The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Nigerian medical tourism spending crashed by 96% last year, says CBN

    Nigerian medical tourism spending crashed by 96% last year, says CBN

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said the nation’s medical tourism spending recorded an all-time 96% crash last year.

    The apex bank said this was in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s National Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.

    This development, the CBN said, is the active enablement of the private sector alongside significant investments in public health infrastructure and upskilling manpower, which has led to 96 per cent reduction in foreign exchange expended on outgoing medical tourism.

    The apex bank also said Diaspora Nigerians as well as non-Nigerians abroad have been increasingly coming into the country for routine and complex medical treatments and surgeries, thus enhancing foreign exchange supply to other critical sectors/areas.

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    The apex bank also said doctors working in Nigeria are getting better-paying jobs and opportunities to work with modern medical tools.

    It said this is due to the influx of medical tourists from wealthier foreign jurisdictions, especially those who seek more affordable, timely, and accessible care with world-leading Nigerian medical practitioners across all specialised fields of medical practice.

    Besides the President Tinubu administration’s vast Medicare Subsidy programme for vulnerable Nigerians and the historic rate of health insurance enrollment locally since 2023, some Nigerian hospitals are also partnering with global health-focused NGOs to attract grants to further subsidise medical services for some low-income earners who qualify for available limited spaces.

  • North Korea launches missiles into sea

    North Korea launches missiles into sea

    North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters yesterday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

    The statement said several ballistic missile launches were detected from North Korea’s capital region early yesterday, adding that the missiles flew about 900 kilometres and that South Korea and US authorities were analysing details of the launches.

    South Korea’s Defence Ministry noted the launches violated UN Security Council resolutions that ban any ballistic activities by North Korea. It urged North Korea to cease provocative actions immediately and respond to South Korea’s push to restart talks and restore peace on the Korean Peninsula.

    The launches came hours before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung departed for China for a summit with President Xi Jinping. During the four-day trip, Lee’s office said he would request China, North Korea’s major ally and biggest trading partner, to take “a constructive role” in efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.

    Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said that at least two missile launches by North Korea had been confirmed. “They are a serious problem, threatening the peace and security of our nation, the region and the world,” Koizumi told reporters.

    The launches were the latest weapons demonstration by North Korea in recent weeks. Experts say North Korea is aiming to show off or review its achievements in the defence sector ahead of its upcoming ruling party congress, the first of its kind in five years.

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    Observers are watching the Workers Party congress to see whether North Korea will set a new policy on the US and resume long-stalled talks between the two countries.

    North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has also boosted his diplomatic credentials by aligning with Russia over its war in Ukraine and tightening relations with China. Observers say Kim would believe his leverage has sharply increased to wrest concessions from Trump if they sit down for talks again.

    North Korea hasn’t announced when it will hold the congress, but South Korea’s spy service said it will likely occur in January or February.

    South Korea and the US have long asked China to exercise its influence on North Korea to persuade it to return to talks or give up its nuclear programme. But there are questions on how big of a leverage China has on its neighbour. China, together with Russia, has also repeatedly blocked the US and others’ attempts to toughen economic sanctions on North Korea in recent years.

  • Iran protests: Rioters must be put in their place, Khamenei warns

    Iran protests: Rioters must be put in their place, Khamenei warns

    Iran’s supreme leader has asserted that “rioters must be put in their place”, following a week of protests that have rattled the Islamic Republic, a stance widely seen as signalling tougher action by security forces to quell the unrest.

    The remarks, the first by 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei since the demonstrations began, come amid escalating violence linked to protests driven by Iran’s struggling economy.

    Human rights activists say at least 15 people have been killed. The unrest shows no sign of abating and follows a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday that if Tehran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States “will come to their rescue.”

    While it remains unclear whether or how Trump might intervene, his comments triggered an immediate and angry reaction from Iranian officials, with figures in the theocracy threatening to target American troops in the Middle East.

