The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

Global outsourcing market to hit $3.8 trillion

The global outsourcing market, valued at $3.8 trillion last year is projected to reach $7.11 trillion by 2030, with a yearly growth rate of 11.3 per cent.

The Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said stated this at the Association of Outsourcing Professional Nigeria (AOPN) 11th induction conference in Lagos

He said the global digital economy, outsourcing has evolved beyond traditional call centres into a sophisticated ecosystem spanning Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO), IT-enabled Services (ITES), cybersecurity, cloud-based solutions, artificial intelligence data services, and digital customer experience management.

Across Africa, the opportunity is significant as the Google–IFC e-Conomy Africa report projects that Africa’s internet economy could contribute $180 billion by 2025, representing 5.2 per cent of continental GDP.

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“None of these sectors can thrive without robust IT infrastructure, skilled talent, and trusted governance frameworks. Information Technology is not merely an enabler—it is the central engine powering sustainable outsourcing.

“The global digital services market is expanding rapidly. Gartner forecasts global IT spending to reach $6.08 trillion by next year, growing nearly 10 per cent year-on-year.

“Our interventions span policy formulation, infrastructure development, talent acceleration, governance and trust-building, and support for startup innovation.”

President, Association of Outsourcing Practitioners of Nigeria(AOPN), Mrs Mope Abudu, said: “It is for that reason that we decided to engage with stakeholders which include government parastatals, agency, and private sector. We are also looking at how talent is appreciated in Nigeria. We want to ensure that local talent is internationally competitive and that it is accessible in terms of language, adaptive to different countries.

“So, the association is trying to bridge the gap , raise the standard. All members are to follow the work ethics and give satisfaction to clients.”

December 5, 2025
Sanwo-Olu’s health mandate seals Lagos’ 2025 Hajj success

By Taofeek Lawal

“When you expect the best, you release a magnetic force in your mind which by a law of attraction tends to bring the best to you.” – Norman Vincent Peale.

This quote captures the foresight of Lagos State Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, whose wise counsel during 2025 Eid-el-Fitr celebration laid the foundation for this year’s successful Hajj operation. At the event the governor and Ministry of Home Affairs hosted at Lagos House, Marina, Sanwo-Olu urged prospective pilgrims to prioritise their health, saying: “I appeal to those with health challenges to reconsider travelling for the 2025 Hajj.”

This advice was not lost on the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Amir-ul-Hajj, Olanrewaju Layode. In a response, a team of medical professionals was commissioned to screen intending pilgrims. The goal was to ensure that every participant was medically fit for the journey to the Holy Land, where intense desert heat—often exceeding 45°C—and physical exertion during the rites could pose health risks.

The screening, coordinated by Dr. Mazeedat Erinosho of Ministry of Health, was extensive. Pilgrims were tested for HIV, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis (TB), kidney function (electrolyte, urea, creatinine), pregnancy, and full blood count (FBC). The addition of TB and kidney function tests was an upgrade from previous years. Thankfully, all pilgrims were certified fit, with only minor health concerns identified and managed proactively.

The initiative reflected not only care but also vision. Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam and demands full physical and mental fitness, in addition to financial capability. The Quran (22:27) enjoins Muslims: “And proclaim to the people the Hajj… they will come from every distant pass.” But fulfilling this obligation requires traversing significant distances under harsh conditions—Mina to Arafah (14.4km), Musdalifah to Jamarat (7km), and several kilometres for other rites. While buses ease some movements, others, such as the symbolic stoning at Jamarat require trekking and stamina.

Recognising these challenges, the government bankrolled the process—an initiative that saved each pilgrim N50,000. Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, made this gesture to cushion effect of the N8.78 million Hajj fare and ensure the health and safety of pilgrims.

The screening, which began at Badagry Local Government secretariat on April 19, was decentralised in 10 designated centres statewide. Of 1,400 pilgrims screened, 1,315 eventually secured visas. Importantly, not a single casualty was recorded during the Hajj. Except for minor ailments – headaches and fatigue, all pilgrims remained healthy and active.

This achievement is attributable to not only divine grace but also the pilgrims’ cooperation. Unlike in previous years when some bypassed screening or used proxies, the 2025 cohort complied. Medical personnel, led by Dr. Erinosho, were active throughout the pilgrimage. Lagos-supplied drugs were distributed at clinic points in the pilgrims’ hotels without delay or complaints.

Beyond the screenings, Sanwo-Olu’s generosity extended to other welfare provisions: monetisation of Ihram clothing, daily breakfast and dinner of Nigerian delicacies, payment for Hadiyah (sacrificial) rams, and organised Ziyarah (visits) to religious sites in Makkah and Madinah. Pilgrims were housed in Tent B+—an upgraded and comfortable tent facility at Mina and Arafah—with hotels close to the Haram.

