The Nation Newspaper

Category: Baba Yusuf

  • Another perspective on State Police

    Another perspective on State Police

    Two weeks ago, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reiterated his commitment to the creation of State Police in Nigeria, due to our national security and geopolitical reality. Recall that Mr. President, had triggered the process of the creation of State Police on the 15th of February last year when he convened a meeting with the 36 state governors, also attended by the Vice President Kashim Shettima, the National Security Adviser, the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the DSS, and some Ministers at the State house in Abuja.

    In my view, the creation of state police will provide a critical pillar of our national security architecture that has been lacking in Nigeria for a long time. In addition, the creation of state police is in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to achieve true federalism and decentralization of power in Nigeria.

    As rightly stated by President Tinubu, the preponderance and efforts of the various civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) in various forms across the geopolitical zones and States, including state security outfits like Hisbah in Kano State, Amotekun across the South West States of Nigeria, and state security outfits in other States across Nigeria trying to curb insecurity, further reinforces the need for the creation of state police.

    I have been a proponent of the creation of State Police in Nigeria, and in the past 1 year, I have written twice on this topic in this Column (Part 1 on the 23rd February, 2024, and Part 2 on the 2nd May, 2025). However, in today’s episode, I will reiterate my positions and expand my contribution to this important national discourse. In addition, as the Group CEO of the Global Investment and Trade Company (GITC), where the services we provide include; policy strategy and advisory, legislative frameworks and legislation support, policy implementation etc. we will support the creation of state police by following through the legislative processes (from Executive to national Assembly) to ensure that we have a robust registration to ensure that state police is not just enacted or activated, but to support the legislative process and framework that will protect the citizens of these countries and their allies from potential abuse of state police by those governors who that would like to take advantage of state police for their vested interests. Because, as Mr. President stated last week, and I quote, “We can work with the National Assembly to design a framework that guarantees local ownership while ensuring political neutrality”.

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    The Need to Continue Building Capacity at the Federal Level

    The Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Military, which are fully in the war against the insecurity theater, are facing not just funding issues, but other material challenges. Today, we have about 300,000 men and officers of the Nigerian Police Force, with a ratio of about 1 to about 500 Policemen. Recall that last year, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, raised this concern, requiring about 190,000 more boots on the ground to be recruited. In my opinion, they need more because we have about 250 million Nigerians that they are supposed to serve and protect. The Nigerian Military is facing the same man and material challenges. The entire Nigerian Armed Forces, i.e., Army, Air Force, Navy, Police, Immigration, Customs, Civil Defense, and the newly recruited Forest Guards, etc., are less than 800,000 active officers and men (boots on the ground). This is a really serious issue. 

    Therefore, there is an urgent need to continue improving the human capacity of the Nigerian armed forces at the federal level. Because, from a strategic perspective, while we refocus on state police, we must not lose sight of the criticality of the federal security architecture, which must be continuously and properly funded, equipped, and supported. Otherwise, we will be creating a bigger problem when we “lose guard” of our key security and territorial integrity flanks. It is only when the federal armed forces are solid, mobilized, mobile, lucid, efficient, and effective that state police will be relevant and successful. Even though the state police are crucial, they will have limitations.

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     Operations Model

    The lines of authority and accountability must be clearly defined between the state police and the federal police. Because even now, we sometimes witness face-offs between military and police or between security agencies. Therefore, the operations model should address the interplaying roles between state police and federal police. What will be the state of play when or where there are escalations? And what will be the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)? What are the engagement protocols between federal and state police? And what are the clear lines or boundaries of authority and accountability? We need to address that at the foundation level of formulating the state police legislation.

    Indeed, some powers will be taken from the federal security agencies, and they will be domiciled or shared with the state police. This will create new power blocks at the state level. Therefore, naturally, there will be a need for an adaptation process. Those are the things that will ensure that the federal police will all play their role in a way and manner that there are no frictions or there are no clashes. How we frame our laws will be key.

     Funding

    Funding and the framework that will support the funding are crucial. We currently have a situation where not all the states in Nigeria are struggling to pay the minimum wage of 70,000 Naira.

     Therefore, how will the Governors effectively fund State Police?  That is a crucial question that the governors need to answer and tell the citizens, from accountability and transparency perspectives. It’s not enough for a Governor to say he can crush insecurity within two months. How will he fund the state police in a sustainable manner? Because as citizens, we are not expecting governors to go to the federal government cap in hand to ask for money to fund state police, and if that will be the case, then I will withdraw my support for State Police.

     Concerns about the potential abuse of State Police by Governors

    I re-echo the concerns of many Nigerians and stakeholders that some state Governors will most likely use the state police as negative forces of coercion and abuse of office. The use of state police by overbearing and wicked Governors will certainly be a disaster, and, as citizens, we MUST not allow that to happen.

     But given our current insecurity situation and how we are evolving as a country, we cannot throw away the baby with the bathwater. Therefore, we should have state police. But we must have provisions within the constitution that will safeguard against the abuse of power, which will be catastrophic! 

     We should also ensure that thugs and touts are not converted by Governors to become State Police officers.

     Robust Legislation

    I use this opportunity to call on all well-meaning Nigerians, all subject matter experts, thought leaders, and stakeholders we should be part of the state police legislation, and give it the same attention that we gave the Tax Reforms Bill that was recently passed into law, to ensure that the enabling laws will be robust with the necessary safeguards to protect citizens, residents, and visitors of Nigeria.

     State Police will become a critical component of our democracy, and because we are creating something that is new, which could be subject to abuse, it is important that we pay attention. So that we do not hand over absolute power to state governors. Because absolute power corrupts absolutely!

    Concerns about Potential Abuse and Human Rights Violations

    We have cases of human rights violations and abuse of power by some security officials at the federal level. I cringe in my seat when I think of what will happen when the powers of state police are taken over by overbearing and narcissistic governors, whereby the state police are only accountable to the governors without any framework to neutralize such excesses if and when they happen.

     For instance, in February 2023, Justice Riman Fatun, of the Federal High Court Abakaliki, passed a judgment disbanding the Ebebeagu State security outfit in Ebonyi State, due to illegal arrests, extortions, possession of illegal firearms, human rights violations, etc. This instance underscores that the process of setting up state police should ensure that it will not be abused.

    Doctrine is a Critical Success Factor

    Doctrine guides thinking and the culture. And since we are creating a new entity called State Police, a new doctrine should drive the culture. Accordingly, if the existing federal armed forces have weaknesses that we are trying to address, imagine what some governors with this humongous new power of controlling state police will do, especially when the officers and men of the state police are not properly indoctrinated.

     If we don’t deal with the issues of doctrine (top to bottom and not bottom up!), we may create monsters that we cannot control as State Police, and the terrible consequences will be of broad ramifications.

  • Food for thought for Northern Nigeria

    Food for thought for Northern Nigeria

    “Woe betide a society whereby their dead leaders are better than their leaders that are alive” … Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule CFR, the Late Dan Masanin Kano, and Former Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations

    For the record, I am from Northern Nigeria, a Muslim, and a patriot of Nigeria. I am currently not a member of any political party. However, I am worried that our narratives and posturing as northerners will not change our collective situation for good unless we tell ourselves the truth and take the necessary actions.

     By the way, while I am talking about northern Nigeria, the people from other regions in Nigeria should also take my message as a mirror for their regions, so that they can also make progress. Because we all have similar tendencies.

     The Crux of the Issues.

    It is proper and very important for interest groups of northern Nigeria, like other regional, ethnic, and religious groups in Nigeria, to continue advocating for good governance and pushing for more equitable leadership and representation at the federal level, while keeping the fee of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to fire.  

     However, in my view, the issues bedeviling northern Nigeria and the actual solutions will depend on how we, the northern elites and establishment, view the issues, our sincerity of purpose, and the actions that we take to address them. The root causes of most of the challenges facing Northern Nigeria are more regional and local than federal. Therefore, we must refocus, expand our vision, and change our mindsets if there is to be any hope of redemption, growth, and development. 

    Living in denial and blaming trade will only complicate and exacerbate our situations. The combined ticking time bombs of tribalism, ethnic jingoism, religious extremism, religious bigotry, hypocrisy, poverty, jealousy and envy, greed, hatred, erosion of our core values, corruption, etc., are part of the multi-dimensional issues that we must address as our realities. Indeed, we must also accept that the issues are mostly self-inflicted, either deliberately or inadvertently.

    Consequently, political grandstanding and gaslighting will not help us but only make our matters worse. The population growth rate of northern Nigeria, the preponderance of out-of-school children, rising unemployment, youth restiveness, rising social vices, insecurity, etc., in northern Nigeria reflect our dire situation, which calls for sincere and sober reflections. Without decisive actions to contain the ugly trends rather than blaming trade, we will be doomed.

