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Category: Tuesday

Trump’s gunboat diplomacy – 2

In early February 2025, this writer wrote a piece titled: Trump’s gunboat diplomacy which raised concerns about Trump’s determination to use brute force to promote his America first policies. I wrote: “Donald Trump, the 47th President of the United States of America has mastered the act of intimidating his opponents, and so far, it appears to be working for him. Americans, non-Americans, foreign leaders, local and foreign corporations, indeed the entire world is apprehensive of what Trump might do with the enormous powers he possesses. Trump, who has vowed to make America great again, totally abjures soft power, and unabashedly is determined to use intimidation and brute force to assert his country’s supremacy and exceptionalism”.

I also wrote: “History will record his era, as the return of gunboat diplomacy, in foreign relations.” Last weekend, Trump raised the bar of his gunboat diplomacy. He ordered the USA military forces in collaboration with the intelligence agencies to invade Venezuela, abduct President Nicolas Maduro, and his wife Cilia Flores, and forcefully transported them to New York, were they are now facing trial for alleged narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. In that same article, this writer expressed concern when Trump showed willingness to deal with Maduro, despite the flawed election which got him re-elected to power last year.

To the shock of the international community, Trump’s army went into Venezuela and according to some international media reports, within 30 minutes abducted President Maduro and his wife, and flew them out of the country. Clearly, while Maduro, according to international observers, did not win the 2024 election, there is no legal basis in international law, for the unilateral action President Trump took last weekend. It was simply a case of ‘might is right’. To show that he has no pretences, Trump threatened vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, who has been sworn in as acting president of Venezuela, that unless she moves in a certain acceptable direction, she would suffer worse fate than Maduro.

The acting president in her first speech had decried the abduction of president Maduro and demanded a proof of life of Maduro from America. Sitting in front of the country’s heads of security agencies, she talked tough against Trump and his invasion. She said: “What is being done to Venezuela is an atrocity that violates international law. History and justice will make the extremists who promoted this armed aggression pay.” She asserted: “There is only one president in Venezuela and his name is Nicolas Maduro.”

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But after Trump threatened her with a fate worse than Maduro, she appeared conciliatory in her social media commentary. She wrote about a “cooperative agenda” even as she had asserted that the oil resource of Venezuela was the reason for the invasion of her country by America. President Trump and his supporters, including Vice President JD Vance, didn’t make any pretence about the intention to grab the Venezuelan oil resources, albeit they try to justify it. They claim that they intend to get back what was taken from American companies some 20 years ago.

But in an article in the Caracas Chronicle, Marcus Golding, argued that the 1976 takeover or nationalization of the Venezuelan oil industry was never a theft, as the foreign oil companies, were duly compensated. The article, titled: The theft that never was: inside Venezuela’s 1976 Oil takeover, chronicles how the nationalization process ran. Of course, for Trump and his associates, those arguments do not hold water, as they have shown determination to run Venezuela as a surrogate country. This position is reflected in the argument by Stephen Miller, a White House Adviser.

For Miller, the expropriated American oil industry assets are now used to fund terrorism and drug trafficking. The deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security wrote that the Venezuelan expropriation represents the “largest recorded theft of American wealth and property”. He further said: “These pillaged assets were then used to fund terrorism and flood our streets with killers, mercenaries and drugs.” No doubt, that mind-set reflects what the majority of Trump’s team believe, and they use such argument to justify the invasion of Venezuela and the forceful seizure and transport of the former president to face trial in New York.

While President Maduro was a dictator, who made mockery of democracy in his country, the question will linger whether that record can justify the action President Trump of America took last weekend? Even more worrisome, is what impact the unilateral military action would have on the rest of the world order? Trump’s re-envisioning of the world order, will reverberate well in Russia and China, which have similar tendencies within its area of geopolitical influence. Indeed, it would encourage Russia, seeking to regain as much of its Soviet era influences in the region, as is possible.

Ordinarily, last weekend’s action by Trump should deprive America of any moral authority to mediate fairly, the Russia-Ukraine war, which is centred around similar geopolitical assertion of ‘might is right’. Indeed, Ukraine should henceforth understand why Trump is urging them to give up territory, in order to find peace with Russia. When Trump keeps saying that if he was president five years ago, the war would never had started, he may actually mean that he would never have given Ukraine the impetus to wish to join NATO, or assert itself in a way, to anger dictator, Vladimir Putin, to attack the country.

As many have argued, China too would see the action in Venezuela as more justification to wish to annex Taiwan which it claims is part of its territory, since 1945. The huge military arsenal China is building may eventually be put to test to assert its control of Taiwan. Again, USA which by the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) has the “mandate to make available to Taiwan such defence articles and defence services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defence capability” may no longer have the moral right to obey the provision of the act, should China seek to test its military might against Taiwan.

Even far flung countries like Nigeria, must worry at the rise and display of hegemonic power by Trump. The bombing of the bandits and terrorists in Sokoto, shows the long arm of Trump’s gunboat diplomacy. Pete Hegseth, America’s defence secretary, or secretary of war, asserted this rising gunboat diplomacy, when he said on Venezuela: “It means we set the terms. President Trump sets the terms”. He furthered: “It means the drugs stop flowing, it means the oil that was taken from us is returned, ultimately, and that criminals are not sent to the United States.”

As I wish my readers, a prosperous 2026, I urge our political leaders not to give Trump any reason, to play his war games, in out dear country.

January 6, 2026
Tunji-Ojo: Redefining public service

I can’t exactly recall who it was that forwarded to me a short video clip of an encounter between Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and a station officer in one of Federal Fire Service (FFS) stations in Abuja. In the clip, the minister had stopped by, apparently on an unscheduled visit to know the state of the fire trucks stationed in the premises particularly the state of their readiness in the event of an emergency. An encounter would turn out as much a revelation as it is a testimonial on the state of the nation’s public service: not only was the entire place in deplorable conditions, the few trucks parked in the premise had no water – the official excuse being that the trucks had gone out for operations days before had not had enough time to take in fresh supplies of water!

The account, later put out by the minister would convey not so much his palpable disappointment (which was evident in the brief encounter), but a firm, even barely stated resolve, to clear the mess the same way he had battled the daemons in the service points under his watch:

“Today, I paid an unscheduled visit to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) FCT Command and the Federal Fire Service command, Wuse Zone 3 station. The visit helped in the conduct of an on-the-spot assessment of our facilities, and the general preparedness of our gallant officers to address incidents as they can emerge quite unexpectedly. The orders of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) are clear in his yesterday’s national address to the nation where he noted that all hands must be on deck in our collective responsibility to secure this great nation. Security is life, and Mr President is trusting our officers to deliver on the issue of internal security and the protection of critical national assets.

