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  • Perfect time to support Governor Alia for an assured mutual prosperity

    Perfect time to support Governor Alia for an assured mutual prosperity

    By Donald Kumun

    In the unfolding story of Benue State, the year 2025 presents a defining moment—a period where the unity of our people, the clarity of our collective vision, and the depth of our commitment to one another has dramatically determined the destiny of our beloved state.

    At the heart of this journey is the Executive Governor of Benue State, His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, whose bold reforms, transformative policies, and people-centered governance, have set the state on a path toward assured and shared prosperity. This is, indeed, a time to rally behind him, not merely as individuals pursuing personal gain, but as a people bound by a common purpose—the creation of a thriving Benue where every citizen enjoys dignity, security, and opportunity.

    To achieve this, we must embrace the concept of mutual prosperity and galvanize collective support for the visionary leadership that is laying the foundation for sustainable development.

    Mutual prosperity is a philosophy of shared growth, shared responsibility, and shared benefits. It recognizes that when a leader succeeds in creating an enabling environment for progress, the people reap the rewards; and when the people contribute their loyalty, cooperation, and unwavering support, governance becomes smoother, policies gain traction, and society advances at a faster pace.

    READ ALSO: Of envy and short memory in Ekiti politics

    In essence, mutual prosperity means that the wellbeing of the leader and the led are interconnected. It is only in a few instances that a leader can deliver on his mandate without the trust and support of his people, and no people can achieve economic stability, peace, and social progress without effective leadership. This dynamic partnership between government and the governed is the only pathway to lasting transformation.

    Governor Alia’s administration has embraced this principle wholeheartedly—channeling resources into projects that prioritize collective wellbeing rather than narrow interests. But for these efforts to achieve their maximum impact, the people of Benue must reciprocate by lending unalloyed support, unity, and loyalty to his vision.

    Across history, great nations and prosperous societies, have always triumphed when they stood united in the face of adversity. Today, Benue State is confronted with challenges—from security threats to economic uncertainties, inherited infrastructural deficits, and the long-standing humanitarian burden of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). These are not ordinary times. But they are not insurmountable times either. With unity of purpose, we can overcome. The greatest danger to our collective progress is not the strength of our challenges, but the weakness of our solidarity. A divided people cannot confront a common enemy.

    Governor Alia’s vision for a prosperous Benue, depends on the people coming together, setting aside political, ethnic, and ideological differences, and prioritizing the welfare of the state above all other primordial considerations. Partisan divides must give way to collective determination. Personal grievances must bow to the overarching goal of development. This is not the time for cynicism, sabotage, or distractions—it is a time to stand shoulder to shoulder in defense of the Benue dream.

    When the governed give their total loyalty and sincere cooperation to their leader, several natural benefits accrue. A united citizenry reduces distractions, minimizes resistance to government policies, and creates an environment where strategic projects are executed seamlessly, which accelerates development. When the people work hand-in-hand with government, sharing intelligence and supporting security measures, communities become safer and investors gain confidence, which enhances security. A cohesive population strengthens the governor’s negotiating power at the national level, attracting federal presence, donor funding, and private sector partnerships, which leads to stronger representation.

    When there is synergy between leadership and followership, growth is not only faster but also more inclusive, ensuring opportunities trickle down to rural communities, youth, and vulnerable groups. This brings about inclusive prosperity. Supporting Governor Alia is not about blind loyalty; it is about strategic partnership—a recognition that his success is our collective success.

    It should be well noted that since assuming office, the Governor has demonstrated uncommon courage, vision, and dedication to reposition the State. His approach to governance is bold, deliberate, and result-oriented. A closer look at his achievements underscores why his leadership deserves our unwavering support.

    Under the Governor, Benue State has witnessed unprecedented interventions in addressing insecurity. Through collaborative efforts with the Nigerian Navy, a Special Operations Base was established in Makurdi, enhancing rapid response to threats. His administration has also provided logistical support to security agencies and strengthened community-based policing to tackle herders’ attacks, banditry, and kidnapping. Other security commitment by the Governor, abound.

