The Nation Newspaper

Category: Commentaries

USSD: When Telcos quietly dip into your airtime
- By Elvis Eromosele
Sir: In Nigeria, one phrase captures the endless stream of troubles that trail daily life: “Wahala no dey finish.” This timeless street slang now finds fresh relevance in the realm of mobile banking, especially with the storm brewing between telcos, banks, and the supposed “saviour” in between, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). After years of battles over who should bear the cost of USSD transactions, the NCC made a grand intervention: going forward, customers would pay USSD fees directly from their airtime, not their bank accounts.

At first glance, this appeared like a clear-cut win. No more bank debits. No more inter-corporate disputes spilling into the public domain. The problem, however, is that while the squabbling giants may have agreed to stop fighting, it’s the unsuspecting Nigerian consumer who is now being short-changed, quite literally.

The NCC’s policy to move USSD charges directly to consumers’ airtime accounts was heralded as a user-friendly solution. With this move, telcos could now collect fees instantly, sidestepping the previously convoluted billing process that required bank involvement.

On paper, the process seems fair: you initiate a USSD banking session, you’re charged N6.98 for the service, and you proceed to complete your transaction. In reality, however, this is where the chaos begins.

Today alone, I attempted four USSD transactions on my mobile phone. Not one of them completed. The system failed at various points, some before I could input my PIN, others at the point of confirming the amount. Yet, for each attempt, I received the same cheerful text message: “Your last USSD session was successful and charged at N6.98…”

Successful? Really?

Let’s break this down. Transferring money via USSD is typically a six-step process: (1). Dial the code; (2). Select transfer option; (3). Input account number; (4). Confirm name/amount; (5). Enter PIN; (6). Transaction completed.

My session failed between step 3 and 4, yet the N6.98 was deducted by the second step. Where’s the value in that?

This is the critical question: If a USSD transaction fails, and value isn’t delivered, no money sent, no confirmation received, why should users still be charged? It’s akin to paying a taxi fare for a trip you never took. Worse still, there is no obvious path to recourse or refund.

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While banks previously handled disputes with some structure, telcos are not exactly known for efficient customer care. You call, you queue, you explain, and in the end, you get told to “try again later.” So, are we now in a system where users get taxed for failed services with no accountability?

In Lagos parlance, “one chance” refers to a fraudulent situation disguised as legitimate transport. Many Nigerians are beginning to feel that this new USSD billing system may just be the digital equivalent. You think you’re initiating a transaction, and boom, before you know it, your airtime is gone and you have nothing to show for it.

Even more worrying is the absence of a seamless complaint resolution channel. If a telco charges you repeatedly for incomplete sessions, who do you report to? NCC? The telco’s customer service? Your bank? There’s a growing fear that the consumer is now trapped in a billing Bermuda Triangle.

In my mind, to regain user trust and ensure fairness, several things must happen urgently: (1). Transparent Billing Logic: The charge must only apply after the transaction is successfully completed. It’s unethical to charge for an incomplete process.

(2). Instant Refunds for Failed Sessions: Just like bank reversal notifications, telcos must auto-refund airtime where a session fails or terminates prematurely.

(3). Centralized Dispute Resolution Platform: NCC must compel telcos to create user-friendly, time-bound dispute resolution platforms where customers can easily report and resolve airtime deductions for failed transactions.

(4). Consumer Awareness Campaigns: Many Nigerians are still in the dark about this billing change. There must be a comprehensive public awareness initiative to educate users on how the system works and how to seek redress.

(5). Monthly Public Report on USSD Deductions: NCC should demand transparency. Telcos must publish regular reports on total USSD charges, refunds processed, and customer complaints handled.

From endless queues at the bank to USSD sessions that deduct airtime but deliver no service, Nigerians are once again caught in the web of poor systems and zero accountability. The NCC must step up. Telcos must clean up. And consumers must rise up, to demand fairness, transparency, and value for every kobo deducted from their airtime.