In a post-Hajj self-assessment, Layode declared the operation a success. Speaking at the return of the last batch at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, he praised the pilgrims for their discipline and decorum in the Holy Land, calling them worthy ambassadors of Lagos State and Nigeria. He lauded the governor and his deputy for the support, particularly the medical screenings that proved pivotal to success of the Hajj operation.

On behalf of the pilgrims, the Central Working Committee, led by Dr. Ahmad Jebe, also appreciated the care and planning. Dr. Jebe praised the government for fulfilling all welfare promises and lauded Saudi Arabia for the smooth Hajj experience. He highlighted the role of NUSUK—an official identification pass issued by Saudi—which granted pilgrims unrestricted access to key Hajj sites like Mina, Arafah, Musdalifah, and Jamarat.

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Pilgrims were equally full of praise. Alhaja Kudirat Adebayo, speaking on arrival in Lagos, described Sanwo-Olu as “Mr. Talk and Do,” lauding the quality of food, medical attention, and spiritual guidance received. “We were taken to all historical sites for Ziyarah and received all the promised welfare packages. I urge future pilgrims to go through Lagos State for a fulfilling Hajj experience,” she said.

She also offered prayers for the success of the administration of Sanwo-Olu and President Bola Tinubu, and for excellence in future Hajj operations. Others echoed similar sentiments, affirming that Lagos State remains the benchmark for Hajj administration in Nigeria.

Secretary of Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Mr. AbdulHakeem Ajomagberin, described 2025 Hajj as the best yet, in terms of planning, preparation, and execution. He thanked Allah for safety of every pilgrim and assured that preparations for 2026 Hajj would begin promptly. Early planning, he noted, is essential to securing visas before Saudi Arabia’s portal closure and complying with directives from Saudi Ministry of Hajj and National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).

In conclusion, the success of 2025 Hajj stands as a testament to what visionary leadership, collaborative planning, and compassionate governance can achieve. The free and compulsory medical screening sponsored by the governor and his deputy was not just a health intervention—it was a life-saving initiative that set a standard for pilgrimage preparation in Nigeria. It is not surprising that stakeholders have called for institutionalisation of the free medical screening in subsequent Hajj.

Lagos has again shown that when leadership places wellbeing of residents at the centre of policy and action, excellence is not just possible—it is inevitable.

•Lawal is deputy director (Public Affairs) of State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board

December 5, 2025
General Christopher Musa: The man for the season

By Sunday E. Shoremi

It is a known fact that history does not remember offices; it remembers the men and women who dignified them. Titles fade; tenure ends; the corridors of power exchange footsteps. Yet, as old wisdom reminds us, what echoes after the footsteps is the measure of the soul that walked the path. It is this timeless understanding—rooted in civic morality and spiritual conscientiousness—that frames the present reflection on the imperative of retaining exemplary service beyond formal office.

My country, Nigeria, at this historical crossroads, stands in need not merely of institutions but of individuals whose presence strengthens institutions, whose integrity sanitizes processes, and whose vision steadies the fragile architecture of a nation still grappling with the ghosts of insecurity, political fatigue, and trust deficits.

In this regard, the stewardship of General Christopher Musa (Rtd.), the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), emerges as a compelling example of leadership that did not begin with appointment and certainly should not end with retirement. For as our forefathers said, “a good tree does not cease to give shade simply because the season changes.” Such is the character of service that transcends office—an unbroken flame that illuminates the path long after the holder removes the uniform.

The nation, like a long-suffering traveller, continues to seek the wisdom that guided General Christopher Musa (Rtd.)’s command—a calm, disciplined, patriotic force that stood between chaos and order when insecurity threatened to overrun reason. To dismiss such a figure into silence after office would not only be a moral loss but a strategic error in a time when Nigeria requires every credible voice, every tested mind, every tempered patriot in its arsenal for peace.

At a moment when national security remains fragile, the country requires a defence minister who understands the intricate psychology of asymmetric warfare, the sociology of communal conflict, the geopolitics of weapons trafficking, and the diplomacy necessary for international intelligence cooperation. General Musa (Rtd.) embodies this synthesis naturally. His leadership was not imposed by hierarchy; it was earned on the field, in operations, in negotiations, and in decisions taken under extreme pressure where the wrong move could cost lives or destabilize regions.

His suitability for ministerial responsibility is further amplified by his temperament. He is measured, deliberate, apolitical, and emotionally intelligent. Nigeria has suffered enough from leaders who react before reasoning. General Musa (Rtd.) brings the opposite: clarity before action; diplomacy before confrontation; logic before impulse. He has demonstrated repeatedly that leadership is not noise but depth, not posturing but substance.

The office of Minister of Defence demands more than administrative competence—it demands a stabilizing presence, a unifying figure capable of coordinating service chiefs, communicating with the presidency, engaging communities, reassuring allies, and maintaining troop morale. General Musa (Rtd.) carries this balance effortlessly. His appointment will fortify the national security architecture at a time Nigeria needs steadiness, continuity, and credibility.