    Governor Alia’s infrastructure revolution has transformed the landscape of the state. Strategic road projects are ongoing across Makurdi, Gboko, Otukpo, and other major towns, opening up rural communities and boosting commerce. Urban renewal initiatives are upgrading drainage systems, modernizing transport networks, and enhancing the overall livability of Benue’s cities.

    Recognizing that no State prospers beyond the quality of its people, Governor Alia has prioritized education. His administration has constructed, and  renovated both primary and secondary schools across the 23 local government areas of the State, supplied modern learning materials, and introduced teacher retraining programs, to improve learning outcomes. Scholarships and bursaries have also been extended to deserving students, demonstrating his commitment to empowering the next generation.

    As the “Food Basket of the Nation,” Benue’s prosperity depends largely on agricultural transformation. Hence, Governor Alia has revitalized the sector through investments in mechanized farming, fertilizer subsidies, and rural extension services. Partnerships with private investors have opened new frontiers in rice, yam, and cassava value chains, creating jobs and boosting food security.

    Working closely with the United Nations Habitat, Governor Alia has initiated sustainable plans to return thousands of IDPs to their ancestral homes with dignity. This compassionate approach not only restores livelihoods, but also heals the wounds of years of conflicts.

    Determined to restore transparency, and efficiency, the Governor’s administration, has introduced digital systems for salary payments, eliminated ghost workers, and enforced accountability measures. These reforms have saved billions of naira and ensured that public resources directly benefit the people.

    Rev. Fr. Dr.  Hyacinth Iormem Alia, has laid the foundation for a new Benue—one that promises security, economic growth, and shared prosperity. But foundations, no matter how solid, must be built upon, which requires our collective willpower. To realize the full benefits of his reforms, Benue people must reject division and embrace solidarity, counter misinformation and focus on facts, support government policies, designed to uplift everyone, not just a few, and be active partners in implementing grassroots initiatives, and holding leaders accountable constructively. The truth is simple: no leader can succeed alone. When the led and the leader walk hand in hand, progress is inevitable. But when trust breaks down, development stalls, and prosperity slips away.

    Benue State stands at the threshold of transformation. Governor Alia has demonstrated leadership anchored on vision, courage, and compassion. He has confronted the challenges of insecurity, invested in the people, revitalized the economy, and set the state on a trajectory toward greatness. But this promise of prosperity can only be fulfilled if we, the people, rise to the occasion.

    By standing united, supporting our governor, and contributing meaningfully to his vision, we create a Benue where opportunity is abundant, security is assured, and dignity is restored. Now is not the time for division. Now is not the time for cynicism. Now is the time to support Governor Alia—because his success is our collective success, and his vision is the gateway to an assured prosperity.

    • Donald Kumun, is the Principal Special Assistant to the Benue State Governor on Print Media, and writes from Makurdi the State Capital.

  • What if a major disaster strikes here?

    What if a major disaster strikes here?

    By IfeanyiChukwu Afuba

    The reality of life, earthly life, is that there’s death at some point. Wise men and women put that before them and strive towards purposeful life. The reality of living is that there will be ups and downs; successes and reversals; slips and the unforeseen. And as it is in the journey of individuals, so it is in the life of societies, nations, communities.

    The interruption of normalcy in the natural rhythms of a people can come suddenly, sometimes as a single hand of disorder, sometimes in double-barrelled, even multi-dimensional phenomena. Disruptive occurrences may be short-lived or long-drawn. Their negative impact may be restricted to material damage. But often, there are also human and environmental losses. Nigeria has mercifully been spared of any major natural disaster in her history. It would be escapist to think that Nigeria’s territory will always be unaffected by the wrath of environmental forces.

    Are we prepared for such a scenario?

    A cursory look at the global scene points towards a widening scale of tragedies; some of natural factors, others of human cause. From forest wildfires to volcanic eruptions; from earthquakes to tsunamis; from flooding to mudslides; from agricultural harvest failure to epidemics, the line of devastating occurrences that can afflict a state is long.

