The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

Tinubu’s new tax reforms and the North

Sir: On Thursday, June 26, President Bola Tinubu signed into law four landmark tax bills recently passed by the National Assembly. Whether one agrees or disagrees with Tinubu’s style of governance, the new tax bills signal a new beginning for Nigerians, businesses, and governments, both at the subnational and federal levels.

Some key highlights of the Reforms are

Elimination of Duplication in Tax Collection: One major reform is the establishment of the new Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), which will now collect revenues that were previously handled by numerous agencies, such as the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), NIMASA, and others.

Tax Exemption for Low-Income Earners: With the new provisions, individuals earning N800,000 or less per year are now fully exempt from income tax. This is a masterstroke, especially for many people in the North. It removes a huge burden and creates space for their small and medium-sized businesses to grow and flourish.

New Personal Income Tax Rate: Only those earning above N50 million annually will be required to pay the new 25% personal income tax rate. This is both fair and reasonable.

Another big win for the North, which has the highest concentration of poor people in Nigeria, is the removal of VAT on essential goods and services: school fees, medical services, food, pharmaceuticals, and electricity. This is a solid relief for the poor and for small and medium-sized businesses.

Corporate tax will now reduce from 30% to 25%, and small businesses are fully exempt from paying income tax.

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The controversial VAT issue has now been ‘fairly’ settled, and again, it’s a big win for the North, which had previously raised concerns. The new revenue-sharing formula is as follows:

Federal government 10%, states: 55% and local governments: 35%.

Even more importantly, the VAT sharing formula has been revised in a way that favours the North, particularly if northern states seize the opportunity to harness and develop their economies and markets, especially in agriculture.

The new sharing criteria are:

50% of VAT is shared equally among all states

20% is based on population

30% is based on where goods/services are consumed

One of the most important features of these tax reforms is how they protect and uplift the poor and small businesses especially in the North, where about 65% of Nigeria’s poorest people live, where over 52% of the country’s states are located, where more than 60% of the population resides and nearly 70% of Nigeria’s landmass is found, and almost 80% of agricultural production takes place.

It’s time for northern states to tap into local knowledge and deploy home-grown experts to thoroughly study the four landmark tax laws in line with each state’s peculiarities and needs, yet with whole North as the unifying objective.

If well studied and strategically implemented, Tinubu’s new tax reforms could be the silver bullet the North has been waiting for.

They offer fiscal justice, decentralization of revenue, protection for the poor, incentives for businesses, and a practical opportunity to lift millions out of poverty.

But as always, it will take visionary leadership, technical capacity, and political will to translate policy into impact. The opportunity is here. The North must not waste it.

•Zayyad I. Muhammad, Abuja.

June 30, 2025
Lessons from Wike as FCT minister

Sir: One of the factors responsible for the success of the primordial Athenian political system was the practice of government of national unity. Such inclusivity involves using the best in terms of capacity building in the running of affairs of government.

Two years ago when President Tinubu appointed Nyesom Wike into his cabinet as FCT minister, not fewer Nigerians were skeptical about such step. Many regarded it as political foolery.

Such sceptics branded the president’s decision as political miscalculations, especially given the perceived haughty and braggadocio mannerism of Wike. Moreover, Wike being a PDP chieftain, a virulent APC opponent, tended to dismiss the president large heartedness as buffoonery.

Two years down the line, Wike has not only proved pessimists wrong, he has risen to be one of the foremost avante – garde of the Tinubu government, based on his sterling performance and unalloyed loyalty to both President Tinubu and the nation.

Today, Wike has left doubting Thomases dumbfounded, and had disappointed less astute politicians who have earlier dubbed him as a potential and unperceived PDP mole in APC government. The idea of government of national unity was popularized during post-independence era and during the First Republic. Those eras till date remain the best in the history of Nigerian politics and in terms of development.

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The purpose of government is not just to win election but more importantly to ensure that lives and wellbeing of the people are improved. A reigning political party must see it as its responsibility to identify such capable politicians who will play down politics in order to serve the country.