Most importantly, he represents the moral clarity essential for public trust. His record remains untouched by scandal, factional bias, or regional favouritism. He is seen as a Nigerian officer—not a sectional figure. To ignore the strategic asset of his intellect, experience, and temperament is to undervalue the sacrifices of the men he led and the progress made under his command.

Our nation stands at a crossroad. The challenges of security, societal cohesion, and institutional continuity demand voices of seasoned judgment. The insecurity of our dear country is not a moment but a generational challenge, multi-layered and complex. It is political—shaped by governance gaps; economic—driven by unemployment and inequality; ideological—fuelled by extremist narratives; technological—enabled by cyber tools; transnational—supported by cross-border networks; communal—rooted in identity conflict; and environmental—worsened by resource scarcity.

No single tenure, however brilliant, can resolve a generational problem. Continuity of wisdom, not merely continuity of officeholders, is essential. The tenure of one Chief of Defence Staff may end, but the wisdom of a good and patriotic CDS must endure.

For insecurity is dynamic, requiring generational consistency, adaptive learning, and long-term strategy. Only individuals who have spent decades studying its evolution can advise on its future. Intellectual waste in national security jeopardizes sovereignty. A nation does not fall only to external enemies; it falls when it discards its greatest internal assets. Insecurity thrives where institutional memory is undervalued and experience cast aside. Nigeria must learn from history: nations that survived turbulence preserved their finest thinkers and disciplined strategists.

Countries like Israel, South Korea, the United States, and the United Kingdom operate on a principle Nigeria urgently needs: compulsory preservation of elite strategic minds. They do not “retire” the best; they retain them as strategic assets. In Israel, retired generals enter security councils. In the UK, former Chiefs of Defence Staff serve as advisers. In South Korea, former military leaders remain embedded in crisis management and strategic planning. In the USA, former service chiefs become national security advisers and institutional reform guides. Experience is a national resource, not a ceremonial relic.

Thus, bringing back General Christopher Musa (Rtd.) is not an act of sentiment—it is a strategic necessity. Losing a strategic mind incurs immense cost: years of inter-agency networks, insight into insurgent evolution, psychological mapping of extremist groups, trusted relationships with foreign partners, battlefield-forged experience, and nuanced intelligence knowledge vanish with him. Such knowledge is not in files; it is lived, and it saves nations.

Nigeria’s current security recovery is delicate. The transitional period is most vulnerable: new leadership acclimatizes, insurgents test weaknesses, international partners observe, intelligence flows risk fragmentation. The stabilizing presence of an experienced figure becomes indispensable.

The contemporary security environment remains complex. Stability is delicate. Absence at the wrong time can reopen cracks. Like every organism seeking health, Nigeria must preserve its strongest immune cells. General Christopher Musa (Rtd.) is one such cell.

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The purity of intention transforms technical knowledge into actionable wisdom. Character underpins competence, and moral clarity fosters public trust and operational effectiveness. Service involves navigating tension between visibility and discretion, influence and autonomy. Here, the wisdom of the retired statesman proves invaluable: navigating institutional corridors without ceremonial recognition, advising without overstepping authority, and marshalling knowledge for collective benefit. These qualities are tactical and ethical imperatives, exemplifying service beyond office.

Classical leadership principles reinforce this: Roman consuls retained advisory influence after stepping down; civic elders provided guidance without formal power. Contemporary leaders like General Christopher Musa (Rtd.) continue to shape national destiny. The echo of experience reverberates through policy formulation, institutional discipline, and strategic foresight. The nation benefits from continuity of prudential wisdom, ensuring fleeting office does not equal fleeting value.

Nations falter when experience and action disconnect. By harnessing counsel from leaders who traversed high office, Nigeria anticipates challenges, calibrates responses, and sustains stability. This is moral and strategic foresight safeguarding the common good.

Leadership and service are inseparable from history. Offices are temporary, but integrity, prudence, and insight persist.

Clichés resonate here: “Experience is the best teacher,” “Wisdom comes with age,” “Service knows no expiration.” These maxims validate the principle repeatedly in history, embodied in leaders who retain intellectual vigour and ethical clarity. Every consultation and recommendation reminds the nation that service transcends temporal office.

May our collective faith in Nigeria continue to find expressions of purpose. Offices fade, honours wane, but the spirit of service abides—echoing in institutions, in lives uplifted, and in a nation that dares to believe tomorrow can be brighter than today.

•Shoremi is a retired Deputy Director of the Federal Public Service.

December 5, 2025
The Booker winner

David Szalay is the reigning winner of the Booker Prize, an honour he received at a dinner in London for his novel, ‘Flesh’.

The novel begins with Istvan as a lonely boy living in a block of apartments in Hungary with his mother.

