ango, Hon. Mustafa Ahmad, Hon. Surajo Adamu Tsafe, Hon. Mati Rabo Shinkafi, Hon. Imrana M. Hassan T/Mafara, Hon. Adullahi Abubakar, Hon. Adullahi Salmanu, Hon. Maryam Lawal, Hon. Ibrahim Mande Sai’, Hon Aliyu Sani, Hon. Kabiru Aliyu Bakura, Barr. Babaginda Garba, Prof. Ubaidu Mani, Hon. Saadatu Kasimu and Hon. Rabiu Mani Shinkafi (Secretary).

    Members of the new Caretaker Committee for Kano State are: Dr. Bello Gambo Bichi (Chairma), Engr Auwal Sale Yau, Hon. Ali Mati Shantake, Engr. Sagir Abdulkadir Dambatta, Dr. Hafsat Abubakar, Malam Yahuza Mahraz, Hon. Aliyu Ibrahim Muhammad, Abubakar Lamido, Haj. Fatima Ahmed Baffa, Hon. Mukhtari Dansarai, Haj. Naja’ atu Sharada, Hon. Hussaini Ahmad Rahama, Alh. Gambo Adullahi Doguwa, Haj. Rashida Yakubu Khalid, Alh. Sabo Ajingi, Adamu Adullahi Nalange and Hon. Rabiu Sale Wangal (Secretary).

    For Yobe State, the Caretaker Committee members are: Hon Yusuf Adullahi Mallushe (Chairman), Hon Halilu Abubakar Mazangane, Ali Mohammed, Zamma Modu, Abdulraham Zabairu, Mohammed lawan Aapchi, Abubakar Inuwa, Ali Adamu lyam, Haruna Garba Goje, Tela Jaji Maajl, Hauwa Mohammed Damaraturu, Alhaji Bulama Balle, Mall Aahiru Gulani, Hajja Bukar Abdul, Sale Ibrahim, Hassan Abdullahi Tela and Mairambe Alhaji Modu (Secretary).

    Earlier on January 15, the National Caretaker Committee had constituted state Caretaker Committees Delta, Rivers, Enugu, Imo, and Osun states while a state Caretaker Committee led by Professor Abdulrahman Akinoso (Chairman) and Dr Biola Olanipekun (Secretary) had been put in charge of Oyo state PDP since December, 2025 despite Governor Seyi Makinde’s intense displeasure.

    According to party sources, two PDP governors – one each in the North and South may have concluded plans to insert their loyalists into the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in their respective states as a sort of Plan B, in case they eventually lose remaining legal battles to loyalists of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

    Turaki’s faction warn police against allowing Wike group access to secretariat

    In a swift response, the Tanimu Turaki led NWC asked the police to not succumb to the entreaties of the other faction.

    National Publicity Secretary of the group, Comrade Ini Ememobong said in a statement that the secretariat is a subject of litigation instituted by the  Wike backed group at the Federal High Court,Abuja and the Court of Appeal.

    He said: “Any attempt to enter and occupy these property will be a resort to self-help and an affront to the time-tested principle of law that parties who have submitted to the jurisdiction of courts should not act in ways that will render nugatory, the powers of the Court.”

    Continuing, Ememobong said: “”In this particular instance, the case pending before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik was instituted by the expelled members, they cannot resort to self-help, until judgment is delivered in the matter.

    “This statement serves to remind all the dramatis personae, especially the Police Force, which is a party on record in the said matter, that any action taken to grant access to anybody, pending the determination of the suit, is a contempt of the court.

    “We assure that we will deploy all legal means to defend our property from trespass. Responsibility for any injury to persons or damage to property arising therefrom should be placed solely on the aggressors and their security collaborators.”

    The Taminu Turaki-led NWC had on Thursday said INEC could not  choose a leadership for the party.

    It faulted the commission’s decision to invite “some former members of our party who are purporting to lead a so-called National Caretaker Committee, to represent our party, whereas there is no such provision in our constitution.”

    It added: “This action, though ordinarily vexatious and capable of causing widespread breach of peace, will be met with all possible legal response.

    “Though not unexpected of this current INEC leadership, but it is expected that an impartial umpire would have taken notice of the pendency of the matters in the Court of Appeal.

    “This include the judgment which they are relying upon, which, when decided, will effectively affect the subject under consideration; and exercised restraint, therefrom.

    “We can assure that INEC will not choose a leadership for our party,” Ememobong said.

    He urged all PDP members to remain calm and hopeful that soonest, the Court of Appeal would hear and determine all the cases concerning the leadership of the party.

    “We assure that the rebirth movement of our party, under the able leadership of Tanimu Turaki, SAN, is steady and secure.

    “It will ultimately surmount all these challenges, to present a stronger and more united party to Nigerians, as a credible alternative to the ruling party,” he said.

  • Summit targets $500m investment in Nigeria

    Summit targets $500m investment in Nigeria

    • Lists creative sector, agric, aviation, energy, others as priority areas

    In what may be described as an economic resurgence of some sorts, the board and management of the World International Economic Group (WIEG) Nigeria, has hinted of plans to raise over $500 million as foreign direct investment into the country.

    Giving this hint on Friday was Bassey Essien, a member of the WIEG, who addressed a press conference ahead of the two day summit scheduled to hold from February 25-26, at Four Point by Sheraton, Lagos.

    Justifying the need for the interface and discussion sessions tagged, ‘Nigeria’s Next Frontier: Unlocking Sustainable Investments for Economic Transformation,’ Essien said the summit, which promises to be a regular feature, becomes inevitable to help businesses harness opportunities that would make them strategically utilise, capitalise and maximise available resources, market trends for maximum growth ultimately.

    While admitting that despite ongoing policies, many small business operators are still grappling with all manner of difficulties from lack of access to finance, knowledge-gap in investment-readiness, he however assured that WIEG hopes to drive economic transformation by connecting policy, private capital and investment-ready enterprises.

    According to him, with more than 20 investors expected from Malaysia alone, others from Angola, South Africa, over 500 participants, 50+ exhibitors and over 70 speakers are billed to attend the summit.

    The President, World International Economic Group (WIEG), Muhammed Fathulah, will lead the delegation from Malaysia, which according to him, grosses over $1billion annually in bilateral trade in Nigeria. 

    Read Also: Jimoh Ibrahim hails First Lady’s role in reframing Nigeria’s image abroad

    “This is a purely private sector-driven initiative with key national and regional priorities. The summit is going to be properly curated, an event designed to deliver practical results with SMEs across different sectors participating. One of the sectors we are looking at is the creative sector, which contributes 2.5 percent to the GDP. It’s going to be multisectoral. The key sectors of interest include aviation, creative industry, agriculture, finance, energy industry, infrastructure, to mention just a few.”

    Expatiating, he said, “The WIEG Investment Summit 2026 will bring together global investors, policymakers, and business leaders to unlock sustainable economic growth and bankable opportunities in Nigeria.”

    Already we have a commitment to raise more than $500m capital from investors, dozens of MOUs and PPP frameworks to be launched; as such this summit presents a rare blend of visibility, policy influence, and commercial opportunity.”

  • Division in political dynasties

    Division in political dynasties

    Psychologists believe that in human relationships, familial bonds are stronger than any other outside the regular human relationship unit. They postulate that man prioritises the survival of close kith and kin over non-kin. In their studies of “survival fitness” behaviour, psychologists maintain that blood is thicker than water.