Like a midas touch, Wike has changed the landscape of Abuja and his unprecedented performance has so impressed the president who has described him as “a transformational leader”. The 17-day projects commissioning from June 10 to July 13 is a testament to his sterling performance as an FCT Minister. His remarkable milestone of two years in office have transformed the landscape of Abuja into a befitting nation’s capital.

Wike’s unwavering commitment and dedication to the visionary Renewed Hope Agenda of the APC is both laudable and commendable. The progress the FCT recorded in just two years of Wike’s leadership is a reflection of his vision, capacity and passion for public service, politics apart.

Wike has aptly shown that it is possible to practice the government of national unity, judging from what he has done as a PDP chieftain working in APC government. Nigerians must commend the sagacity and vision of the president for this break of old political jinx.

•Sunday Olagunju Ibadan, Oyo State.

June 30, 2025
A call for more investment in NRC infrastructure

Sir: Though the Eid-el-Kabir could have come and gone, yet, it marked for Nigeria a change in narrative, especially for cross-country travels, where the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) played a much bigger role and witnessed an unprecedented surge in passenger turnout across all its three standard gauge corridors.

The NRC has modern trains running from Lagos to Ibadan, Warri to Itakpe, and Abuja to Kaduna. The sharp rise in railway patronage once again underscores the vital role that the NRC has started playing in the last two years, under the Renewed Hope Initiatives of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.

The high demand which in many cases the corporation could not meet not only ignites the new confidence in the railway by Nigerians, but also underscores the urgent need for the federal government to scale up investments in locomotives, coaches and wagons to meet growing demands.

During festive seasons like Christmas, Easter, Sallah and national holidays, transportation demand typically spiral nationwide. Yet in recent years, the preference for train travel has sustained a rapid and positive growth due to its affordability, comfort and safety – key factors that road travel often fails to guarantee.

Passengers increasingly flock to NRC stations for inter-city train services that offer not only convenience but a respite from road traffic congestion, insecurity on highways and inflated transport fare by commercial road operators.

The Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge corridor, for instance operated near full capacity throughout the festive season, prompting the introduction of an additional trips to accommodate crowd overflow. The Abuja-Kaduna lines also recorded a significant jump in daily ridership, reflecting renewed public trust in the safety and punctuality of rail services.

Similarly, the Warri-ltakpe corridor saw enthusiastic turnouts from travellers connecting urban centres, towns and cities along the route, especially with added incentive of NRC’s seamless online booking system and improved customer experience at stations.

While the NRC management, under the leadership of Kayode Opeifa, continues to innovate and expand service delivery, the corporation is increasingly constrained by limited rolling stocks. Many routes operate with a lean fleet of locomotives and coaches/wagons, for passenger or cargo traffic, that are barely adequate to meet peak-time demand.

May times, available trains are forced to make extra trips or work overtime to accommodate high passenger volumes, a move that, while commendable, places operational strain on both staff and equipment.

Moreover, as NRC scales up its haulage services for agricultural produce, cement, fertilizer, containers and other goods, the shortage of wagons have begun to affect the seamless movement of cargo, and area with massive economic potential for the country if properly supported.

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The rising passenger turnout at NRC stations is not just a seasonal phenomenon. It is a loud and clear signal that Nigerians are embracing rail transport as a primary mode of inter-city movement. For a country seeking to reduce pressure on roads, embrace decarbonisation by ensuring lower greenhouse emissions, and improve trade logistics, rail transport presents the most strategic solution. However to unlock this potential, government intervention is urgently needed.

An immediate boost in investment with the procurement of additional locomotives, coaches and wagons both for the narrow or the standard gauges, would significantly enhance the corporation’s ability to serve more passengers and cargo clients. Beyond passengers’ movement, expanding freight services through rail will support agriculture, manufacturing and import/export activities, and reduce the burden on road infrastructure.

