The Nation Newspaper

Category: Commentaries

  • ‘Tiger Base’

    ‘Tiger Base’

    When about 35 civil society organisations (CSOs) jointly petition the Senate to investigate “the alarming activities” of a police unit in the country, their allegations should be investigated.  Their petition, titled ‘Urgent Call for the Senate’s Investigation into Human Rights Violations by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Imo State Police Command, Tiger Base,’ was intended to “draw urgent attention to the alarming allegations of human rights abuses and corruption involving the Tiger Base, Owerri.”

    The petitioners said the allegations against the “notorious” police unit include “unlawful detention, torture, coercion, and extortion” and “reflect a disturbing pattern of misconduct that must be addressed swiftly and decisively.”  It was set up “to tackle incidents of violent crimes, but the activities of the unit bear no resemblance to the requirements of the law or professional policing standards,” they stated.

    To support their petition, the CSOs attached to the document “a serialised investigative journalism report,” which they said “reveals shocking accounts by victims, survivors, relatives of victims and survivors, activists and human rights defenders and witnesses of egregious human rights atrocities, corruption and flagrant abuse of power sustained by impunity and the failure of the police and police oversight authorities to investigate allegations and ensure accountability and justice.”

    According to them, the reported incidents “indicate a fundamental failure of the police to uphold the law, protect citizens, or adhere to ethical standards. The culture of impunity that allows these excesses to persist is detrimental to public trust in law enforcement and justice in Nigeria.”

    Read Also: AGAINST ALL ODDS: How D’Tigers picked  FIBA AfroBasket Championship ticket

    The petitioners claimed that “Several petitions and reports about the atrocities going on at Tiger Base have been ignored and the atrocities continue unchecked and unabated,” and alleged that there were “similar police tactical units across various states.”

    They argued that “The failure of the authorities to investigate cases to ensure that perpetrators are brought to account and victims gain access to justice sustains the atmosphere of impunity that allows rampant egregious police abuse.”

    For instance, they stated,  “the silence by the police authorities over the findings from the police investigation ordered by the Inspector-General of Police into allegations of arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention, torture, extrajudicial killings and organ harvesting brought against some police operatives attached to the Anambra State Rapid Response Squad (former SARS Awkuzu) by a whistleblower bears testimony to the disposition of police authorities to cover up the atrocities of their personnel rather than ensuring transparent investigations and taking appropriate actions to demonstrate that the police hierarchy is not complicit or does not condone or cover up atrocities.”

    The Senate should treat this petition with the utmost seriousness. Also, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has a duty to look into the matter because it is in the public domain.    

  • ‘Japa’ desperation on steroids

    ‘Japa’ desperation on steroids

    Desperation by some Nigerians to leave this country for ‘greener pastures’ is getting more intense by the day. It is now such that a citizen reportedly walked in to the Police and begged to be declared wanted in support of an asylum bid.

    Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, a Superintendent of Police, recently shared the story of how a fella made the shocking request of him. In a post on his X handle, he narrated: “’Please, declare me wanted!’ I was stupefied. I blinked and looked at him again. ‘What did you say,’ I asked.

    “’Please, I want you to declare me wanted,’ he repeated.

    “’Why do you want to be declared wanted,’ I inquired, amused.

    ‘Actually, I am applying for asylum at XYZ embassy. During the interview, I told them that I am being persecuted to the point of being declared wanted by the police.

    ‘They now asked for evidence of the ‘wanted’ declaration. I can easily do the artwork but I know they will come and verify. That is why I want it from the source.’”

    Read Also: Immigration arrests 51 irregular migrants near Abuja

    The Police, obviously, could not have obliged such request. But the sheer audacity of making it to the security agency is confounding. A man was telling a boldfaced lie before the world against his country, and he was asking the security establishment in charge of civil law-keeping to abet him. Just how further could desperation get! Besides, this fellow didn’t seem to have thought through his bid. If the Police declared you wanted, it would be for a criminal offence; and it is unlikely the intended country of asylum would simply throw their doors open to a criminal fugitive without ascertaining that his purported crime is either wrongly alleged or it is domesticated – that is, it is not a crime elsewhere even if so in Nigeria.