    In the past two decades especially, the United States has been plagued with ferocious wildfires. Their scale and intensity are such that often invite declaration of emergency to effectively combat them. Yet, the ease and frequency of their recurrence underline the complicated nature of the problem. On a few occasions, authorities had arrested some suspects on suspicion of deliberately starting the fires. But climate change, manifested in hotter temperatures, has been cited as a major cause. In recent years, Spain, Greece, Italy, Portugal and France have also suffered the scourge of wildfires. Driven by strong winds and dry weather, the destruction the flames leave in their trail are better imagined than experienced. Sometimes, firefighters end up among the casualties. Those who survive have to bear the reality of destroyed homes and vegetation and the trauma of the experience as well. It’s pretty much the same with other forms of disaster.

    High casualty figures from these worldwide tragedies seem to have become common. The ugly trend however, serves as constant reminder to the potential consequences of these events as well as the huge task involved in both averting and managing them.

    In 1997, a devastating earthquake rocked Iran, leaving over 4,000 dead. The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was unprecedented, wreaking havoc simultaneously in Indonesia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka. At the final tally, the death toll stood at 227,000. As at Tuesday, September 2, the dead from Afghanistan’s earthquake a day earlier had reached 1,100, with many still missing and unaccounted for. And still on the same day, over 1,000 persons perished in a landslide in Darfur, Sudan.

    Prediction of earthquakes and volcanoes might be possible in certain circumstances but ensuring the attendant safety situation remains a challenging assignment. Deployment and use of emergency machinery in life-threatening situations is not an easy undertaking. But aside physical competence in technology and skills, the role of system functionality is very important. Organisational readiness is critical and with it, group motivation. Scenes from the ongoing war in Gaza illustrate this point. Amidst a blockade of goods and essential supplies, Gaza’s emergency services are still strong. More often than not, the ambulances are available to evacuate the dead and injured. And you can’t fail to notice the wholehearted spirit with which the population lends hands to salvage bad situations. This solidarity has made the difference in surviving the perils of war.

    Nigeria has been spared the misfortune of such disasters so far. To assume it would never happen here would border on superstition. The closest we had gotten to such emergency would be the crude violence of Boko Haram and other fundamentalist groups operating in the country. Nigeria’s sectarian terrorism is man-made, with the intention of grabbing territory for establishment of extremist theocratic state. The job of containing the Islamic insurgents is basically a military one so we would rather be concerned with the state of our internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. As a temporary accommodation for those affected by disruption of social peace, these camps have been very badly run. An aggregation of assessments of the camps is negative. They generally suffer from poorly constructed structures, low hygienic conditions, inadequate food and healthcare, underfunding, and corruption. The unhospitable atmosphere leaves the inmates vulnerable to exploitation including sexual abuse. The experience with IDP camps provides lessons for the future.

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    Two major challenges stand before Nigeria in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. The first is about infrastructure capacity. Do we have the machinery and equipment for effective intervention? Watching footage of fire-combating aircraft in action in Europe, the question, what would be our fate if wildfires engulf our forests, pops up? Do we have some of such stuff?

    I am not sure if the National Emergency Management Agency has helicopters, not to talk of their state counterparts. Considering that many of our communities still lack asphalted roads, how would rescue teams reach those in the interior? Do our emergency agencies have cranes, bulldozers, jack systems and ground penetrating radar for detection of people trapped beneath concrete?

    Appeal for external assistance should not be the first resort. Any serious state should be seen to have taken the initiative in confronting a calamity before seeking outside help. What about our fire services? Are they equipped with functional vehicles and modern accessories? Public water supply is still a luxury even in state capitals. How then can the fire departments rise to the occasion when their service is needed? Conscious efforts should be made to bring our emergency bodies to a level of preparedness. The task of boosting their capacity through provision of machinery and regular trainings ought to start immediately.