As Minister of Interior, I believe that they will deliver on this, so that we can all be proud of Nigeria, and be able to call this great country a home. More importantly, I will continue to conduct unscheduled on-the-spot assessment of paramilitary commands across the country, as I want to see things the way they are. For me, I want to see the sort of service that Nigerians are getting across all our agencies because like what I always say, a good service is not good enough for Nigerians, but the best, always”.

Minister Tunji-Ojo is right to expect the very best from his front line officials. After all, he is known to have improved the capacity of the agency with the purchase of new equipment, rapid response vehicles, and systems that enhance response time. The story of how the minister has remodelled Federal Fire Service Academy in Abuja is out in the open. But what chance would he have had to turn things around without such surprises designed to keep operatives on their toes?

No doubt, a lot has been written about Nigeria’s Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, as one of those bright faces that have delivered not just values to the Bola Tinubu administration, but unparalleled innovations. Talk of redefining the public service in its entirety, Tunji-Ojo, whom his friends call BTO, appears to have captured the imagination of Nigerians as an exemplar of the kind of leadership that Nigeria sorely requires particularly at this time of transition: resourceful (IT-savvy); disciplined and focused – a goal getter. Given that Nigerians are not the easiest to please, it is a measure of the value he represents that Nigerians continue to speak of him in glowing terms.

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Here is a minister who moved the mountains where others before him could only skate in circles. Where others saw problems, he thought of them as challenges – and so solvable. Just when successive ministers had sold the passport problem as intractable, he chose to tackle it headlong. First was the issue of the 200, 000 backlog which he inherited. The problem, we were led to believe at the time, was shortage of passport booklets! How the backlog was cleared in a matter of weeks must go on record as the stuff of a genius. There was also the issue of debts said to be to the tune of N28 billion – and this, ironically, for services for which Nigerians are required to pay upfront! This, we now know, have since been retired with Nigerians still wondering about the magic deployed by BTO to clear the mess. With the seamless process currently in place, Nigerians readily testify that the nightmare once associated with passport acquisition is over.

While it is no secret that the minister possesses a background in Information Technology, the marvel is how he has managed to bring the discipline of that technology into virtually every aspect of the job entrusted to him in a public service traditionally known to resist change – and still get fulsome praise for the results!

A good example is the collapse of the 96-odd decentralized personalization centres to a single, secure, centralized and highly efficient passport processing centre, located at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja. That initiative, midwifed by Tunji-Ojo, not only aligns with global best practices but has significantly improved the quality, security, and also reduced the processing and issuance time of Nigerian passports.

His record at the nation’s gateways – the airports – would again attest to the same zeal undergirded by knowledge. Under his watch, some 40 e-gates across the Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt airports have been deployed to facilitate easy passage and maximum comfort. He has equally deployed the “Smart Border Solution” cutting edge technology with the implementation of Smart Border Management and Advanced Passenger Information Systems (APIS). Then is the INTERAS- Electronic Record and Archival Systems, aimed at digitizing records and streamlining operations across various services and agencies, the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC) and the new digital platform, Comprehensive Expatriate Residence Permits and Automated Card (CEREAL) application process – the common thread of which is to make service delivery less cumbersome with efficiency and effectiveness as goal.

He has equally paid due attention to the Nigerian Correctional Services. He has ensured the completion of ultra-modern furniture, leather, and shoe factories to afford inmates the opportunity of comprehensive rehabilitation and skills acquisition; the rehabilitation, renovation, and upgrades of some correctional centres across the country has been done. And then, a 4.81 tier petabytes Command and Control centre with 4.1MW battery capacity solar farm which was established to serve the need of Nigeria Correctional Service.

What I consider the most touching of the interventions by the minister is his mobilisation of N585 million from corporate bodies as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative to pay the fines of 4,068 inmates serving jail terms for petty offences in various correctional centres across the country. That, to me is a novelty, beyond the call of duty. But then, that is the essence of public service – touching lives in meaningful ways. If only for this, the man they call BTO deserves to be garlanded.

Merry Christmas dear readers.

December 23, 2025
Youths and Detty December

The Christmas season is a time to catch fun as the Nigerian youths would say. It is a season for what one can describe as unending open air party for everyone. In many parts of the country, it is the best time for traditional marriage ceremonies, church weddings, title-taking ceremonies, community football competitions, masquerade displays, carnivals and sundry street parties. But should Christmas be only about partying?

The slang ‘detty’ December is increasingly gaining notoriety. The Ai describes it as a vibrant energetic Nigerian slang term for wild, non-stop festive season in December, meaning to “party-hard” and “let loose” with concerts, parties, and events, a period also boosting tourism and culture, especially with the diaspora returning home for holiday celebrations. It says that efforts to make the word ‘detty’ gain traction can be alluded to Mr Eazi’s usage and trade-marking efforts.

The Youths of St. Mulumba (YSM), made up of young Catholics committed to faith, discipline, and service, took a slightly different route to the detty December. The YSM Region 3, made up of Lagos Island sub-council, Badagry sub-council, Festac Town sub-council, Satellite Town sub-council, Ojo sub-council and Amuwo-Odofin sub-council organized a mega rally, at the Navy Town Stadium, Navy Town, Lagos, last Saturday, with the theme: Faith in Action: Building the Future Together. The one-day event started with a Holy Mass, and featured a talk by Moyo Falola, a creative digital marketer, advertiser, graphic designer, artist, and member of the YSM, Badagry sub-council.

This writer commends the theme of the mega rally as a guide to every youth as they celebrate Christmas. While partying, the celebrants must have faith in what they are celebrating, which is the birth of Jesus Christ – true God and true man. The Christian faith teaches that Christ came to redeem man from the original sin of Adam. While celebrating, they must not lose track of the fundamental message of Jesus’s birth, and ministry, which is, His examples of humility. For Christian believers, despite being a divine King, in humility Jesus choose to be born in a manger, not in a Castle, as befitting His status.

Interestingly, the lowly birth of Jesus Christ, never affected His rise to greatness. Born to a poor carpenter, Joseph and a young maiden, Virgin Mary, in the lowly city of Bethlehem, Christ became the greatest man that ever lived. Despite Jesus’s poor background, he sat among the leading scholars of His time, teaching in their synagogue. One of Jesus’s greatest show of humility was the washing of the feet of His apostles, during His last supper with them, which is akin to a master washing the feet of his servants.

For the youths of St. Mulumba, and every youth out there, the message is that with humility in action, attaining the greatest goals in life is possible. If one is humble, and is dedicated passionately to a cause, then achieving a set of goals is very possible. That is faith in action. For example, many of the present movers and shakers of the world were not born with silver spoons; neither are they the most educated. The world-famous Bill Gates, is reputed not to have finished his university education. Yet with his skill and passion, he became the richest man on earth, for several years.