     Some questions for all of us who are Nigerians from the northern region are as follows:

    Having produced the highest number of Presidents and Heads of State in Nigeria, and having been key stakeholders in the political evolution of this country, how many banks are owned by northern Nigerians? How many media houses are owned by northern Nigerians? How many manufacturing plants, or factories, are owned by northern Nigerians, apart from Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Alhaji Abdulsamad Isyaku Rabiu, and a few others? How many industries or factories in Nigeria are operated or managed by northern Nigerians? How many of the former State Governors of northern Nigeria have even a “pure water” factory where they have employed 10 people? How many of all former State governors of northern Nigeria, former and serving Senators, and Members of the House of Representatives are actually employing people or that actually have scholarship programs/systems whereby they are supporting children from their constituencies, with their own money, or the money they have taken from us? How many of us own or are managing (at top level) the insurance companies, and other private financial institutions, corporate organizations, apart from the Non-Executive Directorships that we are occasionally given, to give a semblance of national outlook for Companies that are owned majorly by southern Nigerians in which we have no real stake, etc.? These are the critical indicators that will tell us whether we are moving in the right direction or not. Today, most of the masses in northern Nigeria are “on their own”, with no help from the elites.

     Most times, we, the elites, only speak out loudly when it comes to issues that directly affect us or our children, but not really for the common good. How did we allow our region to slide into the abyss of over 80 million out of over 133 million multi-dimensionally poor Nigerians? Are these issues entirely the fault of a President, i.e., President Olusegun Obasanjo, President Umar Musa Yar’Adua, President Goodluck Jonathan, President Muhammadu Buhari, or the incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu? Why do we have to shout all the time about issues that we are also responsible for? For example, we have a situation whereby a former northern State governor, who was a governor maybe 15 years ago, has become a glorified personal assistant to a current state governor. This speaks volumes to how we are making progress as northern Nigerians, or as Nigeria in general, because, by the way, this is not just a northern Nigeria issue.

     Certainly, if we are able to speak truths to ourselves, we may start moving in the right direction. Most of our leaders block their ears, close their eyes when they are in power, whether as Presidents, Vice Presidents, State Governors, Deputy Governors, Federal and State legislators, Judges, Chief Executives, Civil Servants, etc., but they shamelessly become “latter-day activists” when they leave office, having failed to deliver good governance during their tenures. It is time that we, the people of Northern Nigeria, start calling out such leaders.

    For the past 65 years in Nigeria, from independence to date, in every administration, northern Nigerians have been given the opportunity to lead or to serve. Whether the number is enough or not is not the issue. Recently, the late President Muhammadu Buhari was the President for eight years. How did our northern leaders, who were given the opportunities, perform? How did they change the fortunes of northern Nigeria within those eight years? Not long ago, during the tenure of President Goodluck Jonathan, most of the top government officials who were found blameful or responsible for the diversion of the funds that were appropriated and disbursed for the procurement of weapons to fight terrorism were from Northern Nigeria. They were found to be in cahoots with misappropriating money that was meant to save/ protect their people, other Nigerians, and residents from being looted, kidnapped, raped, maimed, and killed daily in thousands. What This is the height of wickedness! Shame! What did the northern elders, elites, or citizens do, or what are they doing to stop these menaces and evil tendencies of self-service?

     Currently, the two Ministers of Defense, two Ministers of Agriculture, the Coordinating Minister of Health, Minister of Information, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Transport, the National Security Adviser, etc., are from northern Nigeria. It does not matter what political party is in power at the federal level; we always have a significant share of power and the highest number of representatives in the power dynamics of Nigeria.  Therefore, what should matter is how we perform and how we utilize the opportunities.

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    Self-Service OR Sincere Agitation?

    For instance, months into the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, there was agitation by the Northern elites that there was a plan by the administration to sack northerners from CBN, etc., when 70% of the children in the CBN are our children, i.e., children of the elites. What about the children of Shoe shiners or peasant farmers, etc? Are we addressing the issues of almost 70% of our public primary and secondary schools that are dilapidated, with our children that sit on bare floors, in open areas? How about the teeming Almajiris that we maltreat? Is that the responsibility of the federal government? We all know that the State governments are primarily responsible for primary and secondary schools’ education, and yet we have over 10 million children and youngsters out of school. How are we, the elites, also speaking truth to our state governors to ensure that they do the needful? So, these are the posers for us to address as Northern Nigerians.

     Moreover, 70% of the leaders from North and indeed from Southern Nigeria came from humble backgrounds. But most of them forget where they come from, only when they need their votes. The fact is that about 60 or 50 years ago, they were given opportunities by leaders like Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, etc., and yet most of them have abandoned their people. Most of them were like the Almajiris of today, and yet they were given those opportunities to excel and become leaders in their Country.  Now, all they think of is themselves and their children. Yet here we are blaming all our woes on any President who is in power.

    Therefore, I urge our political, religious, traditional leaders, top leaders, intellectuals, and the entire elites to have a moment of introspection.

    In the subsequent episode, I will continue expounding on the issues bedeviling northern Nigeria and how I think we should best address them.

  • By-elections and Uba Sani’s consolidation

    By-elections and Uba Sani’s consolidation

    “There is no ballot box on Twitter. There is no ballot box on Instagram or Facebook. Elections are won at the grassroots, not on social media.” … His Excellency, Governor Uba Sani, the Executive Governor of Kaduna State

    The recently concluded by-elections across Nigeria, particularly in Kaduna State, are an attestation that the good people of Kaduna State are happy with the performance of His Excellency, Governor Uba Sani. The By-elections are a referendum by the people at the sub-national level, and they should be key performance indicators in the various states. While in some states, some incumbent political parties had to share the wins with opposition parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the leadership of Governor Uba Sani won all the by-elections.

     While in some States, the opposition political parties are challenging the outcome of the by-elections, there is relative silence from the opposition political parties in Kaduna State.. Interestingly, leading up to the by-elections, some opposition political leaders were running about fomenting social media campaigns, especially around the Zaria constituency, claiming that they had the “mobilized” massive support of the people. One would have thought that by now they would be shouting that the election was rigged and that they were the ones who won! But alas! They have pocketed the loss in silence. The silence of those opposition figures in the face of defeat speaks volumes about the level of acceptance of the leadership of Governor Uba Sani in Kaduna State. Otherwise, their voices would have been very loud across all social media platforms, claiming what I call “audio victory”. Governor Uba Sani aptly captured the reality when he stated that, “There is no ballot box on Twitter. There is no ballot box on Instagram, or Facebook. Elections are won at the grassroots, not on social media”. I couldn’t agree more. 

    Furthermore, what is profound and worthy of note is that the APC won at the Chikun/ Kajuru federal constituency, a zone that had consistently voted for opposition parties for over two decades.  This signifies that the good people of Kaduna South are happy with the style of leadership of Governor Uba Sani. This is a breath of fresh air from the toxic air of uncertainty, insecurity, hatred, bitterness, and disrespect that pervaded Kaduna State in the eight years before his administration.

    Read Also: Benue, Plateau killings: DSS charges nine with terrorism, unlawful arms possession

    Therefore, I congratulate His Excellency Governor Uba Sani on the success of the by-elections in Kaduna state. It is a well-deserved victory.

    The resounding victory of the APC in Kaduna South has demonstrated Governor Uba Sani’s high level of political clout, emotional intelligence, bridge-building capacity, cultural diplomacy, and delivery of the dividends of democracy across Kaduna State, especially his special attention to rural development, which is a bedrock of development of any State. Governor Uba State is not only focusing on the right direction, but he is also delivering his campaign promises. Without a doubt, if Governor Uba Sani continues on this trajectory, then we can safely say that he will clinch a second term in office as the Governor of Kaduna State in 2027.

     In my opinion, Governor Uba Sani is one of the most proactive and impactful of the incumbent State Governors in Nigeria. He is also one of the shining leaders of northern Nigeria who has emerged. I believe that he will contribute significantly to changing the declining political and debilitating social and economic trajectories of northern Nigeria in particular and the overall progress of Nigeria in general.

    Governor Sani is not resting on his laurels. He is Consolidating

    As we proceed from midterm moving into the second phase of this administration, we look forward to the manifestation of a lot of the Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) and Public-private Partnerships (PPPs) that Governor Uba Sani have signed off thus far which align with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the state level in the areas of agriculture, rural development, education, youth empowerment, infrastructural development, solid minerals energy, renewable energy, etc.

    Governor Uba Sani’s focus and impacts so far, on education, youth empowerment, and social justice, amongst others is very impressive, especially at this time there is the need for northern leaders to move away from rhetoric to action, to deal with the issues of out-of-school children, dwindling education, unemployment, poverty, youth restiveness, the dangerous decline in the quality of our human capital, and insecurity in northern Nigeria.

    Moreover, what is true and clear is that Governor Uba Sani is continuously building bridges of peace and goodwill. He is continually assuaging the fears and building the trust and confidence of the good people of Kaduna State, residents, foreigners, investors, and other stakeholders, reassuring them that for the first time in a long time, Kaduna State is safe. Indeed, in the past two years since he became the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Kaduna State has returned to its pride of place in the political, social, and economic schemes of Nigeria. Kaduna State, being the one-time capital of the northern region, is a trailblazer and a home to all Nigerians and also foreigners.