Istvan, who has just started a new school because they have just moved into a new town, is having challenges making friends and when he eventually makes one, he slips off his hands in no time for a reason so flimsy but common among teenagers.

Cut off his peers, he finds solace in the company of a neighour in the apartment opposite theirs, a woman old enough to be his mother. First, it is a kiss, a not-so-deep kiss. In no time, the kiss becomes French in nature. Within a short time, it stops being just a French kiss. She takes the whole of him in her mouth. And in no distant future, she has sex with him, a moment the author describes with the restraint of a writer who knows that the power of transgression lies not in its description but in its suggestion. The woman tells him, “I want to feel you inside me,” and in that line, the novel exposes its central tension: the hunger for touch and the moral decay that often accompanies it.

While the escapade is going on, Istvan’s mother holds a meeting with him. Her concern: His teachers’ complaint about his seeming distraction and his slipping grades. He insists all is well.

Meanwhile, he is also associating with the woman’s husband, who shares cigarettes with him from time to time. On an occasion, he asks: “What have you been up to?” His answer: “Nothing much.” He avoids the woman after that. But she comes looking for him and they continue their exploration of each other’s bodies. When he is not with her, he feels miserable. The time they spend together is the highlight of his days and he is ever eager to leave school.

To the woman’s surprise, he starts saying he loves her and she cautions him against saying that because she says he is too young to understand what love means, too young to fall in love with a woman in her early forties who insists she loves the man she is cheating on. He protests her love for the man, but she says the matter is too complex for his young brain to grasp. At this point, she breaks up with him and things fall apart. The only thing keeping him sane has slipped out of his control and he goes after her and she shrugs him off. So, he goes knocking at her door and he is met by her husband, who tells him she is not around, but like someone who has lost his mind, he forces his way in and a fisticuff ensues and tragedy strikes and Istvan ends up spending three years in a young offenders’ institution.

Out of jail and unable to get a job, he joins the army. He leaves the military after five years, returns to Hungary a war hero and gets employed by a winery that once rejected him. Though he has left the army, the army hasn’t left him; he soon begins seeing a therapist because of the things he saw as the aftershock of the things he saw in Iraq, especially the death of Riki, his friend, when they were on a mission to supply water to Ukrainians.

Like a rolling stone, he leaves for London, takes a job as a security man. With time he upgrades to being a private bodyguard, but a repeat of the Hungary transgression begins and, with time, it unravels like such transgression usually does, and what begins in sweetness ends in teeth gnashing.

By the time the novel ends, Istvan has morphed from the 15-year-old lonely boy of the beginning battling poverty to a full-grown man, who rises beyond lack and later falls into financial disaster.

Despite its bleakness, the author successfully steers ‘Flesh’ away from moralising. The author simply observes — the way an artist with the mind of a sociologist might, or a confessor with no power to absolve. By making Istvan a man of few words, he succeeds in letting his flesh lead in decision-making in his life. For this man who answers most enquiries with ‘yeah’, his body decides most times.

The novel raises questions about modern life, about desire, about money, about sex, about love, about work and about survival. It also tells of the class divide, especially the chasm between Europe’s rich and poor. In raising these questions, the author refuses to nudge readers in a particular direction, handing them a blank cheque to decide for themselves who to either root for or reject.

He writes with a clarity that feels almost cruel. His sentences are spare, his silences heavy. What he achieves in ‘Flesh’ is not just a story about forbidden desire, but a meditation on loneliness, on the strange bargains people, especially men, make to feel seen. The novel reminds us that the body, for all its promises of warmth, can also be the site of ruin.

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With ‘Flesh’, Szalay confirms his reputation as a chronicler of contemporary disquiet. The book lingers like the aftertaste of something both sweet and unclean, a reminder that often, the things we do for flesh are the things that undo us.

He delivers a disturbing, intimate exploration of desire, loneliness, and the blurred boundaries between need and obsession.

Before ‘Flesh’, Szalay had earned a place on the Booker Prize shortlist with ‘All That Man Is’ and had already built a reputation as a quietly ambitious and psychologically astute writer. His debut novel, ‘London and the South-East’ (2008), a sharply observed portrait of a drifting salesman, won the Betty Trask Prize and marked him as a talent to watch. He followed it with ‘The Innocent’ (2009), a tense, darkly intelligent work about a young man entangled in crime, and ‘Spring’ (2011), a novel that explores disillusionment and identity through an aimless journalist. Across these early books, Szalay refined his gift for economical prose, deep interiority, and portraits of modern masculinity—qualities that would culminate in the global recognition he later received.

My final take: Our flesh, which refers to our body, has led many on the journey of no return or on journeys that nearly take their lives. So powerful is our body that many go beyond and above to please it. But, like our heart, we need to guard it because when we leave it unguarded, the end is usually catastrophic.