•Elvis Eromosele,

elviseroms@gmail.com
July 24, 2025
Citizen Badenoch

Every time she speaks about Nigeria, the leader of United Kingdom’s opposition Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, makes a point to denigrate the country of her ancestry in the manner of that cultural axiom about using the left hand to point out one’s father’s house. It is obviously a tack she relishes to demonstrate the genuineness of her nativity transplant to her adopted country, the U.K.

Badenoch was at it again early this week with a claim that she can’t transmit her Nigerian citizenship to her children because of her gender. Speaking in an interview on Sunday with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, she suggested Nigerians are taking advantage of U.K.’s relatively lax citizenship laws, as it is allegedly easier for Nigerians to acquire British citizenship than for foreigners to become Nigerians. This is why, according to her, the U.K. needs to tighten its own laws to restrict citizenship and residency access to foreigners. “It’s virtually impossible, for example, to get Nigerian citizenship. I have that citizenship by virtue of my parents. I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman,” she said, adding: “Yet loads of Nigerians come to the U.K. and stay for a relatively free period of time, acquire British citizenship. We need to stop being naive.”

But Badenoch was in error – whether deliberately so to score a supercilious point in her characteristic fashion, or out of sheer ignorance is not certain. And many Nigerians including officials of government have risen to point that out. Among them, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, in a post on his X handle, said: “Britain should send our lost daughter, Kemi Badenoch, home for proper re-education. Section 25 of our Constitution defines who has the right to Nigerian citizenship. Kemi Badenoch lied. She owes her fatherland some apology.”

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Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), described Badenoch’s statement as “a display of utter ignorance” and accused her of misinforming the British public to score political points. “In her desperate attempt to impress the British electorate, Kemi Badenoch keeps running Nigeria down. Contrary to her misleading claim, her children are Nigerians because she is a Nigerian. Her assertion that she cannot give Nigerian citizenship to her children because she is a woman is not in consonance with Section 25(b) and (c) of the Nigerian Constitution which provides that every person born in Nigeria after independence, either of whose parents or grandparents is a citizen of Nigeria, or any person born outside Nigeria to a Nigerian parent, is a citizen,” he said inter alia.

The redeeming factor here is that for once, Badenoch is facing up to her Nigerianness. At least, she acknowledged the citizenship she inherited from her parents. Who knows, this may be the onset of a brutal self-reconstruction from the illusory identity transition that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer once mocked as appointing herself saviour of Western civilisation in desperate search for relevance.

July 24, 2025
Our leaders keep failing the health sector

Sir: News of President Muhammadu Buhari’s death in a London clinic is a moment of deep reflection, not just on the life of a former leader, but on the failure of a system that continues to betray the trust of its people. Why do our leaders always run to Europe, India, the United States, or even Egypt when they are sick? Why have we failed to invest in the Nigerian health sector, despite being the largest black nation in the world and one of Africa’s biggest economies?

We are blessed with some of the best medical doctors, not only in Nigeria but across the globe. Nigerian doctors are performing wonders in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and other developed countries. Ironically, these are the same places our leaders go when they fall ill. From 1999 to 2025, not one of our leaders has built a world-class hospital that even they trust enough to use. Why?

It is painful that the spokesman of the late President Buhari once said his boss would have died long ago if he had relied on medical care in Nigeria. That statement alone is a deep insult to the thousands of dedicated Nigerian medical personnel working day and night in difficult conditions. How are they supposed to feel when the very government that employs them has no faith in their ability?

The sad truth is that we have the resources. We have the human capital. But we lack the political will. In the 1970s, Saudi royals came to Nigeria for medical treatment. Today, Nigeria sends its leaders abroad for what should be basic care. Our best doctors are running away, taking any opportunity to leave the country for better working conditions. It is a national shame.

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Gimba Kakanda once reminded us of a powerful story. In 1989, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had a heart attack. His doctors advised surgery in the United States, but he refused. He insisted on being treated at home in Malaysia. He said, “I had to have faith in our Malaysian doctors.” He knew that if he, the Prime Minister, did not trust local doctors, the people would never.

He stayed in Malaysia and got treated. After that experience, he went on to build world-class hospitals. By 2018, at the age of 92, Mahathir was re-elected as Prime Minister. His people remembered his courage, his honesty, and his leadership.