    Familial bonds and relationships are said to be stronger, more important, and more enduring than bonds with friends, associates and acquaintances.

    The implication is that no matter the situation, and even in the face of intense conflicts, family loyalty should take precedence.

    But some other studies have thrown up rare cases of relationships that jettison family for personal benefits. Partisan politics and cult allegiance often break this norm. Differences in political views may not strengthen family bonds, leading to a sort of split loyalty to backgrounds and interests. Since interests ultimately define goals and directions in politics, the features of competition and antagonism are expressed, resulting in hostility and mistrust.

    While people are born into families, they are moulded by the wider environment through education, learning, and exposure. Individuals from the same household begin to exhibit unique personality traits that distinguish one person from another due to the development of intelligence and skills as they move up in life. They form attitudes and respond differently to the socio-political milieu, reflecting diversity of orientation, aptitudes and beliefs.

    Some prominent families associated with vast business empires are perturbed by the choice of their offspring opting for careers in entertainment instead of the boardroom. That is the manifestation of individual differences.

    Many legal luminaries with successful practice sent their children to the law school, only to realise that the lawyer-son came back home as a D-Jay due to the non-alignment of interests.

    However, political differences between father and son, husband and wife, and among siblings tend to generate attention, as it currently does in the case of Abba Atiku, son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Abba recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). His father is one of the bigwigs in the opposition platform, the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    It is because Atiku, who has been nursing a presidential ambition since Abba was a toddler, has yet to realise his dream. Ahead of next year’s poll, the former vice president is on the queue again, and his son appears not ready to ride in the same partisan boat with his dad. Or is it a decoy?

    Abba is just one of the 30 children of the Wazirin Adamawa. No law forbids him from supporting his father as a member of another party, even if the PDP or ADC views it as an anti-party activity. His father is unperturbed by the shift in alliance because as an adult, he is at liberty to choose his path. Atiku, the likely presidential candidate of the ADC, said: “The decision of my son, Abba Abubakar, to join the APC is entirely personal. In a democracy, such choices are neither unusual nor alarming, even when family and politics intersect. As a democrat, I do not coerce my own children in matters of conscience, and I certainly will not coerce Nigerians.”

    Abba has defected. But the heir, Umar, a commissioner in Adamawa State, is still in PDP. It is a consolation.

    Abba’s case is not the first in history. But he is not contesting against his father as Dr. Samuel Ikoku did in the late 1950s. The scholar and ideologue, after returning from the London School of Economics and Political Science, joined the defunct Action Group (AG) and became the main rival of his illustrious father, Dr. Alvan Ikoku, a member of the Eastern Regional House of Assembly seeking a second term on the platform of the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC). The young man defeated his old man, who accepted his fate. The episode drew the curtains on the political career of the eminent educationist and statesman.

    Read Also: Food prices ease under Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, markets urged to reflect gains

    In Ikenne, Ogun State, a prominent lawyer, Chief Kehinde Sofola of NCNC, opposed his cousin, Awolowo. Asked by a reporter when he turned 80 why he took a different path, he said it was based on principle, adding that he hated pomposity, intimidation and timidity.

    Although the NCNC and AG carried their 1951 feud to the independence year and could not agree on a workable alliance, ‘Unbreakable’ Oluwole, son of the jailed AG leader, Obafemi Awolowo, later teamed up with the NCNC in 1964 by joining the campaign train of Chief Theophilus Owolabi Shobowale (TOS) Benson.

    While politics can be a divisive factor in the family, the tension can also be managed by the exhibition of maturity. It was that level of maturity, tolerance, and understanding that enabled Dr. Clement Gomwalk and his wife, Hellen, to cope as a couple despite their contrasting political leanings. The husband was the National Secretary of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), and the wife was a top notcher of the then ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN) from Plateau State.

    It was a different ball game in the large Shitta-Bey family, where the two siblings, Sikiru and Rasheed, fought to a standstill for the Lagos Central senatorial ticket of the UPN in 1979. Both were household names in the country. Sikiru, a lawyer and Secretary of Action Group Youth Association, led by Ayo Fasanmi, was a House of Representatives member in the First Republic. His younger brother was an outstanding student leader who ventured into business and became a resounding success.

    Pleas to them to step down for each other fell on deaf ears. The party leader, Awolowo, intervened. Eventually, Sikiru got the ticket to the Senate and Rasheed to the House of Representatives. For a very long time, they were not on talking terms. Efforts by the then-Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu to settle the inexplicable rift during Sikiru’s 75th birthday in Lagos failed.

    In the current dispensation, the two deceased siblings were politically separated after the collapse of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). But the political difference did not affect the relationship between or among their wives and children.

    Even, two Tinubus – governor and former Head of Service – also had their quarrel in Lagos. The retired civil servant later drew up an imaginary family tree and excluded his brother to spite him. It paled into a hoax. The book presentation was shunned by all and sundry. The objective was defeated.

    It was worse between the two Dosunmu brothers – Dr. Wahab and Rasheed – who were locked in rivalry between 1979 and 1983 in Lagos State. The younger brother, Wahab, was NPN’s Minister of Housing; his elder brother was a prominent UPN chieftain in Lagos. The feud degenerated into a shouting match and violence, fuelled by the rival parties and supporters. The language of warfare was fabricated by supporters who claimed that a sibling said if his brother died in the process, he would be around to cater for his widow and children.

     The quarrel only subsided after the collapse of the Second Republic. In political adversity under the military rule, they reunited.

    Also, In the last three months of the Second Republic, Omololu Olunloyo and Oye Olunloyo,  had a disagreement. The governor announced that the past administration would be probed. He turned his attention to the Ibadan Municipal Council, firing salvos at the former chairman, Oye Olunloyo, reiterating his plan to probe its finances. The governor said family consideration and Ibadan solidarity were out of it. Military intervention in politics truncated the probe plan.

    Around 2006, a certain Oyinkansola surfaced with the claim of a biological link with the Kwara kingpin, Dr. Olusola Saraki. The semblance could hardly be disputed. The media attempted to feast on the fact that another Saraki, who had joined the Action Congress (APC), had elected to oppose her elder brother, Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki, and father who were the custodians of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. It paled into a feeble attempt.

    But both Bukola and Gbemisola had to part ways in 2011 when the Second Republic Senate Leader sponsored her for governor and Bukola insisted on the candidature of Abdulfatah Ahmed. The old man, who mounted the podium in aid of his beloved daughter, found out too late that he had been displaced by his son. The campaign had become hectic in the face of diminishing agility.

    Gbemisola, who ran on the platform of ACPN, lost to Bukola’s candidate.

    The rivalry continued, with Gbemisola, who later defected to the APC, becoming a minister in the Muhammadu Buhari administration. Bukola remains the Kwara PDP leader. But two years ago, when a Saraki building was demolished by the state government in Ilorin, both momentarily put their differences aside and came together to defend the legacies of their father.

    To a lesser degree, divisions in political dynasties are better managed these days through sheer tolerance and mutual understanding. Thus, no ripple was generated when Blessing Onuh, daughter of David Mark, made an adventurous journey to APGA.

    Also, while former Governor Ayo Fayose of PDP campaigns for APC, his siblings fire salvos at him from other opposition platforms. It is now comical.