December 5, 2025
Managing internal migration for national security and stability

Sir: Nigeria cannot achieve lasting security without confronting one of the least discussed but most consequential issues affecting the country today: the unregulated movement of people across internal and external borders. While insecurity is often attributed to terrorism, banditry, economic hardship, or political tension, the silent contributor underlying many of these problems is the absence of an effective system for monitoring internal migration.

Our constitution guarantees every citizen the right to reside and work in any part of the country. This right is foundational to national unity. However, the way movement currently occurs—frequently undocumented, unregulated, and poorly supervised—poses serious challenges for both the migrants and the communities receiving them. Over the past several years, Nigerians have grown accustomed to seeing large groups of young people transported across state lines in open trucks or trailers, often without any clear explanation of their destination, purpose, or support structure. This practice raises reasonable questions that demand policy attention.

Who organises these mass movements? Are there legitimate jobs awaiting these individuals? Do they possess the necessary skills, training, or information to sustain themselves in their new locations? Why are they transported in conditions that compromise their dignity and safety? And most importantly, who is responsible for them when they arrive?

In many cases, these questions go unanswered. Migrants are simply dropped in towns or cities and left to fend for themselves, often without accommodation, identification, or any verified means of livelihood. This situation is not only unfair to the migrants—many of whom are simply seeking survival in difficult economic times—it also creates security vulnerabilities.

Unidentified individuals, regardless of their region or background, can be exploited by criminal networks, political actors, or opportunistic groups. In a nation already battling multiple security threats, the absence of a system to track or verify large-scale internal movement is a gap we can no longer afford to overlook.

To address this, Nigeria urgently needs a well-designed internal migration management framework. Such a system should operate at multiple levels—ward, local government, state, and federal—and should prioritize documentation, transparency, and responsibility.

First, a biometric and bio-data registration system should be introduced for individuals moving from one community to another. This is not to restrict lawful movement but to ensure that authorities and host communities know who is settling within their environment. This is standard practice in many stable countries and is not incompatible with freedom of movement.

Second, there should be a clear system of guarantor-ship for migrants who plan to relocate permanently or semi-permanently. A guarantor—whether a family member, employer, community leader, or sponsor—should be responsible for confirming the individual’s identity and purpose. This discourages exploitation and prevents people from being moved anonymously in ways that could compromise their safety.

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Third, governments should monitor mass transportation of people in trailers, trucks, or lorries, especially when young people are transported under conditions that suggest coercion, misinformation, or lack of planning. Enforcement agencies should have the authority to stop such vehicles, verify identities, confirm destinations, and ensure that the migrants understand why they are being transported.

Fourth, local and state governments must become active participants in identifying and documenting new arrivals. Community policing efforts cannot be effective if residents, security personnel, and local authorities have no means of identifying unfamiliar individuals living within their jurisdiction. Proper documentation not only improves security; it also allows governments to plan for social services, workforce needs, and community development.

If we continue to ignore the gaps created by uncontrolled internal migration, we risk deepening insecurity and undermining social cohesion. Conversely, if we implement responsible and humane migration management, we will not only enhance safety but also support economic growth. Migrants, when properly integrated, contribute significantly to labour markets, entrepreneurship, and cultural diversity. The goal is not to criminalize movement but to ensure it is structured, transparent, and beneficial to all parties.

Nigeria is a vast country with diverse peoples, rich cultures, and boundless opportunities. But our progress will remain fragile if we fail to address the factors that weaken internal stability. What we need now is a collective commitment—from policymakers, security agencies, community leaders, and citizens—to look inward and build systems that protect our communities while respecting human dignity.

Effective migration management is not merely a security strategy; it is a pathway to lasting peace, justice, and national prosperity.

•Ted Isaiah Omobude,Jos, Plateau State.

December 5, 2025
There’s more to America’s sudden interest Nigeria

Sir: The U.S. President, Donald Trump, recently released a statement alleging that Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. He not only labelled the country as one of particular concern but also vowed to invade in order to stop the killings of Christians. He also threatened to cut off aid support to Nigeria.

As expected, Trump’s statement has generated controversies. Some welcomed the idea of a U.S. invasion, if only to put paid to the decades of insecurity in the country; others against the idea, citing countries that America has invaded where nothing good came out of it in the end. There are also those who remain neutral and would rather make fun of it.

There is more to America’s sudden interest in Nigeria than meets the naked eye. Every right-thinking person knows that the Christian population in Nigeria is not the only casualty in the more than one decade of insecurity in the country. We are all casualties, to borrow from the lines of John Pepper Clark’s poem The Casualties. Christians have been killed as much as Muslims and even traditional worshippers. So, when someone sits in the Oval Office in America and talks about Christian genocide, does it mean that the Muslims and adherents of other religions who have been killed are nameless and faceless?