That is the difference. In Nigeria, we have had leaders who flee the country when they are ill, who fail to leave behind even a single hospital that the average citizen can depend on. They do not lead by example. They do not show faith in their own country. How can we expect young Nigerians to believe in Nigeria when even their leaders do not?

It is not too late to change. But it will require more than words. It will require a leader who, like Mahathir, is ready to take risks for the good of the people. A leader who will build a health system that works for all, not just for the rich or the powerful. A leader who will choose to live and die with the people, not escape them.

Nigeria deserves better. Our doctors deserve respect. And our people deserve leaders who will build a country we can all trust, even in sickness.

•Baba Abdullahi Machina, <abdullahibabamachina@gmail.com>

July 23, 2025
On Femi Adesina’s faux pas

Sir: In a stunning confession, former presidential spokesman Femi Adesina recently stated that former President Muhammadu Buhari might not have survived his health challenges had he relied on Nigerian hospitals. Speaking on Channels Television during a special live coverage in honour of the late president, Adesina attempted to justify Buhari’s repeated medical trips to the United Kingdom by claiming it was “a matter of survival.”

But in doing so, Adesina exposed not just Buhari’s medical secrets, but the total failure of the government he served, a government that for eight years had every opportunity, every resource and every mandate to transform the health sector but chose neglect instead.

How can a former presidential spokesperson admit that their administration could not provide one world-class hospital in a nation of over 200 million people? How can such a man say this publicly, without realising he has indicted the administration he glorified? It is an insult to every Nigerian who died due to inadequate healthcare, who could not afford overseas treatment, or who had to endure broken-down equipment and unpaid health workers.

Femi Adesina as a spokesperson must understand that public communication at that level is not propaganda. Public relations is rooted in truth, responsibility and patriotism, not blind loyalty to individuals. As citizens and leaders alike, we must be ever mindful of how our words and actions affect the sensibilities of millions. The true measure of our duty should be the welfare of Nigeria and her people always above personal ambition or political alignment. At least it should be responsible.

Nigeria is not short of talent. Our people are healing the world while their own homeland bleeds. Nigerian medical professionals have become global trailblazers, proving that the problem is never about human capacity but about leadership irresponsibility.

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Femi Adesina’s remarks were not only tone-deaf but amounted to a grave insult to the millions of Nigerians who depend daily on a struggling healthcare system for both basic and critical medical needs. His comments, which sought to downplay the failures of the past administration, inadvertently exposed what many already knew, that the Buhari-led government, in which Adesina served for eight years, failed woefully in its responsibility to build a functional, accessible and equitable health sector for its citizens. It is both ironic and painful that those who had the power to fix the system now casually distance themselves from its collapse, while everyday Nigerians continue to pay the price, sometimes with their lives.

With such utterances, Nigerians need to rise beyond outrage and begin to demand accountability, asking tough questions about whether our leaders ever had the country’s best interest at heart or were merely in power for personal gains. It is time, for citizens to stop excusing incompetence and start insisting on governance that delivers real results.

The tragedy is not that Buhari flew to the UK for medical treatment; it is that he failed to build even one world-class facility to help others survive what he survived. History will not be kind to those who had the power to make a difference but chose mediocrity and selfish comfort over national progress.

It is not a lack of resources that is killing Nigeria; it is the mismanagement, greed and lack of conscience by those entrusted to lead. Femi Adesina’s comment is a confession of failure, and we will not forget!

•Dayo DaSilva (arpa, amncs), dsv123ng@yahoo.com

July 23, 2025
The case for Oke-Ogun State

Sir: Recently, the Joint National Assembly committee on constitutional amendment held public hearings on the review of the 1999 Constitution. The hearing held in Lagos for the Southwest zone provided a platform for stakeholders to discuss strategies for advancing Nigeria.

During the hearings, several key issues were raised, including the need to create additional states to foster development across the country. I humbly urge the esteemed committee members to consider the creation of Oke-Ogun State from the current Oyo State.