    The statements also gained added significance after Trump said on Saturday that the U.S. military had captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a close ally of Tehran.

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    The current demonstrations are the largest Iran has seen since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody sparked nationwide protests. However, they have not yet matched the scale or intensity of the unrest that followed Amini’s death after she was detained for allegedly not wearing her hijab in line with official expectations.

    Shopkeepers close their businesses during a protest against rising prices and market instability driven by a rapid increase in foreign exchange rates.

    State television broadcast Khamenei’s address to an audience in Tehran, in which he sought to draw a distinction between Iranians protesting economic hardship, including the collapse of the rial, and what he described as “rioters”.

    “We talk to protesters, the officials must talk to them,” Khamenei said. “But there is no benefit to talking to rioters. Rioters must be put in their place.”

    He also repeated a long-standing claim by Iranian authorities that foreign powers such as Israel and the United States were fomenting the protests, offering no evidence to support the allegation. In addition, he blamed “the enemy” for the sharp fall in the value of Iran’s currency.

  • 974 Nigerians await deportation from Canada

    974 Nigerians await deportation from Canada

     No fewer than 974 Nigerians are awaiting deportation in Canada, it was learnt yesterday.

    They are said to be currently in the “removal-in-progress” queue, awaiting deportation.

    The Canadian authorities deported 366 Nigerians between January and October 2025.

    About 83% of those deported are failed refugee claimants, while criminality accounts for roughly 4%. Under Canadian law, anyone with an enforceable removal order must be deported.

    Outside the United Kingdom and the United States, Canada remains a major destination for Nigerians, with over 71,000 Nigerians gaining citizenship between 2005 and 2024, and thousands more arriving yearly as students, workers, and permanent residents.

    Read Also: Banditry, terrorism to end soon in Nigeria – Senator Adeola

    Data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) showed that Nigeria is the only African country on the list of 10 nationalities deported in 2025 occupying the ninth position.

    Canada is carrying out an aggressive nationwide crackdown. Canada now deports nearly 400 people weekly, removing 18,048 foreign nationals in the 2024–2025 fiscal year at a cost of about $78 million.

    Authorities say the push is aimed at tightening immigration targets and easing pressure on housing, jobs, and border security, backing the effort with an extra $30.5 million for removals and $1.3 billion for border enforcement.

    Immigration lawyers warn deportations could rise further if Bill C-12 is passed, potentially imposing permanent bans on some refugee claims.

  • Rodriguez is Venezuela’s interim leader

    Rodriguez is Venezuela’s interim leader

    VENEZUELAN Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez has been appointed interim leader by her country’s high court following the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro in a United States military raid on Caracas.

    Speaking on state TV on Saturday, she insisted: “There is only one president in Venezuela and his name is Nicolas Maduro Moros.” She called on the United States to release him.

    Maduro landed at a small New York airport on Saturday afternoon following the middle-of-the-night operation that abducted him and his wife Cilia Flores from their home in a military base in Caracas.

    A White House social-media video showed Maduro smiling defiantly while being escorted through a Drug Enforcement Administration office with two of the agency’s operatives grasping his arms.

    The U.S. administration accuses the couple of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

    However, U.S. President Donald Trump told a Mar-a-Lago news conference of plans to exploit Maduro’s removal to “fix” Venezuela’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts” of oil to other countries.

    Trump claimed that the U.S. government was helping to govern Venezuela, though there were no immediately visible signs of that. Venezuelan state TV aired pro-Maduro coverage and broadcast live images of his supporters taking to the streets of Caracas in protest.

    “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” the US president said.

    He claimed that Ms Rodriguez would collaborate with the U.S. plans, saying that she was “essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” though she has given no indication that this is true.

    Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in the US in 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges.

    The U.S. Justice Department issued a new indictment of the presidential couple on Saturday that painted his administration as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fuelled by a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the US with cocaine.