     As a northern Nigerian, I have also been a friend and resident of Kaduna State, having worked in Kaduna State during the early years of my professional career circa 1994, when I was the project manager of the computerization of the New Nigerian Newspapers Headquarters, and from where I was also a project support for the computerization of the then Office of the Accountant General of Benue State, and the Ministry of Finance, amongst other projects. For over 30 years, I have also been conducting business in Kaduna State, particularly in areas of agriculture and commerce. As an indigene of Kano State, I have made Kaduna State my second home, and I have always loved the State and its good people. Hence, I was always heartbroken like many Nigerians when the peace, harmony, and peaceful co-existence of Kaduna State were disrupted, with devastating consequences, especially in the eight years before the administration of Governor Uba Sani.

     I am therefore delighted that Mr. Governor has restored peace, harmony, and prosperity to Kaduna State since he took the mantle of Governorship of Kaduna State.

    Second term projections

    Nigeria is a democracy. Therefore, opposing voices and opposing personalities will continue to have their say, and even in some cases, they could have their way.

    Currently, in the case of Kaduna State, I think that the opposition parties in Kaduna will be content with having their say in terms of electoral victory. Because, undeniably, they know that with the performance of Governor Uba Sani, it is highly unlikely for them to achieve electoral victory. 

    Accordingly, if Mr. Governor continues with his current performance and achievements, God willing, he will ultimately win the 2027 Governorship election for a second term in office. This is because there is a nexus between performance, impacts on the people, and achieving another electoral victory for an incumbent political leader. I am very optimistic that Governor Uba Sani will get a second term in office. And I wish him well in that regard.

    Governor Uba Sani’s Democratic Credentials as a Success Factor

    Governor Uba Sani’s sterling democratic credentials as a democrat, and vanguard for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria from the shackles of Military juntas, risking his life along with other freedom fighters, is a testament to his pedigree, not as a freeloading onlooker, but as an active warrior for democracy who has earned his place in the annals of the political history of Nigeria. We will recall that he stood in the trenches fighting for the emancipation of Nigeria from the grip of brutal military dictatorship along with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and other brilliant, dogged heroes of democracy, some of whom paid the ultimate price with their lives, while others like President Bola Tinubu had to flee Nigeria and go into exile, as others like Governor Uba Sani were incarcerated and/ or convicted and sentenced to years in prison or death. The ordeals that vanguards, like Governor Uba Sani and his Comrades, were facing did not deter, demotivate, or stop them until, by Providence, Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999.

    Therefore, nobody can take away these sterling democratic credentials from Governor Uba Sani, which are marked with tears, scars, and blood. Unlike some other politicians who conveniently remained silent, collaborated or actively supported military juntas for their selfish interests, and only started speaking out or criticizing power when it was more convenient, fashionable, or even profitable.

    Conclusion

    The recently concluded by-elections in Kaduna State have left no one in doubt that Governor Uba Sani is now in charge of Kaduna State politics and leadership. It has also put lousy busybody politicians in their place. Politicians who are of the illusion that insults, toxic rhetoric, and political gallivanting will win elections will soon sober up, or they will soon get used to losing elections as they diminish into political oblivion.

  • Decentralisation of PPP approvals will catalyse development

    Decentralisation of PPP approvals will catalyse development

    Four (4) days ago (17th August, 2025), the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), released a new policy guideline to fast-track Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects in Nigeria, thereby decentralizing approval powers, which will enable ministries to approve projects valued below N20 billion, while agencies and parastatals are authorized to handle projects under N10 billion. Accordingly, a project approval board will be established to oversee the process.

    The policy framework is issued in compliance with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive, which is in line with the statutory powers of the ICRC Act of 2005, and which is based on Mr. President’s objective of liberalizing the economy and unlocking private capital for infrastructure which are key to the delivery of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

     According to a Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD) report released in June this year (2025) by the World Bank Group, “with the right reforms, Nigeria has the potential to become a leading engine of private sector–led growth and job creation in Africa”. Therefore, this new policy couldn’t have come at a better time. It is a welcome development, given the size, scale, and nature of PPPs as they are fast evolving across Nigeria.

     I am a proponent of PPPs, and also as the Group CEO of the Global Investment and Trade Company (GITC), where we undertake investment and trade facilitation, PPP strategy, modelling and transaction advisory, policy strategy, etc. with so far, an investment profile of over $500million; my team and I, are delighted with this development because we believe that from a policy strategy perspective, this is a strategic step in the right direction which will cut out “red tapism” and excessive bureaucracy, properly streamline our PPP initiatives on one hand and also enable efficient, successful, timely, impactful, and sustainable execution of PPP projects, in Nigeria going forward

     As a key enabler of infrastructural development and PPPs in Nigeria, the ICRC is a key fulcrum to the economic recovery and development strategy of President Bola Tinubu’s administration by unlocking Nigeria’s abundant human and other natural resources for social and economic recovery, growth, development, and sustainability.

     However, the fact that the ICRC will remain the clearing house for all PPPs at the federal and across all the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), from conceptualization to implementation, approvals, and regulation, is very important to ensure compliance with standards and achievement of impacts. The ICRC is already undertaking high-level stakeholders’ engagement with representatives of Ministries, Departments, and agencies (MDAs) involved in PPPs.

     With a current PPP profile of over 100 PPPs facilitated and/or being regulated by the ICRC in multiple sectors, that we at GITC estimate to value about $70 billion, out of which about $30billion (over N30 trillion) PPPs are being activated across various sectors within the first two of President Tinubu’s administration; the decentralization of approvals is the best approach to ensuring success and sustainability, if executed properly and implementation monitored and measured effectively.

     Indeed, over the years, as a key PPP practitioner and stakeholder, I have noticed that one of the banes of the success of PPPs in Nigeria is due to the omnibus nature of the operations of the ICRC vis-à-vis the political and socio-economic structure of the country. Indeed, the PPP model is still a nascent model in Nigeria. Hence, the timing of the decentralization of some of the PPP approvals of ICRC is apt, and it will add more value, make more impact.

     A case study that justifies approval

    decentralisation

    Part of lessons learnt as captured in an impact assessment report, published in 2016 and updated this year, by the Public – Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF), which is a World Bank funded organization; gives credence to this new policy of decentralizing PPP approvals, wherein the reported stated; “Clear lines of authority are fundamental to engage the private sector successfully, as demonstrated by the Nigerian Ports Authority singularly resolving concession issues. Thus, the federal government needs a more coherent and cohesive PPP regulatory framework with clear lines of authority.”

     Governance framework

    The fact that a project approval board will be established to oversee the process further gives credibility to the process and will strengthen project governance, accountability, mitigate risks, and assure effective project initiation, development, and implementation in line with the PPP objectives, agreements, and extant regulations and laws of Nigeria.

     Furthermore, the new guidelines for decentralization also detail requirements for preparing outline business cases (OBCs), full business cases (FBCs), financial models, procurement routes, and compliance steps.

     It is important that the Director General of the ICRC, Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, has stated that the ICRC will continue to “promote, guide, facilitate and regulate the PPP ecosystem in Nigeria in collaboration with relevant MDAs, i.e., the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE).” This is a very important part of the governance framework of the policy. The Director ICRC has also stated that there will be zero tolerance for non-compliance

     Some key points to note/ reiterate:

    I posit that some critical success factors should be noted/ reiterated/ reinforced as the new policy is activated. I am of the view that more attention should be focused on them so that we learn from past experiences, so as to guard against pitfalls and risks.

     •Integrity and transparency of the process

    The PPP approval decentralization will reduce the opacity of running PPPs and increase transparency and accountability in the entire process and operations of the PPPs, so as to avoid failures or complications to Nigeria’s economy. Defective PPPs could transmute into another form of debt, which will further have negative consequences on the economy.  Therefore, I expect that the decentralization of the PPP processes should ensure successes and socio-economic impacts at national and subnational levels during this administration.

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     •Stakeholder engagement and interagency collaboration

    A robust stakeholder engagement and interagency collaboration with a transparent dashboard to show all concerned and indeed Nigerians the progress of the investments/ project on a need-to-know basis. I noted that the ICRC has already fully engaged in this regard, which is commendable.

    •Investment, business and operational modelling

    We need to be sure that the decentralized PPP models we are adopting are the correct models for the overall socio-economic interests of Nigeria. For instance, what we have heard with regard to Air Nigeria during the immediate past administration of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development should guide our thoughts. In my humble view, some of the issues started from the PPP modeling of how Ethiopian Airlines was given a chunk of stake, the distorted local content value, etc.

     The PPP model is very important in all economic sectors because the model will determine factors like ownership structure, shareholding, Return on Investment (ROI), socio-economic benefits, etc. Hence, we should be thorough in considering and deciding which model to adopt depending on the investment portfolio and the sector, i.e. the model of the transaction, operational model, financial modelling, and the entire framework of the project; and in doing so we need to involve all the critical stakeholders to ensure that we carefully think through the options. With the ongoing reforms, I am optimistic that new win-win deal-making models that will ensure responsible critical national assets management will continue to evolve.

    • Legal framework

    About one (1) year ago, it was all over the mainstream media that one Mr. Pramod Mitta, the younger brother of the Billionaire Concessionaire that is behind the Ajaokuta Steel Mill PPP project, Mr. Lakshmi Mittal was able to leverage a legal loophole in the legal framework of the PPP to access about $500million to service a debt that he incurred in another country. Given that the PPP was signed many years before the administration of President Bola Tinubu, it remains a redundant legacy project for Nigeria, which I am happy to hear Mr. President is determined to deliver. This is a good example of how a lack of proper planning and efficient legal framework and support system for our strategic and operational engagements with our foreign investors/ partners could significantly negatively impact Nigeria in the short, mid, to long terms.