    In Kaduna, Mohammed Bello of the House of Representatives and son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, is in APC, which his father dumped for the ADC. No strain relationship is decipherable.

    In Edo, the Igbinedion siblings distribute themselves into APC and the PDP, and there is no discord.

    Political maturity goes on display where families see partisanship as ephemeral and family bonds as permanent.

    Politics can be terminated and participation brought to an end. Party office can be deserted, but nobody can ‘decamp’ from his family to another.

  • Once upon an FCT Minister

    Once upon an FCT Minister

    After God na government! That pithy pidgin English statement succinctly captures the awesome powers of government at any level. No matter how powerful or wealthy an individual may be they are quickly brought down to earth when they confront the government of the day.

    Not many today remember that once upon a time in the 80s and 90s, a certain Chief M. K. O. Abiola was one of the richest and most influential Nigerians. He was courted by the high and mighty, sought after by countless others who craved his benevolence to address their challenges.

    For most of his time in the limelight, the mogul was a friend of the most powerful people in government. That was until he decided to cross the divide and seek political power. It was a fated move, it would also prove to be fatal.

    Sentry was recently regaled with a true tale about the powers of government that played out a couple of decades ago back when the military ruled the roost. At that point an influential general from one of the Northern states was the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister.

    Read Also: Food prices ease under Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, markets urged to reflect gains

    At that time there was a massive construction boom in Abuja as the young capital city began to take shape. A key player in the industry was another Northerner who had built a thriving business renting out earthmoving equipment of all kinds. His operation was almost comparable to a monopoly because no one else had his array of equipment.

    But gradually the upstarts started encroaching on his turf by also acquiring some of the construction equipment as they had capacity to do so. In no time these little competitors mushroomed to the extent that the market leader began to feel the impact on his business.

    Alarmed, he ran to his kinsman for help. After laying out his predicament, he was assured that something drastic would be done to restore his near-monopoly.

    Not long afterwards, the minister issued an order directing that no one should operate in the earthmoving equipment business in the FCT unless they had the complete works. In one fell swoop the bit players were knocked out of business, while the monopolist was restored to his gravy train. Talk about the awesome powers of government! 

  • Robert Orya: Blessed are the greedy…

    Robert Orya: Blessed are the greedy…

    On Thursday, a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Abuja convicted a former managing director of the Nigerian Export-Import (NEXIM) Bank, Robert Orya, sentencing him to 490 years in prison over a N2.4 billion fraud.

    The judgment delivered by Justice F.E. Messiri sentenced Orya to 10 years imprisonment on each of the 49 counts filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for abusing his position to fraudulently obtain more than N1.4 billion from the bank. The former boss of NEXIM Bank was also said to have incorporated a company while in office, using the names of non-existent persons and others, without their consent, to secure from the bank loans that were never repaid.

    Of course, any rational mind would be alarmed at the news that a multi-billionaire who is obviously above 60 would spend that number of years inside the prison walls. Yet a careful look at the weight of his alleged sins would show that the length of his jail term is not anything above what he deserves. Even a judge with the heart of Jesus Christ would find extenuating considerations hard to come by. Justice Messiri deserves nothing but commendation for his faith in believing that a man already in his 60s can endure a stay in confinement for half a millennium.

    The import of his judgment is such that could warrant making a case for an amendment to the biblical contents of Matthew 5:3-12. Inheriting the earth can no longer be an exclusive right of the meek when a greedy billionaire is availed the chance to endure 490 years in a country where life expectancy is less than 57.

    Needless to say the historic judgment is a win-win for the parties involved. For the boss of EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, it is a vindication of his vow to prosecute the war against corruption in the country to the very best of his ability. Those who have made a job of dragging him and the agency on the social media over the seemingly slow pace of known corruption cases like that of former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, may have to do a reassessment of the anti-graft agency’s efforts on account of Orya’s conviction.

    Still, Orya needs not shed tears except they are for joy. Didn’t the sage say there is a silver lining behind every cloud? If Olukoyede is beating his chest in a gesture of personal triumph, the former NEXIM boss’ sentence could also be a blessing in disguise, all things considered. If nothing else, he should be grateful for the benefits that are bound to accrue from the new life experience that beckons.

    Read Also: Food prices ease under Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, markets urged to reflect gains

    To begin with, his long jail term is a massive opportunity for self introspection in a serene world away from the hurly-burly of Lagos or Abuja. It is a rare privilege to experience life in an atmosphere the iconoclastic afro beat exponent Fela Anikulapo-Kuti called the inside world. In Orya’s new world, his needs will no longer be limitless as to warrant the situation that led him to dip his hand into the exchequer. They will now be restricted to basic one like food, clothing and shelter, on which he may not even need to spend a dime because the government is under obligation to provide them free of charge.

    No longer for him the culture of chasing exotic cars and other luxuries of life responsible for the sins that culminated in his change of abode. It will no longer be his headache if the traffic on our highways and neighbourhood streets are crawling like a three-month-old baby or even stagnate like the Peoples Democratic Party. What the DISCOs or the GENCOs do with electricity will no longer be any of his business.

    His guiding books are no longer Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves or James Hardley Chase’s The Guilty Are Afraid. The Holy Bible, the only source of knowledge guaranteed within the walls of Kirikiri, will now become his definitive text. In the Old Testament, he will learn about the 10 Commandments, especially the verse that says thou shall not steal. In the New Testament, he will also learn about the verse that admonishes us all not to be selfish but “love thy neighbour as thyself”.

    He will realise, too little too late, that there is no wisdom in one public official cornering billions of naira from the public purse in a country of more than 200 million people where the average citizen does not know where his or her next meal will come from.

    In an age when the competition to break into the Guinness Book of World Records has become fierce and stiff, Orya could well beat his chest in self-adulation for the potential to break into not just the Guinness book but also dim the biblical record of Israelites’ 400 years sojourn in Egypt.

  • Nigeria’s economy: What is to be done?

    Nigeria’s economy: What is to be done?

    Using the phrase ‘What is to be done?’ in the headline to this analysis is deliberate. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin used the title in a brilliant 1902 treatise to outline the strategic methodology needed for a successful transformation of the state. It is a question that remains hauntingly relevant whenever a nation faces structural decay. ‘What is to be done?’ is important because out of it came solutions which, through their focus on organizational discipline and ideological clarity, continue to illuminate the path for any leadership seeking to dismantle a dysfunctional status quo.

    We must now look ahead to what ought to be done in a Second Term for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Surely certainly, Tinubu will obtain a convincing victory in next year’s presidential election, but the question becomes how that victory will be turned into a consolidation of the gains of the First Term, as well as a decisive forward march towards building a new, enduring society for which history will be positively in his favour.

    In a Second Term, Tinubu will have the political clout to finally face the real issue: the structural dysfunction inherent in the Nigerian state, whose genesis was the ill-advised, infantile suspension of the 1963 Republican Constitution. That Constitution was backed by the legitimacy of an era that saw a turnout of 82% of registered voters in its formative plebiscites – the highest in Nigeria’s history from 1923 to date. A Tinubu Second Term must speak to the tenor and ethos of the 1963 Constitution. The suspension of that document turned Nigeria from a country whose political economy was based on production into a consumptionist state, with predictably disastrous results. Nigeria succumbed to the tempting froth from the cup of easy oil rents, and that left a majority of its citizens outside the loop of opportunity. The data is heartbreaking!