    ECOWAS, AU

    express concern over U.S. actions

    Reactions have continued to trail the United States military operation that reportedly led to the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

    The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) yesterday expressed concern over the development, while urging respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

    The regional bloc said it fully aligned with the African Union’s statement issued on January 3, 2026, which called for restraint and inclusive dialogue among Venezuelans.

    In a statement, ECOWAS acknowledged the right of states to combat international crimes such as terrorism and drug trafficking, but cautioned that such actions must be conducted in line with international law.

    U.S. President Donald Trump had announced that American forces captured President Maduro and his wife following several rocket strikes on Caracas early Saturday.

    “The Economic Community of West African States has followed with concern recent developments in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” the statement said.

    “While it recognises the right of states to fight international crimes, including terrorism and drug trafficking, ECOWAS wishes to remind the international community of their obligation to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other, as enshrined in international law, especially Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter.”

    “ECOWAS reiterates its solidarity with the people of Venezuela and urges all states to respect the independence and territorial integrity of Venezuela,” the statement added.

    Earlier, the African Union had also expressed concern over the reported invasion of Venezuela by the United States.

    In a communiqué, the AU underscored the importance of dialogue, peaceful settlement of disputes, and respect for constitutional and institutional frameworks, in the spirit of good neighbourliness, cooperation, and peaceful coexistence among nations.

    The continental body stressed that Venezuela’s complex internal challenges could only be sustainably resolved through inclusive political dialogue among Venezuelans themselves.

    European leaders differ on Maduro’s arrest

    European leaders emerged divided and torn as they tried to welcome the ejection of Venezuela’s authoritarian president, but still uphold the principles of international law that did not appear to allow Donald Trump to capture Nicolás Maduro, let alone declare that the U.S. will run Venezuela and control its oil industry.

    Europe tried to focus on the principle of a democratic transition, pointing out that the continent had not recognised Maduro as the legitimate leader of Venezuela after what they regarded as fraudulent elections in June 2024.

    But, Trump’s rejection of the Nobel prize-winning Venezuelan opposition figurehead, María Corina Machado, was awkward. Trump said she did not have support or respect in Venezuela, but European leaders have embraced her as leading an opposition that deserves power.

    International lawyers say the U.S. rejection of Maduro’s legitimacy opens a path for Washington to argue that he does not enjoy sovereign immunity as a head of state in the U.S. domestic courts, in the same way that George Bush was allowed to try Manuel Noriega in the U.S. after his capture in 1989.

    U.S. officials have claimed the operation against Venezuela was justified on the grounds of self-defence, arguing that the government was involved in drug-trafficking.

    The Yale professor of international law Oona Hathaway, however, said she saw no plausible justification under the UN charter for the U.S. use of force. “If drug trafficking is a reasonable justification for attacking another country then a whole range of possible arguments can be made that basically mean that self-defence is no longer a real exception. It’s the new rule.”

    In a sign of Europe’s discomfort, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the prime minister of Greece, one of the 10 non-permanent countries on the UN security council, tried to close down discussion of Trump’s methods. “Nicolás Maduro presided over a brutal and repressive dictatorship that brought about unimaginable suffering on the Venezuelan people. The end of his regime offers new hope for the country,” he wrote on social media, adding that “this is not the time to comment on the legality of the recent actions”.

    The closer ideological allies of Trump in Europe, such as the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, deemed the US operation legitimate, describing it as a “defensive intervention”.

    Criticism from others was possibly muffled for fear of attracting Trump’s displeasure when his support for Ukraine is still considered vital. The EU foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, said: “The EU has repeatedly stated that Maduro lacks legitimacy, and has defended a peaceful transition. Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN charter must be respected. We call for restraint.”

    The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, also focused on what might happen next. “We stand in solidarity with the Venezuelan people and support a peaceful and democratic transition. Any solution must respect international law and the charter of the United Nations,” she said.