The resources generated from Oke-Ogun by previous governments have not led to significant development in the area. This region possesses enough natural resources to be self-sustaining.

Oke-Ogun consists of 10 densely populated Local Government Areas: Olorunsogo, Oorelope, Irepo, Saki East, Saki West, Atisbo, Itesiwaju, Iseyin, Kajola, and Iwajowa. Currently, Oke-Ogun has a population of around four million people, an increase from two million as reported in the 2006 national census.

With the largest landmass in Oyo State, Oke-Ogun covers 13,537 square kilometres, accounting for approximately 60 per cent of the entire state. Oke-Ogun is often referred to as the food basket of Oyo State and the western states. Due to its fertile land, the area excels in agriculture and food processing. It attracts buyers from various parts of Nigeria and even Africa seeking food supplies.

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Culturally, Oke-Ogun is rich in heritage, reflected in the lifestyle of its people. Its endowment in solid minerals is unparalleled. They include marble, dolomite, and other resources found in Igbeti town in Olorunsogo Local Government and Oriire. The area also boasts tourmaline in Komu town, tantalite in Sepeteri town, and quartz in Itesiwaju, along with columbite, talc, and several other minerals available in commercial quantities throughout the region.

Additionally, Oke-Ogun is home to numerous tourist attractions, such as Iyake Lake- the only known natural suspended lake in the world, located in Ado Awaye, Iseyin Local Government. Igbo Oba in Kishi town, Ebedi Hill in Iseyin town, Asabari Hill in Shaki town, and Akomare Hill in Igangan town are otherb tourist sites. Establishing Oke-Ogun State would enable the government to tap into these resources and govern effectively without relying solely on federal allocations.

In terms of education, Oke-Ogun has produced numerous professors, teachers, technocrats, and professionals who contribute significantly to the country’s human capital development. Today, the people of Oke-Ogun are grateful to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for establishing a University of Agriculture and Technology in Okeho, located in Kajola Local Government Area. This institution will complement existing tertiary institutions like Ladoke Akintola University in Iseyin and Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, enhancing access to quality education in the region.

•Taoreed Abdullahi, taoheedolajideabdulahi@yahoo.com

July 23, 2025
Zacch Adedeji: We all can build Nigeria through tax reform

When Dr. Zacch Adedeji, Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), mounted the podium at the Domestic Investors Summit on July 21, 2025, in Abuja, he spoke passionately and intelligently about the tax system, not with official speeches but with the kind of directness people have come to expect from him.

He came to remind the country of something: tax reform is no longer sitting in a cabinet file. It is here to stay. He broke down the details and went further to explain what this means for Nigerians moving forward.

His leadership and understanding of Nigeria’s tax challenges make him one of the rare voices Nigerians can trust with the agency. He did not come to occupy space and did not need to tell us that Nigeria’s tax system was overdue for a proper house cleaning. We have known for decades, it is evident.

One of the smartest moves about the reform is how it focuses on taxing success rather than the struggle. The government will now tax the profits businesses make, not the investments they pour in. This means entrepreneurs can nurture their ideas and build their businesses without early tax pressure. It’s a system that supports growth and rewards hard work.

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The new Nigeria Revenue Service stands as a symbol of unity and efficiency. It replaces the old Federal Inland Revenue Service and consolidates all tax collections under one roof, including federal, state, and local taxes. This single agency approach makes compliance simpler for taxpayers and strengthens our tax system.

The introduction of the four percent National Development Levy replaces many smaller levies, making payments clearer and easier. Plus, businesses can now claim VAT credits on capital equipment, lowering the cost of setting up and expanding in Nigeria by nearly eight percent. This enhancement puts Nigeria in a stronger position to attract both local and international investors.

Small and medium enterprises, which power our economy, also benefit from tax credits and incentives. Supporting these businesses means more jobs, more innovation, and a brighter future for our communities.

The tax reform also includes a Joint Taxpayer Committee to resolve tax matters between different government levels. This innovation promises smoother operations and greater certainty for businesses, encouraging more investment and confidence in Nigeria’s economy.