    On October 1, 1960, Nigeria was the 57th largest economy in the world. Sixty-five years later, by October 1, 2025, we had slipped to 59th. Had we maintained the 1963 Constitution, even under the most incompetent governments, Nigeria would not have been anything less than the world’s 25th largest economy. Had the country enjoyed competent leadership at all levels, there is no doubt that our dear fatherland would today be the 14th or 15th largest economy in the world. We truly lost our way, and a Tinubu Second Term must lead us back to it.

    In 25 years’ time, India – whose federal model mirrors Nigeria’s 1963 structure – will likely have displaced the US as a global economic leader; and the heavens will not fall. The performance of India as a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and religiously diverse entity should provide the blueprint for a Tinubu Second Term.

    India since 1947 has faced much of the dysfunction affecting the Nigerian state, but it stayed the course with positive results because its constitution, unbroken since independence, has been anchored on production. This is why a Tinubu Second Term must focus on how political skills and modernization can be used to recreate a modern adaptation of the 1963 Constitution. Frankly, the country has no alternative.

    For example, Nigeria must create at least 27 million new jobs by the year 2030. Whatever macro- and micro-economic policies are pursued by even the most competent government or an independent Central Bank, it is difficult to see how even half of this figure can be achieved without a return to the spirit of productive interface embedded in the 1963 Constitution. We ignore this path at our peril!

    On January 27 this year, we had another national grid collapse – a perennial feature of our economic landscape. Sadly, no modern economy since the Industrial Revolution has been built without a cost-effective, regular supply of electricity. ‘Cost-effective’ is the key phrase!

    Read Also: Kwara attack: NEMA deploys response team, relief items to Kaiama

    In the 1950s and the early 1960s, the power needs of the tin mines in Jos, Plateau State, were fully met; Jos was arguably the only place on the African continent where a 24-hour electricity supply was guaranteed. Had we stayed with a federalist constitution in which you ‘eat what you kill’, it is inconceivable that Nigeria would be generating, transmitting and distributing anything less than 70,000 megawatts of electricity, which, in truth, is still no great achievement for a population estimated at over 200 million people. For instance, Lagos State alone – if it is to be competitive against places like Hong Kong, Singapore and Johannesburg – cannot possibly be a viable economy while generating, transmitting, and distributing anything less than 25,000 megawatts. Without a constitutional revamp, no amount of ‘increased revenue’ can solve Nigeria’s problems, for that revenue will only go to fund the activities of a parasitic establishment while the citizens become more and more hapless.

    In the context of the struggle for our national soul, Ayo Opadokun’s recently published book, The Gun Hegemony, is deeply relevant. It is one of the most important analyses of Nigeria in recent decades. The septuagenarian valiantly – and with patriotic vigour – debunks the self-serving deceit that the January 15, 1966, coup d’état was born of nationalistic fervour. It was not! It stood in stark contrast to the epoch-making Free Officers Coup in Egypt in 1952, led by Gamal Abdel Nasser, or the earlier reconstitution of Turkey out of the Ottoman ruins by Mustafa Kemal, whom a grateful nation venerated into immortality as Atatürk (The Father of the Turks). The 1966 putsch (was it actually a coup?) did not liberate; instead, it has hamstrung the Nigerian federation and debilitated its prospects for development.

    Both Atatürk and the Free Officers in Egypt had clear programmes and an ideological vision. The vacuous postulations made by those who seized radio stations on January 15, 1966, cannot in any way be described as programmes of liberation, let alone development. If there was any ideological base, it can be traced back to the 1950 Constitution of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), which called for the creation of a unitary state – a clear absurdity in a multi-ethnic entity. The NCNC manifesto of 1950 divided the Western wing of the party to the extent that notable figures like Mojeed Agbaje, A.M.A. Akinloye left to form the Ibadan People’s Party. The only person left standing was the brilliant Adegoke Adelabu (Penkelemesi).

    Not surprisingly, the apeing of the NCNC fantasy about the constitution of a unitary state led to the military’s imposition of the destructive unification decree of 1966. Although later repealed, the damage had been done because the genie had fled from the bottle and has never been put back! For Nigeria, it has been downhill all the way – a gladiatorial clash between darkness and light, hypocrisy and truth. This decline reveals itself in underperformance, a lack of basic industries, and the inability to develop a productive, modern, and competitive economy.

    Tinubu recently ended a state visit to Türkiye. Were it not for Atatürk, Türkiye would have remained a backward nation. Today, it is a modernized, advanced power. Beyond its status as a contemporary society, the country is built on real programmes. But what policies and programmes did Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and his colleagues actually have for Nigeria – those for which their adherents have been making noise all these years?

    It is early days yet, but Opadokun should be a frontrunner for ‘Man of the Year 2026.’ His book will always be a key strategic intervention in redressing the lies, concoctions, and negative revisionist perspectives which continue to distort what has led to today’s painful reality.

    Kudos to Ayo Opadokun!

    • May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!
  • Kwankwaso’s pebbles against Supreme Court Justices

    Kwankwaso’s pebbles against Supreme Court Justices

    For a fortnight now, the raging question ruminating through my mind is why a former governor, ex-minister of defence and a reputable politician of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s stature will be caught on tape uttering words that impugn the character of justices of the country’s apex court. In a video posted on social media by one Saifullahi Hassan, designated as his media aide, Kwankwaso was seen making statement that diminishes the institution of the country’s Supreme Court.

    While bemoaning the defection of incumbent Kano State governor, Abba Yusuf, from New Nigeria Peoples Party(NNPP),  to the All Progressives Congress(APC), he spitefully projected Yusuf as an ingrate when he unconscionably declared; “he had forgotten that in 2019, I took him to the homes of all the supreme court judges in Nigeria to beg them. I and the governor met them in their villages and towns.”

    These words by Kwakwanso were uttered without deference to the cautionary admonition of Williams Shakespeare when he said: “Give thy thoughts no tongue.” The former Kano governor’s statement was laden with negative innuendos capable of projecting our apex court’s justices as easily amenable to the whims and caprices of powerful men of power, wealth and influence that are always found seeking undeserved judicial favours for themselves, allies or their political parties. Kwankwaso’s crassly denigrative revelation affirms him as one of the impudent leaders/national figures compromising and destroying institutions in the country.

    The general presumption is that not even the defence of an emotional turmoil of losing a political godson to his perceived political enemy, the ruling APC party is tenable a reason for Kwankwaso’s jettisoning of desired circumspection, being the irreducible minimum standard expected of a man of his political stature in both conduct and spoken words in the public space. His puerile squeal is no doubt capable of undermining the integrity of the nation’s apex court justices that are the repositories of judicial knowledge in our country.

    Kwankwaso’s gaffe and self touted intervention of visiting the “villages and towns of the justices,” was meant to ‘compromise’ the apex court. The world over, litigants with or without pending cases before the courts are not expected to pay discreet, nocturnal or daytime visits to respected judges on The Bench. Such a visit is considered an ethical taboo.

    Read Also: Kwara attack: NEMA deploys response team, relief items to Kaiama

    The world is changing with odious occurrences, particularly in this part of the world, while our leaders remain unflustered. Recently, an agitating scenery was openly exhibited by some of our Federal High Court judges that yours sincerely find really disgusting after watching it on television and on social media platforms. This relates to their so called patronising visit to Chief Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT). The judges delegation was led by their Chief Judge, Hon. Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, OFR.