    The emigration syndrome, known as ‘Japa,’ has seen many Nigerians throwing caution to the wind in their frantic bid to leave the country. And they are leaving in droves. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in December, last year, said no fewer than 260,000 Nigerians approached it for assistance to emigrate from the country in 2023. But the agency also raised the alarm that many emigrants were getting stranded in destination countries, and advised that those wishing to leave the shores of Nigeria should do so by legitimate means and on sound advice.

    That is the crux: emigrate by lawful means and after fully weighing the cost to avoid getting stranded, as the grass is not always greener on the other side. But we must also hope Nigeria soon becomes conducive for living to dissuade ‘Japaing’.

     First published February 2, 2024

  • Edo killing and spate of insecurity

    Edo killing and spate of insecurity

    • By Sunday Olagunju

    Sir: Failure of all governments in Nigeria to decisively take insecurity in its entire gamut, has contributed to the rise in mob actions and jungle justice.

    Sadly, the 16 hunters brutally murdered in a despicable manner recently in Uromi, Edo State, by people who stereo-typically mistook them as kidnappers, are victims of unresolved rapacious national insecurity.

    Kidnapping and other heinous acts, especially across state borders, have assumed dangerous proportions and their pervasiveness seems to have brought out the worst criminal tendencies among Nigerians of all nuances.

    Even if the hunters were in fact kidnappers, their killers having captured them could still have handed them to the security personnel instead of the outright jungle justice meted to them. They should have presumed then innocent until proved otherwise. It is important that travellers along state borders carry means of identification to show the authenticity of their personality.’

    Read Also: Supporters defy ban, rally for suspended Natasha Akpoti

    The Edo incident also brought to the fore the poor education of most of the vigilante groups who roam the major state borders across the country and the need to get most of them informed and better educated.

    With minimal education, the mob in Edo State should be able to differentiate kidnappers from genuine hunters; both carry guns, yet their disposition would have shown some good difference. The episode once again calls for a national declaration of state of emergency on insecurity, especially the notorious kidnapping which seems to have assumed a national crisis, holding the entire country at its jugular.

    Despite Nigerians’ desperate yearning for concrete actions against kidnapping and other heinous act, the idea of people taking laws into their hands through wanton killing without enough proof should be rightly discouraged. Concerted efforts should be made by all governments in the country to tackle headlong the escalating insecurity throughout the nooks and crannies of the country.

    Both Edo State and the federal government should thoroughly investigate the Uromi incident with a view to unearthing the circumstances leading to such inhuman and despicable action. The cause of such mistake should be unravelled and future occurrence prevented. Meanwhile, the incident should not be allowed to degenerate to North vs South confrontation as could be gleaned from the unsavoury comments over the incident by political do-gooders.

    •Sunday Olagunju,

    Ibadan, Oyo State.

  • FUOYE: Who is after Professor Fasina?

    FUOYE: Who is after Professor Fasina?

    • By Cecilia Ikeoluwa

    Sir: While it is easier to observe the cause of development in the transformation of the individual person or nation-states, the observation becomes blurrier when development is to be assessed in how institutions turn the curve from their formative period to how they become great. The confusion in monitoring development in institutions could be explained to the complexities in institutions and the dynamics of the human factor that operate within them.

    This perplexing situation very well explains the state of things at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE).

    Created in 2011 by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, FUOYE like every other citadel of learning had its teething problems, and much of it had to do with accreditation of programmes, building adequate manpower that will engineer the take-off of the school, revenue generation and all sorts.