     Consequently, I advocate for the continuous full involvement of subject matter experts, all relevant government agencies, and stakeholders to x-ray the PPP models, agreements, and other relevant documentation to ensure that all the provisions in the legal frameworks protect all the interests of Nigeria before we proceed. Essentially, the outcome of the legal framework should be a win-win for Nigeria and for the investors. To also ensure that in the long run, Nigerians are not subjugated to foreign investors/ nations with no value to Nigerians. 

    •Project management and Execution Quotient

    The project management framework should be very robust, and the execution quotient of operating the PPPs should be high, with zero tolerance for laxity or slippages. This is so that the terms and conditions, as well as the deliverables of operationalizing the PPPs, especially the EPCC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Commissioning) module, are delivered timely and qualitatively with full value for money and impacts. This will ensure that people will not come under the guise of investing in our critical infrastructure and end up short-changing Nigeria.

     This will also safeguard our PPPs from becoming white elephant projects.

     In closing, I look forward to faster, efficient, and impactful infrastructural development in Nigeria. God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

  • Nigeria’s value addition bill targets N2.3trillion GDP

    Nigeria’s value addition bill targets N2.3trillion GDP

    “Today it’s fashionable to talk about the New Economy, or the Information Economy, or the Knowledge Economy. But when I think about the imperatives of this market, I view today’s economy as the Value Economy. Adding value has become more than just a sound business principle; it is both the common denominator and the competitive edge.” … Arthur Levitt Jr., a former Chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is targeting a 17% year-on-year growth in real output, thereby pursuing an increase in real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to N23.2 trillion by implementing a new Bill mandating 30% value addition to raw materials before export.

     One of the premises of this target is that, according to the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s real GDP in 2024 averaged N19.83 trillion, when Quarter-on-Quarter performance stood at N18.28 trillion, N18.29 trillion, N20.12 trillion, and N22.61trillion for Q1 to Q4 of the preceding year. Therefore, an increase of 17% in the average real output would push GDP to N23.2 trillion. It is an ambitious target, but achievable if the foundation and strategic pillars are properly set; and if the process of legislation is appropriate, and the consequent policy is well implemented, end-to-end. In my view, this is a very important step in the right direction. I am therefore in support of the Bill.

     As the engine room of incubation and development of innovation and materials and in Nigeria; the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), will play a key “focal point” role to upscale the value of our production, industrial growth to international standards and more importantly to make our products to be effectively competitive, sellable and acceptable. This will surely add value to our export earnings, enable the achievement of the “Nigeria First” policy of President Bola Tinubu, and consequently significantly upscale our GDP by ensuring sustainability.

     Accordingly, on July 2, 2025, the Nigerian Senate approved an amendment to the Raw Materials Research and Development Council Act, 2022, which will mandate that exporters must process at least 30% of raw materials locally before exporting.

     As the bill undergoes legislation, I advise on some key points to note.

     The Value Addition Policy and Nigeria’s Competitiveness in the Global Market

    According to a Global Competitiveness Report published by the World Economic Forum, Nigeria scored 48.33 points out of 100 (48.33%) in 2019.  Before then, the Competitiveness Index in Nigeria averaged 13.81 Points from 2007 until 2019, reaching an all-time high of 48.33 Points in 2019 and a record low of 3.37 Points in 2011. These are key indications of how important the value addition policy will be to upscaling the competitiveness of Nigeria’s products and services in the continental and global arena.

     If the value addition policy is successful, our products and services will be more competitive in the international market. For example, in the agriculture sector, fruits, vegetables, and even flowers from Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, India, etc., are very competitive in the international market. But Nigerian exporters are not competitive due to value addition, post-harvest/ post-production challenges like poor storage, poor logistics and supply chain infrastructure and systems, use of some pesticides during planting or post-harvest, etc. Consequently, a lot of Nigerian products and services are rejected or underpriced. Therefore, the value addition is a welcome development if properly formulated. More importantly, if the policy is well implemented.

    Reversing Trade Deficits to become a Trade Surplus

    Essentially, Nigeria cannot achieve its socio-economic objectives by just exporting raw materials, products, and services without value addition. I also strongly believe that the value addition policy, if properly implemented, will significantly change our trade deficits to become trade surpluses, putting us at a better advantage in international trade and investment to rein in more foreign direct investments.

     Technology Transfer and Job Creation

    In addition, the value addition policy will anchor foreign investors to situate their industries within Nigeria, thereby ensuring employment for our teeming youth, ensuring technology transfer and achieving economic values within the country and exports with concomitant effect on our economy, while also ensuring sustainability.

     Standardisation

    In my view, during the process of Legislation, some germane questions should be addressed as stakeholders distill the “30%” value addition within the framework of the Bill. For example, what are the standards? What makes up 30% value addition, in terms of the products? What are the standards for that 30% value addition? Because, in my view, value addition should also encompass storage, logistics and supply chain, infrastructure, facilities, and systems, etc. This is, because value addition will be useless if, for example, in the case of agri-products, by the time you move the products to the seaport or airport for export, having added the value, the products have degraded in quality, and therefore will not be competitive or will not even be sellable or acceptable in the global market.

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     So, I hope that there will be clear definitions and boundaries of standards with regard to value addition. It is also crucial that almost all our national policies key into an overarching national development strategy, in terms of industrialization, trade, and investment, etc. This is very important, so that there will be policy coordination and policy coherence as the Bill undergoes legislation, such that when enacted into law, the policy will not be in conflict with other Bills or policies that are already in place, and if so, for a realignment or streamlining to be done to ensure success.

     Policy Consultation and Strategy

    We need a robust Bill that is successful. Hence, I am calling for coherence in our policy formulation and reforms. Meanwhile, while contemplating this Bill, the following questions should also guide our thoughts: What is Nigeria’s trade policy? What is our Trade Policy? What are the key drivers of our strategies? The correct answers to those questions will ensure the achievement of the targeted 17% year-on-year growth in GDP through this new Bill.

     Appropriately, in formulating this policy, we should be very deliberate and visionary in our target setting in strategy. I believe this is achievable if we do the right things at the right time and have the right people doing them.

     There should be policy consultation so that we are well coordinated to achieve the desirable objective(s), i.e., economic recovery, economic growth, and sustainable economic development. 

    Infrastructure

    Infrastructure is crucial to the achievement of this very laudable bill. Particularly, logistics and supply chain platforms and systems (land, sea, and air), intermodal transportation networks, storage, etc., are also key to the success of the value addition policy. As an illustration, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has stated that over 50% of the agricultural products we produce in Nigeria get wasted from the farmland to the market or even to the dining table. Therefore, value addition and bridging the infrastructure deficit are crucial to our national economic diversification strategy, achieving the N2.3 trillion GDP, and also achieving the $1 trillion economy target set by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. So, I hope that the foundation laying and the strategic pillars setting will key into an overarching national strategy, so that we are moving lockstep in the right direction, to achieve successful legislation and passage of this laudable Bill, and effective implementation.

     Power/ Energy as a Sine Qua Non

    Earlier on, I stated that value addition cannot be achieved without infrastructure in terms of power. Nigeria is lagging far behind in terms of meeting its power/energy requirements for any meaningful economic turnaround, growth, and development.

     I am very happy that President Tinubu, early in his administration in 2025, as one of the first set of laws he signed into law, passed the law that enables all the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory in Nigeria, to generate, transmit, and distribute their power/energy capacities to drive socio-economic development. Thus, I want to see value innovation by the State Governors. I also expect decisiveness by the federal and state governments in result-oriented moves to ensure that we have enough power/ energy that will recover and sustain our industrial sector, and the Micro-Small-and-Medium scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in the short to mid-term, even if it is in a phased fashion. Our expectation is that between now and the end of the 2nd quarter to next year, governments at the federal and state levels are able to generate, distribute, transmit, and more power/energy for industries.

     Infrastructure Connectivity and Interlinks

    Furthermore, as stated earlier, the other critical infrastructure, i.e., intermodal transportation, rural feeder roads and bridges, logistics and supply chain, are critical to the success of the value addition policy. When production/ processing/value addition is completed, the efficient and safe movement of products from production location to the market, whether domestic or international, is also critical in the value chain. Therefore, the qualities and standard of the road network, and airports (passenger and cargo) we build, should fit into our short to long-term socio-economic visions and strategies to support and sustain the economy.  It is very important for us to also have effective interlinks between land, air, and sea transportation systems so that we are able to succeed in a timely and coordinated manner.

     This administration has a target of another two years until the 2027 general election. If we modularize our strategy, we will be able to achieve a lot before 2027.

  • Uba Sani’s example in Kaduna state

    Uba Sani’s example in Kaduna state

    Purposeful vision

    Two years into his administration as the Executive Governor of Kaduna State in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Governor Uba Sani, hit the ground running and has so far built the critical momentum of properly re-directing the political and socio-economic vision and trajectories of Kaduna State. He has restored relative security, peace, and harmony while he is grappling with what I call “the Burden of inherited complications of debt, toxic ethno-religious tensions, and insecurity”. Indeed, so far so good, despite the daunting challenges, Kaduna State is fast reclaiming its pride of place in Nigeria under the leadership of Governor Uba Sani.