    The chief judge, as leader of the team, was openly aired, soliciting in patronising manner, for Abuja land favours from the controversial minister. It is doubtful if the public would not doubt the outcome of any matter involving Wike that is brought before the judges now or in the near future. That visit, to say the least, was really repulsive as it has the potential of making the custodians of our Temple of Justice an object of avoidable scoffing in the public domain.

    While growing up as a kid in this country, judges are not only reclusive but are also largely venerated as a special human specie, carefully chosen, to discharge salient judicial assignments. Their roles are viewed by the populace as reserved only for men of truly unimpeachable character amongst us. But sadly so, whatever decadence is being witnessed in the judiciary today is only a reflection of our judges being a product of the rotten society where they emanated from.

    In contemporary times, things are changing as undue political and societal pressures are open-secretly being mounted on our judicial officers. We now live in a society that is experiencing abysmal moral decadence as mostly bad governance across levels of government is the order of the day. Rather than the promotion/pursuits of meaningful industrial and other productive ventures, we now have a system that gives impetus to the belief that the quickest and easiest way to acquire wealth or live a luxuriously good and easy life is either to be connected to government or to erroneously travel abroad which is now euphemistically branded as the JAPA syndrome.

    This condemnable mindset of getting rich without being productive and not taking a no for an answer have severe consequences on institutions of state -especially the judiciary. To cure this mischief, President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, recently increased significantly, the remuneration package of our judges to a truly living wage. Despite this, most of them still pander to negativities that project that important arm of government in bad light.

    The current Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, as head of the National Judicial Council, NJC, so far is trying her best to restore the soiled image of the judiciary. Not too long ago, thirty-four out of sixty-two lawyer-nominees for the Federal High Court were rejected because of integrity issues. This is just a tip of the iceberg as many believe in the incumbent CJN’s capacity and capability to recalibrate for the better, the judicial system in the country.

    Despite her ongoing commendable reform efforts, CJN Kekere-Ekun needs to contend with powerful politicians and other influence peddlers as she forges ahead. This is because the rat race to sustain or win power by these terrible breed of power-intoxicated people that challenges anything unfavourable to them even when fair, and the deluge of election petitions emanating therefrom, have put our judges on the spot, exposing them to unimaginable temptations in the process. One of the many unfortunate onslaughts on judges of our courts is the recent obloquy against judges of the apex court by Kwankwaso.

    So far, no single word has been spoken or written to debunk the grievously odious allegations against the sanctity of the nation’s judiciary by any of the serving justices of the apex court. But a retired justice of the court, Justice Musa Muhammad Dattijo, had audaciously pooh-poohed the incident by stating that he never met with Kwankwaso or Governor Yusuf anywhere or at anytime before and after retiring on October 27, 2023. “I speak for myself…My intervention is not intended to defend or indict anyone else….It is simply to clarify that I was not part of any such engagement,” the retired justice reportedly declared. Till now, Kwankwaso has remained on the mute mode rather than give further details for the observing public.

    In a country where the challenge of wrongdoings has become perilous and most times derided, Dattijo’s courage deserves commendation.

    The making of sweeping statements capable of denigrating the credibility of our apex court’s justices and by extension, the entire judicial system by anybody should be condemned. The nation’s grundnorm, explicitly guarantees freedom of speech and expression but with a proviso curtailing such right where uttered words risk harming the reputation of others or that of our public institutions.

    Kwankwaso’s oblique is therefore actionably careless and slanderous. Not even when his visits to the justices’ towns and villages yielded negative result since it was Mallam Abdullahi Ganduje that was eventually awarded the governorship judgment of Kano state in 2019 by the appellate court.

    Restating here that the judicial arm of government plays an important role in societal cohesion should be considered a litotes. This is because conflicts between individuals and institutions are inevitable and when they occur, parties involved need a neutral institution as a trusted arbiter to resolve such disputes. That is where the sacred duty of the judiciary and judicial officers come into play. Our politicians should leave the judiciary out of their condemnable shenanigans.

    The Kwankwaso oblique remarks through his self-centred visits to towns and villages of judges, is obviously antithetical to the legendary Lord Denning’s inimitable observation when he said: “Justice must be rooted in confidence, and confidence is destroyed when right-thinking people go away thinking that the judge is biased.” The flaunting of visitations to homes of judges by litigants with pending cases, like Kwankwaso did, merely diminishes the credibility of pronounced judgments which never happened in this case. In this particular instance, it is gratifying that the appellate court justices, notwithstanding Kwankwaso’s discreet visits, overlooked his visitation request by subsequently going ahead to award judgment against candidate Yusuf in 2019.

    The Kwankwaso-gate leaks should serve as a reminder to our judges to see especially our politicians as ‘caveat emptor’ that they must be kept at an arm’s length. Otherwise, the judiciary as an important institution for sustaining national cohesion and stability might become an object of mockery. Surely, incumbent CJN Kekere-Ekun will not allow this to happen.

    For other loquacious politicians in Kwankwaso’s shoes aspiring for statesmanship, that notable Latin writer, Publilius Syrus has words of advice for them where he said: “Let a fool hold his tongue and he will pass for a sage.”

    • Sanusi, former MD/CEO of Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency is currently managing partner at AMS RELIABLE SOLICITORS.(sms/whatsapp-07011117777).
  • Climate adaptation in a warming world:how cities are preparing for extreme weather

    Climate adaptation in a warming world:how cities are preparing for extreme weather

    Across the world, cities are experiencing extreme weather situations; From record-breaking heatwaves to sudden floods, violent storms and ice-covered earth, extreme weather is testing the limits of urban infrastructure and governance. For rapidly growing cities, especially in developing countries, the challenge is not only how to reduce emissions, but how to adapt to a climate that is already changing. In Nigeria, the stakes could hardly be higher. Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Onitsha, Makurdi and many others have all experienced episodes of flooding that paralyse traffic, destroy homes and disrupt commerce. In the North, rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns are placing pressure on water supplies and public health. These are not isolated incidents; they are part of a broader global pattern of climate volatility that is reshaping how cities must plan for the future.

    For years, climate policy focused mainly on mitigation, cutting greenhouse gas emissions to slow global warming. That goal remains vital, but as extreme weather becomes more frequent and intense, adaptation has moved to the centre of urban planning. Adaptation means redesigning cities so they can withstand shocks: stronger drainage systems, cold/heat-resilient buildings, better emergency response, and smarter land-use planning. Many major cities are already rethinking their foundations. New York has invested billions in coastal defences after Hurricane Sandy. Rotterdam has redesigned public spaces to double as floodwater storage areas. In Asia, cities like Singapore are integrating climate risk into every major infrastructure decision. The message is clear: climate resilience is no longer optional; it is a necessity.

    Flooding remains the most visible climate threat to many Nigerian cities. Rapid urbanisation has replaced natural wetlands with concrete, reducing the land’s ability to absorb rainwater. Blocked drainage channels, poor waste management, and unplanned settlements in flood-prone areas have made the problem worse. In response, some state governments are beginning to invest in drainage expansion, canal dredging, and stricter building regulations. Lagos, for example, has prioritised flood control projects and coastal protection efforts, though experts argue that much more is needed to match the scale of the risk. Heat is another growing concern. Urban areas tend to be hotter than surrounding regions due to the “urban heat island” effect, where concrete and asphalt trap heat. As global temperatures rise, heatwaves are becoming more dangerous, especially for the elderly, outdoor workers, and those living in poorly ventilated housing.