    In its first 10 years, the pioneering administrators of FUOYE created what could be described as the foundation upon which the future development of the institution will be built. The actual building of FUOYE started in 2021 when the current vice-chancellor of the institution, Professor Abayomi Sunday Fasina took the mantle of leadership.

    On inauguration as the vice chancellor in 2021, one of his first major tasks was to foster a peaceful and merit driven academic and business environment in the administration of the school. On taking office, Fasina inherited a university that was frequently in the news for negative reasons. The situation was dire, marked by recurring student and staff unrest, with protests that sometimes led to the closure of the university. Determined to end this troubling pattern, his administration’s first decisive step was to establish mechanisms aimed at fostering peace and stability within the institution.

    As one of the pioneering students of FUOYE, I know quite well that the academic atmosphere in the school has far improved from what it was in my days. Unlike in the past when there were no regularities to students’ admission and few programmes were on the offer, the FUOYE of today has greatly transformed to becoming a modern citadel of learning and much of the credit for this transformation is due to the meticulousness that the Fasina administration employs in running the affairs in FUOYE.

    Read Also: Sanwo-Olu warns sick pilgrims against travelling for Hajj 2025

     Today, FUOYE is recognized as the fourth most sought after university for admission in the whole of Nigeria and the reputation of the university is permeating to neighbouring countries.

    In the league of universities founded in 2011 by the Jonathan administration, FUOYE towers far ahead of its peers and has amassed the capacity to give the long established universities a run for their money and accolades.

     Unfortunately and in spite of all of the achievements that Professor Fasina has recorded in FUOYE, it is disheartening that some agents provocateurs are hell bent in soiling the integrity of FUOYE through an attempt to enmesh the vice chancellor in an imaginary sex scandal.

    It is bad enough that the Nigeria Police had caused an investigation into the petition in 2023, with the police dismissing the allegations as, “a ruse.” It is worse that unrelentingly, these purveyors of ill wishes to FUOYE engage women advocacy groups to further embarrass the alma mater forgetting that whatever affects the head, affects the whole.

    But it is good enough, too, that the governing council of FUOYE has also caused an investigation into the situation. The end point of all of these is that while sexual harassment cannot be condoned in any civilized environment, the recrimination of same should not be a weapon of personality destruct. And it is on this note that the investigation by the panel of the governing council is expected the exhaust the full balance of fairness in the matter.

    •Cecilia Ikeoluwa,

    Abeokuta, Ogun State.

  • Kwara and the challenge of past failures in healthcare

    Kwara and the challenge of past failures in healthcare

    • By Babajide Fadoju

    Sir: For far too long, the healthcare sector in Kwara State suffered from the neglect and mismanagement of past administrations. Up until the most recent tenure, the state’s medical training system was left to rot.

    Facilities deteriorated, accreditation was lost, and young people who aspired to become healthcare professionals were left stranded. It was a damning legacy of abandonment that forced many Kwarans to seek training opportunities elsewhere, draining the state of potential and talent.

    That dark era has since ended. Under the leadership of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Kwara State has reclaimed its place as a serious player in the healthcare sector.

    The recent approval by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) to allow Sobi Specialist Hospital, Ilorin, and General Hospital, Offa, to train nursing interns is nothing short of a landmark achievement. For the first time, Kwara will be able to groom its own nurses rather than watching them leave for other states in search of training opportunities.

    This is not just about infrastructure; this is about restoring dignity to a profession that had been disregarded by previous administrations.

    Let’s be clear: the decay did not happen overnight. The previous political leaders had nearly two decades to build a robust healthcare training system, but they failed spectacularly. Instead of investing in critical manpower development, they focused on politics of patronage, leaving the healthcare sector in shambles. Nursing schools struggled for accreditation, hospitals lacked the personnel to provide quality care, and patients bore the brunt of a failed system.

    Read Also: Supporters defy ban, rally for suspended Natasha Akpoti

    The absence of proper training institutions meant that Kwara had to rely heavily on importing medical personnel from other states.