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The story of the Blessed Carlo Acutis, canonized on September 7, after dying at age 15, in 2006, for his deep faith and use of the internet to spread devotion, particularly to the Holy Eucharist, resounded deeply with what the youths should also busy themselves with, in detty December. Falola who alluded to the well celebrated actions of Carlo Acutis in his presentation, told his fellow young adults that they can live fully as a young person and still put their Christian faith in action.

The youths from the six sub-councils, also engaged in competitive activities amongst themselves. The program included a march past, a quiz competition about the life/history of the founder of the Order of the Knights of St. Mulumba, Rev. Fr. Anselm Ojefua, and the Order which was founded in 1953. The also engaged in various sporting activities, like egg race, fill in the basket, penalty kicks, and gele-tying and make-up by the boys and knotting of tie by the girls.

The events culminated in an open air dance party and feasting. With the DJ blaring modern music, the young adults between 14 and 25 years had a fun-filled early Christmas party. Many of them were meeting for the first time, but the conviviality was awesome. They mingled, chatted, did selfies, danced, ate together, played and competed, with the hope of building the future together. The choreograph of their march pasts, in their different colours, enthralled the leaders who had gathered to witness the first mega rally of the Youths of St. Mulumba, Lagos Metropolitan Council.

Leading the eminent personalities from the Order of the Knights of St. Mulumba was the Deputy Supreme Knight, Sir Dan Egwu, followed by the Metro Grand Knight, Sir Godwin Nosa Ehigiator. In his message, Sir Egwu reminded the youths that they are the hope of tomorrow, for the organization and for Nigeria. He urged them to embrace the values of faith, unity and selfless service. In his message Sir Ehigiator, said the event reflects a shared commitment to nurturing faith, discipline, and leadership amongst young people.

Deputy MGK, Sir Benjamin Ofodile, represented by Sir Falola, reminded the youths that the event was not just a celebration, but a call for action. A similar sentiment was expressed by the coordinating Deputy Grand Knight, for region 3, Worthy Brother Vincent Iwueze (Festac Town sub-council). He said the event celebrates the vitality, faith, and promise of our youths. No doubt, the call on the youths to build the future together and have faith in action, applies to the youths of Nigeria at large.

Interestingly, many states in the country are keying into the tourism potentials of detty December. With massive diaspora returns, the tourism and entertainment industry experience a boom. Clearly, Nigeria has the great potential to increase its GDP from the tourism and entertainment industry. With a very clement weather in most states of the country, especially in December, when winter makes most European tourism centres very unattractive, states in Nigeria can take advantage to increase their internally generated revenue, by promoting tourism.

For the Youths of St. Mulumba, their catch word for any similar mega rally will remain to pray and play. As DGK, Amuwo-Odofin sub-council, this writer commends his brother DGKs, WB Anthony Obioha, Badagry sub-council, WB Bernard Ebuzoeme, Lagos Island sub-council, Sir Vincent Ojukwu, Satellite sub-council, Sir Chijioke Muoneke, Ojo sub-council and the body of mentors, who helped members of YSM, Region 3, to build their faith together, through action. The seeds of friendship, sportsmanship and community engagement, which have been sown among the youths, will bear fruit.

As we celebrate Christmas, let every Nigerian youth, key into the message.

December 23, 2025
Dangote, cartel and national interest

Only those unfamiliar with recent happenings in the midstream and downstream petroleum sector could afford to pretend that they didn’t see the roforofo coming. However, whereas the moment had become somewhat inevitable, yet, even by the so-called Nigerian standard where rules and conventions are more often than not observed in the breach, there is a lot to be said about Sunday’s laser guided missiles hurled at the regulator of the midstream and downstream petroleum sector, and the cartel of fuel importers, by the president of the Dangote Group, that speaks to the extraordinariness of the current time.

That the gloves are finally off is an understatement. To those who know, the battle has been joined long before the Sunday, December 14 event with the latter date merely being the H-Hour. It was the day chosen by Aliko Dangote to step out, guns-a-blazing, in what became his long-awaited riposte to the sectoral undercurrents that has seen his corporate behemoth spar with the regulator and the cartel of fuel importers over the course of the past few months.

Call it bare-knuckle: no ambiguities, no pretences and no attempt sophistries: the Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), he asserted, had become a major source of his headache. Yet, much as he thought little of the institution, he actually thought far less of its helmsman, Farouk Ahmed, whom he accused of compromise, corruption and possibly, sabotage.

As they say of war, all is deemed to be fair!

Yes, Dangote, in a burst of moral outrage, challenged Nigerians to figure out how an individual, who had spent his entire life in public service, somehow managed to shell out a princely $5 million fees for his four wards in Swiss secondary schools over a six-year period without the unseen hands of benevolent patrons.

The expenditure, in his judgment, ‘raised serious questions about potential conflicts of interest and the integrity of regulatory oversight in the downstream petroleum sector’ and so should matter, not just to the anti-graft agencies, the tax man but to every Nigerian interested in getting the sector sanitised. I couldn’t agree more with him!

His words: “When you look at his income, his income does not match paying this kind of fee. And even if it’s me paying $5m for six years for my four children, the taxman has to look at my taxes and how much I pay,” he stated. In other words, the industry policeman, rather than serve the public interest, would seem hostage to interests that are at variance with the national interest!

Yet, much as one is tempted to see the charge, particularly the underlying insinuation, coming at this time, as nothing short of extraordinary, I don’t think Nigerians should suffer the distraction of failing to understand what the real issues are: the governance of the midstream and downstream sector, and the question of whether the current framework could be said to be fair and even-handed at a time of the sector’s transition. While the anti-graft bodies have taken the hint, and so should not detain us here, Nigerians must be seen to appreciate the need to sift the wheat from the chaff so as not to throw the good away with the bad!

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Surely, that there is no love lost between Dangote Refinery and NMDPRA is certainly an open secret. Most certainly, I understand why the former will be piqued by what appears to be unhelpful posturing of the latter. Only last year, on July 18, 2024, Farouk Ahmed, had alleged that local refineries, including the Dangote refinery, were producing inferior products compared to imports – a charge that was stoutly denied by the refinery at the time. Trust Nigerians: they let things pass without a firm resolution of that particular issue.

Again in October, NMDPRA would make another claim: that Dangote Refinery supplies the market far less than it claims. It puts the company’s daily average at 20 million litres as against the 50 million litres requirement of the local market. Expectedly, this was promptly refuted by Dangote Group spokesman, Anthony Chiejina: “the refinery now loads 45 million litres of PMS and 25 million litres of diesel daily, which exceeds Nigeria’s demand”. In fact, he told Bloomberg: “This significant production capacity not only guarantees local supply, but also enhances energy security and reduces dependence on imports”.

Still, Nigerians remain at sea for answers. In fact, it remains a national shame that issues of determining how much crude is refined and consumed daily continue to be a source of dispute. In this particular instance, the government apparently considers the NMDPRA figures as more believable; hence it suspended the 15 percent fuel import tax originally proposed to take immediate effect until the first quarter of next year.