It would shock some of those hailing Donald Trump if, after applying for asylum in America on claims of persecution in Nigeria, they are denied. The truth is that no Nigerian Christian should be happy with the Christian genocide narrative in a country where they are not minorities.

Perhaps comprehension has become a casualty in this debate, but I find it difficult to understand how anyone can claim that President Trump’s recent statement on faith-based violence in Nigeria aligns with the sectarian agenda advanced by certain groups. Two points stand out clearly in his comments. First, he deliberately avoided describing the situation in Nigeria as “genocide,” instead using the phrase “existential threat to Christians.” Secondly, and crucially, he identified radical Islamists, not the Nigerian state, and certainly not Nigerian Muslims—as the perpetrators of violence. These distinctions matter greatly, as they contradict the divisive rhetoric being promoted by those seeking to pit one faith community against another.

This is not the first time President Trump has raised concerns about alleged one-sided violence against Christians. During former President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the White House on April 30, 2018, Trump remarked: “We’re deeply concerned by religious violence in Nigeria, including the burning of churches and the killing of Christians.” In response, President Buhari, while framing the violence as indiscriminate, acknowledged the challenge of violent herdsmen and cross-border recruits from Libya and the Sahel, stressing that his government was doing its best to stabilise the situation.

There is a reason that moment remains instructive. Rather than amplifying a narrative of state-sponsored sectarian extermination, the U.S. side identified religious violence as one of several security concerns. The Nigerian side responded by framing the violence as part of complex socio-security dynamics, not as a conspiracy of Muslims against their Christian compatriots.

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President Trump’s statement, while emotively focused on Christian victims, does not mirror the propaganda promoted by some far-right commentators who claim that the Nigerian government turns a blind eye to attacks on Christians or that Nigerian Muslims are complicit. On the contrary, he singled out radical extremists. This distinction aligns with the Nigerian government’s own position and reflects the sacrifices of its multi-faith armed forces in confronting terrorism across the Sahel and West Africa.

The line between NGO activism and diplomatic engagement is clear. Activism draws its energy from outrage, while diplomacy thrives on dialogue. In this regard, the response of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs exemplifies the restraint and statesmanship required in such a situation. It acknowledges the concerns raised, reaffirms Nigeria’s commitment to religious freedom, and emphasises partnership with the United States in tackling violent extremism, the central theme of President Trump’s statement.

Nigeria, as Africa’s largest democracy, operates in a sub-region where democratic governance has faced severe strain in recent years. It cannot afford the luxury of an antagonistic posture toward a strategic partner like the United States, and it is reasonable to believe that the U.S. authorities are equally aware of this. There are no winners in a diplomatic standoff between Abuja and Washington, only losses for both nations. What must prevail now is reason.

•Zayd Ibn Isah,lawcadet1@gmail.com

December 5, 2025
Death of local government as Nigeria’s unspoken crisis

Sir: Long before insecurity tightened its grip on our highways, long before poverty colonised the villages, and long before our cities became swollen refugee camps of the economically displaced, a quiet tragedy had already eaten deep into the nation’s foundation. It is the tragedy Nigeria does not talk about enough, the crisis that rarely makes headlines yet determines whether development succeeds or dies: the silent collapse of the local government system.

Across the world, nations that work do so because governance begins from the bottom. In Nigeria, governance begins from the top — and too often dies there. The original intention behind creating 774 local government areas was noble: to take government to the people, to deliver water, roads, healthcare, schools, markets, records, and security at the grassroots. Today, that vision has become a shadow, wandering through empty secretariats and overgrown council premises.

But a surprising twist has recently emerged in this long-standing decay — a twist that should have marked a rebirth, yet has instead exposed an even deeper problem.

For decades, local government suffocation was blamed on the iron grip of governors who held their finances through the State Joint Allocation Account (JAAC). Then came what many hailed as liberation: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu supported, and the Supreme Court granted, full financial autonomy to the 774 local government councils.

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It should have been the dawn of a new era. It should have breathed life into Nigeria’s most abandoned tier of government. It should have restored accountability, development, and people-focused governance.

But autonomy has not resurrected the system — because the collapse is not only financial. It is structural. It is administrative. It is moral. It is political. And it is deeply entrenched.

The autonomy ruling has exposed a painful truth: A system can be rescued on paper yet remain dead in practice.

It is fashionable to blame Abuja. It is politically convenient to blame the states. But the true foundation of governance lies in the 774 local governments.

Autonomy has now revealed the national contradiction: We fixed the pipe supplying water, but the tank and taps are corroded.

If local governments were functional, Nigerians would feel governance every day — not as distant speeches in Abuja, but as clean boreholes, working markets, safe communities, and responsive ward-level administration.

The truth is now clearer than ever: Autonomy alone cannot save Nigeria’s local governments. Implementation, accountability, capacity, and genuine democracy must follow.