    The result? A fragile, unsustainable system that left communities vulnerable. It was an avoidable crisis, but past leaders simply didn’t care enough to fix it.

    Governor AbdulRazaq’s administration has rewritten the script. Unlike his predecessors, he recognizes that investing in healthcare is not just about building hospitals—it’s about ensuring those hospitals are staffed with well-trained professionals. His administration’s efforts in securing accreditation for the training of both pharmacy and nursing interns speak volumes.

    For the first time, Kwara’s young, aspiring nurses have a home-grown path to professional excellence.

    This means better healthcare services, reduced brain drain, and greater employment opportunities within the state.

    And it doesn’t stop at nursing. Governor AbdulRazaq has prioritized the overall revitalization of the health sector, from equipping hospitals to improving staff welfare. The government has been intentional about fixing dilapidated health centres, upgrading medical equipment, and recruiting more healthcare workers.

    The implications of this achievement cannot be overstated. With an expanded capacity to train nurses and other medical professionals, Kwara is positioning itself as a healthcare hub in Nigeria. In the coming years, we can expect improved healthcare delivery; more trained nurses mean better patient care across the state. Young people who previously had to leave for other states can now build their careers at home. A well-functioning healthcare sector attracts investment and boosts the local economy. With better-trained personnel, health outcomes will improve, saving lives and reducing preventable deaths.

    The accreditation of Kwara’s hospitals for nursing internships is not just another policy move; it is a bold step toward securing the state’s future.

    Kwara’s healthcare sector is on the rise, and for the first time in decades, we can say with confidence that the future looks promising. The failures of the past are being corrected, and Kwara is finally getting the healthcare system it deserves.

    •Babajide Fadoju,

    Lagos.

  • Bridging generation gap: Need for youth in changing political landscape

    Bridging generation gap: Need for youth in changing political landscape

    • By Tosin Ashafa

    As the former Secretary of the election planning committee of the Tokunbo Abiru Senatorial Campaign in 2020, I witnessed firsthand the concerning disconnect between the APC Lagos and the increasingly disenchanted youth population.

    The campaign revealed troubling metrics: voter turnout was disappointingly low, particularly among young Lagosians, and our exit polling data painted a clear picture of a party losing its grip on key demographics that once formed its reliable base.

    Our post-election analysis, which I commissioned from an independent organization, confirmed what many of us had suspected.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos was haemorrhaging support among young voters and middle-income earners – precisely the groups that represent Lagos’ future.

    Despite presenting these findings in a comprehensive report to a few party leaders, my concerns were largely dismissed, a response that only reinforces the problematic status quo.

    The current leadership of the APC in Lagos, while accomplished in their own right, increasingly appears detached from the realities faced by younger Nigerians.

    Today’s youth grapple with unprecedented challenges: staggering unemployment, housing crises, technological disruption, and global economic integration.

    These issues demand fresh perspectives and innovative solutions that the older generation, shaped by different historical contexts, may struggle to provide.

    The world has changed dramatically in the digital age. Political leadership requires understanding social media dynamics, appreciating startup ecosystems, and navigating complex global networks.

    Young Lagosians live in this interconnected reality and deserve representatives who intuitively understand their experiences and aspirations.

    Read Also: Empowering Tomorrow: The Bold Vision of the Nigerian Youth Academy

    One of the most troubling patterns within the party, sustained by the older generation, has been the persistent reliance on political leadership and appointments through imposition rather than merit-based selection.

    This approach has systematically sidelined talented young individuals whose only “shortcoming” is their lack of entrenched connections within party hierarchies.

    A younger leadership class would prioritise competence over patronage networks. They would recognise that in today’s competitive global environment, Lagos cannot afford to waste its human capital on outdated notions of political loyalty and patience for one’s “turn.”

    Sadly, Internal party democracy has suffered under the current leadership paradigm.

    Decision-making remains concentrated among a small circle of long-established figures, with minimal opportunities for meaningful input from emerging voices.