I do appreciate how challenging the refining turf is. Surely, a man who has committed so much of his life and fortune to deliver the national dream should feel entitled to protection by the government. Yet, such expectations, call for a delicate balancing between the corporate’s guarantee of survival and the overall stability of the economy. Surely, Nigerians are not confused about what the issues are: Dangote Refinery deserves every support that the government can give – and this subject to its proven capacity; just as the nation’s best interests must remain a major consideration at all times. That would explain why the government, in its wisdom, came up with the adjustment in the 15 percent tax to, in the words of FIRS chairman Zacch Adedeji, “provide adequate time for stakeholders to complete alignment on technical templates, public communication frameworks, and import scheduling, thereby minimising disruption to the supply chain and ensuring that the reform achieves its intended stabilising impact.” We are talking of something that is only three months away!

Finally, on the cartels in the downstream arena: the club of international traders and local marketers all of whom, Dangote believes have colluded to undermine local refining; ‘organised cartels’, he claimed, pose a “bigger threat than drug mafias”.

He recounted multiple sabotage incidents at both his facility and public refineries, a notable example of which was the removal of spare parts from a 400-ton boiler described as the largest ever built!

“If I tell you the sabotages that we went through, including some of the machine manufacturers that were on the verge of going to court, you will know what I’m saying.

“Drug mafias are actually smaller than the people who are in oil and gas. They have robbed so many people in this sector,” he was quoted to have said.

Surely, that is where the main battle ahead lies. My answer: VIGILANCE! Even here, there can be no underestimating the capacity of the Dangote Group to do battle. Already, we have seen evidence of this at the bully pulpit and at the fuel dispensing pumps. Thanks to the undeclared war, petrol prices are expected to drop to N739 per litre nationwide, beginning today, with initial implementation at MRS stations in Lagos – all things being equal. While the question of whether this is merely a pyrrhic victory or one that will usher in lasting respite for the fuel consumer lies in the womb of time, it is a Nigerian win all the same!

December 16, 2025
Can FERMA redeem FESTAC roads?

The residence for the participants at the 2nd World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture, 1977, turned into a major residential hub otherwise known as FESTAC Town, Lagos, after the music, songs and drama had died down. That cultural fiesta, at the National Theatre, Lagos, now known as Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, showcased Nigeria’s pre-eminence as a wealthy black nation. It brought unprecedented pomp and pageantry to lovers of art in Nigeria, Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, as black nations showcased a potpourri of its diverse and rich culture to the world.

Nigeria which was swimming in the ocean of unprecedented oil wealth, the black gold, built that beautiful city, arguably reputed to be the finest city in Africa then to house the participants at the cultural event. The purpose built self-sufficient town, with an estimated 5,000 housing units, had underground drainage, electricity, plumbing, telecommunication and waste disposal system, making that one of its major attraction. Its well-designed paved streets named as roads and closes, which was systematically numbered, added to its uniqueness.

In its early years, the town could be compared to any city in the world. The electricity supply was complemented by automatic giant silent power generators at designated places, which ensured uninterrupted power supply. Telecommunications, inherited from the cultural fiesta was top notch, as with a few coins, one can reach any part of the world. The underground concreate flash water and waste disposal system was a marvel for any first time visitor. Few minutes after any heavy rain fall, the dry roads will crystalize in its scenic beauties.

Then, it was unthinkable for anyone to develop any unauthorized building, or shops in the many open spaces, which was a delight for children and young adults. Those open spaces allowed one to walk from one end of the city to the other, in between the houses. Across the first, second, third, fourth and fifth avenues, there were pre-planned open play-fields, shopping malls, with different cadres of buildings, ordered in a such a manner that the flats, the houses, the semi-detached houses, and the duplexes were chorographically intertwined.

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The houses were designated as T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T7, T8, T9 and T10, referring to one-room flat, two-room flat, two-room house, three-room flats, three-room semi-detached, and two models of four-room fully detached. All the houses were put up for lottery, for Nigerian civil servants, to ballot, after the music and drama had died down. While the top civil servants won and lived in the bigger houses, the junior ones had opportunities to win and live in the smaller ones. The combination and nearness of the different categories provided an undulating beauty of human, mortar and bricks.

The town had a buffer zone, between the Badagry expressway and the nearest road, the 2nd avenue, which served as water collection buffer, as well as security for the residence. Then, it was unthinkable for anyone to aspire to buy and build on that buffer. Indeed, the residents who were mainly civil servants had a very strong residents’ association which could take on any administrator, who tried to play game with the orderliness and scenic beauty of the iconic town.

The first manager of the town, Fortune Ebie, had a no-nonsense reputation, which was as tall as the Izaga. The genial fellow would not countenance any action that could debilitate the beautiful baby entrusted to his care. The public transport system and other infrastructure inherited from the festival of arts and culture, was up and running for many years, and living in FESTAC was beautiful. Those who had houses of their own could not wish for a better town to own a house and live in.

But not anymore. The glory of FESTAC had since departed. Indeed, many who could afford it have sold their residences and moved to other parts of Lagos to buy new residential accommodation. The level of deterioration is so much that it is now a heavy burden to live in the town. None of the infrastructure has been spared in the devastation that has become the lot of the town. Take the underground water drainage, most of it had collapsed, and now when the rain falls, most of the closes and roads are flooded.

Sadly, some greedy officials of the Federal Housing Authority which manages the town, sold off the buffer zone and open spaces housing the chambers to access the underground drainage, and those acts have helped the underground drainages to collapse. For lack of maintenance, the underground electricity wiring systems have mostly collapsed. With the electricity company offering variety of bands, overhead wires are now running riot as residents try to outdo each other seeking direct supply lines.

But the greatest challenge facing the town is the state of the roads, especially in the last few years. Many of the roads have craters and it was a major campaign issue during the last local government election in July. The roads have since given birth to many conspiracy theories. One of such claim was that the roads were abandoned by the local government, because the residents did not vote for the ruling party in the previous local, state and federal government elections.

But during the campaigns for the last local government election, Prince Lanre Sanusi, explained the limitations of the local council to muster the huge resources needed to rebuild the major roads in the town. He promised that if elected, he will use his goodwill with the state and federal officials of his party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), to attract the relevant federal authorities to repair and rebuild the major roads. Many had dismissed the promise with a wave of hand.

But last week, this writer was excited to see the rehabilitation of some failed portions of the 4th avenue road. To ensure that there is no doubt about which institution had brought such succour to the long suffering people of FESTAC, the roads had inscription of FERMA project boldly written on them. This writer hopes that FERMA would do more of such rehabilitations to save the residents the misery that bad roads have turned their lives into within the town.