Furthermore, such investments will create jobs, stimulate local content through maintenance and manufacturing partnerships, and attract private sector participation in railway logistics. Most importantly, it will deepen the implementation of the “Renewed Hope” agenda of the Tinubu administration by promoting inclusive development and connectivity across Nigeria.

To sustain this momentum and position rail as the heartbeat of national movement, the federal government must act decisively by investing in retooling the corporation. An investment in railway operations at this time would help sustain the drive of the present leadership and ensure that locomotives, coaches and wagons remain active. The future of Nigeria’s mobility depends on it.

•Callistus Unyimadu, Nigerian Railway Corporation, Lagos.

June 27, 2025
Our transport unions have derailed

Sir: It was captured in the National Road Traffic Regulations (NRTR 2012) that operators of commercial vehicles should be members of any of the approved transport unions. These include National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), National Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and several other transport unions or associations covering taxis, buses, motorcycles, tricycles, articulated vehicles and other trucks.

The main reasons why transport associations were captured in the National Road Traffic Regulations was to ensure effective coordination of the commercial vehicle operators for regulated operations, regular capacity building (training) to promote safer road use, creation and updating of database of members to enhance security in their operations.

As at today, there is no transport association that has a functional and up to data database. The involvement of the commercial vehicle operators in criminal activities without trace is on the increase. The operators of commercial vehicles are so unorganised that they daily constitute traffic nuisance at bus stops and on the roads without any effective checks from the transport associations.

The National Road Traffic Regulations clearly specifies that the transport associations must organise seminars for their members (drivers and riders) to train them every year for safer road use. This should be done in collaboration with approved standard driving schools, using the curriculum designed for the driving schools by the Federal Road Safety Commission.

As at today, there is no major transport association that has shown commitment to the regular retraining of its members. This is a major reason why the rate of road traffic crashes, injuries and deaths involving the drivers and riders of commercial vehicles has been very high and disheartening.

Transport associations in Nigeria have derailed from the primary reason why the government recognised and captured them in the National Road Traffic Regulations. Their only focus now is revenue generation for purposes best known to them but definitely, not related to making contributions to safety and security on Nigeria roads.

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The distraction and deviation by the transport associations into revenue generation is the principal cause of the proliferation of transport associations and their recurring leadership crises. Touting has become an affiliate of the transport associations in Nigeria instead of embracing professionalism and decent conducts in their operations nationwide.

The Institute of Driving Instructors of Nigeria and the Driving Schools Association are always ready to collaborate with the transport associations to fulfil their mandate as clearly spelt out in the National Road Traffic Regulations (NRTR 2012).

There is an urgent need for all the Transport associations in Nigeria to commence the process of purging and reorientation. The government also needs to do a thorough cleansing in the public transportation system so that the image of Nigeria will not be further damaged.

The unruly activities of the members and staff of the transport unions will continue to negate the achievements of the government concerning the ease of doing business in Nigeria. If the transport unions continue to operate the way they have been doing for years without returning to their primary mandate and professionalism, Nigeria will be turned to a jungle by the transport associations and their untamed touts.

A stitch in time saves nine.

•Jide Owatunmise, Ikorodu, Lagos.

June 27, 2025
Ali Ndume: Deodorising politics of disloyalty

Sir: Senator Ali Ndume appeared on a national television to double down on his reckless rhetoric at the risk of becoming loose cannon. In his feeble justification of verbal fusillades against the president and his aides, Ndume would refer to the Republican Senator Jeff Flake’s tirade on Donald Trump’s immigration policy for 25 minutes.

Drawing comparisons with the Nigerian government’s adherence to the principle of free speech, the senator forgot that any politician opposing Donald Trump’s policies is immediately branded a lunatic by Donald Trump and declared unelectable in the mid-term congressional elections by the president using the apparatus of the state and the MAGA political might.

Jeff Flake has since declared that he would not be seeking a re-election.

In contrast, the president of Nigeria is too cultured and restrained to publicly declare a senator a lunatic even when the senator went to the extreme of calling one of his aides a “domestic servant” and a “mega dog” – whatever that means.