     Restoring relative Security, Peace, and Harmony in Kaduna State

    In the past two years, Governor Uba Sani has demonstrated a clear understanding of his mandate. By applying a high level of emotional intelligence, bridge building, and his understanding of the political and socio-economic dynamics of Kaduna State, he has been able to significantly dilute the insecurity, toxic ethno-tribal, and religious tensions, and consequently scale down the animosities and communal clashes. We observed with admiration, as he constructively engaged the critical stakeholders in Kaduna across political, religious, ethnic, and divides, including; former Governors of Kaduna State, political leaders, traditional leaders, religious leaders, business leaders, academics, professionals, and from all walks of life at grassroot levels to ensure that the root causes of the issues are addressed from top to bottom and across the strata in all the Local Government Areas and hinterlands of Kaduna State.

     The governor has been measured, respectful, and statesmanly in his rhetoric, utterances, engagements, and behaviors, because he understands the importance of those virtues as a Governor of a State that is diverse, and has been polarized with scars of mutual suspicion, concerns of marginalization, and the attendant insecurities. We are all witnesses of the significant reduction of breakdown of law and order due to ethnic and religious battles, which have threatened the existence of such a beautiful, peaceful, hospitable, highly resourceful, strategic, and one of the most diverse States in Nigeria.

     Where there were issues, for example, the unfortunate incident that occurred in Tudun Biri, Governor Uba Sani did not escalate the situation with vile rhetoric or impulsive political self-preservation activities. He responded like a strategic leader by directly engaging the victims, not with blame or threats, but with empathy and a sense of responsibility. He also sought the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the leader of the Country, and he engaged all the critical stakeholders like the National Security Advisor, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Armed Forces, traditional, religious and community leaders etc. to ensure that the people at Tudun Biri were provided all the necessary support at that sensitive and crucial time. Truly, that was one of the defining moments of Governor Uba Sani’s administration – a true test of his leadership qualities. In my opinion, he did well, given the circumstances, especially with his follow-ups of keeping tabs on communities that were affected by conflicts or disasters across Kaduna State. Indeed, authenticity and consistency define the character of a leader.

     Looking back at where we are coming from, I am very happy, along with other teeming Nigerians, that Kaduna State is more peaceful than it was 10 years before Governor Uba Sani took over the leadership of the State. What a relief! So far, so good.

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     Fighting Insecurity

    The challenge of insecurity has been a lingering national issue in Nigeria for over 16 years, which is one of the critical challenges inherited by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and State Governors across Nigeria. Therefore, Federal, State, and Local Governments all have roles to play to tackle insecurity at all levels. Prior to the administration of Governor Uba Sani, we were all aware of the escalating level of insecurity in terms of kidnappings, banditry, religious extremism, and other forms of terrorism in and around Kaduna State. 

     Despite the multi-dimensional challenges, upon resumption in office, Governor Uba Sani proceeded with the agility, commitment, and passion to deliver the people’s mandate. He proceeded to formulate a strategy to sidestep all the booby traps and has so far been effectively delivering his mandate. It is evident that the level of insecurity in the State has significantly reduced, with the rescue of kidnapped people, elimination of terrorists, reclaiming of communities and farmlands hitherto taken over by criminals and terrorists, and recent surrender of some of the bandits. Citizens and residents are gradually returning to their communities. All these are due to effective stakeholder management, people’s skills, and relationship management by Governor Uba Sani.

     Dealing with The Burden of Inherited Debt

    Despite the debt burden of $587m,  and N85bn Debts, as well as 115 Contract Liabilities, based on which N7 Billion out of the N10 billion Federal Allocation for the state in the month of March was being deducted to service the state’s debt; Mr. Governor, has crafted a strategy of how to avoid the booby trap of debt to continue building infrastructure, investing in human capital development, providing interventions in times of conflicts and disasters, alleviating poverty, paying salaries, pensions and welfare of workers in Kaduna State including the increased minimum wage. Kaduna State is one of the States in Nigeria that pays the minimum wage. Therefore, it is important to note the prudence with which Mr. Governor is delivering such critical projects.

     Economic Recovery and Development

    Infrastructural Development

    Infrastructure is the backbone of economic and social development, and Governor Uba Sani clearly understands that. This is why he immediately embarked on critical infrastructure development across all 23 local government areas of Kaduna State, while also completing some of the ongoing projects started by his predecessor. New constructions and rehabilitations of major township roads, while placing priority on rural development with roads connecting local governments and communities, and feeder roads, all spanning over 1,000 Kilometers; construction and rehabilitation of schools, hospitals, provision of clean water, etc. are all ongoing, to ensure that no part or people of Kaduna State are left behind.

     Economic Diversification Initiatives

    Understanding that economic diversification is a critical success factor for economic recovery and growth. Governor Uba Sani has undertaken various economic diversification initiatives, and some milestones and impacts have been achieved so far, which include the following:

    Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ): In April (4 months ago), Kaduna was the first State in Nigeria to key into the $510 billion Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones initiative by the African Development Bank. The objective of this project is to transform Nigeria’s rural areas into thriving economies, ensure improved food security, boost the agriculture value chain in production, processing, value addition, and build export capacity, while creating jobs for millions of Nigerians

    Large Budget for Agriculture: Mr. Governor demonstrates the premium he places of Agriculture as a fulcrum of economic diversification by significantly increasing the budgetary provision in agriculture, from N1.4 billion when he took over as Governor of Kaduna to N74 billion for this year. The investment difference is clear, as the impacts will certainly be huge.

     Moreover, His Excellency has secured Foreign and Local investment commitments in Manufacturing, Solid Minerals, and Power, which will catalyze the productive sector of the economy of Kaduna State to reawaken the glory days of Kaduna as a manufacturing hub in Nigeria, which will also support national economic recovery.

     Foreign Investments: Two days ago, the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) stated that the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja has overtaken Lagos in terms of Foreign Direct Investments Destinations in Nigeria. Interestingly, Kaduna State is listed as one of the only 5 out of 36   States and the FCT in Nigeria that attracted Foreign Direct Investments in the Q1 of this year. They are: Federal Capital Territory attracted $3.04bn, Lagos attracted $2.54bn, Ogun State with $7.95m, Oyo with $7.81m, and Kaduna with $4.06m. This achievement is also indicative of a secure, peaceful, and conducive environment for living and business.  Kudos to Governor Uba Sani.

     Human Capital Development and Youth Empowerment:

    Four days ago, Mr. Governor signed a $25.35 million concessionary loan secured by the Federal Government from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development as part of President Tinubu’s youth empowerment and social development strategy to take our teeming out-of-school children back to school. This is one of the most important focus areas of Governor Uba Sani, given that northern Nigeria has over 10million out-of-school children and youth, with the attendant, horrible socio-economic consequences.

    Additionally, Governor Uba Sani has made massive investments in upgrading public primary and secondary schools, ensuring that every child in Kaduna has equal opportunity for a better life.

    Conclusion

    This episode is not enough for me to espouse the achievements so far made by Governor Uba Sani midway into his administration. Suffice it to say that from a dashboard view, it is clear that Governor Uba Sani is one of the few performing and outstanding State Governors in Nigeria, at a time that we are calling for more good governance, not only at the federal level but also at the State levels, as rightly stated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. That is why I find it necessary to also encourage the governors that are doing well so that they can be motivated do more.

  • Former President Buhari’s 12 million votes gone with him

    Former President Buhari’s 12 million votes gone with him

    From my experience as a political apparatchik, as a strategist, and as a Nigerian who has witnessed and been part of different phases of the political evolution of Nigeria and other Countries, the truth is that the 12 million votes of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari (May His Soul Rest in Peace) died with him. There are no more Buhari’s block votes to share. All the politicians who were hanging around late President Buhari were actually leeching on his political capital to win elections at the state and federal levels, and Buhari knew that. That is why President Buhari was not loyal to any of them.

     To contextualise this reality, in northern Nigeria, where the chunk of Buhari’s “12million votes” came from in 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015, there was a political phenomenon called “SAK”. SAK is a colloquial Hausa word that means “uniformity”. The SAK concept started in the north, especially in Kano State. So, if Buhari was in a political party, politicians leaned on Buhari’s so-called “integrity” political capital to join him as “underdogs” to win the elections. For instance, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau became governor of Kano State in 2003 riding on the SAK phenomenon, when General Muhammadu Buhari entered into Nigeria’s politics as a Presidential candidate on the platform of the then All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), state and national assembly members also emerged. Subsequently, politicians like Senator Umar Tanko Al-Makura became governor of Nasarawa State under the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in 2011, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai became the Governor of Kaduna in 2015 under the All Progressives Congress (APC), including Senators and members of the House of federal and state representatives. Prior to their emergence, most of those politicians did not have valuable/significant political capital. And most of them never made serious efforts to build political structures, and now former President Muhammadu Buhari is dead with his votes!

     Former President Buhari knew that those politicians were all leaning on him to achieve political relevance and prominence. That is why Buhari stated the mantra, “I am for everybody, I am for nobody”, during his inauguration as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2015. Therefore, all those people that we are posturing about claiming political relevance will now have to earn their political relevance, going forward.