    The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, also dived for cover. “The legal assessment of the US intervention is complex and requires careful consideration,” he said.

    France too was circumspect. Without mentioning the US military operation, Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday that the end of the “Maduro dictatorship” was something the Venezuelan people could “only rejoice in”, and called for a “peaceful and democratic transition” led by Edmundo González Urrutia, the opposition candidate for the 2024 presidential election. In an act of solidarity he also spoke to Machado.

    ‘Trump’s strike risks unleashing global chaos’                   

    Democratic Senate Intel Committee Vice Chair Sen. Mark Warner warned that Donald Trump’s Venezuela strike risks unleashing global chaos.

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    In a blistering statement responding to U.S. military action targeting Venezuela, the Senate Intelligence Committee’s vice chairman warned that this isn’t about strength or justice. It’s about shredding the Constitution and lighting a match under the global rulebook.

    Warner reminded the country that the Constitution gives Congress — not one impulsive president — the authority to decide when America goes to war.

    “Our Constitution places the gravest decisions about the use of military force in the hands of Congress for a reason. Using military force to enact regime change demands the closest scrutiny, precisely because the consequences do not end with the initial strike,” Warner reminded Americans.

    The Democratic Senator then pointed out exactly what some of those consequences could be.

    Nicolas Maduro’s first words at New York detention centre

    “Good night. Happy New Year,” a shackled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Saturday, ending his silence after being ambushed.

    He spoke whilst being escorted to his cell by several Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers at a detention centre in Brooklyn, New York – reportedly the same facility that previously held notorious figures such as Sam Bankman-Fried, reports the Express US.

    Maduro is due to appear before a federal court during the week where he will face numerous charges concerning narcotics trafficking and unlawful arms dealing.

    According to CNN’s Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller, the booking procedure had already begun before the Venezuelan president and his wife Cilia Flores stepped off the plane at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York.”

    Miller explained that their biometrics, fingerprints, and photos would be collected before their details are entered into the U.S. Customs and Border Protection system.

    He further stated that the couple would need to undergo medical examinations prior to being taken to the Metropolitan Detention Centre. Here, they will be arrested again before their arraignment, “which will likely be on Monday (today).”

    An official from law enforcement, who has been briefed on the situation, revealed that Flores is still undergoing additional medical checks in a hangar.

    The New York Police Department confirmed that Maduro arrived at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn just before 9pm, having been flown by helicopter to Manhattan and then escorted by a convoy of law enforcement vehicles.

  • A defining moment for Nigeria: Why staying the course matters

    A defining moment for Nigeria: Why staying the course matters

    By Mohammed Idris

    As we enter a new year, the questions that fill our markets, our homes, and our places of work are clear and urgent. They are questions about the price of food, about security in our communities, and about the direction in which our country is headed. It is the duty of this office, the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, to speak to these questions directly, clearly, and with respect for every Nigerian bearing the weight of this moment.

    The last thirty-one months have been a period of foundational, often difficult, transformation. Our bold reforms, beginning with the necessary but painful decisions on subsidies and exchange rates, were engineered to break a cycle of economic stagnation and secure a future of sustainable prosperity. This path was never promised to be easy, but it was promised to be honest and purposeful.

    Today, the first green shoots of that promised stability are visible. December 2025 marked the thirteenth consecutive month of expansion in business activity. Multinational firms are re-evaluating Nigeria with serious intent. Our GDP is growing, inflation is declining, and our external reserves are strengthening. These are not mere statistics for reports; they are the essential groundwork upon which lasting improvement in everyday life is built.

    However, a nation is not governed by indices alone. A nation is governed through trust, forged in the clear communication of both struggle and progress. My role is to be a steady voice for this administration, to explain our ambitions and our actions.