It is the vestiges of colonial carryover that keeps Nigerians especially the privileged political class of Ndume’s type to celebrate bad behaviours in the United States and Europe as norm whilst dismissing every little effort at home.

Ndume has been railing against the president and still enjoys liberty to press his acerbic rhetoric on multiple media platforms without being hounded like the American senator.

Read Also: Nigeria opens door to new economy as Tinubu signs landmark tax reform laws

Recall that Democratic US Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a news conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles on June 12 and placed in handcuffs. The senator was seized and dragged on the floor before he was arrested by the FBI simply for seeking audience in a similitude of what Ndume is enjoying in Nigeria without a whimper from the Nigerian police.

As much as the government needs constructive criticism particularly those pivoted on logical synopsis and informed statistical parameters, the reckless and uninformed invectives on government officials ought to be an anathema to any intellectual discourse.

Nigerians are not quick to forget Ali Ndume’s pathetic hubris on the Tax Reform Bills calling them Dead on Arrival and insisting he would not read the bills thus demonstrating his aversion to reading and poor attention to details. This calls to question how such a politician finds himself in the National Assembly.

Ndume’s triumphalist personification of politics of disloyalty dating back to his trajectory in CPC and PDP is a reflection of the dysfunctional party politics accentuated by literacy vacuity amongst electorates in Nigeria.

It is high time the television anchors took Ndume to task on the value he has added to his constituency as a basis for his many political pontifications and not how much he could contribute to bringing down the federal government through dubious flirtation with the so-called political coalition.

•ESV Bukola Ajisola, bukymany@yahoo.com

June 27, 2025
Harnessing economic diplomacy for West Africa’s future
- By Akinola Ayobami Steven
Sir: The West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) held in Abuja on June 20-21, underscored the significance of strategic, cross-border cooperation anchored in shared economic priorities. The summit’s findings emphasized the need for policy alignment, infrastructure connectivity, private sector engagement, and youth empowerment to drive regional development. These themes are intricately linked to the concept of economic diplomacy, which has emerged as a vital component of foreign policy in the 21st century.

Economic diplomacy involves leveraging trade agreements, investment frameworks, and economic partnerships to build influence, mitigate risk, and pursue geopolitical goals. By forging strategic development partnerships, nations can create new opportunities for growth, influence, and cooperation. In West Africa, economic diplomacy can play a pivotal role in promoting regional integration, enhancing economic resilience, and advancing strategic interests.

The potential benefits of economic diplomacy for Nigeria and West Africa are substantial. By harnessing economic diplomacy, the region can enhance regional integration and cooperation, increase trade and investment flows, promote economic growth and development, build strategic partnerships with other regions and countries, and advance regional interests and influence global economic policies.

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The WAES summit highlighted several key strategic reflections that are relevant to economic diplomacy in West Africa. Policy alignment and infrastructure connectivity are essential to unlock intra-regional trade and long-term resilience. Additionally, private capital and entrepreneurship must be more intentionally integrated into regional development strategies. The youth demographic is a powerful asset, but only if supported through sustained investment in education, skills development, and enterprise support. Furthermore, governance and institutional accountability remain decisive factors in the pace and credibility of regional progress.

In conclusion, economic diplomacy has the potential to play a crucial role in shaping West Africa’s future. By leveraging economic diplomacy, the region can promote regional integration, enhance economic resilience, and advance strategic interests. The WAES summit underscored the importance of strategic, cross-border cooperation anchored in shared economic priorities. By working together and harnessing the power of economic diplomacy, West Africa can achieve its development goals and promote a brighter future for its citizens.

•Akinola Ayobami Steven,

Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos.
June 26, 2025
Why is Nasir El-Rufai so desperate?
- By Bode Opeseitan
Sir: Why is Mallam Nasir El-Rufai sounding so desperate these days? Every time he speaks, he comes across as narcissistic, grumpy, unhinged and clueless.