    Our second challenge with managing a crisis situation has to do with a system that often does not work. Service delivery is a major deficiency of government institutions. When the system manages to function, it doesn’t work optimally. It’s both a collective failing of work ethics and leadership at all levels. Dedication to duty is few and far between. We can’t seem to get it right either by sanction of the law or the power of moral/ religious persuasion. The plain reality however, is that disaster management is a schedule that demands going the extra mile. It may not be out of place to approve enhanced, special remuneration for emergency services personnel. We must seek ways to make the public estate work.

  • Of envy and short memory in Ekiti politics

    Of envy and short memory in Ekiti politics

    By Idowu Ephraim Faleye

    The sociology of envy and short memory in Ekiti politics explains why some politicians prefer Kayode Ojo as governor, even when history has shown the dangers of supporting leaders who didn’t grow up among them, while short memory makes them forget the pains of being ruled by leaders who were strangers to the state. That is why today, instead of rallying behind a home-grown governor like Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, many are now shouting for a man who has barely lived in Ekiti, simply because the grass is always greener on the other side.

    Yes, there is a saying that the grass is always greener on the other side. It means that people often believe that a change is better than what they have, even when their own situation is not as bad as they think. This saying fits perfectly into the political behaviour of Ekiti people and the drama that surrounds the coming governorship election.

    Over the years, Ekiti has suffered because we have allowed ourselves to be carried away by this mind-set. We keep thinking an outsider will do better than our own. We forget the painful lessons of the past and we find ourselves falling into the same trap again and again. Today, some people who once cried for a home-grown governor, someone who understands us, eats with us, walks our dusty roads, and feels our pains, are now shouting for another stranger, someone who only comes home when election is near.

    When we look back at our history, we will see how this habit has cost us dearly. Many of those who became governors of Ekiti were not truly familiar with the land. Yes, they were indigenes by origin, but they had lived most of their lives outside. Their close friends were outside. Their trusted aides were outside. Their families were outside. Their children schooled outside. Their wives and relatives stayed outside. And whenever they wanted to relax, they travelled outside.

    Because of this, their circle of trust was never in Ekiti. When they became governors, they naturally appointed their outside friends and associates into key political and economic positions. These people may have carried Ekiti blood in their veins, but their hearts and pockets were tied elsewhere. The result was capital flight. Money that should have circulated in Ado, Ikere, Ikole, Oye, and Ijero ended up flowing to Lagos, Abuja, or even abroad. School fees were paid outside. Houses were built outside. Workers were hired outside. Mechanics, tailors, bricklayers, carpenters, and other artisans in Ekiti lost patronage because the leaders we elected preferred their trusted contacts elsewhere.

    We cannot even blame those governors completely. Human beings trust those they know best, and since they had built their lives elsewhere, it was natural for them to fall back on those people. Even their campaign funds were raised mainly from their external circles. Those friends who brought out millions of naira during elections had to be compensated later, and the only way was to use Ekiti’s resources. In the end, Ekiti lost because our money was used to pay debts we did not owe.

    This is the bitter cycle we cried against for many years. We said enough is enough. We said we wanted a son of the soil who was not just Ekiti by birth but by life. We wanted someone who had studied in our schools, taught in our classrooms, worked in our system, and shared our struggles. Someone who was not just familiar with the terrain but part of the terrain. That dream came true when Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, BAO, became governor.

    Oyebanji’s story is different. He grew up here. He studied here. He worked here. He built his political journey here. His friends are here, his circle is here, and his trust is here. He does not need to import people to tell him what Ekiti needs. He has lived the Ekiti experience all his life. Unlike those before him, he does not see Ekiti as a political playground but as home. For the first time in a long while, we have a governor whose roots and branches are within us.

    Yet, in a strange twist of irony, many of the same people who once demanded such a governor are now shouting against him. Instead of celebrating that their long cry has been answered, they are now crying crucify him, give us Kayode Ojo. This is where the saying that the grass is always greener on the other side comes in.