The gratitude of the residents of FESTAC town would be immeasurable, if FERMA should repair the dilapidated portions of the 1st and 2nd avenues, which are in intolerable states. There have also been promises by the Federal Housing Authority to repair the 2nd avenue road, linking the interchange to the Badagry expressway. That promise should be kept, without any further delay, especially with the unprecedented huge increases in the rates and charges by the Federal Housing Authority.

With the APC in power at the local council, the state and federal level, there is no better way to promote the party, as caring and responsive, than by taking steps to substantially restore the lost glory of the world famous, FESTAC town.

December 16, 2025
Trump trumping democracy

The last 30 years or thereabout saw the resurgence of democracy in Africa, principally because of pressure from the United States of America (USA) and other western European countries. With the USA and its allies breathing down the neck of despots across Africa, the local pro-democracy activists courageously pursued their democratic enterprise. In Nigeria for instance, the maximum ruler, Sani Abacha out of fear of the western alliance turned into a recluse and when he suddenly died, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar who took over power foreswore any hanky-panky and quickly handed over to a democratically elected president in 1999.

What happened in Nigeria happened across several African nations as any undemocratic country was treated as a pariah. Trump’s predecessor, on two different occasions, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, both of the Democratic Party, never ceased to use the banner of democracy to further American interests across the world. It was substantially the same with those who came before them in the 1990s and beyond. With America breathing down the neck of African despots, democracy of all sorts began to take place in the continent and before long, all nations were considered as running some form of democracy.

But that hard earned “democracy” across Africa, especially in West Africa, is now in retreat because the hitherto moral leader of the world, the USA, now has President Donald Trump, who is somewhat amoral in charge. Donald Trump, the world famous dealmaker, who has cut peace deals between nations in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, appears ready to make deal with democracy. Between Israel and Palestinians, Trump was able to make peace at very heavy cost of human lives. This writer doubts if there is any other leader in modern history that would have the courage Trump had to allow the carnage that took place in Gaza, just to achieve relative peace.

Using Israel as a lightning rod, in the Middle East, the ambivalent Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthi rebels, and Syrian despotic leadership, are all in retreat. In Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, who have disgustingly been fighting over control of natural resources, in DRC, were arm-twisted to make peace deal. Trump is also arm-twisting Russia and Ukraine to make peace at any cost, against the weaker Ukraine. He barely listens to the anguish of Europe that sacrificing Ukrainian territory to make peace amounts to submitting to Russian expansionist militancy.

Trump also has very demeaning regards for poor third world countries, especially those whose citizens have become some form of nuisance in the USA. He has no diplomatic niceties in describing them. He called Nigeria names and most recently called Somalians ‘garbage’. He had used worse epithets for other nations on the same pedestal with Nigeria and Somalia.

So, the world may not be surprised that despite the turmoil democracy is facing in West Africa, the USA President has not taken any strong stance against the military adventurists that have been ravaging the region. It will be strange to his predecessors that democracy in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea Bissau were overthrown without any threat or even warning from the USA state department. In the past, the state department would have sent strong warning to the coup plotters in Mali and perhaps the follow up in Burkina Faso and Niger would never had happened.

Unlike his predecessors, Trump apparently ranks democracy lower than his other interests. His undemocratic policies at home suggest that. Take for example how he tried to browbeat the USA Congress to do his bidding, with respect to the recent budget impasse. When a congressman or woman of even his party disagrees with him, the least the person gets is severe tongue lashing. Clearly, Trump does not suffer any person he disagrees with gladly, and he surely believes the third world countries should stay in their ‘shit hole country’.

Trump also flirts with autocratic leaders, and has no complaints about the lack of democracy in their respective countries. In all his dealings with Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, he never waves the lack of democracy in that country; rather he uses words that depict the leader as strong. Even the more autocratic despot, the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un is called smart, without any denunciation about his despicable repression records against his country men and women. Trump has even shown willingness to do deal with the Korean leader, without minding the poor state of rule of law in that country.

Unlike his predecessors, Trump rarely questions the human rights integrity of the nations’ across the world. May be he sees those democratic principles as empty sloganeering by the western nations? Recall that former President Obama, insisted that Nigeria should not use military aircraft bought by Nigeria, to fight insurgency in certain parts of the country in defence of human rights, and because the bandits have not been declared terrorists. This strange posture was pursued by America, even when glaringly, the bandits were doing as much or more grievous damage to Nigeria’s security than the terrorists.

In faraway Afghanistan, while Trump is mad against his predecessor, Joe Biden, for authorizing the USA military to leave that strategic country, he has not raised any complaint about the ongoing repression against the citizens especially women by the Taliban regime. Even now he is threatening to invade Afghanistan again, he does not give the excuse that he wants to save the human rights of the citizens, rather he says he wants to have a military base in the country so he can from there confront the Islamist extremists and other enemies of his country in that part of the of the world.

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So, with Trump as president of the world’s most powerful democracy, that preferred system of government across the world is clearly in retreat. Sadly, because of the economic challenges facing most countries in Africa, the young and unknowledgeable youthful population foolishly see the military intervention in governance as the solution to the socio-economic problems of their countries. But as most citizens of the military-led Mali and Burkina Faso may have seen, the economic challenges facing their country have gotten worse than before.

It was that supposed preference for military adventurism that led the young military officers in Benin Republic to attempt to topple democracy in their country, last week. But for the swift intervention of the Nigerian military, those misguided soldiers would have been lying to their country men and women that they have solutions to all their economic and social challenges. As some have rightly argued, it would have been strategically risky for Nigeria to allow itself to be encircled by undemocratic nations, more so with Cameroon tethering under pseudo democracy.

This column urges African democratic leaders to understand that it is Africans that can save democracy in their continent. The way to go is to practice real democracy and not the quasi-democracy we see in many countries. If they ignore the warning signs, the alternative sadly may be the military interventions that we now see.

December 9, 2025
Re: ‘The trial of Minister Wike’
- By TJ ISHOLA
Sanya Oni’s article, The Trial of Minister Wike, makes an earnest attempt to situate the Wike–Lieutenant Yerima incident within the broader question of civil–military relations in Nigeria. But in doing so, it performs a delicate rhetorical dance—one that inadvertently obscures more than it clarifies and shifts responsibility away from the central actors whose misconduct precipitated the confrontation in the first place.

The article laments “institutional arrogance” within the military and warns against the inflation of Lieutenant Yerima into a national hero. Fair points – if taken in isolation. But the central flaw in Oni’s framing is the attempt to recast the entire confrontation as a morality lesson on military indiscipline, while glossing over the far more troubling and well-documented pattern of ministerial impunity that led to the encounter.

A case of selective outrage

Oni presents Wike’s invasion of the site as a bold, almost revolutionary attempt to “enforce the law”—a minister heroically confronting uniformed obstructionists. Yet this reading ignores the consistent and documented pattern of the FCT Minister ignoring due process, bypassing advisory mechanisms, and reducing the technical administration of Abuja to an arena for political theatrics.