Dr. Zacch told the audience that the current administration is focused not on quick wins, but long-term prosperity. He added that, for the economy to grow, taxation must not be a burden but a partnership. He said it plainly: the government must earn the trust of taxpayers through transparency, fairness, and results. The days of taxing confusion and chaos are over.

At the summit, he didn’t use theory to impress anyone. He made it clear that Nigerians are tired of words. He said the role of the taxman has changed. The job now is to empower growth, not frustrate it. He talked about the recent efforts to harmonise taxes, remove overlaps, and end the era where agencies ambush businesses with random levies. And he mentioned something that stuck with me: the goal is to “remove the fear and replace it with trust.”

By the time he ended his remarks, it was no longer a policy talk. It had become a charge. He told everyone present that this reform is not about him or his agency. It is about a new culture. A culture where the government no longer hides behind complexity, and citizens are not punished for daring to build.

And so, I will say this: whether you are a worker, a trader, an investor, or just someone trying to make life work in Nigeria, don’t look away. This tax reform is not just about documents and bills. It is about the kind of country we are building. Everyone must play their part. The government must not go back to old habits. But we, the people, must also not go back to distrust. If we stay the course, we all can build Nigeria through tax reform.

The Tax Boss has taken one of the most dreaded parts of governance – taxation- and turned it into a space where Nigerians can see sense, structure, and purpose. He is not performing leadership; he is doing the work. He stands out for speaking directly, moving quickly, and backing every policy with action. Whether it is harmonising taxes, cleaning up collection, or making the system easier for everyday Nigerians, Dr. Zacch is not just reacting to problems; he is reimagining what the tax system can be.

– Arabinrin Aderonke is the technical assistant on broadcast media to the executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service

July 22, 2025
Awujale: Let the gods avenge themselves

Sir: Awujale Sikiru Adetona never hid his disdain for what the Yorubas called Isese. He jettisoned his relationship with all forms of traditional worship and dared the Ogbonis, the dreaded Agemo cult group and similar groups to do their worst. He visited anywhere where taboo forbade him.

Many years ago, he withdrew from participating in the dreaded Agemo festival. At a point, the Agemos were said to have given him a year to live after he openly insulted them. He lived to the ripe old age of 91.

The holy books, the Bible and the Quran are replete with situations where God avenged Himself after being disparaged. There abound examples in Yoruba mythology of gods who took the battle to those who disrespected them.

Sango was betrayed by his most trusted general when he was in human form. Upon his death, whether self-inflicted or murder, he transformed back as an Orisa and set the kingdom ablaze in retribution. His people never took Sango and his power for granted again.

The Ijebu Kingdom has been inundated with cries that the Awujale was buried contrary to tradition. And as such very dire consequences will follow. What it is that would happen no one has told us. The offence we were told was against the alales (that is the gods of the land). If indeed the gods have the powers ascribed to them, then no one needs to defend them or even be their mouthpiece. Let the gods avenge themselves!

I was born in Ilese-Ijebu. The Elese of Ilese is one of the Obas who cannot see the Awujale. I find this tradition not only ridiculous but absolutely against good conscience and a breach of fundamental rights. I do hope that when a new Awujale comes to Ilese to wear the first crown as an oba, both he and the Elese would sort out whatever the issue that gave birth to this ridiculous tradition and be able to see each other. The new Awujale would fraternise with the Elese after his coronation. Enough of this otiose tradition!

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Awujale Adetona while alive gave notice of how he wished to be buried. He ensured that there is a law to back up his wishes. The law has been followed. The alales know all those who ganged up to do this. Let the gods pursue them!

There is no doubt that Awujale Adetona had a long reign and longevity made him an orisa of some sort. That perhaps was the reason why no one dared to challenge his beliefs even when he wrote a 275-page book about it. Modernisation of the obaship institution was a plus for him. We cannot be talking of human sacrifice in 2025.The so called burial rites are disgraceful, demeaning, fundamentally a breach of rights of humanity. I witnessed one so many years back as a young Ijebu lad. The body of the deceased Oba was tied by the neck and dragged throughout the community in the dead of the night!