    Cities are starting to explore solutions such as planting more trees, creating green roofs, improving building design, and expanding access to cooling centres. These measures may seem modest, but they can significantly reduce heat stress and improve public health.Extreme weather is exposing weaknesses in urban infrastructure. Roads wash away, power lines fail, water systems are overwhelmed, and hospitals struggle to cope with surges in climate-related illnesses. In many cases, infrastructure was designed for a climate that no longer exists. Adaptation requires both upgrading existing systems and building new ones with future risks in mind. This means using climate data to guide where roads are built, how bridges are reinforced, and how water and energy networks are protected. It also means investing in early warning systems that can give residents time to prepare before disasters strike. Some Nigerian cities are making progress in this area, particularly in flood forecasting and emergency response coordination. But funding constraints and competing development priorities remain major obstacles. Modern climate adaptation is increasingly driven by data. Satellite imagery, weather modelling, and real-time monitoring systems are helping city planners identify vulnerable areas and anticipate risks. Digital mapping of flood zones, for instance, can guide where new housing should or should not be built. Mobile technology also plays a role. Early warning messages sent by text can save lives during floods or heatwaves. Social media platforms are now part of emergency communication strategies, helping authorities share information quickly and residents report hazards.

    Read Also: Kwara attack: NEMA deploys response team, relief items to Kaiama

    Adaptation is not just about concrete and steel; it is also about people. Communities are often the first responders in climate emergencies, and their knowledge and participation are crucial. Local initiatives such as community clean-ups of drainage channels, neighbourhood flood monitoring, and volunteer emergency teams can greatly enhance resilience. One of the biggest challenges is funding. Climate-resilient infrastructure is expensive, and many cities already struggle to meet basic development needs. This is where climate finance, public-private partnerships, and innovative funding models become critical. Ultimately, climate adaptation is a test of leadership and foresight. The choices made today about land use, infrastructure, and social services will shape how well cities cope with tomorrow’s extremes. Delaying action may save money in the short term, but it will almost certainly cost more in lives, livelihoods, and lost development in the long run.

    As extreme weather becomes the new normal, cities must shift from reacting to disasters to preparing for them. In a warming world, resilience is not just about survival; it is about protecting economic growth, social stability, and the dignity of urban life.

    For Nigeria’s cities and in fact everywhere, the future will belong not to those who ignore climate risks, but to those who plan for them, invest wisely, and place people at the center of adaptation.

    • Adebayo Matthew Adeleye, PhD, Ibadan. Researcher in Environmental Pollution and Control badeleye@gmail.com    +234 803 525 6450
  • South East Development Commission Forum For Vision 2050: Politics or economy?

    South East Development Commission Forum For Vision 2050: Politics or economy?

    A few years ago, this column challenged the South East Governors to be more pragmatic in the way they handle issues concerning the region. It recalled that over the years, several organizations and corporate bodies had organized several economic summits, conferences and other events geared towards developing the region that has seemingly become the weeping child of the Nigerian project.

    More often than not, politicians from the region are tempted to regurgitate the post-war marginalization song that saw the region abandoned despite the vague promises by the Gen. Gowon (Rtd.) administration of the three Rs of Reconciliation, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction. As it turned out, nothing was done about the promise of the three Rs but he told the world that the post war petro-dollars was so much for the country they never knew what to do with same. Fifty five years after, the same Gowon is blaming late Emeka Ojukwu for lying about the Aburi Accord and surreptitiously sparking off the war. The response to the ‘praying’ former Head of state is left to historians. But I digress.

    In talking about the South East development issues, it is pertinent to always put our minds back to why we should be talking about the development or lack of same of regions and states that make up the Nigerian federation. There is a place where like the great literary legend, late Achebe said, the rain started beating the South East.

    The first and visible presence of the Igbos in post-civil war Nigeria was in 1979 when Chief Alex Ekwueme became the Vice President to President Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria. In his home state, Anambra, Chief Jim Nwobodo, a member of the Nigeria Peoples Party was the governor. That was the beginning of the developmental challenges that has plagued the region till today.

    Historians and avid readers of politics in Nigeria can recall with a certain level of disbelief how these two sons of the region ‘fought’ each other for supremacy in that republic. One son was number two at the federal level, the other a governor of a state that comprised; Enugu, present day Ebonyi and Anambra states. The supremacy battle sipped down to developmental projects. The issue was basically who takes credit for what? Would credit go to Chief Ekwueme as an NPN man or to Chief Nwobodo of the NPP? The fight was as devastating to the region as it chronically affected the development of the region. The legendary crying of the then governor of Imo state, late Chief Sam Mbakwe, a member of the NPP party for the sorry state of federal presence to his state would be a reference point to generations for the impact of divisive politics in the region.

    Since 1999, the South East region has been an economic victim of divisive political strategies by the politicians who have represented the people both at state and federal levels. From 1999 to 2011, the region had the privilege of producing several Senate Presidents as the region got the post zoned to it by the ruling PDP. It had the shame of having the greatest turnover of Senate Presidents based on intra-regional intrigues. While other regions plan well politically, the bulk of the politicians from the region display dizzying levels of individualism and selfishness. It hasn’t waned in the 4th republic.

    Beyond the battle for the Senate presidency, the governors and the National Assembly members started their own supremacy battles. Who was more politically relevant, the governors, or their representative at the National Assembly? We had the Ebeano political group in Enugu created to identify with the then Chimaroke Nnamani against his former mentor, Senator Jim Nwobodo, then governor Sam Egwu of Ebonyi was at daggers drawn with Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, then in Imo, it was governor Achike Udenwa vs Senator Ararume, in Abia, former governor Orji Uzor Kalu was slugging it out with Senator Adolphus Wabara and in Anambra, governor late Chinwoke Mbadinuju was on a parallel line basis with the NASS members as the cry of godfatherism brought the state to its knees. The South East region is the only region with five states as against other regions with six. The agitation for a 6th Anioma state would ultimately help to balance the equation.

    Read Also: Kwara attack: NEMA deploys response team, relief items to Kaiama

    So with so much individualistic ego trips by politicians, the South East has never been strategically calculative to drive any solid economic program in a region with the best educated, entrepreneurial, diligent and commercially savvy individuals on earth. The tragedy of the region is not lack of cerebral capacity or diligent manpower, the region is plagued by people who are too vainly egocentric plan for regional economic development.

    While other regions’ politicians are very non-partisan in their strategic politics, the South East has self-aggrandizing if not almost mercantilist players in politics. The political players are often very peripheral players who assume that associating with certain power brokers validate their relevance. That is why on every election year, there are politicians of the region who lead other politicians to make often very vacuous promises of projects that are never actualized till the next campaign.This has led to politicians from other regions joking that the politicians from the zone have a price. The gaping holes in the development index of the region should be blamed on the politicians who play selfish politics and have refused to pull resources together to develop the region in spite of politics and its divisive tactics.

    A few days ago, politicians, technocrats and policy advocates gathered again for the South East Development Commission (SEDC) Forum for Vision 2050 in Enugu which was facilitated by the office of the Vice President,  Senator Kashim Shettima. While this column applauds the SEDC and those who planned and supported the forum, we advocate that it should not be subsumed by the noise for 2027 strategies. The region must not be continually thrown under the bus by its own politicians. The people want politicians to work for them not work against them. Let’s hope the message can sinks in.