    Upon this emerging macroeconomic stability, we have prioritised layering direct interventions that touch lives. The student loan programme (NELFUND) is opening doors. The Presidential CNG initiative is aimed at reducing transport costs. Programmes like LEEP, the Jubilee Fellows, and the 3MTT are designed to put skills and opportunity directly into the hands of our youth. In agriculture, a historic recapitalisation of the Bank of Agriculture and new mechanisation programs are deployed to combat food insecurity at its root.

     We are also pushing ambitious infrastructure. The Coastal Highway, the Sokoto-Badagry Expressway, the AKK Gas Pipeline, and new rail lines, to unite our economy and reduce the costs embedded in our geography.

    In security, a new architecture is being rolled out. We are investing heavily in recruitment, equipment, and international cooperation to finally turn the tide against terrorism and banditry. The recent rescue of our abducted students in Kebbi and Niger states, respectively, is a testament to this relentless focus, and we remain steadfast until every Nigerian feels safe.

    I acknowledge the fatigue that comes with endurance. The anxiety over prices, the worry for loved ones, and the desire for quicker results are all valid feelings; they are the human context of governance. This administration hears you. Our resolve is to accelerate the pace at which these reforms translate into tangible, widespread relief.

    This is why in 2026, our “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity” is critical. It is a commitment to double down on what is working, to solidify gains, and to ensure that the shared prosperity we speak of becomes a lived reality for more Nigerians, faster.

    Read Also: Nigeria ready to trade under AfCFTA preferential terms — Oduwole

    But nation-building is a covenant. We, in government, commit to lead with clarity, to deploy resources with integrity, and to communicate with constancy. We commit to face the people, to account for our stewardship, and to explain our path. In return, the civic strength of our nation, our collective will to pay taxes, to protect public goods, to engage constructively, and to reject the divisive pull of mischaracterisation and disinformation is what will ultimately secure our shared future.

    This office, under my watch, shall be accountable and purposeful. It will remain a responsible, accessible, and truthful channel between the government and you, the people. We will explain, we will defend, we will listen, and we will report. You will continually and sustainably see and hear from this ministry, a clear voice of accountability for the government’s whole agenda.

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has never been one to be fazed by problems or challenges. His approach has consistently been calm and decisive—turning difficulties into opportunities to do things better and more efficiently.  Our recent engagements as a government with the United States bear witness to this approach. Under the President’s leadership, we turned a tense period into an opportunity to deepen bilateral relations with the US and to ramp up our anti-insurgency efforts.

    But even as we acknowledge the gains we have made, we do not seek to live in the past. Our eyes are firmly focused on what lies ahead and on how tomorrow must improve on today. For us, every moment in the present is an opportunity to double down on what is working, so that we can reap the full benefits of reform.

    The journey ahead demands our collective patience and our shared resolve. The easy politics of division and noise will persist, but the hard work of building a Nigeria that works for all must prevail. We have laid a new foundation. Now, we must build the house together.

    I wish every Nigerian a peaceful and productive year ahead.

    Mohammed Idris, fnipr, is the Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation

  • Sheriff the Taiwo

    Sheriff the Taiwo

    All the talk of defection today began with a man’s daring step. Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori broke the ice when he dumped the PDP. He is what, in Yoruba cosmology, may be called Taiwo. When twins are born, Taiwo comes first out of the mother’s womb as an exploratory act. He is sent to find out if this life is worth living. When he does not return, Kehinde, the other twin, after a wait, decides to join the brother or sister.

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    The sheriff opened the door, tasted the other side, did not return or look back like Lot’s wife. Others followed in his footsteps. It is the audacity of the frontiersman. It has become almost routine for the APC, and the last at the time of writing, was Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State. He capped the whole of the north central with Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger states.

     It is always good to remember who took the first step. When he did it, it was courage. When they do it now, it is routine. Sheriff was the shepherd. Others the faithful sheep.