    This democratic deficit not only alienates younger members but also stifles the ideological evolution necessary for any political movement to remain relevant.

    A youthful leadership would inherently understand the value of inclusive processes, transparent governance, and collaborative decision-making – having been at the receiving end of weak internal democracy and transparency.

    Perhaps most concerning is the empathy gap between the current leadership and young Nigerians.

    The economic hardships, career frustrations, and diminished opportunities that characterise life for many young Lagosians seem abstract to leaders whose formative experiences occurred in different economic eras.

    This empathy deficit manifests in policy decisions that fail to prioritize youth employment, affordable housing, educational reform, and digital infrastructure – the very issues that most directly impact young lives.

    A leadership cohort that has personally experienced these challenges would bring authenticity and urgency to addressing them.

    Consequently, I believe that it is time for our party, the APC, to muster the courage to embrace a younger and more dynamic leadership heading into the next election cycle.

    The voting demographics have significantly shifted in favour of much younger voters who, as the polls continue to reveal, have no interest in supporting the current elderly leadership of the party.

    The data from our 2020 post-election analysis was unequivocal. The APC in Lagos faces a legitimacy crisis among the demographics that represent its future.

    Young voters and middle-income professionals increasingly view the party as an entrenched establishment disconnected from their lived experiences.

    The path forward

    The next election cycle looms as a potential referendum on the party’s willingness to evolve.

    If the APC in Lagos continues to ignore these warning signs, it risks not just electoral setbacks but long-term irrelevance as young voters seek political homes that respect their voice and address their concerns.

    The solution is not cosmetic inclusion – appointing a few young faces while maintaining the same power structures – but a fundamental shift in mindset that recognizes younger leadership as essential, not optional, to the party’s continued relevance.

    The wisdom and experience of the older generation remain valuable assets that should be honoured – therefore the ideal scenario should involve mentorship and gradual transition rather than wholesale replacement.

    However, this requires the current leadership to accept that change is not merely advisable but necessary.

    As someone who has served the party loyally and observed its internal dynamics closely, I offer this critique not as an attack but as a necessary intervention.

    The report I presented after the 2020 campaign outlined a pathway to renewal that would strengthen, not weaken, the APC in Lagos.

    Some of those recommendations include instituting transparent talent identification mechanisms, creating substantive (not symbolic) leadership roles for young members, establishing policy task forces led by emerging leaders, and several others.

    The question facing the party today is whether it will embrace this opportunity for rejuvenation or cling to familiar patterns until electoral realities force change upon it.

    For the sake of both the party and the vibrant city it seeks to serve, I hope for the former. It is why I’m delighted to see that the party is making considerable efforts to woo younger members of the opposition like Jandor and I also hope that the party will do what it can to bring GRV into the fold.

    It is also refreshing to see my brother Seyi Tinubu become more involved with party affairs as this is the energy and urgency required to salvage the future of our great party.

    • Ashafa writes from Lagos
  • A sacrilegious attack on human lives

    A sacrilegious attack on human lives

    • By Kene Obiezu

    Sir: On March 27, 16 hunters of Northern extraction travelling from Port Harcourt to Kano for Sallah ran into killers stationed at Uromi, Edo State. All it took was a false alarm branding the travellers bandits for the killers to mobilize their bloodlust, bayonets, and butchery skills and fires. All 16 hunters were killed and fed to the fire. The killings have since provoked a national outcry.

    There is a sense in which smouldering anger in many Nigerians has congealed into murderous rage. Many Nigerians driven to despair by the insecurity ravaging the country, disillusioned with the system which fails to stem the tide and desperate for some action are too easily carried away by the promise of jungle justice. All they often need to ignite their killer rage are killer cries.

    All over Nigeria, there is a mounting sense of frustration that the criminal justice system always crumbles under pressure, with criminals often getting what amounts to no more than a slap on the wrist.