To fix Nigeria, autonomy must be matched with action. To fix Nigeria, we must revive the government closest to the people. To fix Nigeria, we must resurrect the 774 hearts that pump development into the nation.

•Aliyu Abubakar Bello Dorayi, Kano.

December 5, 2025
Jimmy Cliff (1944-2025)

•A musical genius and major cultural pillar

For Jimmy Cliff and his country, The Harder They Come, Jamaica’s first major commercial film (1972), was the game-changer. Cliff, the film’s lead actor, also released its soundtrack of the same name: first on Island Records (UK) in July 1972; and then on Mango Records (USA) in February 1973.

Aside from Cliff’s four songs: The Harder They Come, You Can Get It If You Really Want, Many Rivers To Cross, Sitting in Limbo — all which became evergreen classics — the 39:55-minute, Rocksteady-Ska-Reggae album had other tracks from Jamaica’s reggae groups: Scotty, The Melodians, Toots and the Maytals, The Slickers, and the singer, Desmond Dekker.

In the immediate post-colonial era, and its clash of cultures, with metropolitan music bossing the global airwaves, The Harder They Come gave Jamaica and its Caribbean cousins a cultural voice. Reggae broke into the global plain, so much so that Johnny Nash, a Black American, would later fancy his own share of the global reggae market.

Reggae, as implacable militant music against general racism and sundry global vices — with the Jamaican Rastafari (and Ethiopia’s Emperor Haile Salasie as godhead) — reached its zenith under the ever-iconoclastic Bob Marley — a meteor that took global music by storm but vanished, as suddenly, in a blaze of glory!

Cliff, who broke the global ice, was the diametric opposite. Before his death on November 24, aged 81, he was the most durable of them all. Over 64 years, he churned out hits after hits. A discography from Hard Road To Travel (1967) to Refugees (2022) was indeed one artiste, but different generations, straddling two centuries!

He was born James Chambers on 30 July 1944 at St. James, Colony of Jamaica, into a dirt-poor family. Set on a music career, even from his very early teen years, he rebranded himself Jimmy Cliff — to envision the musical heights he would attain.

He reached those heights. The unknown James Chambers of 1944 had become the global star, Jimmy Cliff, at his death in 2025 — all by hard work that honed his natural talent. His adaptation of, and fusion with, other musical genres also aided the dance hall acceptability of his very fecund releases.

Cliff was a multi-instrumentalist — guitar (acoustic and electric), piano, conga, keyboards — as he was a multi-genre artiste: ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul. He was not only a songwriter; he was also a singer and performer — a complete musician, if you like. His voice and vocals were unique, with a range almost beyond comparison.

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His multi-genre endeavour helped him to tap into many musical cultures; and thus, a broader global audience. That wide appeal fetched him a seat in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 — the only Jamaican, aside from Bob Marley, to attain that distinction.

But his multi-genre talent was as much a strength as it was a weakness. While Marley jazzed up reggae-qua-reggae as a potent protest music, sending jitters into the then metropolitan powers, Cliff maintained a ska-rocksteady-reggae-soul medley.

Of course, ska-to-rocksteady climaxed in reggae in the Caribbean. So, by retaining these tri-genres, Cliff stayed true to his roots, while he hugged global stardom. With that, he pushed societal norms and mores, without necessarily going over-board.

Cliff released some telling protest numbers: “Vietnam” (against the US Army bloodshed in Vietnam); “Suffering In The Land” (which decried global hunger and the arms race); “The Power and the Glory” (capitalist America vs communist Soviet Russia).

On human experience, “The News” was a bitter-sweet recall of his 1976 Nigeria tour — his very first to Africa. A hoax of a contract dispute landed him in jail where, he sang, he had a hell of a time getting bail! Yet, much later, he said he never hated Nigeria, as he was happiest when in Africa. Before that nasty experience, he had tasted fan adoration: waving fans, in Lagos, bordered the route from the airport to his hotel.

The unknown James Chambers, and aspiring Jimmy Cliff at 17 in 1961, rose to The Honourable Jimmy Cliff, Order of Merit (OM), Jamaica’s highest honour in the arts and sciences, aside from two Grammy awards, from seven nominations.

December 5, 2025
Police presence

•This goal must be pursued wholistically

Prompted by an intensified national security crisis, President Bola Tinubu’s recent order to withdraw about 100,000 police officers from VIP protection so they can “concentrate on their core police duties” was an appropriate response.

The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement, said: “In view of the current security challenges facing the country, President Tinubu is desirous of boosting police presence in all communities.’’ VIPs requiring protection will now be assigned armed operatives from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps instead of police officers, Onanuga added.

He also stated that Tinubu has approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police personnel and that the Federal Government is working with states to upgrade police training facilities nationwide.