     Some Strategic Considerations

    Buhari’s demise has technically reset the voting pattern, which will only manifest during the 2027 elections. It is instructive to note that the Buhari factor was crucial to the APC winning the Presidential and Gubernatorial elections in 2015. In 2023, the Buhari factor, although highly eroded by 2023, still played a significant role in the APC’s victory. But his demise has now opened a new vista for the APC. The hatred of the APC by some citizens is not only due to the perception of poor governance, but also of the perception of a lack of “enough” dividend of democracy given that the core north (North West and North East) who gave President Tinubu and he APC enough numbers to win the Presidency and State governments in the region.

     However, the key performance deliverables of Governors at the States in the northern states are seen by most citizens as the job of Mr. President. Therefore, the non-performance of Governors (where applicable), if not properly communicated, will continue to rub negatively on the image of President Tinubu’s administration, as we approach the 2027 elections. Consequently, the handlers and political leaders holding key positions in the administration of President Bola Tinubu have the responsibility not just to deliver their mandates, but also to communicate clearly and effectively to their fellow citizens at the federal, state levels as well as at their constituencies. Moreover, the sense of entitlement and disdain with which some of the APC leaders behave at the local levels could backfire on the APC. Indeed, Mr. President is doing the best he can at his level, but a “tree does not make a forest”. The APC team should not allow complacency to creep into their psyche or seep into their ranks, because the opposition parties are in disarray. My caution is that it is early days yet to rest on your laurels and allow Mr. President to do all the work! To whom much is given, much is expected!

     Complacency and Simmering Internal Party Concerns

    In my view, the current biggest challenge for APC now is not the opposition political parties;  the biggest challenge that APC will have is the APC itself. That is the issue of managing success, and that is “complacency.” APC is simmering underneath because there is disenchantment and frustration among some of its members.

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     Therefore, If the power of incumbency intoxicates the APC to the extent that they don’t take care of their own within the party structure, whether it is the CPC block, the ACN block, the ANPP block and others that feel that they have been abandoned, as we have seen them moving away or they grumble to us behind the scenes, they will play the game of opposition politics or sabotage under the radar; and the North are masters of playing that game. And that is what we call in places like Kano and other parts of the north in Hausa, “Wake da Shinkafa” (Rice and Beans) method, whereby we will vote for a Governor to emerge in a political party, but we are against the President during the Presidential election or vice-versa. Nothing should be left to chance.

    Situational Awareness and Delivery of Good Governance

    Essentially, situational awareness and the delivery of good governance in reality are critical success factors for the APC, i.e., dealing with insecurity, cost of governance, and dealing with the mandate as it were, beyond the political narratives. Because, like I said, the Buhari factor is gone, and most of the self-acclaimed or so-called political godsons of late Muhammadu Buhari, be them the ones that are with President Bola Tinubu today, or those that are currently gallivanting across political parties, do not have the political capital they are claiming to have. While some are selling dummies to President Tinubu so that they remain relevant, others who are malingering in other political parties are also selling dummies and living in a virtual reality, except for a few authentic political leaders. I am sure that President Bola Tinubu is aware of these dynamics, albeit not to the full extent, down to the grassroots in the north. I reckon that is why President Tinubu is making some political moves to reposition the APC. One of such moves is the removal of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as the National Chairman of the APC and zoning the national chairmanship to North Central. This is a good development for the APC, because in my opinion, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has since outlived his relevance as the national chairman of the APC.

     Hence, basically, the death of former President Muhammad Buhari has reset or will reset the voting pattern in the North in 2027.  It takes time and a lot of work, credibility, and other political assets to muster 12 million votes in 2027, given the level of voter apathy we have witnessed in 2015 in 2019, and 2023. However, I reckon that there would be more voters who would turn out in 2027 because Nigerians will see the reason why they really need to come out to vote and decide who leads them at the national and state levels.

     Focus on State Governors

    What I will say here is that the focus on the state level should be key for citizens to ensure the delivery of good governance in Nigeria going forward. 60% of our lack of performance or the progress of Nigeria can be directly aligned to the non-performance of our state governors.

     Professor Nentawe Yilwatda as the new APC National Chairman

    The emergence of Professor Nentawe Yilwatda as the National Chairman of the APC was the right strategic move by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The agitation of the North Central geopolitical zone with regard to the position of the National Chairmanship of the APC has been finally addressed by Mr. President. I commend Mr. President for this selection that brought about a “dark horse” at a time when there are a lot of contending powerful and relevant forces that Mr. President cannot ignore, e.g. Senator Umar Tanko Al-Makura, Senator Sani Musa, and others that are highly qualified aspirants, but whose selection could rock the already rocking boat of the Middle Belt APC. Thus, the emergence of Professor Yilwatda, not just as a “dark horse”, but also a Christian, is a deft move, and also partly addresses the Muslim-Muslim Presidential ticket issue that has remained a burning political issue. 

     Furthermore, selecting a national chairman from Plateau State, where the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is reigning at the gubernatorial level, is another suave move to ensure that either before or during the 2027 election, Plateau State becomes an APC state. What remains to be seen is how Yulwata is going to apply strategy, political dexterity, and emotional intelligence to uniting the party and addressing the foundational issues of the power blocks that formed the APC in 2015, which I believe should not be treated with levity.

  • Fiscal discipline is solution to concurrent budgets implementation

    Fiscal discipline is solution to concurrent budgets implementation

    Last week, the Senate of the National Assembly initiated the process of considering the proposal by Mr. President for the approval of concurrent capital budget implementation of the 2024 budget along with the 2025 budget. The issue of concurrent budget operation has been part of our national corporate culture for many years, before the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Therefore, concurrent budget implementation is a sign of the weight of legacy issues inherited by successive administrations. I believe that no responsible government will deliberately set out to implement concurrent capital budgets within a year. Therefore, I hope that the current administration will overcome the challenges and eradicate this legacy budgeting culture, amongst other challenges.  This is why, as my own civic duty and contribution to national development, on the 3rd of January, 2025, after the President presented the proposed 2025 Federal Government budget the National Assembly, I wrote on this Column a missive, titled; “Critical Success Factors for 2025 Budget”, in which I elucidated on some key factors to ensure that the 2025 budget is executed in a way and manner that is timely and effective. I will re-dimension some of them in today’s missive.

     Fiscal Discipline is crucial

    In my view, this recurring issue of concurrent budget implementation is largely due to a lack of fiscal discipline. In my view, Fiscal Discipline is one of the pillars for successful budget implementation, performance, and impacts. Therefore, fiscal discipline should begin from the stage of budget planning. It is at this point that we set our budget parameters and projections, for example, the projected global crude oil pricing, Nigeria’s crude oil throughput, and other variables. Projections are always impacted by global socio-economic dynamics, and or our internal socio-economic dynamics. Accordingly, I belong to the school of thought of being conservative with those numbers and parameters, even though the school of thought of being audacious with projections and parameters suggests that people will be put on their toes to deliver. However, as an apostle of “promise-based” leadership, I always prefer to under-promise and over-achieve, rather than to over-promise and under-achieve.

     More importantly, the world is facing one of the most unpredictable geopolitical and socio-economic dynamics in recent history, which could upset any economy that is not well hedged and reinfenced, or budgets that are not prepared with expected risks and shocks in mind. Moreover, the performance of a budget is directly proportional to the reality of the inflows and revenues that we are expecting, for instance, in Nigeria, Crude Oil output and sales, etc.

     Effective Policy Consultation and Policy Coordination

    In my view, the budget performance is also a function of budget execution quotient, policy consultation, and policy coordination. For instance, last week, the Honorable Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, received the Accountant General of the Federation, Mr. Shamsudeen Babatunde Ogunjimi, in his office. And one of the requests by the Honorable Minister was that the Accountant General should kindly expedite the payments for food and essential commodities supplied for the consumption of students at the unity schools across Nigeria, which is significantly affecting the students’ education. He stated that sometimes he had to delay the resumption of students to schools due to the unavailability of food for the students as a result of delayed payment to suppliers.  The Accountant General, in his response, stated the challenges with the budget system, which reflects on the cash flow and payment process flow of the government, and the need to evaluate the best system to use. This scenario speaks volumes about the lack of alignment of critical policies and cash flow, which is a subset of fiscal discipline.

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     I agree with the Accountant General of the Federation that there is a need for the federal government to agree on a budget system that is most suitable to our current socio-economic situation in Nigeria. In my view there should be a consensus between the Revenue generating entities, the enablers (cost centers), and the control and compliance groups of the government under the leadership of Mr. President, such that when if a budget system is adopted, all stakeholders, across all the arms of government will buy-in and move lockstep while implementing our budgets, with dashboard updates to all portfolio holders to know their budget performance status and also to know what to expect, so that they can be assured for keeping to core mandates as well as contractual and financial commitments, while they will be able to re-prioritize accordingly. This will also enable the Accountant General of the Federation to be more effective and efficient in supporting all Arms and MDAs (Ministries, Departments, and Agencies) of the federal government. The Reports of the Auditor General of the Federation with regard to Budget implementation will ensure compliance with extant laws, regulations, and timelines, as they also provide the necessary guides for prudence and accountability.