    But let us pause and ask ourselves: when someone spends money that was not made here, where will the repayment come from? When a man gathers his rich friends outside Ekiti to bankroll his campaign, will he not use Ekiti’s treasury to pay them back when he enters office? When those friends who sacrificed their millions come calling, will he tell them no because he wants to fix roads in Ilawe or build schools in Ifaki? History has shown us the answer before, and it is always the same. Ekiti’s money will again flow out, leaving us with little to show.

    When the political class in Ekiti once again sells the people’s mandate to a stranger, the same cycle will repeat. The stranger who bought support with money borrowed from his wealthy friends outside will naturally have to repay them from Ekiti’s commonwealth. And when the time comes to share the largess, those who already collected their dues during the campaign will still expect more benefits, wanting to eat their cake and have it at the same time, forgetting that the real cost is borne by the masses who never saw a kobo of the bargain.

    It is easy to be carried away by the glamour of money during campaigns. It is easy to shout for the man who shares the biggest rice bags and sprays the loudest cash. But we must remember that those are only baits. They are seeds planted to harvest our future. Once the election is over, the real price comes, and it is always paid with Ekiti’s development. This is what has kept us backward for years.

    But the matter does not end there. Another reason many are ganging up against Oyebanji is envy. Ekiti has a strange habit of pulling down those who rise among us. Instead of celebrating our own, we prefer to poke holes and drag them down. We do not like to see one of us succeed too much. When a neighbour is climbing, we remind ourselves of his childhood flaws, his youthful mistakes, or his family weakness. We say things like, who does he think he is? Why should it be him and not me? In politics, this spirit is even stronger.

    Some people are uncomfortable with Oyebanji’s rising profile because it threatens their own ambitions. They do not want him to break the jinx of second term failure in Ekiti. Since the creation of the state, no governor has enjoyed two straight terms in office without interruption. For many, it has become a point of pride to say no one can. They believe Oyebanji should not be allowed to change that record. They prefer to keep Ekiti trapped in that cycle of instability instead of supporting continuity.

    Read Also: South Africa hold Nigeria to 1-1 draw in crucial World Cup Qualifier

    This is why the gang up is not about performance. It is not about whether Oyebanji has failed or succeeded. It is about the fear of his success. If he wins a second term and performs better, it will prove that home-grown leadership works. It will show that Ekiti does not need outsiders to progress. It will bury the argument that only those with external links can make us proud. And that is what his opponents do not want to see.

    The danger for Ekiti is clear. If we allow ourselves to be deceived again, we will once more hand our future to leaders whose loyalty is not to us but to their external sponsors. We will repeat the cycle of capital flight, of lost opportunities, of broken promises. We will regret again, and as usual, it will be too late.

    Ekiti must rise above the illusion that the grass is greener on the other side. We must value what we have, not always chase after shadows. We must support the man who has lived with us, grown with us, and stood with us. We must learn from history and not be victims of short memory. We must not sell Ekiti future for a token today.

    The truth is simple. Oyebanji represents a new path for Ekiti, a path where leadership is rooted in home, where money circulates here, where development touches real lives here. Kayode Ojo represents the old pattern, the stranger politics, the capital flight politics, the politics of friends from outside. The choice is between repeating the pain of yesterday or building on the promise of today.

    Ekiti cannot afford to keep believing the grass is greener on the other side. It is time to water our own grass. It is time to stand by our own. It is time to say no to deception, no to envy, and no to the cycle of failure. Only then will we truly break free and move forward as a people.

    •Faleye writes from Ado-Ekiti.

  • Reforms: Things are getting better

    Reforms: Things are getting better

    By Sheriff P. Bulus

     Security and the economy are the two most significant issues affecting Nigerians in their daily lives, whether through soaring prices or fear of violence. This is especially so for low-income earners who must carefully monitor market prices, haggle over the cost of every food item and make their own arrangements for security – decisions crucial to their well-being and survival.