    It was interesting listening to some of the the governors’ speeches. The host governor, Peter Mbah insisted that the region would no longer beg for a seat at the table, they are ready to build the table. He reminded his colleagues that there is a need for regional infrastructural development to enhance movement and commerce, security cooperation built on information-sharing and a centralized response hub. Recognition of the value of the regional economic hub to him is a valid aspiration. He stated his commitment to the vision 2050 project.

    With his success with governance in Abia state one anchored on infrastructure, Governor Alex Oti proposed a coordinated regional energy strategy to drive industrialization leading to job creation and rapid industrialization. Aba is presently a poster child for effective power and infrastructural development. Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra state proposed a marshal plan for regional security, infrastructural development and institutional framework.

    The President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Senator John Azuta Mbata believes that a strong financial support for the SEDC by the federal government would be of immense development and reconciliation value. Despite the great contributions of the South East to national development, feelind of exclusion and a sense of marginalization still persist. The SEDC Managing Director, Mark Okoye insists the vision 2050 is intended to produce a long-term development framework for te South East. The zone must work toards transforming into an industrial hub leveraging strategic leadership, regional cooperation and deliberate investment to end decades of underdevelopment.

    As the 4-day event came to a close, the Roundtable Conversation believes that this would not be just another talk shop or a strategically expedient partisan move. No region develops through economic or political rhetoric. There must be the readiness to commit to action. The political elite in the region must walk the talk. Development is merely the idea of working towards enduring legacies that uplift the people. When the region remembers the Akanu Ibiams, the Micheal Okparas, the Ojukwus, the Mbakwes and others it is because they left admirably lasting legacies. The time to start is now.

    • The dialogue continues…  
  • How we escaped extremist group’s deadly invasion of Kwara community—Survivors

    How we escaped extremist group’s deadly invasion of Kwara community—Survivors

    • Recall how agents of death dispatched more than 100 residents into early graves
    • How ex-students’ union leader, brother were killed in deadly attack
    • Community battles post-attack trauma
    • 50 survivors hospitalised

    State of Harmony is how the sobriquet for Kwara goes. But in recent times, the harmony has been intermittently disrupted in parts of the state by non-state actors, including terrorists, kidnappers and bandits, among other anti-social elements.

    Before now, the hotbeds of the goons were restricted to Isin, Ifelodun, Ekiti and Oke-Ero local government areas in Kwara South as well as Edu, Patigi in Kwara North. The terrorists use the massive forest that links Kwara North and South as hideout to unleash deadly attacks on the affected communities.

    Thankfully, in the last three weeks, with a combined military operations deployed by the Federal Government, the activities of the bandits had abated in the beleaguered villages, thus restoring relative peace in the affected Lgs.

    Then came another bolt from the blue—Tuesday’s deadly attacks on Woro village in Kaiama Local Government Area, also in Kwara North. Before they struck, the religious extremists had notified the community that they were coming to preach a strange doctrine to the people. Between 5 pm and 6 pm on the ill-fated day, when darkness had not descended on the surface of the earth, the religious extremists came in Gestapo form.

    The terrorists were said to have hibernated in the old Kianji National Park between Kwara and Niger states to carry out their deadly and senseless killings. A younger brother to the head of Woro community, Umar Ali, said the attackers invaded the community at about 5 pm, arriving on motorcycles and surrounding the town before opening fire from different directions.

    “They came around 5 pm, completely surrounded the community and started shooting sporadically from all angles, so nobody could escape,” he said.

    He explained that residents who attempted to flee were shot, while those who surrendered were gathered at the palace of the village head, where they were tied up and killed. He added that some victims were burnt alive inside shops and houses after the attackers locked them in and set the buildings ablaze.

    “We physically counted 75 corpses within the town, but people are suggesting the number of those abducted, especially women, could be over 100,” he added.

    He further revealed that the wife of the traditional ruler, Hauwa Umar, his mother and three of his children were among those abducted during the attack.

    “The village head’s wife, his mother and three of his children are missing. That makes five people from his household unaccounted for,” he added.

    Ali said the community was thrown into panic, with many residents fleeing their homes, leaving the town almost deserted.

    “The people are scared and the community is nearly empty. What we need now is increased security presence to restore confidence and allow people to return,” he said.

    He noted that there had been prior intelligence reports of a possible attack, which were reportedly communicated to the local government authorities and shared with higher levels of government.

    He added that soldiers had earlier patrolled the area a day the attackers were suspected to be planning to strike, which he believed discouraged them at the time.

    However, Ali said there was no security presence during Tuesday’s attack, and that security operatives only arrived after many victims had died from gunshot wounds due to lack of immediate medical attention.

    In his narration, a survivor, who doubles as the head of Woro village, Alhaji Umar Saliu Tanko, said he was not at home when the bandits arrived. He said that in anger, the bandits killed his daughter, two sons and abducted his younger wife with two other persons.

    He said: “I was away in my shop where I sell goods when armed bandits arrived my resident on Tuesday evening. My daughter and two sons were shot dead while my second wife and two others were abducted.”

    Another survivor, Razaq Abdulazeez, said he resides on outskirts of the village and was returning home late in the afternoon when he saw people running out of the village.

    He said: “I was returning home from work when I saw people running towards my area. I asked what was happening and I was told that they were running to escape the wrath of bandits who had come to attack the community.

    “I raced towards my house, packed my family members and we escaped into the far away bush on the outskirts of the community. Many who could not run out of town escaped to the top of trees to avoid bandits’ attack.”

    Read Also: Kwara attack: NEMA deploys response team, relief items to Kaiama

    Students of the state College of Nursing Sciences (KWASCONS), Oke-Ode identified one Salihu Bio Khalid as a victim of the ruthless killings. Khalid, said to be a student of Midwifery and former President of the Student Union Government (SUG), was reportedly killed alongside his brother in the senseless attacks.

    In a statement by the state Chairman of the National Association of Nigeria Comrades (NANC) Babatunde Muhammad Jamiu, Vice Chairman (Academic) Ahmed Ridwan Ayinde, and the Public Relations Officer (PRO) Taofeeq Islamiyah Opeyemi, the association said the incident had plunged the KWASCONS community and the student body across Kwara State into shock and mourning.

    “Senator Salihu Bio Khalid was a committed and courageous student leader whose dedication to student welfare, unionism, and service to his institution stood as a testament to purposeful leadership.

    “His contributions to the student movement will remain indelible in our collective memory.

    “On behalf of NANC Kwara axis, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, the leadership of the student union government, and the entire students of KWASCONS.

    “We pray that Almighty God grants the departed eternal rest and gives the bereaved family, loved ones, and the entire student community the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.

    “Beyond condolences, NANC Kwara axis strongly condemns the rising spate of insecurity threatening the lives of students and citizens across the state.

    “The continued loss of innocent lives to banditry and violent attacks is unacceptable and calls for serious, decisive, and emergency intervention.

    “We hereby urge the Kwara State Government and relevant security agencies to:

    Immediately strengthen security architecture around student-populated areas and major transit routes.

    Conduct a thorough investigation into this tragic incident and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

    Engage stakeholders, including student bodies and civil society groups, in proactive security planning.”