  • Billionaire squatters

    Billionaire squatters

    The picture of the coalition of the wounded a few days ago after Peter Obi’s next bus stop resembles the forty men who worked up a futile conspiracy against Apostle Paul. It was on false charges. They neither ate nor drank as part of their spiritual quest. They waited on God until they slay Paul. They tasted no morsel. A waste of palate. They also lay in a mockery of an ambush.

    Well, it had a good ending. Paul lived so they could eat. They were too cowardly to die.

    These so-called ADC men are not the types to neither eat nor drink. In fact, they are too fed to be fed up with the gourmet’s table. One of them, though, made a public farce in fancy clothes and pleaded hunger on television in a bash for billionaires. One of them has a Damocles of corruption hanging over his wife for billions of naira without a month of work. None of them would even fast except the mullah among them with a beard and a forked and profane tongue. He is fattening on the image of a pariah.

    The hypocrisy of brothers, but much more. It started with the squat figure among them who was shooed out of Kaduna like a bleating goat in a garden. He moved from the APC to the SDP, and asked over all his fellowship of wounded to a house of refuge. Some of them have a sore head or broken knee. He assumed a proprietary air. Then the owners of the land said he, an interloper, was a squatter. The landlords had no place for him. He had no grassroots cred, no papers, no love. The habitual noisemaker turned voiceless and even meek.

    They all, the wounded, remained in limbo for days. They developed an independent spirit, and wanted a party of their own. They were not good at it as they formed a new party known as ADA. It sounds like someone’s sister or mother or wife. Poor planners that they were, they discovered they had conjured up a copycat. They went back to their vomit. An existing party already had that signature. They were trying to imitate the coalition they were planning to defeat. Their first step was a crash, to copycat a name. A bad case of caricature.

    Then suddenly, they all came together under the aegis of the ADC. All we saw was a bad alloy of retirees. The new entrants of the ADC were bloated. Bloated as in bored. Too much money and nothing else to do with it. Preening, privileged, patrician.

    They had hardly enjoyed their new home when the true owners, just like the SDP, told them they are squatters. They came with area boys’ swagger. They are banding together to take over another person’s property. They are the impostors of the Omo Oniles of Lagos. If they are not bandits, what other word can describe them? They are the Bello Turji of today’s politics.

    They are all experienced politicians. But so far, they have shown that they do not know how to do a naming ceremony of a party, and cannot form a party. They do not know how to defect. Some of them have not left the Labour Party.  Those who left, like our man from Anambra State, did not know how to register. In the name of ethnic parapoism, he ignored the law and process. Enugu stakeholders say he is not of them or with them. So, they lashed at him. They do not know how to take over a party.

    Obi cannot leave his Obidient rabble in the lurch. He is hoping for a takeover of his own. If they do not give him the ticket, just as PDP did not in 2022, where would he go? Would he return to his tent to embrace his crowd of hecklers?. They say they will abide with him. Are his followers going to be obedient to Atiku? Is their leader now going back to his vomit as second fiddle? Is he going to content himself by returning to the boys’ quarters as Atiku boy? He cannot abandon his followers. They are his breath of life. He is just a squatter among squatters waiting to be a landlord. As for the other fellow, his hunger is a grudge match. He has nowhere to go but to bow to an inevitable crash.

    Atiku, the grand patron of defectors, has a bigger grudge. This is his last chance, and he is going to fight like a bear with a sore head. What we have in this new coalition are coalitions within a coalition. We have the Atiku crowd, the Obi crowd, the El-Rufai cretins and the Amaechi amen sayers.  When these bacilli of ambitions coalesce, we can only wait for the end of the story. We are in the first act of an interesting drama, and the most important conflict is not their ambitions and party nominations. It is the prospect of a legal and ego turmoil that threatens to end up like the Labour Party and PDP crises. Maybe not as bad. But not good enough for a fighter. Claims of conflicting legitimacy may splinter the organ. Everyone may realise that they are tenants of a tenant. Ralph Nwosu, a self-imposed place holder as ADC leader, will tell them, “I thought I was a landlord, but I cannot return your rent. Sorry.”