    Things especially became tough at the inception of this administration, with the gale of reforms introduced to stabilise the economy and to improve security. The two most notable policies were the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of foreign exchange rates, which eliminated the vast difference between the official and black market rates.

    You may add a third, the president going against recent precedent to appoint Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, a retired police officer, as the National Security Adviser, rather than following the tradition of making a retired general the NSA. With Ribadu, the government’s security approach changed significantly from the past, prioritising an intelligence-led, community-driven policing method to address security concerns. However, the security gains were not immediately visible, with some analysts wondering whether the choice of the former policeman was the right one.

    On the economic front, the immediate consequence of the reforms was a high rate of inflation, which hovered around 30 percent. Prices of goods and services, especially transportation costs, skyrocketed, causing temporary hardship and complaints that the government was uncaring. The government spokespeople explained that these reforms were necessary, even essential, to forestall a total collapse of the economy.

    Two years on, it appears the government is right, as things are looking up in both these crucial sectors of the economy and security, even though we are not there yet. President Bola Tinubu’s reforms are beginning to bear fruit and becoming visible for all to see.

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    Only recently, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, noted this much after a meeting with the president. “The president and his team have worked hard to stabilise the economy. The reforms have been in the right direction,’’ she stated.

    Okonjo-Iweala should know. Having twice served as Nigerian Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of Economy – the first woman to serve two terms in that role, Okonjo-Iweala’s assessment carries weight, and these were not just flattery, but a validation of recent data, which shows that inflation has reduced to about 21.3 percent and that the economy, in the first quarter, grew by 3.13 percent. No doubt, we are not there yet, but we are making steady gains economically.

    Also, Yemi Kale, Nigeria’s former Statistician General and head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), explained that “macroeconomic indicators are steady, meaning that businesses, investors, and consumers can feel more confident making long-term plans.”

    By that definition, Nigeria is inching closer to stability than it has in years—a fact that even critics cannot ignore. Not only are the current macroeconomic indicators stronger, but there are also more hopeful signs that steady recovery and long-term growth will occur.

    For instance, data from the NBS indicate that the agricultural sector contributed 23 per cent of Nigeria’s real GDP in the first quarter of 2025, up from 21 per cent in the same period of 2024. Significantly, headline inflation, which had peaked in 2023, is easing. Food inflation rate dropped sharply to 21.9 per cent in June, an 18.90-point decline from 40.87 per cent a year earlier.

    These are not just statistics. They demonstrate that the reforms are making a positive impact as the prices of food items are now stable after the initial spikes. Hopefully, we will see more gains in the coming weeks and months.

    As in the economy, so it is with security. Nigeria also appears to be making a turn for the better in that critical sector. The recent arrest of two top leaders of the al-Qaeda affiliated Ansaru terrorist group, Mahmud Muhammad Usman, the self-styled “Emir of Ansaru”, and his deputy and Chief of Staff, Mahmud al-Nigeri Bara, by Nigerian security forces, is an indication that the NSA’s intelligence approach is beginning to achieve desired results.

    It was more than a mere tactical victory; it provided succour for rural farmers and traders across Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara states, where the presence of these terrorists had crippled economic activities, particularly farming and livestock production, and displaced thousands.

    Similarly, the renewed targeted onslaught on banditry has led to the killing of tens of bandits in the northeast and the rescue of many hostages, who were returned to their states of origin by the NSA. This demonstrates the turn of the tables against the forces of insecurity and restores Nigerians’ hope for a better life, not one dominated by fear of kidnapping and other terrors of banditry.

    Now, farmers can return to cultivate their farmlands, petty traders can move around freely, and rural markets and economic activities can resume without fear of kidnapping or terror attacks. This means more produce in the market, lower prices to consumers, better livelihoods for farmers and their families, and generally, Nigerians can breathe easier.

    Although it is not Uhuru, steady progress is being made in these crucial sectors, with the economy and security taking shape. Nigerians can now look to the future with more optimism, confident that the worst days are behind them.