    Emir of Kaiama Alhaji Omar Muazu and the state Governor Abdulraman AbdulRazaq had described the attacks as a massacre.

    Seventy-five corpses recovered from the violent attacks were on Wednesday morning given a mass burial, the monarch revealed.

    Alhaji Muazu said this in Kaiama on Wednesday night during a condolence visit by Governor AbdulRazaq.

    Regretting the sad incident, the emir said “it is unfortunate that we lost very large number of people. This is one of the largest massacres at the same time in Nigeria.

    “At the last count, 75 corpses were given mass burial. These exclude the Christians and non-indigenes who had taken their family members’ corpses away for burial.

    “Some corpses are still in the bush, so the figure is likely to go up. Woro is now a ghost community. Everybody has deserted the place.

    “A lot of people, mostly women and children, were kidnapped and taken into the bush. The incident started like isolated one long ago after they captured Mahmuda. But this one is a massacre.

    “They gave a notice that they were coming to preach and nobody objected to their coming. Instead, they came to murder our people.

    “The terrorists are at the edge of the Kianji National Park. The park is very large and porous. It is only a consolidated military operation between Niger and Kwara states that can uproot them.

    “The most unfortunate, some of our boys have joined them. The boys are the informants as well as participants.”

    Speaking, Governor AbdulRazaq said the refusal of the community members to succumb to perverted Islamic doctrine and faith was behind the gruesome killings.

    He said: “It is sad that we are here today to commiserate with you over the death of 75 of your subjects in Woro. From our information, this village refused to succumb to a perverted form Islamic doctrine.

    “Because these people refused a change of Islamic doctrine and faith, they were attacked and massacred.

    “This action was different from kidnapping for ransom. This is just pure massacre. It is highly condemnable.

    “At the moment, the state emergency service is going to look for how to take care of family members of the deceased. This is a major challenge to tackle now.

    “They have murdered sleep and they will sleep no more. I can assure you that within one month the whole place will be flooded with soldiers.”

    He applauded President Bola Tinubu for his prompt action.

    “We appreciate the president for approving the immediate deployment of battalion of soldiers under Operation Savannah to the area.

    “Hitherto, Baruten, Kaiama local government areas and part of Kianji National Park are supposed to be under another military operation.

    “But now there will be a major operation here directly headquartered in Kwara State with a battalion of soldiers coming to make sure this place is safe.

    “We know that the challenges we have here are from further North and across the border. But these challenges will be mitigated.”

    Recounting the unsavoury situation, Kaiama Local Government Council chairman, Abubakar Danladi, said the scene of the number of deaths and charred bodies was similar to horror films.

    He said: “As a medical doctor, I have not seen such a horrifying scene.

    “As they came they went straight to the village head’s house and killed his two graduate medical doctor children (male and female).

    “It means we have bad eggs among us who are giving them information about our communities.

    “They got to the village head’s house, asked for keys his two vehicles, vandalized the vehicles and set his house ablaze.

    “The next thing they did was to enter the house and abducted his wife with some of his little kids. They used the village head’s vehicles to ferry away the abductees.

    “It is highly disheartening and disconcerting that even we wanted to buy water in this community but could not get, because all the roadside shops have been burnt down.

    “What is more horrifying is the setting ablaze of young 12 vigilante members who were seated in their office.

    “This is because their guns bullets could not do anything to the boys.”

    More than 50.survivors of the bloody attacks are currently receiving treatment in hospitals. They sustained varying degrees of injury during the attack

    The Senator representing Kwara North Senatorial District, Sadiq Umar, paid a visit to the survivors. The lawmaker sympathised with those suffering from gunshot wounds and other injuries, describing the incident as heartbreaking and prayed for their speedy recovery.

    He also reassured the victims of his continued support during their period of recovery.

    He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the deployment of security personnel under Operation Savannah Shield to restore peace and track down perpetrators of the attack.

    Senator Umar also commended Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, for what he described as swift intervention, particularly the directive to the State Emergency Management Agency to provide relief materials for affected persons.

    The senator called for sustained security operations across Kwara North, noting that the district has continued to experience security challenges.

    He urged residents to remain united, hopeful, and prayerful, while reaffirming his commitment to the wellbeing of his constituents and praying for lasting peace in the region.

    Also, the Speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, urged the security agencies in the country to brace up for more effort to address the insurgency in some parts of the state in order to reduce incessant cases of killing of innocent residents.

    Rt. Hon. Danladi-Salihu made the appeal in a statement issued in Ilorin in the aftermath of the recent massacre of some residents of both Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of the state by suspected terrorists.

    He said: “I am calling for intensified military action against the perpetrators.

    “Furthermore, I urge our communities to cooperate fully with security agencies to bring an end to these killings once and for all.”

    The speaker condemned the senseless violence in the strongest terms, calling for an immediate escalation of military operations along the axis bordering Niger State to flush out criminal elements.

    “I commiserate with His Royal Highness, the Emir of Kaiama, and the families of the victims of this horrific attack,” Speaker Danladi-Salihu said.

    He sympathised with the Emir of Kaima, Dr. Muazu Omar, and the families of those affected by the incident.

    He noted that as military pressure increases across various parts of the state, “elements of destabilization” may attempt to divert attention or seek refuge in new areas.

    Also, the senator representing Kwara Central senatorial district of the state at the National Assembly, Saliu Mustapha, called for more troops to the two affected communities to check the activities of terrorists in the state.

    In a condolence message he personally signed, Senator Mustapha said he received the “distressing news of the tragic attacks on innocent civilians” with deep sadness.

    He described the incident as a senseless act that underscores the urgent need for unity, vigilance and stronger community cooperation in tackling insecurity.

    The senator urged residents of the affected areas and the entire state to remain calm, support security agencies, and promptly report suspicious movements to help safeguard their communities.

    Senator Mustapha also commended the state government for its swift response and proactive steps to protect citizens.

    He further appreciated the efforts of security agencies in combating terrorists, kidnappers, and other criminal elements threatening peace in the state.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state has also condemned the latest gruesome attack carried out by bandits on Woro and Nuku communities in the late hours of Tuesday.

    A statement issued by the PDP signed by the State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, described the attack as a despicable, inhuman and callous act of wickedness that no human should ever inflict on fellow human beings.

    “We, therefore, call on the Kwara State Government to immediately deploy humanitarian aid, relief materials and medical support to Woro community and other affected victims to help them navigate the trauma and destruction caused by this attack.

    “We also call on security agencies, in the interest of justice and public safety, to intensify efforts to track down these criminal elements and ensure they are brought to book for the evil they have unleashed on innocent and defenseless people.

    The state police command also described the elements as religious extremists.

    Spokesperson of the state command Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi said that “preliminary findings gathered at the scene indicates that the hoodlums, suspected to be religious extremists stormed the community, opening fire sporadically, killing victims while houses and shops were set ablaze.

    “A Joint Security Team comprising the Police, Military, and National Forest Guards have since been deployed and are currently on ground to maintain law and order, prevent further attacks, and reassure residents of their safety.

    “A full-scale investigation has been launched to track down the perpetrators and ensure they face the full weight of the law.

    “The command extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the entire Woro Community during this moment of grief while praying for the repose of their souls.

    “We urge residents to remain calm, cooperate with security agencies, and promptly provide credible information that may aid ongoing operations.”