I welcome opposing views, but critics of a sitting government must articulate clear alternatives to improve Nigerians’ lives. Don’t just vow to “send Tinubu packing”; tell us your solutions for the extraordinary challenges he inherited.

It is public knowledge that President Bola Tinubu assumed office in 2023 to a dead economy in which over 96% of revenue was being used to service debts. Yet, the same President Tinubu that El-Rufai desperately maligns has stabilized the economy. While food prices remain high, macroeconomic indicators show strengthening of the fundamentals, with growth applauded by leading local and international rating agencies.

Decaying infrastructure is being fixed: Dave Umahi’s road revolution, Nyesom Wike’s FCT transformation, and Bosun Tijani’s digital leap with initiatives like 3MTT – now the world’s largest skill accelerator – are turning Nigeria into the envy of the world.

In agriculture, Tinubu just launched phase one of mechanized farming: 2,000 tractors and combines to cultivate 550,000 hectares. This will raise Nigeria’s mechanization from 0.7 to 2.5 horsepower per hectare. The health sector, airports and other spheres are also witnessing unprecedented revival.

Crucially, Nigeria now cuts its coat according to its cloth: no more Ways and Means, round-tripping, or fuel subsidy.

Read Also: Tinubu signs historic Tax Reform Bills to law Thursday

Similar transformative developments are energizing states nationwide. Previously cash-strapped, the Tinubu government’s fiscal policies have empowered states with resources to pay salaries without borrowing and execute critical projects – a stark departure from the past.

Contrast this with Nasir, who accelerated Nigeria’s economic disintegration through his reckless mismanagement of Kaduna State. His record was so unconscionable that the state House of Assembly recommended his indictment. He exploits Nigerians’ forgiving nature to flaunt messianic credentials after bequeathing economic collapse, ethnic strife, and financial impropriety. But Nasir, can anyone give what they don’t have?

Now, with a president working tirelessly to fix monumental challenges, El-Rufai – bitter over his failed ministerial bid – seeks only to distract. To me, such people are enemies of Nigeria and its masses.

Yes, Tinubu has made missteps, but his sincerity is undeniable. We must hold him accountable when he stumbles, but never again allow buccaneers like El-Rufai near power. They lust for hegemony, not a thriving nation.

•Bode Opeseitan, NIMN, MNIPR

United States.
June 26, 2025
Border fencing: In support of CDS

Sir: The proposal by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, to construct a security fence along Nigeria’s borders may be one of the most meaningful national security initiatives of our time, if implemented with purpose.

For decades, Nigeria’s borders have remained perilously porous, serving as open corridors for terrorists, arms traffickers, and transnational criminals. Insurgents and smugglers traverse these frontiers with ease, particularly from neighbouring countries of Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, exacerbating insecurity across the country, especially in the Northeast.

After carrying out killings and acts of terror, these insurgents often escape back across the borders freely. This free cross-border movement has enabled terrorism to flourish. States like Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa have borne the brunt of this crisis, with entire communities devastated and countless lives lost. General Musa’s proposal is a move to protect Nigerian lives, strengthen national defence, and demonstrate that the country will no longer remain passive in the face of sustained insecurity.

Globally, border fencing has proven to be an effective tool in limiting illegal crossings, enhancing surveillance, reducing insecurity, including terrorism and insurgent activities.

Israel’s barrier along the West Bank led to a 90% reduction in suicide bombings. Pakistan’s 1,350km fence along the Afghanistan border helped curb militant infiltration. Saudi Arabia’s border fortifications with Iraq drastically reduced arms smuggling. In Europe, Hungary’s fencing during the 2015 migrant crisis significantly decreased illegal crossings from Serbia and Croatia. Similarly, India’s fences with both Pakistan and Bangladesh have tightened control over cross-border terrorism and trafficking.

If these countries, many of whom face even lesser threats, can act decisively to protect their borders and reduce insecurity, then why can’t Nigeria do same?