    •Bulus, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja.

  • Where is our history?

    Where is our history?

    • By Austin Orette 

    We must teach our history. I cannot find any reason why Nigeria’s history is not being taught in Nigerian schools. This is a terrible mistake. What are we afraid of? Whose idea is it, that teaching Nigerian history will be unhealthy to our nation?

    This must be one of the mediocre ideas of the mercenaries that imprisoned Nigeria for more than 50 years. Our history is who we are and why we are here and where we are going.

    As a nation, we are not perfect. We have made mistakes and we have done some good things. Our history is the record of this journey as a nation. Our history should give us constant hindsight so that we don’t repeat mistakes. If we take the good and bad and give a proper account, it will be discovered we have made some great strides as a people.

    We fought wars and we have managed to win the peace. Out of the cacophony of our existence, we have produced the Nigerian character. The Nigerian is the product from this blast furnace. It is this character that is under attack throughout the world. Nigeria does not have the monopoly of criminality. What the West is attacking is the virility of Nigeria. If we know this, it will give us the fortitude to persevere.

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    We cannot know who we are if our history is not made known to us. Knowing who we are will give us the ammunition to fight in a world that has become hostile to the Nigerian. We will be able to define ourselves instead of letting others define us. We must tell our story if not others will tell it and unpalatable by using our least common denominator. We are Nigerians and we are not more corrupt than any other group of people.

    The western press can make you hate your friends and make you love your enemies. As Africa is waking up from its doldrums, the West is beginning to recalibrate their positions. They have chosen Nigeria as the bogeyman because the Nigerian represents everything they fear about the awake African.

    For centuries, they used their instrument of coercion and education to tell the lion that it can only survive by stealing food from the hyena. A few Africans and the Nigerian never accepted this. The lion within was never slayed. It roamed without a purpose and it used its strength to attack its own kind and listen to the tails of the gazelle. It wondered in self-doubt. Every now and then, there is a glimpse of the glorious past which appeared as hallucinations. The dreams became more vivid and took on a reality of real life. He is the lion and must not wait for the meals provided by the hyena. He is the lion and must make his own kill and establish his pride. This is the Nigeria from Slavery to Colonialism and Neo-colonialism.

    We lost our way. It is this awakening that the world is fighting. They have made the Nigerian a pariah because he wants to stand on his own two feet. The attack on the Nigerian is the attack on the manhood of Africa.

    From wars, coups and disrespect, we have survived what the world has thrown at us.  Out of this crucible, we have created a citizen who believes in himself and his people. This is what the world is attacking. Every one of these attacks tries to gain legitimacy by using our own against us. In South Africa, the black South Africans blamed the Nigerian for his problem. In West Africa, the Ghanaian blamed Nigeria for their problems. In America, the black America blamed Nigeria for their problems.

    When Trump started his orgy of deportation, the black Americans were celebrating the deportation of Nigerians. When the world and our own are against us, we have to rely on each other and our history. Due to the lack of this history, we cannot tell the world what Nigeria has done for the freedom of all black people in the world. If we have history, we will tell the South African that we paid heavy price to fight for their freedom. Western companies like Shell, Barclays and others were nationalized due to their relationship with apartheid South Africa. Nigeria spearheaded and funded the anti-apartheid committee that negotiated the final phase of apartheid.

    If we have history, we will tell the Ghanaians that the stability they enjoy in West Africa today was made possible by Nigeria. When Sierra Leone and Liberia caught fire, Nigeria became the fire fighters. America that created Liberia was nowhere to be found. People were dying in thousands and they were preaching human rights to those who were dying. Nigeria created the peace and did not ask for their land or their gold. Nigeria brought the soldiers who died in that war to be buried in Nigeria. We did not even ask for a place to bury our dead. We did not ask for their diamond or their gold. Nigeria did not impose any system of government on them. America or Britain will never give that kind of selfless service.

    My country Nigeria did that. We did that.