    Even worse is the fact that many Nigerians believe rather justifiably that the Nigerian criminal justice system is selective, favouring the powerful and punishing the poor. So, for many Nigerians, whenever the opportunity arises to execute swift justice, they take it with both hands.

    Read Also: Police rescue 21 kidnapped victims, recover N4.8m ransom

    To fix this murderous mentality of mob justice, which typically catches innocent people cold, Nigeria must reform its justice system to preclude jungle justice. With Nigeria’s criminal justice system struggling so badly, many criminals are on the loose seeking the next spot for their criminal adventures. In Uromi, they laid low under the guise of vigilantes until unsuspecting hunters walked into their trap.

    A nationwide condemnation has followed the killing, but the difference that must be made this time around is that condemnation must yield concrete action, which is the prosecution and incarceration of the perpetrators. All those who partook in the gruesome killings of the innocent hunters are heartless criminals who have no place in any sane society. They must be transparently tried and punished in accordance with the law.

    Unfortunately, some Nigerians have invoked memories of lynching in other parts of the country to play ethnic and religious cards, but a killing is a killing and no human life is inferior to the other.

    Nigerians must refuse to become that country where the gruesome killing of citizens is not only left unpunished but justified under any guise.

    •Kene Obiezu,

    keneobiezu@gmail.com

  • President Tinubu at 73: A quick reflection

    President Tinubu at 73: A quick reflection

    By Abdulaziz Abdulaziz

    Sir: As I prepared for the special Iftar dinner held Saturday evening in honour of President Bola Tinubu, thoughts about the man race in my mind: What is unique about the president? What do I admire about him? What are the memorable moments with him?

    First, President Tinubu is very human and humane. He is human in the sense that he is humble, authentic and true to himself. No airs, no pride, no cosmetics. He relates well with his old friends, associates and staff in a convivial atmosphere devoid of haughtiness associated with people in power. He shares jokes less than he scorns. He could be stern and soft making sure that work atmosphere is not bereft of humanity or too jovial to be mistaken as laissez faire. He is generous with laughter when it is evoked but could be too sober in addressing serious issues that you’d wonder if he would breakdown. That’s the human part.

    President Tinubu is also very humane. As a person, he is generous and compassionate to those he could reach with his hands. He never forgot friends or families of dead associates and colleagues. He kept to that even with his current tedious job. His good heart makes him the last person to hurt. Instead, he ignores. The president certainly bears no evil intentions against anyone or a collective. The story of his large-heartedness is well told that it warrants no repeating here. He accepts prodigal sons back with forgiving smile.

    An important lesson from his life is steadfastness and perseverance. They brought him to where he is. President Tinubu, like the proverbial person who has been there for long, has surely seen a lot. He had seen changing times: real and fake smiles, shifting alliances, broken loyalties, back-stabbing and gang-ups, yet, he remained focused and patient. Like the Rock of Gibraltar he remains unshaken and unperturbed. But God works in mysterious ways. For example, some of the arrowheads of Tinubu’s estrangement from a government he helped form in 2015 are today out in the cold. But while he took the unfortunate happenings of that period with steely resolve and perseverance, they are too weak to persevere being out of the table. While he was mature and statesmanlike, they are crying hoarse like a kid deprived of precious doll.

    Read Also: Makinde, Ladoja inspect Ibadan circular road project

    As a leader, the president amazes me with his resolve to take bold even if costly decisions. He embodies the principle that leadership is not about taking popular decisions but about taking right decisions even if painful and inconveniencing. Like a physician on duty, President Tinubu’s administration of some painful reforms was not contemptuous of the feeling of the people, as some analysts are wont to paint. They were, rather, out of courage to take necessary actions to stop the haemorrhage of our country. The haemorrhage may favour those of us now but if not stopped it would certainly prove fatal for our future.

    The president was conscious that those actions were not popular. In fact, he was not unconscious that they could be costly politically like it was seen happen in many countries. But the statesman that he is he chose the country over himself.