    The other issue though is that none of them has a big hold on their states or regions. Not David Mark, not El Rufai, who was shooed out, not Amaechi, who cannot hold 13 percent of Rivers State, not Rauf Aregbesola, who can only fete Atiku to a protem breakfast, not Atiku, who has been dishonoured from a title.

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    The bigger point of this so-called delusion is their claim that they are the rescuers of Nigeria. They are trying to play on our collective amnesia. They forget that we know all of them. This new group can be divided into major two past governments. The first are the Jonathan men. The second are the Buharists. These are the men who battled against each other just a few years ago. It shows us ideas have no traction in their action. The only outlier in the group is Atiku Abubakar, who has always been for everyone and for nobody. For instance, was Amaechi not a Buharist? Of course, just like Malami, who rose from fringe lawyer to attorney general. That man who spent the holidays with wife and son in prison for coddling loots cannot be thinking about ADC now. The Jonathan crowd is led by David Mark who this time is going to show us how the poor can afford telephones. For the Genzs and Millennials, this man was a minister under IBB’s military government and mocked the poor who could not afford telephones.

    These two governments, Buhari and Jonathan, precipitated the crisis that the present government is trying to solve. The Jonathan era wasted the boon of oil and had no rubric for solving the security burden. They spent the nation into huge deficits and rolled the country into foreign exchange rut. The Buhari administration was a footloose amalgam of failed men like Malami, who ran the country into a spend-and-waste economy in which N30 trillion  and billions of naira in debt made the present government the real rescuer. Now, they want to turn the logic on its head. They committed the sin and they are calling themselves the saviour. The sinner and saviour in one breath. They are a parody of the messiah. Jesus bore the sin without committing any. This is what made Jesus angry with the Pharisees. He said they were whited sepulchres full of dead men’s bones.

    The coalition should respond to the elimination of ways and means of N30 trillion and the billions of dollars of debts. These were the burdens that these same men created in the years of the locusts.

    They are playing geriatric politics, the game of old men who know that the time of the end has come for their dreams. It reminds me of the chilling biography about Nazi holocaust titled: Cold Crematorium by Josef Debreczeni. It is perhaps the chilliest eyewitness account of that misbegotten time. He wrote of a part of the concentration camp where the inmates were at once out of breath and still alive. Scrawny, wounded, slobbering, febrile, sterile, weak. Waiting for the grim reaper. Crematorium is hot by definition. But he called it cold because they did not need to go through the gas chamber to go.

    In the case of the coalition, time is their cold crematorium. In his prison memoirs, Soyinka called such fate slow lynching, the title he wanted to call The Man Died. These men of different stripes in ADC are typing out their last days as an assembly. Cobbled together by expired fantasies of power, they are awaiting ADC’s epitaph.

  • SRA seeks sustained commitment to End HIV/AIDS in Nigeria

    SRA seeks sustained commitment to End HIV/AIDS in Nigeria

    …hails Fed Govt $200m Intervention Fund

    Safe-Revive Africa (SRA) has called on the government, communities, and development partners to sustain commitment towards ending HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, despite recent disruptions in international funding.

    The non-governmental organisation made the call in a statement by its President, Dr. Oluremi Olaleye.

    Dr Olaleye noted that funding uncertainties from international donors had exposed the fragility of Nigeria’s HIV response, stressing the need for a more sustainable, domestically driven approach.

    According to him, Nigeria has recorded significant progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS, with an estimated 1.9 million people living with the virus and an 87-98-95 performance on global treatment targets.

    He added that new HIV infections have declined by 46 per cent over the past decade, attributing the gains to the dedication of healthcare workers, the resilience of affected communities, and strong collaboration among government, civil society, and development partners.