     Budget Parameters Versus Cashflow Management

    Cashflow availability and/or backing, which is a function of revenue, and defined budget priorities, are other reasons why budget implementations of the previous year dovetail into the budget of the current year. If you plan your budget for an upcoming year and the projected/ expected revenues do not come in as expected, the Accountant General will have issues with managing the cash flow for the entire federal government. And I think those are some of the critical inhibiting factors to the successful implementation of our budgets.

     Regular Budget Performance Tracking and Review

    It is expected that at the beginning of each quarter of the year, and at the end of the quarter, there should be budget performance tracking that should be done by the Executive Arm of Government, if we are expecting challenges, then all MDAs are made aware are prepare to hedge appropriately, so as to ensure that there are no capital project clashes or slippages. The National Assembly is also supposed to take budget performance tracking very seriously from the point of view of oversight, which is also done by the various committees of the parliament. Budget performance tracking will enable the successful implementation of the current year’s budget, while it will also facilitate better budget planning for next year.

     In addition to budget performance tracking, reviews of the overall budget implementation and the social and economic impact assessments should be undertaken, not just by both the Executive and Legislative Arms of government, with the objective of eliminating this embarrassing national issue. This is so that, going forward, by 2026, we can put the issue of concurrent budget implementation behind us and be more sure-footed.  Otherwise, there are ripple concomitant effects of slippages of capital projects execution, and making the needed social and economic impacts

     Elimination of Budget Padding

    Another classic case of Fiscal Indiscipline is Budget Padding by the National Assembly. Hence, total stoppage of budget padding at federal and sub-national levels is another form of Fiscal indiscipline. For example, according to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), in the 2021 budget, a budget padding of about N300 Billion was inserted in the Budget, while a budget padding of about N100 billion was inserted in the 2022 budget by MDAs. Budget Padding must be contained or eliminated, if we are serious as a nation. Otherwise, monies that should be invested and expended on critical projects will be ferreted away into corrupt pockets, while critical projects will continually be moved to next year, to the detriment of Nigeria and Nigerians.

     Political Will, Fight against corruption, and Consequence Management

    The government should consider impact assessments, especially social, economic impact assessments, as critical barometers to determine the progression or trajectory of our social or economic growth and development in this country.

     Part of the consequence of running concurrent capital budgets within the same year is the domino effect on the cost of capital projects and the cost of governance. For instance, if the government was supposed to execute a project for $10Billion last year, and the project is moved to this year, the project will likely be executed at the cost of $12.5billion or more, while clashing for funding with the targeted capital projects for the current year. So, if you amortize the cost implication on projects across all sectors, the ripple effect across the entire socio-economic value chain of the country will be enormous. Hence, the more we have avoidable capital budget implementation slippages, the more we will have concurrent budget implementation and consequently capital projects implementation delays and the attendant negative socio-economic costs and impacts.

     That is why political will is very crucial to ensure that there is zero tolerance for non-performance. If Government officials are dropping the ball, if they give me projections that are not correct, and/ or they have budget implementation quotients, there should be consequences. The officials who fail to deliver should be sacked or reprimanded. After all, while President Bola Tinubu is trying to cater to the needs of Nigerians, he faces opposition parties, cynics, and critics, while the weak links in the administration sit pretty with no consequences. This will only further promote non-performance, mediocrity, and corruption. Consequently, the good people and champions of the administration will become disillusioned, demotivated, and frustrated because the indolence of others will significantly dilute the overall performance of the administration. When examples are set that there is zero tolerance for non-performance, that is the only way we can go forward. Otherwise, things will continue to get worse.

  • Governors crucial to tackling electricity deficit

    Governors crucial to tackling electricity deficit

    Electricity is a sine qua non for development

    The most critical of Nigeria’s infrastructure deficits is the electricity deficit. Therefore, in my view, the decentralization of power generation, transmission, distribution, and regulation is one of the key panaceas for the electricity deficit jinx which Nigeria has been facing for over 40 years.

    Understandably, the challenges of the availability and sustainability of electricity have been sources of concern and national embarrassment, to the extent that 65 years after independence, Nigeria is yet to get to the power capacity that is more than 40% of its initial capacity over 40 years ago. Nigeria is one of the most underpowered countries in the world, with actual consumption of 80% below expectations, based on current population and income levels.

    According to CEIC, a global economic data insights provider; electricity production in Nigeria reached about 8,879 GWh in 2024, while electricity production in Egypt reached 16,900 GWh in 2024, and electricity Production in South Africa reached 18,961 GWh in 2024. Whereas the combined population of Egypt and South Africa is about 178million population as against about 227million population of Nigeria. This speaks to the precarious and unfortunate situation of infrastructural deficit that we have found ourselves in this country, and unless we deal with this issue of electricity (power) deficit, all economic recovery, development, and growth strategies and initiatives will be never be achieved.

     Certainly, major milestones have been achieved in the past three years from the twilight of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari (when the Bill to empower States to generate, transmit, distribute and regulate electricity was passed by the 9th National Assembly), and the assent of the Electricity Act 2023 into law by President Bola Ahmad Tinubu, on his resumption in office, as one of the key policies that he immediately signed into law, recognizing the importance of power to our national development. Indeed, Mr. President understands the need to, urgently decentralize the ability to generate, transmit, distribute, and regulate electricity in Nigeria. Accordingly, this law gives the opportunity to States across Nigeria to generate their own power, based on their priorities and the availability of different sources of power in their states. This also means that while the federal government will continue holding the core responsibility of generating, transmitting, distributing, and regulating power in Nigeria, states have the prime opportunity to complement power availability, and catalyze economic recovery and development. Already, about 11 states have taken the lead and have started the process of self-regulation. The States are Lagos, Enugu, Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo, Imo, Ogun, Edo, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, and are expected to complete their transitions between June and September this year. Anambra State recently passed its electricity law and is also preparing to join the list. Abia State has taken the lead long before the Act was passed. Interestingly, of all the states of Nigeria, Kano State is not in the list of early adopters of this opportunity. Therefore, I urge the Governor of Kano State to seize the moment. This is because Kano State, as the industrial and commercial hub of Nigeria and the entire Sahel region of Africa, needs to take this golden opportunity to bring back the glorious days when Kano was a hub of commerce, manufacturing, and industry.

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     The Electricity Act of 2023 is a Golden opportunity for states

    The states that have seized the opportunity are already putting strategies and structures in place. However, we need to know that there are lead timelines required, for design, engineering, procurement, installation, construction, etc., for such a project, and an incubation period to achieve success. Therefore, the timelines of action are very important for States. And I commend the Executive Governors of those States across Nigeria that have so far been working towards achieving the independence of power generation, transmission, distribution and regulation.

     The age and dilapidated state of our hydroelectric power generation and transmission equipment in Kainji, Shiroro, and Jebba Dams, amongst others, speak to the fact that there is no way the current national grid capacity can be sustainable. While natural gas has have come into play some years ago, and has been adding critical values to the national grid, the only way we can achieve purposeful growth in Nigeria is when and if states plug into this opportunity to achieve what I call the “quick wins” of power solution in Nigeria; while the federal government is dealing with the mega projects to ensure the availability and sustainability of power in Nigeria. Therefore, I urge all of us to continue pushing for these laudable projects while the federal government, through its various institutions, including the Rural Electrification Authority, etc. undertakes proper reforms in the Power sector.

     It is also instructive, to note that the dilapidated state of power that was inherited by successive administrations, increasing cost and management of infrastructure, wanton corruption, poor infrastructure management, poor project management, lack of transparency and accountability and declining availability of expertise in this very important industry are the crucial inhibitors of getting out of the power deficit doldrum we are facing in this country. Hence, unless we deal with these issues, we will not make tangible progress. The incessant power outages are the glaring reality of how we sat on our hands, as a nation, for decades without providing the requisite enablement in terms of investment, infrastructure, capacity building, and the political will to ensure that we have power availability to drive the productive sector.

     Instances of corruption in the power sector include: the attempt by President Olusegun Obasanjo to change the game in the power sector, as he did in the telecommunications sector, has been bedeviled by corruption, as it happened during the time of President Buhari. Two former Federal Ministers of Power are facing prosecution in Nigeria and even an arbitration abroad, to the extent that two former Presidents of Nigeria, i.e. President Obasanjo and President Buhari are witnesses and have testified before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Paris, France, in connection with the $2.3 billion power project arbitration proceedings filed against Nigeria by Sunrise Power over an alleged breach of contract by the federal government. This situation speaks to the crucial importance of political will. Unless there is the political will at the federal and state levels, we will continue to dance around the vicious circle of power deficit in this country.

    It is clear that there is a nexus between socio-economic prosperity and the availability of power in any country that needs to industrialize to activate its productive sector and grow and sustain socio-economic development in the short, mid, to long terms.