The question is not whether the military can be overbearing. It can be. But in this case:

It was not the military that allocated land in breach of planning regulations.

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It was not the military that failed to follow established administrative procedures before attempting demolition.

It was not the military that showed up with cameras, commissioners, and a full parade of senior civil servants in the middle of an unresolved dispute.

Sanya Oni calls the official entourage a “horde of directors,” but fails to acknowledge that their presence is itself an indictment of the FCT’s governance style: spectacle over substance.

The central issue: Abuse of executive discretion

The article accuses the military of “obstruction” but fails to mention the unresolved legality of the land itself, or Wike’s obligation to obtain a court order or follow internal resolution protocols before attempting enforcement.

Instead of asking the obvious questions—

Was the revocation lawful?

Was the process complete?

Was enforcement premature?

Did the minister follow internal dispute-resolution channels?

The columnist opts for easier targets: military arrogance, public sentiment, and the supposed irrational defence of the uniform.

It is a misdirection. Civilian oversight does not mean ministerial absolutism

Oni rightly notes that the military must be subordinate to civilian authority. But subordination does not mean blind obedience to ministerial overreach. Civilian authority is exercised within the rule of law—not through public outbursts, ad-hoc enforcement, or personalised interpretations of power.

When a minister attempts enforcement in a legally contested scenario without exhausting procedural requirements, the duty of any disciplined officer—military or civilian—is to prevent escalation, not to surrender judgment at the altar of political theatrics.

Yerima’s conduct is not above scrutiny, but neither does it warrant demonisation simply to vindicate the minister’s excesses.

A troubling attempt to normalise the deployment of soldiers for private purposes

Oni rightly criticises the use of naval personnel to guard private property, yet simultaneously treats Wike’s manner of intervention as a legitimate assertion of state authority. But one abuse does not sanitise another.

The real scandal is twofold: A former service chief appropriated public land and deployed uniformed personnel for private security; a serving minister, instead of pursuing legal redress, chose confrontation as spectacle.

Reducing this complex illegality to a quarrel over “respect for the uniform” trivialises the matter.

The heroism debate: A false binary

Oni mocks the framing of Lt. Yerima as a hero. But the defenders of Yerima are not necessarily valorising him—they are condemning what they perceive as Wike’s habitual disregard for institutional norms.

The pushback is not about the heroism of a young Lieutenant. It is about the public humiliation of a junior officer by a minister who has developed a reputation for conflating personal authority with the authority of the state.

And to dismiss this concern as “nonsense” is to ignore the repeated incidents in which this minister has insulted civil servants, berated professionals on camera, and treated the FCT like a personal fiefdom.

If Nigeria is truly committed to building robust democratic institutions, then the conversation cannot begin and end with military subordination.

We must also ask:

What are the limits of ministerial power?

When does executive impatience become executive lawlessness?

Should a minister be permitted to perform enforcement operations live on camera?

What safeguards exist for junior officers dealing with politically powerful figures?

These are the questions Oni’s article sidesteps.

The drumbeat of dangerous hyperbole

Oni criticises Buratai’s comparison of verbal confrontation with treason—a valid criticism. But the article remains strangely silent on the minister’s own use of inflammatory, provocative language that escalated tensions rather than de-escalating them.

You cannot criticise one side’s hyperbole and treat the other’s as administrative enthusiasm.

Conclusion: No one is above the law — not the military, not the minister

Oni is right that we must resist the militarisation of civilian life. But we must also resist the political personalisation of public institutions.

Wike’s conduct was neither an ode to democracy nor a defence of the rule of law. Yerima’s action was neither heroic nor treasonous.

The incident is simply the latest illustration of the institutional disorder that arises when public officials—civilian or military—operate outside established procedures and accountability frameworks.

Nigeria does not need more articles framing this confrontation as a morality tale with heroes and villains. What we need is an honest conversation about executive impunity, military overreach, abuse of state resources, the politicisation of law enforcement, and the weakening of institutions through personal ego and performative governance.

On these matters, Sanya Oni’s article is unfortunately more obfuscation than clarity.

•Yusuf writes from United Kingdom.
December 2, 2025
Sir Festus Ogunrinde, author at 90 years

Last Saturday, at a beautiful birthday party, this writer had the honour to review the newest book by Sir (Chief) Festus Dele Ogunrinde, who turned 90 years on November 20. The 171-page book is titled Destined Marriage – A Legendary Experience. It tells, as the title implied, the faithfulness and forthrightness of man who kept faith with his beloved wife who was bedridden for 23 years. The book also tells the story of the amazon of a woman, who was not just the destined wife of Ogunrinde for 52 years, but his friend, business partner, and acolyte in their life of monumental charity.

One of the stories that touched the audience, was that of a blind widow, whom the Ayofunke Ogunrinde Foundation set up by Sir Ogunrinde and his beloved wife, Lady Funke Ogunrinde, had sought out, set up on a monthly allowance, and is training her son in a university. The book also contains deep teachings and practical lessons on faith, love, marriage, philosophy, and human relationships.

As I said in the review, the small but mighty book, critically reflects the saying of the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, that: “while many men in power and public office are busy carousing in the midst of women of easy virtue and men of low morals, I, as a few others like me, am busy at my desk thinking about the problems of Nigeria and proffering solutions to them. Only the deep can call to the deep.” Chief Ogunrinde belongs to that class of men who devote their time, treasure and thinking to finding solutions to the challenges of life.

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Indeed, Sir Ogunrinde despite his small size has the gargantuan weight of a bulldozer. He started philanthropy with his late wife Lady Funke Ogunrinde, since 1974, with scholarships for five indigent students, and more than 50 years (half a decade) later, at 90 years of age, is still engaged in philanthropy. The blockbuster of a book, tells the story of Chief’s unshakable faith in God and love for His creature, man, especially the downtrodden.

Like Jimmy Cliff sang, the book shows that Sir Ogunrinde’s love for God is as solid as a rock. His love for his late wife, Funke, was as solid as a rock. His love for his late mother was as solid as a rock. His love for the poor, the disposessed, the widow, the destitute and the downtrodden, is as solid as a rock. Clearly, the stories in the book shows that Sir Ogunrinde has earnestly prepared for the standard set in the gospel of Matthew 25:34-36.

The book has a forward written by a very erudite Catholic priest, Very Rev. Fr. Melvis Mayaki, Parish Priest, Holy Family Catholic Church, and Dean Festac Town, Deanery. He intones that the book will inspire, challenge, and perhaps transform the readers understanding of love and companionship. I agree totally with him. The book is a potpourri of Sir Ogunrinde’s writings, and the writings of a few others, connected to his work of philanthropy. Chapter one, bears the title of the book: Destined Marriage – A legendary Experience. There, chief elucidates on religion, catechism of the Catholic Church and his personal philosophy of life.