    “As part of activities to commemorate the day, SRA hosted its 4th HIV/AIDS Sensitization Forum for Community Workers in Lagos, bringing together frontline workers who play a critical role in HIV prevention, treatment support, and community engagement. We identified three key priorities requiring urgent attention. We called for accelerated domestic resource mobilisation, commending the Federal Government’s $200 million intervention and urging sustained investment as Nigeria moves towards self-reliance in funding its HIV response,” he said.

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    Olaleye also stressed the need to eliminate stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV, noting that fear and misinformation continue to discourage many from accessing testing and treatment, despite advances in care.

    SRA, he said, advocated the adoption of innovative prevention tools, including long-acting injectable medications, to further reduce new infections, particularly among adolescent girls, young women, and other key populations.

    Reaffirming its commitment to health education and community empowerment, the organization said its sensitisation forums were designed to strengthen community ownership of the HIV response and address related public health challenges.

    Olaleye urged Nigerians to honour those lost to AIDS-related illnesses, celebrate the progress recorded so far, and recommit to achieving an AIDS-free Nigeria by 2030, stressing that with sustained commitment and collective action, the goal remains achievable.

  • NDDC vows to complete reclamation, road projects in Rivers

    NDDC vows to complete reclamation, road projects in Rivers

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has vowed to complete the sand-filling and reclamation project in Okochiri, Okrika Local Government Area, and the 4.5-kilometre Nonwa-Uedeme-Ogu Road linking Tai and Ogu-Bolo Local Government Areas of Rivers State.

    Speaking during an inspection of the projects, the NDDC Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye, reiterated the commission’s resolve to ensure that all ongoing projects across the region were completed and inaugurated for the benefit of the people.

    Iyaye, in a statement signed by NDDC Director, Corporate Affairs, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, expressed satisfaction with the progress of work at the Okochiri reclamation project and noted that it would help the community gain more land for economic activities.

    He said, “We are here in Okochiri to monitor and appraise the performance of the contractor working for us. We felt the need to assess the project’s progress to ensure timely completion.”

    Iyaye said the reclamation project was significant to the Okochiri people because it had increased their land space, noting that it had helped to boost the Okochiri International Beach Festival and Carnival, which, according to him, “promotes peace amongst the people.”

    Earlier, during a courtesy visit to the Amayanabo of Okochiri, King Ateke Tom, at his palace, the NDDC Executive Director remarked that the commission had tremendous respect for the traditional institution.

    He told the monarch that he was in Okochiri to inspect the Commission’s ongoing projects in the area and ensure they were completed on schedule.

    Iyaye said, “For us to succeed, we believe that we need the cooperation of everybody. We need the cooperation of the traditional institutions, the state governments, and the youth.”

    Responding, King Ateke Tom commended the NDDC for executing impactful projects in his domain, especially for the sand-filling and reclamation project.

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    He observed that the projects would enhance the economic development of the Okochiri kingdom.

    Briefing the NDDC Executive Director on the project, the contractor, Dr Jude Moroh, commended the Commission for undertaking the project, noting that the area, which had previously been a mangrove swamp, had been sand-filled.

    Also speaking at the reclamation site, the Secretary of Ijaw Youth Council, Eastern Zone, Mr Tamunokuro Dango, said the Okochiri people were happy with the progress of work at the beachfront.

    He said, “We are delighted because this project has enhanced our economic and social activities, improving the lives of our people.”

    Inspecting the Nonwa-Uedeme-Ogu Road, Alabo Boma Iyaye assured that the NDDC, under the leadership of the Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, was actively working to implement the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

    He said that as an intervention agency, the NDDC would endeavour to leave its footprints in communities within the NDDC mandate states, working in collaboration with the state governments.

    The contractor for the road project, Hon. Deinma Iyalla, affirmed that the NDDC had transformed the area by linking various communities through good roads. He assured that the first phase of the project would be completed by the end of January.

    The NDDC Executive Director, Finance and Administration, also inspected ongoing work on the 1,500-seater Ogu Civic Centre and the Ogu Community Pavilion in Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers State.