    Mr the President is being proved right with the emerging light from the economic tunnel.

    On the occasion of his birthday, I pray fervently for better health and greater wisdom as he steers the ship of the nation to the shore of progress, stability and development.

    •Abdulaziz Abdulaziz,

    Abuja. 

  • Artificial Intelligence: Bridging innovation and opportunity in Africa

    Artificial Intelligence: Bridging innovation and opportunity in Africa

    • By Olusoji Adeyemo

    Sir: At its core, Artificial intelligence (AI) involves machines mimicking human intelligence to perform tasks such as understanding language, recognizing images, or making decisions. In Nigeria, one of the most significant impacts of AI can be seen in the fintech sector. Digital lending platforms like Carbon or FairMoney leverage AI algorithms to assess creditworthiness, granting loans to individuals without traditional credit histories. Similarly, mobile payment systems use AI to detect fraudulent transactions, keeping users’ funds secure. These tools are reshaping access to financial services for millions of unbanked and underbanked Nigerians.

    Agriculture is another industry where AI is making a difference, not only in Nigeria but across the African continent. In countries where agriculture is the backbone of the economy, AI tools are helping farmers improve productivity. For instance, AI-powered drones and sensors monitor crop health and soil conditions, enabling better decision-making. Platforms like Hello Tractor, often referred to as the “Uber for tractors,” use AI to connect farmers with tractor services, optimizing farming operations and increasing yields. Such innovations address food security concerns and support rural economies.

    The healthcare sector is also reaping the benefits of AI, particularly in regions with limited medical resources. In Nigeria, AI-driven tools are being used to diagnose diseases like malaria and tuberculosis with greater accuracy. Chatbots like Ubenwa analyze infants’ cries to detect signs of birth asphyxia, a leading cause of neonatal deaths. These applications are lifesaving, especially in rural areas where access to specialist doctors is scarce. Across Africa, initiatives like Zipline use AI-guided drones to deliver medical supplies to remote locations, further enhancing healthcare accessibility.

    AI’s role in education is another critical area of impact. In a continent with high levels of school-age population and limited teacher availability, AI-powered platforms are helping bridge gaps. Digital learning tools and virtual tutors personalize education, offering students tailored support and enabling self-paced learning. For example, Nigerian edtech platforms like uLesson are already leveraging AI to make quality education more accessible, even in underserved communities.

    Read Also: Police rescue 21 kidnapped victims, recover N4.8m ransom

    While the potential benefits of AI in Africa are immense, challenges remain, particularly when it comes to infrastructure and awareness. Many Nigerians, and indeed Africans at large, may view AI as a distant technology meant for Silicon Valley or Beijing. But the reality is that AI can solve local problems in ways that are deeply relevant. For example, AI is used in applications to predict flooding in Nigeria’s river basins, helping communities prepare for natural disasters. However, the success of these solutions depends on improving internet penetration, electricity supply, and digital literacy across the continent.

    Ethical considerations are also crucial. As we embrace AI, we must ask: Who controls the data? In a market like Nigeria, where data privacy concerns are growing, it’s essential that AI systems are developed responsibly. This includes ensuring that algorithms don’t inadvertently favor one demographic over another or deepen social inequalities. Additionally, there’s the question of job displacement. While automation can free up workers from repetitive tasks, it also calls for reskilling and preparing the workforce for jobs in an AI-driven economy.

    It’s important to stress that AI is not here to replace humans but to augment human potential. In the Nigerian oil and gas industry, for instance, AI is being used to analyze seismic data, but the expertise of geologists and engineers remains vital for decision-making. Similarly, in urban planning, AI can map informal settlements and propose infrastructure improvements, but the local knowledge of community leaders is indispensable.