     The Electricity Act 2023 will upscale governance capacity at the state level and also enable states to move at their own pace in terms of development. For the forward-thinking governors, they will be able to harness the opportunity to catalyze development, as we can see in Lagos and some other states. It will also reduce the timeline from conceptualization to actualization at the state level because the electricity infrastructural development could be done in a modular and scalable manner, such that the states can set up and deploy power in segments, for example, per local government, senatorial district, etc. Of course, successes will depend on the priority of the State Governor with respect to his vision and mission-critical objectives, and the strategy blue print and strategy and policies implementation. Any governor who really and truly wants to develop his state knows that power is very critical. Because any other development cannot take place, especially with regard to the productive sector, without the provision of electricity and the entire energy value chain.

     Therefore, rather than the traditional fixation on the federal government, it is time for citizens, indigents, and residents to wake up to their responsibilities of keeping the feet of their state governors to the fire, to ensure that they do the needful. By fixation, I am not saying that we should not continue constructively engaging the federal government. But this is a golden opportunity for all of us to continue speaking truth power, constructive engagements to ensure that governors prioritize policies properly and act accordingly for the betterment of the people.

     Conclusion

    If State Governors plan very well with a good strategic blueprint, and a high execution quotient, they will turn around the economy of their States in the next two years because they will start generating wealth due to systematic reactivation of the production economy. This is achievable if State Governors properly enable the private sector to deliver.

     Furthermore, diversification to renewable energy is one of the key solutions to energy deficit and disruptions. Hence, the conversations about renewable and clean energy have also presented another opportunity for quick wins for the sector. Consequently, State Governors should include the unlocking of renewable energy assets like Solar, Wind, etc., in their states, as critical drivers for success. And I commend all stakeholders in the public and private sectors who are pushing for these initiatives. While the clean and renewable energy is onboarded, Nigeria should continue to leverage the traditional sources of power to ensure that we are able to accelerate our economic recovery and sustain going forward, while keeping our eyes on the importance of managing and regulating global climate change realities. Otherwise, success and development will continue to elude us.

  • Disasters and our response to warnings

    Disasters and our response to warnings

    “It pays to invest in reducing risks before they lead to disasters”…United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

    Commendable leadership responses to the Mokwa flood

    The predicted flood that enveloped communities in Mokwa Local Government Area in Niger State, Nigeria two weeks ago and the devastating consequences is a stark reminder of the clear and present dangers of global climate change.

     I commiserate with the people of Mokwa Local Government Area in particular, the entire people of Niger State and indeed the Government of Niger State over this calamity. May Almighty God Console and strengthen all those who are affected. Ameen. 

    I also commend the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his swift intervention by donating N2 billion for the immediate provision of relief materials and relocation of those affected and the 20 Trucks of assorted food items, which was undertaken on his behalf by Vice President, Kashim Shettima. 

    Furthermore, I also commend the Governor of Niger State, His Excellency, Mohammed Umaru Bago, one of the most pragmatic Governors in Nigeria, for his swift response to managing the crisis, from Saudi Arabia where he was performing Hajj, as he coordinated through his Deputy, Comrade Yakubu Garba who was immediately on ground as a first responder providing support, while the governor quickly returned to Minna. Governor Bago has demonstrated the trademark of excellent leadership when he visited Mokwa immediately upon his return, where he announced the donation of N1 billion to the victims, pending when resettlement begins. He also announced that the roads and bridges connecting Raba and other communities with Mokwa will be reconstructed at the cost of N7 billion, and his government will also provide 50 Trucks of grains (rice, beans, maize, and sorghum), inclusive of donations from other states.

     I also commend the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum, who I consider one of the most consistently proactive Governors in the current dispensation in Nigeria, and all other Governors that made donations to the good people of Mokwa in this time of crisis. Indeed, this is a reciprocity of the support given to Governor Babagana Zulum and the good people of Borno State during the aftermath of the Alao Dam disaster that occurred last year, which is still fresh in our memory.

     Mitigation Imperatives

     “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”. This quote by the late Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, resonates with me and reflects on how we govern and conduct our affairs in Nigeria and most parts of Africa.

     According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), “every $1 invested in making infrastructure disaster-resilient in developing countries saves $4 in reduced disruptions and economic impacts.”

     Therefore, having stated the above well-deserved accolades. I wish to, with profound respect, remind the governments (at federal and state levels), citizens, and residents of the importance of our individual and collective preparedness to effectively respond to crises and disaster warnings. This is so that we can efficiently and effectively mitigate the impact of such force majeures, which aligns with Pillar 4 (“Preparedness to respond to warnings) of the UNDRR’s Action Plan, on the early warning chain on disasters.

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     I worry about the state of our national and subnational preparedness to respond to warnings in mitigating the impacts of the ensuing crises/disasters. By this, I am not referring only to the current administration at the Federal and State levels, but I am referring to a national societal culture of “reactions”, rather than “proactiveness”, by both the governments and the citizens. Truly, as a people and governments, our preparedness to respond to warnings is mostly reactive, rather than proactive. We mostly wait until things happen before we react, even when the warnings are early and clear enough. Hence, there is no effective mitigation, and when crises or disasters occur, the impacts are overwhelming and multidimensional.

    On Friday, 20th September, 2024 (Last year), I wrote in this Column about the importance of proactive steps to mitigate disasters and crises with the title, “Lagdo Dam Alert- Are Warnings Good Enough?”. In addition, from 6th October 2023 to 28th June 2024, I wrote six episodes in this weekly column under the topics “Agriculture, Food Insecurity”, “Climate Change, and Cost of Living Crisis” topics; wherein I was calling the attention of governments at federal and state levels to the projected floods in 2024, other climate change variables, and the looming socio-economic impacts, especially on food insecurity, health, cost of living, etc. However, I did not see a concrete action plan to mitigate the impending threats as they were, until the disastrous bursting of Alao Dam in Borno State, which had shown signs of deterioration for decades (without interventions), and other floods across states in Nigeria. 

    In those writeups, I spoke about the importance of planning, having a strategy, and importantly taking proactive actions to forestall, effectively contain, and significantly reduce the impacts of the onslaught of floods on one hand, and also the need to improve risk assessment, disaster mitigation and management practices on the other hand. We never seem to learn from past experiences.

     There should be a template with clear pathways for individuals and families to prepare for and manage such situations, with Dos and Don’ts guidelines to guide people. Such communications should continually be coordinated at the federal and state levels from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Environment, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the National Orientation Agency (NAO), and other relevant government agencies.

     Way Forward – Recommendations

    The Lagos State Example

    Over the years, Lagos State has consistently been proactive in mitigating threats and risks such as flood; in terms of enforcement of regulations on building plans, construction of drainages, culverts, and other waterways, sensitization of citizens and residents, etc. Other States and Local Governments also need to be proactive in this regard.

     Governor Bago’s Example on Resettlement in Niger State

    Moreover, I align with Governor Umaru Bago’s position that IDP (Internally Displaced People) Camps are not a proper relocation, rehabilitation, and re-integration strategy. Certainly, the dehumanizing condition of IDP camps and the way we abandon our people there as if they are accursed raises the question of how we are really our “brothers’ and sisters’ keepers” in Nigeria.

     Accordingly, I applaud the decision by Governor Bago, that the N1billion Naira he donated on behalf of Niger State Government will be given to the Mokwa flood victims so that they can get temporary shelter, while an alternative location will be given to them so that they can relocate from the waterway (where applicable).

     Also, Governor Bago, has already given instructions to the Niger State Ministry of Lands and Survey to issue for certificates of Occupancy (C of O) to the Federal Government to facilitate the immediate construction of the resettlement homes for the flood victims.

     Additionally, he intends to work with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to ensure transparency and accountability in the disbursement of relief materials, money, and the rehabilitation process.

     The above-mentioned examples set by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago demonstrate his pragmatism and other excellent leadership qualities. I therefore urge other Governors to emulate such sterling leadership style, as those also consistently exemplified by Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State.

    Key recommendations/ points to note on Action Planning

    •Leaving citizens and residents to the elements and just telling them to do their parts is not good enough! The cost of living crisis and insecurity also give fewer options for citizens and residents who could barely feed, talkless of have money for relocation and logistics. Therefore, support for logistics should be provided early (before the disaster) to the vulnerable citizens to enable them to move in time to mitigate impacts.

    •I urge citizens and residents of Nigeria to align and support all government initiatives that have to do with disaster management, especially the early warning and mitigation action plans at the federal, state, and local government levels.

    •Inter-States collaboration amongst the States that are along the flood pathway to ensure synergy in managing the crises/disasters is crucial. Because this issue has to do with the security, safety, and economy of these States. The floods have the capacity to ground the supply chain and economy of the entire Country.

    •Erosion control and valley settlements management.

    •Protection of green belts and creating new ones by the ministries at the state and federal levels.

    •Interagency collaboration, policy coordination, infrastructure protection strategies, data management, security coordination, risk advisory, and strategic alliances in the management of disasters are critical.

    •Creation of “Buffer Dams” can take overflowing water from major dams, which can also create irrigation platforms for all-year-round farming, dam-silting dams clearing tributaries

    •Continuous environmental impact assessments and acting on issues that are flagged.

    •Transparency and accountability for sharing palliatives and interventions.

     The crux of my intervention in this memorandum is that without a robust, actionable, scalable, and measurable mitigation action plan, processes, and system, the perennial climate-driven disasters and other crises will continue to overwhelm us with increasingly brutal and devastating socio-economic consequences, especially on children, women, and the youth.