Let each Oba die in dignity without his remains being mutilated and his remains buried instalmentally. This is one sure way of attracting quality people to Ijebu thrones. Take a census of Ijebu obas. We have lawyers, medical doctors, captains of industries and highly successful men in diverse fields.

If indeed the gods are aggrieved about Awujale Adetona’s stance on burial of obas and the manner he was buried, let the gods avenge themselves!

•Asiwaju Kunle Kalejaye SAN, KSC Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State

July 22, 2025
In defence of Okpebholo

Sir: Last week, Friday, July 18, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) organised a political rally to receive the only serving federal lawmaker of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State who dumped the party.

Speaking at the rally, Governor Monday Okpebholo spared no jabs that are often part of such high-tempo political events. Notably, he issued a very important security advisory to the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) and ex-governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, on his regular visits to Edo State for socio-political activities, the most recent of which left a tragic trail.

Obi, the leader of the socio-political pressure group, Obidients, had visited Edo State on July 7, in continuation of his socio-political activities. He neither informed, acknowledged, nor paid any courtesy to the governor of the state before, during, and after the visit. He donated the sum of N15 million to the St. Philomena Hospital School of Nursing Sciences for the completion of school projects. The donation spiked tragic violence after his departure.

Instead of appreciation, Okpebholo’s advisory to Obi has become the subject of attacks from supporters of the unsettled Anambra politician, remnants of the self-exiled Obaseki faction, and secret political party wings masquerading as civil society organisations (CSOs). From Obi’s fellow coalition leaders to his Obidient followers to the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) to his fanatical Catholic priests followers, the reactions have been sheer sensational, misunderstood and controversial; stoking needless furore and hullabaloo.

Different interpretations have been wrongly ascribed to the advisory. Some critics said Okpebholo warned Obi while others said Okpebholo threatened him. These are very wild, wrong and uncharitable interpretations of a simple advisory for an important personality meant to protect him whenever he visits.

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While the Edo State governor understandably spoke with a heavy heart from the death of residents, an analysis of the advisory shows that it is in order. Obi might have visited Edo State for a philanthropic cause as he claimed; it is disrespectful to disregard Governor Okpebholo. Protocol demands that the visitor notifies the governor, makes a courtesy call, and acknowledges his effort after the visitation. This would enable the governor as Chief Security Officer and host to protect his guest.

Just like the norm in the Southeast where many high-profile citizens on sneaky visitations have been killed by terrorising separatists, would Obi’s supporters not have blamed Governor Okpebholo if he had been attacked anywhere in Edo State?

As a second-term governor of Anambra State, Obi had reportedly ordered the arrest and detention of his fellow traveller and new coalition promoter, former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai for 48 hours in 2013. Recounting his experience at an Arewa Joint Committee interactive session in Kaduna State for 2019 presidential election candidates in the Daily Trust report of Monday, October 17, 2022, El-Rufai said he went to Anambra State to monitor the bye-election on behalf of his party’s candidate, Chris Ngige, whose APC contested against Obi’s All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), whose candidate, Willie Obiano, won only to be restricted to his hotel.

Also in 2020, Governor Obaseki summarily banned his predecessor and National Chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole from visiting Edo State.

“As someone who has served the country, courtesy demands that you inform the governor of the state that you are coming and if you have time during the visit, you can pay him a courtesy call. It is really sad and unfortunate that people who have served the state and who should know better behave the way they do, with impunity and lawlessness,” Obaseki had declared on the occasion.

Ironically, many who hailed Obaseki’s declaration at that time are now the ones criticising Okpebholo.

Obi and his sympathisers must take the advisory for what it is. They should rather focus their energies on fixing LP crisis and his ADC misadventure.

•Sebastine Ebhuomhan,Benin City

July 22, 2025
ADC: Coalition of political braggadocios

Sir: With just two years into the tenure of the current administration, the recent macabre dance by the coalition of estranged politicians under the aegis of African Democratic Congress, ADC, smacks of a mere diversion and attempts to unduly heat the polity.