Later, the President, while declaring a security emergency, said the police “will recruit an additional 20,000 officers, bringing the total to 50,000.” He also called on the National Assembly “to begin reviewing our laws to allow states that require state police to establish them.”

It is widely known that Nigeria is seriously underpoliced, which is a critical factor undermining security across the country. The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has an estimated strength of 371,800 officers, serving a population put at 236.7 million people in 2024.

According to a November 2025 report published by the European Union Agency for Asylum, “more than 100,000 police officers were assigned to the protection of politicians and VIPs, rather than to tasks serving the general population,” thus compounding insecurity.

The deployment of a disproportionate number of police officers to politicians and VIPs across the country has long been an issue of public concern. It continued despite directives aimed at redressing the situation, issued by the police leadership at different times in the past.

Following the President’s intervention, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun ordered the IGP Monitoring Unit and Commissioners of Police X-Squads to ensure strict monitoring and compliance. They are to arrest any officer found escorting VIPs. Egbetokun said over 11, 566 officers will return to “frontline duties” as a result of the presidential directive, adding that “policing capacity will improve.”

There is no question that the enforcement of Tinubu’s directive is crucial. The challenge of implementation demands political will and professional resolve.

Notably, a retired deputy inspector general of police, Zanna Mohammed Ibrahim, argued that the police force needs urgent reforms for the successful implementation of the President’s directive. He stated that some IGPs had issued the same order in the past but lacked the structural support to enforce it.

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Ibrahim further noted that VIP protection “has become an economy” in the force, describing it as a “cash cow” that generates revenue streams for officers, making the structure extremely resistant to reform. He listed the beneficiaries of such protection, including politicians, businessmen, entertainers, expatriates, religious figures, malls, banks and private individuals “seeking status.”

His deep insider knowledge of police operations makes his observations and recommendations noteworthy and useful. Apart from the necessary political will, he suggested steps for the success of the policy. He advised the authorities to: Publish a list of withdrawn officers; Deploy them to stations, patrols and intelligence units; Establish an NSCDC-based VIP Protection Service; Ban direct escort requests to the IGP or Commissioners of Police; Digitise all VIP security requests.

Other suggestions are: Introduce penalties for illegal escorts; Reward officers returning to active policing; Conduct surprise audits of formations; Launch a national policing-reform communication campaign; Use community policing to fill temporary gaps.

These call for a thoroughgoing institutional overhaul: dismantling the old system; building the new system; and sustaining the change.

It is important to ensure the implementation of the presidential order. But, more importantly, it is necessary to envision and emplace a reformed police force.

December 5, 2025
UNILAG students get scholarships, empowerment opportunities

Emmanuel’s Table, an initiative of the Prayer Network, has held its scholarship and empowerment programme, at University of Lagos. The event brought together students, volunteers, partners, and members for a day of teachings, prayers, and presentation of scholarships.

Convener, Oluwatobi Boshoro, said this year’s scholarship covers students’ fees, departmental and faculty registrations, utility charges and hostel accommodation. Beneficiaries are to receive a one-time stipend of N25,000. The organisers said the sponsorship will continue until graduation for those with CGPA of 3.5.

Students will also access job opportunities. One of the organisation’s partners has offered paid internships and possible full-time roles for graduates. In addition, beneficiaries may also intern with an event-planning company, where they can earn N50,000 per event, with possibility of a full-time job after graduation.

Delivering the keynote on “The Mind of Christ,” Pastor Oyinkan Bazuaye of RCCG The Oasis, spoke about how her encounter with Jesus Christ shaped her life and worldview.

Board member, Itohan Iyalla, described Emmanuel’s Table as “a seed sown by God,” to express the love of Jesus Christ through practical support.

She noted that the initiative, in its eighth year, has supported many.

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She said Emmanuel’s Table also supports women in business, families in need, and orphaned children, and provides grants for women entrepreneurs as well as food programme for vulnerable households. Iyalla said Emmanuel’s Table has “established itself globally”, and is expanding beyond Nigeria.

Beneficiaries share their gratitude. Ajayi Mary said: ‘The support will help her pay fees and meet needs. She encouraged others to visit the counselling unit to learn about similar opportunities.’

Adesanya Oluwadamilola, a 300-level Mass Communication student, said she heard about the scholarship through a friend in the counselling unit. “It has been very impactful. Beyond the grant and scholarship, I have learnt a lot from the life stories shared today,” she said. ‘She added that she plans to maintain strong academic performance to make the most of the opportunity.’

Another recipient, Eletome Godwin, said the scholarship would ease his financial burden and help him concentrate on his studies. “Many people applied and didn’t make the list. It is not by our power,” he said, encouraging other students to keep praying and trusting God.

Iyalla noted that Emmanuel’s Table is funded by individual donors who prefer to remain anonymous. She said the organisation’s credibility has continued to attract donors from all walks of life, allowing the programme to grow each year.

December 5, 2025