    For everyday Nigerians, embracing AI starts with understanding its practical implications. Whether it’s using AI to optimize traffic flow in Lagos through smart systems or adopting AI-driven mobile health apps, the technology is becoming an integral part of daily life. It’s not about being a tech expert but about being open to new ways of solving challenges and improving livelihoods.

    The emergence of AI in Nigeria and Africa as a whole is not just about adopting global trends. It’s about tailoring these innovations to fit our unique needs and aspirations. As we harness AI to tackle local challenges, we are not only keeping pace with the world but actively shaping the narrative of how technology can uplift economies and communities. With the right investments in infrastructure, education, and ethical practices, AI has the potential to be a powerful force for good across the continent.

    •Olusoji Adeyemo,

    mastersoji@gmail.com

  • Ann Kio Briggs’s ‘truth’

    Ann Kio Briggs’s ‘truth’

    Madam Ann Kio Briggs, famed Ijaw nationalist and Niger Delta environmentalist, just announced a queer theory of “truth”, which she must tell President Bola Tinubu, for halting looming anarchy in her native Rivers. 

    But she couldn’t tell Governor Siminilayi Fubara, who worked tooth and nail to rush Rivers to its present sorry pass, that same “truth”.  Odd, isn’t that?

    Perhaps her “truth” always falls flat on Ijaw ears, but firmly registers on others’, outside her beloved Ijaw conclave?

    Here is yet another troubling tragi-comedy from Rivers elders. Instead of telling Fubara the “truth” — holy Moses!  That word again! — they pelted his ears with clannish lies: sweet but noxious music to the tragic Fubara, until things blew up in his face.

    Still, emergency rule has gifted Fubara a rare chance to politically live again.  He did enough self-harm for the Wike forces to impeach him, even if the “Ijaw” ensemble were banking on their “youths” to shake things up at the pipelines, and send darling Rivers into a tailspin.  But would anarchy have rescued Fubara?

    Now, to x-ray Madam Briggs’s “truth”: “I cannot be afraid at my age now at 72, I cannot be afraid of telling even President Tinubu that he is wrong because the president was born in 1952 and I was born in 1952,” she sad in a video which Symfoni TV shared.  “If other people are afraid to tell him the truth because he has appointed them,” — a dig at Nyesom Wike, FCT minister? — “I can understand that, but he hasn’t appointed me.  I’m speaking on behalf of my people, my region, myself and my family. So, please, there is no anarchy anywhere in Rivers State.”

    Yeah, right!  But wasn’t that why emergency rule was imposed — to forestal anarchy?  Or should the president have waited for anarchy before acting?

    Read Also: Police rescue 21 kidnapped victims, recover N4.8m ransom

    All the stuff about being the same age with the president is emotional blather.  They have nothing to do with the substance.  Neither does her play to the gallery that she isn’t a presidential appointee.

    She isn’t Fubara’s appointee, either.  But, did she ever caution Fubara — even while far older — her excitable “Ijaw” governor, with his surfeit of childish pranks, as telling Ijaw “youths” to be calm and await further “instructions”?

    Did she ever warn him against his unalterable constitutional crime of spending public money without parliamentary authorization throughout 2024, a recklessness he had also essayed for 2025 before the Supreme Court put him in his place?  Did she utter even a moan when Fubara demolished the Rivers House of Assembly?

    Truth, indeed!  This Briggsian truth — pardon that coinage — must be of some exotic hue!

    The truth is Briggs and co had jumped on the Ijaw bandwagon, hailing every outrage from the Fubara camp, though the Wike camp too had own issues.  Another sorry voice on that front was the late Edwin Clark.  But at least, Clark was from Delta. Madam Briggs is from Rivers.

    Now, Clark is dead, but the misled Fubara lives to hold the short end of the stick!  But it’s poetic justice that Madam Briggs is alive to see the mess Rivers has become!

    Ann Kio Briggs has no truth to tell anyone.  If she had any, she would have told Fubara; and Rivers wouldn’t have been in its current bind.  Truth, indeed!