Reminiscence of the beautiful damsel, who danced herself to lame before the real dance begins, the political hawkers and nemesis of Nigeria’s political space, will soon get tired, and like the spent forces that they are, fizzle out of sight. Albeit, like the mythical phoenix that burns itself and rises young over its ashes, Nigerians must rise in total condemnation of the political harlotry that is taking Nigeria’s political liberty for licence.

A cursory outlook of the political pedigrees of these ADC dramatis personae and their unconscionable early political bravado has revealed two inter twined raison de’tre for their hawkish mannerism. As former political colleagues of President Bola Tinubu, they seem humbled by his unparalleled achievements in just two years in office, which seem to have dwarfed every other government since 1999. As political braggadocios, they seem to have been hit below the belt and their reactions show them as drowning men.

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Being political iconoclasts, they are unbridled in their collective hatred to make the polity ungovernable and disparage the will and vision of the president to offer his best for the nation. Their idea of throwing themselves in to the early political ring is to become the nemesis and the stormy petrel of an already stable democracy.

These ADC men of different stripes, impertinence, cobbled together by political impertinence have neither the vision, wisdom and political sagacity to command large following like the type that propelled APC to power in 2015. Bereft of any well-known ideological leanings, clarity and credible blueprint or manifesto, to jolt the Nigerian political space into an unimaginable circus, these power mongers, power retirees, seeking political relevance after their fall from the famed mount Olympus, will no doubt meet their comeuppance and waterloo at the poll come 2027.

Such gathering of fake and expired politicians of yore should not be taken by a pinch of salt by the ruling APC let alone disturb the president’s sleep. Nigerians know where the shoe pinches them and mending it is beyond the rabble rousers in the so-called ADC circus.

•Sunday Olagunju,Ibadan, Oyo State

July 22, 2025
No guarantee

Former President Muhammadu Buhari’s death from an undisclosed illness at an elite London hospital on July 13 predictably raised further questions about Nigerian leaders and their penchant for medical tourism. He was 82.

Seeking healthcare in foreign lands is not peculiar to this category of Nigerians. Indeed, it can be described as a “disease” afflicting many Nigerians who can afford to go abroad for medical purposes.

When political leaders, particularly those at high levels in the political hierarchy, routinely seek medical attention abroad, it suggests that they failed to improve their country’s medical system. Buhari was reported to have spent at least 225 days abroad for medical purposes during his eight-year period in office.

Speaking on his death, the President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr Tope Osundara, was reported saying, “If those in the corridors of power cannot trust the very system they are building, it raises serious questions about why medical tourism continues despite all the advocacy against it.”

Also, the President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Prof. Bala Audu, was quoted as saying, “Healthcare is a personal matter, and people follow their doctors wherever they go, even across borders if they can afford it. But when public officials entrusted with strengthening our health sector consistently opt for foreign hospitals, it raises serious concerns. It shows a lack of faith in the very system they are supposed to be building and sustaining.”

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Interestingly, former spokesman for Buhari, Femi Adesina, who defended his foreign medical trips, argued after his death, “If he had said I’d do my medicals in Nigeria just for show off or something, he could have long been dead.”

The implication that Nigerian medical practitioners are incompetent is “a false and dangerous narrative,” Osundara asserted. Audu described the argument as “deeply offensive to the many competent Nigerian doctors and nurses saving lives every day under difficult conditions.” He noted that the issue “has never been about competence.” According to him, Nigerian doctors and nurses “are among the best in the world.” The real problem, he stated, “is the lack of adequate infrastructure and equipment, particularly in public hospitals.”

Notably, under the Remuneration of Former Presidents and Heads of State (and Other Ancillary Matters) Act, the Federal Government is to provide for the medical expenses of former presidents and their immediate families, covering treatment within the country and abroad.

If this is the case, it behoves the occupant of the office to ensure that there are standard facilities locally that can handle their medical needs, and those of their compatriots, instead of relying on high-cost medical tourism. Sadly, Buhari’s death underlined the reality that expensive healthcare abroad does not necessarily guarantee life.

July 22, 2025