He enjoins every man to ascertain the purpose for which he was created. He says that purpose is what we call destiny. I quote him: “Once you are a creature, your destiny is attached to you to be fulfilled before you return to your Creator.” He furthered: “Therefore, let no man, woman, soothsayer, or fortune teller tell you the direction of your destiny.” The book teaches the reader to have utmost belief in God as the curator and master of destines and see life challenges as one’s destiny.

If for example, one is destined to die by accident “The type of accident, the time of death, and the circumstances surrounding the death are predetermined and will come to pass at the appointed time. If an enemy is involved, he or she will be present at the time and place of the accident.” He contends that destiny is by design and not coincidence. Sir Ogunrinde however argues that the fulfilment of destiny can be aided by prayers and supplication.

He said that for destiny to change, “First, the person must have absolute faith in God. Second, God examines the person’s prayer and their reason or need for the change. Thirdly, God evaluates everything involved and decides whether the change will be to the person’s advantage or not.” While further exploring the subject of destiny, he wrote: “The man who will be a woman’s husband has already been chosen by God – even before either of them was born. Whatever happens in the marriage, whether success or struggle, is still part of destiny and cannot be changed except by God.”

Chapter 2 gives a glimpse on how Sir Ogunrinde practices what he preaches with strength, unimpeachable character and candour. He opened with a penetrating and instructive statement: “As previously written, destiny governs the life of every person created by God, and I am not an exception. This truth is particularly evident in my marriage to my destined wife, Funke.”

Considering the enormous contribution of his late wife to the huge success he became, the author borrowed from Chief Awolowo, in describing his wife. He wrote: “As Chief Obafemi Awolowo once described his wife as a ‘jewel of inestimable value’, I can boldly say that Funke is my own “wonderful jewel of total inestimable value”.

Their marriage produced six children, the first being Folasayo Ogunrinde, in 1968. She was named in honour of chief’s late mother. After Folasayo came five boys, all successful in life and contributing to global economies across the world. Chapter 3 is subtitled, Caring and the Development of the Family. Here the author takes his readers into Ogunrinde’s exceptional world of philanthropy.

Chapter 4 deals with life and trials of the author’s destined wife, Funke. Chief writes with candour on the travails of his beloved wife. What started as mere headache soon transformed into a grave medical emergency. Funke the once vibrant backbone of the author soon became a heavy burden, which the author bore with equanimity. The chapter exposes the challenges of medical practice in Nigeria, and in the words of a practitioner “Our doctors are good, but our facilities are poor.”

Chapter 4 deals with the transition of Funke, the beloved wife of the author, after 23 years of confinement. She died on July 1, 2019. The author captured the faithful day in three key descriptions, quiet exit, serene face and spotless body. Chief, a Knight of St. Mulumba, commended the Ladies of St. Mulumba for their steadfast love to his wife.

Chapter 5 deals with Sir Ogunrinde’s tribute to his beloved wife. A beautiful essay written with poetic cadence. Chapter 6 is titled summary of our destined marriage. Under the chapter, the author eulogizes the special virtues of Funke. The story of a bush illiterate boy at nearly 20 years, who became a giant Iroko tree, an iconoclast, a colossus, and a man with an indomitable spirit should be read by everyone. The proceeds of the book will go to his charity foundation.

December 2, 2025
Insecurity as tsetse fly

The tsetse fly is the harbinger of a disease commonly known as sleeping sickness which could eventually kill the patient if not treated. One can therefore describe the tsetse fly disease as a lullaby to the grave when ignored. Google describes it as a parasitic disease spread by the bite of an infected tsetse fly. The early symptoms include fever and joint pain, while advanced untreated stages lead to confusion, sleep disruption and eventual fatality. Has the resurgent insecurity in our dear country been infested by enemies determined to upend Nigeria?

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) at the beginning of his administration in 2023, told fellow compatriots not to feel pity for him despite the gargantuan challenges facing the country, particularly the economic chaos left behind by his predecessor. He had argued that he campaigned for the job and that it is his responsibility to deliver on promises made during the campaign. In fairness to the president, against all odds, he has reasonably stabilized the economy and the nation is on a growth trajectory.

But the lull in insecurity appears to have ended with multiple bangs and our nation has become the object of international pity or scorn depending on the assessor. As if on cue, the security challenges keep mutating. Not long after the loquacious pseudo-democrat president of United States, Donald Trump, undiplomatically called our country a nation of disgrace, the Nnamdi Kanu debacle reached its crescendo. While Nigerians were struggling to digest these hard rocks, triple cases of kidnapping assaulted the sensibilities of every patriotic Nigerian.

With the resurgent security challenges coagulating after Trump focused the international scrutiny on Nigeria, this column wonders whether the PBAT would still say he doesn’t need our pity? Of course it is hard work, and not a pity-party that would solve the myriad of security challenges facing the country. But there appears more than meets the eye in the sudden resurgence of kidnapping in Kebbi, Kwara and Niger states, necessitating the closure of many schools in the northern part of the country, to stem the crisis.

The least the president should demand from the military hierarchy within few hours is who authorized the withdrawal of troops from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, before the terrorists struck. The allegation by the Kebbi State Governor Mohammed Idris, that the terrorist struck 30 minutes after the troops left, if followed rigorously by the military intelligence, may unravel the double-dealers working from inside, to upend the country. The effort by the defence hierarchy to treat it as a routine review to ascertain circumstances surrounding troop redeployment and movement should be with caution.

This writer recalls similar explanations in the past, when grave security challenges happened few hours after the withdrawal of troops during the regime of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Is the redeployment and movement connected with the allegations that some unpatriotic members of the Armed Forces treat the grave security challenges facing the country as a business, from which they profit? According to such claims, that explains why the insurgency, kidnapping and other security challenges facing the country, has lasted for more than a decade. So, it is important that these allegations are thoroughly investigated and if there are elements within the military undermining the efforts of our gallant soldiers, they should be uprooted and thrown out.

In the past week, PBAT treated the kidnapping incidents with all the seriousness it deserves, and his military foot-soldiers must act in similar stead. He delayed and eventually cancelled his trip to South Africa for the G20 summit and the Angola AU-EU Summit. These two summits would have further buoyed up the resurgent economic revival of Nigeria, through direct foreign investments, economic cooperation and other gains associated with bilateral economic engagements. The potential gains from the two summits are enormous, likewise the losses.

Of course, the greatest loss is the reason the president did not to attend the two summits, which will flash across the diplomatic channels of many countries. The fact that because of resurgent insecurity in Nigeria, the president could not attend the summits, speaks volume to potential foreign investors. But of course, no one should blame the president for staying back to deal with the enormous challenges thrown up in the days leading to the summits. As if orchestrated by actors, within few-days apart, the kidnappers stuck at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, Kwara State and the St. Mary’s Catholic school, Minna, Niger State.