I have heard some critics cite the potential cost of such a project. However, the financial and human toll of continued inaction is far greater. According to reports, Nigeria has lost over $100 billion to insecurity and insurgency in the past decade; losses incurred through destroyed infrastructure, diminished investor confidence, disrupted agriculture, and the overwhelming cost of military deployments. More tragically, thousands of lives have been lost, and millions displaced.

Read Also: Tinubu signs historic Tax Reform Bills to law Thursday

The Northeast alone has seen economic activity nearly collapse, with displaced persons in the millions and entire communities erased by Boko Haram. Beyond money, there is the cost of human lives. Compared to these losses, the investment in a robust border security system is reasonable and imperative.

Security is the bedrock of every functioning society. Without it, businesses collapse, agricultural output drops, education suffers, and democracy falters. While a border fence will not solve all of Nigeria’s security challenges overnight, I personally think it is a bold and concrete step in the right direction. It signals intent. It restores a measure of control.

General Musa’s proposal is a bright military strategy. It is a national necessity. The initiative deserves broad support.

•Bright Okuta,

<brightokuta@gmail.com>

June 26, 2025
Rantings of Nasir El Rufai
- By Lawan Bukar Maigana
Sir: On his Monday appearance on Arise TV, former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, shocked many Nigerians with a barrage of self-incriminating statements. “A collection of urban bandits,” he said, referring to the current administration and its actors. He went on to call it “an immoral government”.

For many, these statements would pass as the usual political rants in Nigeria’s heated climate. But coming from a man who was a central player in the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), these words cannot be ignored.

In 2023, despite whispers of personal ambition, he was one of the strongest voices in the North who campaigned vigorously for Tinubu. His public endorsements, presence at campaign rallies, and mobilization in Kaduna helped secure votes for the now-president. For him to now paint the very system he helped birth as “immoral” is not just ironic, it’s shaky.

Political criticism is valid in any democracy. But when a key architect of a political structure suddenly turns around to demolish the very walls he built, after comfortably benefiting from its platform, it raises questions about credibility, loyalty, and personal motives.

El-Rufai’s outbursts seem more like bitterness than constructive criticism. The same man who once praised Tinubu’s political sagacity now pits him unfavourably against Goodluck Jonathan. The same man who benefited from the party machinery now refers to its core as “urban bandits”.

One cannot help but wonder: where was this moral outrage when he was benefitting from the corridors of power? Where was this so-called clarity when he was among those determining the direction of the APC and influencing national appointments?

It is important for Nigerians to see through this pattern. El-Rufai is not the first politician to distance himself from a system after losing influence. In many ways, his recent commentary is not about the people, but about his personal frustration and perhaps fading relevance.

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President Bola Tinubu inherited a broken economy, rising insecurity, and decades of systemic mismanagement. The path to rebuilding was never going to be easy. The reforms, although painful, are necessary. And just like any honest effort to reset a nation, it demands patience and courage from the people.

Despite El-Rufai’s ranting, the Tinubu administration continues to lay the groundwork for sustainable growth through fiscal discipline, security initiatives, infrastructure investments, and engagement with global investors. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither can a wounded Nigeria be healed overnight.

Rather than throwing stones, El-Rufai should be reflecting on his own legacy. He governed Kaduna State with mixed reviews, and left behind a trail of controversies from demolitions to religious polarization. If anyone should be silent on morality, perhaps it is him.

As for President Tinubu, he is focused on the task at hand. Leadership is not a popularity contest; it is about difficult decisions and long-term vision. Nigeria is in capable hands, even if those who helped bring us to this point now wish to rewrite history and wash their hands clean.

Progress has never been juicy or convenient. It requires sacrifice. President Tinubu’s reforms are not about optics, they are about legacy, sustainability, and future generations.

El-Rufai’s words should not be ignored, but they should be understood for what they are: a confession that he, too, is part of the problem. His own admission “Don’t trust me” should be the final warning bell for anyone still under his spell, thinking he has some good to offer and he fights for them.