While the kidnapped persons from CAC Eruku, has gained their freedom, over 270 kidnapped from St. Mary’s, and about 25 from Maga, are still with the kidnappers. It is strange that instead of concentrating his energy on recovering the children and others kidnapped from St. Mary, the governor of Niger State, Mohammed Bago, is expending energy trying to shift the blame for the kidnap to the proprietors of the school. He even said the matter should be treated as cases of missing persons.

The governor should talk-less and join forces with security agencies to ensure the children and their teachers are freed and returned to their parents. He should know that the world is not interested in his tales by moonlight, and as the governor and chief security officer of the state, it is his duty to ensure the security of persons and properties in the state, and where he fails, he cannot blame the citizens for engaging in their legitimate daily enterprise.

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He should emulate the governors of Kebbi and Kwara states and stop the rhetoric that could represent him as treating the matter with less seriousness, because it happened in a private Christian school. Those on the same page with President Trump and the strong lobby in the US Congress, who had accused Nigeria of engaging in Christian genocide, could latch on the governor’s uncaring statements to further their contention of genocidal practices against Christians, by some states in the northern part of the country.

The past week, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, shunning all distractions from the defendant, Nnamdi Kanu, went ahead to deliver his judgment and handed a life imprisonment to the separatist agitator for Biafra, the defunct state for which the Nigerian civil war was fought between 1967-1970. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, has since 2015, been like an infested tsetse fly perching on the scrotum of Nigerian leaders at the federal and state levels. Of course, Kanu’s imprisonment would not end the agitation by those who have lost faith in the Nigerian project.

While Kanu’s followers are awaiting an appeal against the judgment of Justice Omotosho, the nation awaits PBAT’s sagacious intervention in due course. As this column had cautioned in the heat of the agitation, violence can never solve the challenge bedeviling Nigeria. This writer trusts in the capacity of PBAT to dismantle the many scarecrows making Nigeria unattractive to many of its citizens, as the consequences of his failure will be very grave.

November 25, 2025
Tinapa: The jewel returns?

While the news of its ‘resurrection’ may not have competed with others on the front pages as it ought to in some respects: yet, it needs to be said that something happened to the once-famous jewel in the Cross River economic firmament on November 7 that is deserving of a more than a passing attention. On that day, Tinapa, the multi-billion naira complex that once projected the state as a potential global powerhouse of business and tourism was finally repossessed from the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON.

This was how an elated Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu captured the moment: “Today’s event has finally removed the legal lacuna on the ownership of Tinapa, which is now the bona fide property of the Cross River State government…We are not only reclaiming the facility, but also increasing the stock of our enduring infrastructure. The return of Tinapa is not merely an event; it is a rebirth, the triumph of faith, patience, and resilience…This is more than reclaiming an asset; it is the revival of a vision that once placed Cross River on the global economic map”.

Talk of the resurrection of a dream long given as ‘interred’; something of an eight wonder in the world!

Governor Otu and his team not only deserve commendation for retrieving the complex from the hand of the undertaker – the Bad Bank better known as AMCON, but refusing the Tinapa dream die. With good structures properly deployed going forward, there is yet a chance that the state might yet recover not just the value already poured in by way of investments and goodwill, but possible realignment with the founding ideals which the receivership may have aborted along the line.

Yet, if the truth be told, the story of how the 265 hectares property Leisure Resort, situated in Adiabo on the outskirts of Calabar, originally conceived by the Donald Duke administration to be a world class tourism, investment and leisure hub, whose breaking ceremony was performed in 2005, fell into the hand of the ‘Bad Bank’ deserves to be fully captured if only for its enduring lessons. A typical misshapen that is peculiarly Nigerian; on the one hand is the tale of a business ecosystem whose processes are more often than not, a recipe for failure; and on the other is the issue of continuity that has remained the bane of governance in these parts.

Tinapa’s problems were said to have started soon after the inauguration of the first phase of the resort in 2007. First was the issue of its legal status as a free trade zone, when only the federal government could operate a free trade zone. Liyel Imoke, who succeeded the visioner – Donald Duke, had, reportedly appealed to the federal government to take a stake in the project and to remove uncertainty about its status said to be hindering investment, all to no avail. Convinced that private investors could do at least a better job of putting the project on track through capital injection and managerial expertise, his overtures to them also reportedly hit a brick wall. While these were going on, the Nigeria Custom Service would insist on charging duty on purchases as they were brought out of the zone thus rendering businesses in the resort generally unprofitable. Of course, it was a matter of time before the shops within the complex started drawing the shutters, with other facilities such as the exhibition space and movie studio soon following!

To compound this was the issue of mounting debts, which at some point climbed to N18 billion for a state that was resource-challenged. Realising that the burden had become too much for the state to bear, the then governor, Imoke was said to have turned the resort over to AMCON; (the latter expected to inject about N29 billion to revive business activities in Tinapa before inviting investors to take over majority shares). That, as it turned out, never happened. Imoke’s successor, Ben Ayade, unfortunately did nothing to help the situation and so Tinapa’s fortunes further dipped. The final damage came with the EndSARS protest of 2020 during which damages said to be in excess of N100 billion were recorded.

That was the mess that the current governor, Bassey Otu, met on ground. Evidence that the governor has been working round the clock is the seal marking the repossession of the facility. Now the governor can claim that his quest to restore trust among investors and his government’s readiness to drive socio-economic renewal is well on course.

However, as I noted earlier, that act, of restoration that is, in itself can only be the first step in the journey to the resuscitation of a dream that was nearly aborted. To be sure, the achievement ought to be seen beyond the mere premise of increasing the stock of strategic infrastructure available to the state, (which is important), but rather in terms of how much value it will be able to deliver to the state and its people in terms of jobs and value creation across the board. That seems to yours truly, the best validation for the restoration of the complex as bona fide asset of the state government.

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Yet, true as the words of an observer is, that the repossession marks a decisive step towards ending years of redundancy and abandonment, the big task in my view, which is one of actualising the original vision of Tinapa as a transformative business and leisure hub, is still, at least at this point, a long way ahead.

Notably, the government is said to be in discussions with potential partners in the agro sub-sector and manufacturing, to demonstrate Tinapa’s renewed attractiveness. Surely, the good people of Cross River cannot wait to see the fruits of the engagement blossom. Even in this, it seems to me also that the Bassey Otu administration would need to provide further clarification on what this means in concrete terms to potential investors, particularly in those areas they might wish to collaborate with the state government.

Surely, it is one thing for the state to have crawled out of the clutches of the creditor, ensuring a vastly improved business environment is however a different kettle altogether. In other words, the other question of what has changed in the status of the complex remains largely unanswered. As it is, one expects that the experiences of the past years will guide the state government in coming up with a direction, going forward. That way, the state and its people wouldn’t have to relive the nightmarish date with the Bad Bank.

November 25, 2025