Lastly, let those who built the house stop pretending they were only visitors when the roof starts leaking. Nigeria is moving forward, with or without them, and we are no longer kids. Our senses can no longer be played with like children play with rubber dolls. If trust is evil, then some Nigerians are truly part of that evil.

•Lawan Bukar Maigana,

Lawanbukarmaigana@gmail.com
June 26, 2025
Sorry state of governance in Kwara

Sir: In a week that should have spoken of progress in Kwara State, what echoed instead were sorrow, grief, and government silence. The ongoing Kwara Hotel renovation project, once presented as a symbol of development, has turned into a site of tragedy. Three workers lost their lives in a single week, including Abdulfatai Adebayo, a young electrician and father of four whose wife is heavily pregnant.

Yet, as the dust settled over the bodies crushed by a collapsed perimeter fence, all the bereaved family received from the construction company contracted by the AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq-led government over capable local companies, was a bag of rice, some cooking oil, and fruits. This is the state of governance in Kwara under a man who once rode on the collective outrage of the O to ge revolution. Today, the very values that powered his ascent have been discarded, and what remains is a government adrift, indifferent to the sufferings of its people.

The deaths at Kwara Hotel were not an isolated incident. They are part of a broader pattern of state abandonment and elite insensitivity. The construction firm overseeing the renovation was controversially handed a presumably bloated N23.4 billion contract, up from an earlier N17.8 billion, after a local contractor was side-lined. What started as a N5 billion project has now become a symbol of waste, blood, and betrayal.

Meanwhile, insecurity continues to ravage the northern and southern parts of the state. In the Tashagi community, Edu Local Government Area, bandits struck, killing a cattle rearer and abducting five of his children. In Gbugbu, a businessman and his manager remained in captivity weeks after their abduction. Hon. Ahmed Adamu Saba, a member of the House of Representatives, has publicly appealed to the governor and federal authorities. But the man who occupies the seat of power in Ilorin seemingly remains unbothered.

Governor AbdulRazaq has abdicated his role as the Chief Security Officer of the state. His silence is not statesmanlike; it is dangerous. When lives are lost; when communities are under siege, leadership demands more than silence; it demands presence, empathy, and action. None of these have been forthcoming.

Even more troubling is the governor’s open war against traditional institutions and political rivals. The monarchs of Kwara South recently cried out over the governor’s neglect of their domains. Instead of uniting the state, AbdulRazaq has alienated the custodians of tradition and culture. Instead of focusing on governance, he is obsessed with demolishing projects linked to fellow APC members like Senator Saliu Mustapha and Hon. Mashood Mustapha, men who were comrades in the O to ge struggle.

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Not once, but twice, the governor reportedly denied Senator Saliu Mustapha the opportunity to implement legitimate federal government constituency projects, thereby depriving Kwarans of infrastructural benefits that could have eased their burdens. In another vindictive move, he demolished a multibillion-naira property belonging to Hon. Mashood Mustapha, not for public interest, but for no just cause other than for political reasons. This is not governance; it is petty vengeance weaponised through state power.

The implications are grave, not only for Kwara State but also for the 2027 re-election strategy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. AbdulRazaq’s growing unpopularity, his battles with royal fathers, his controversial projects, and his insensitivity to human tragedy have made him a liability. He no longer represents the hope of 2019; he represents the disappointment of 2025. Aligning the president’s campaign with AbdulRazaq’s battered credibility in Kwara will not strengthen the APC; it will weaken it.

The people of Kwara are watching. The O to ge movement they once championed has been betrayed. The presidency only needs to listen to the voices rising from Ilorin to Patigi, from Gbugbu to Offa. These voices are not just mourning the dead. They are mourning the lost promise of a government that promised change but delivered calamity.

Kwara deserves better. Nigeria deserves better. And President Tinubu deserves a stronger footing than what Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq currently offers.

•Wahab Oba, Ilorin Kwara State.

June 25, 2025