    If we have that history, we will tell the black Americans that during the oil embargo of the 1970, a certain American president visited Nigeria to request for energy. The price of energy was prohibitive. Americans were losing their homes and could not afford to mitigate the brutal winters. Nigeria helped America by supplying them fuel at a very reasonable price, and also donated fuel to various foundations in America who were helping the poor to survive those brutal winters.

    To top it all, Nigeria took an unprecedented step to assist Historical Black Colleges in America who were in danger of closing due to serious financial crisis. Nigeria seized this opportunity. Nigeria awarded scholarships to many Nigerians to further their education at these Historical Black Colleges.

    This is the beginning of Nigerians moving to the United States for education. The presence of Nigerians in those colleges brought a new lease of life to them. Today the Black American and the South African and the rest have joined the league of those who hate Nigeria with passion.  Out of our difficulties, we have created a unique individual we call the Nigerian. He may be beaten but his head is unbowed. He is not bound by geography. His identity is justice, enterprise and fair play. We may tear at each other from North to South, East to West; let us never forget that the strength of our fabric will stand the test of time if we learn to understand that we are one people bound by a common identity that seeks justice and fair play in our common struggles. This struggles, created this individual we call the Nigerian.

    When the World tugs at us, we remember that we are more than the sum of our differences. The Nigerian is not bound by geography or race. The Nigerian has a keen sense of justice and knows that we are more than the sum total of our differences. He is indefatigable. The Nigerian is the hope of the African renaissance. The world is beginning to recognize this Nigerian and they all want to be members of this tribe. All that is needed to be members of this tribe is a keen sense of justice, agape love and fair play. Indeed, love of service and enterprise. Let us be this Nigerian. The world is waiting.

    •Dr Orette writes from Houston, Texas, United States

  • Scandal on the throne

    Scandal on the throne

    Among the Yoruba, there is a cultural awe for monarchs because they are regarded as representatives of the deities. They are esteemed above board in mortal fallibility, hence their recognition as one who is not to be questioned – ‘K’a bi o osi,’ which over the ages has been shortened into ‘Kabiyesi’. Only God is truly infallible and beyond questioning, though. It’s just that monarchs are deemed agents of the gods. But they are mortals after all, and anyone among them who strays from the hallowed ground of royal integrity gets stuck in muck like Oba Joseph Oloyede.

    The Alapetu of Ipetumodu, a community in Ife North council area of Osun State, recently got sentenced to jail in the United States for 56 months over fraud related to Covid-19 emergency loan for struggling businesses in that country. Oloyede holds dual citizenship of Nigeria and the U.S. And even though he was installed the Alapetu in October 2019, he is convicted and jailed for $4.2million fraud committed between 2020 and 2022. You heard that right: he dragged the revered crown of his people in the mud by engaging in fraud in America while holding the royal stool back home. The verdict handed down penultimate week by District Judge Christopher Boyko also ordered Oloyede to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $4,408,543.38 in restitution. He as well forfeited his home in Medina, Ohio, said to have been acquired with proceeds of the crime, and an additional $96,006.89 in fraud proceeds that investigators earlier seized.

    The 62-year-old Ipetumodu monarch worked as an accountant and information system expert in the U.S. and shuttled between both countries. He was arrested during a visit to the U.S. in May 2024 alongside a Nigerian pastor and accomplice in crime, Edward Oluwasanmi. Both men were charged with 13 counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. They were arraigned before Justice Boyko of the U.S. District Court of Ohio.

    According to court documents, Oloyede and Oluwasanmi submitted falsified applications for loans under the U.S. Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act between April 2020 and February 2022. The Act was enacted to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans heavily impacted by the negative economy of Covid-19 by issuing loans to small businesses and non-profit entities that experienced revenue loss due to the pandemic. The Act also authorised the U.S. Small Business Administration to issue advances or grants up to $10,000 to small firms. Oloyede and Oluwasanmi were docked for using fake tax and wage documents to secure funds meant to aid struggling businesses during the pandemic.

    Oloyede, who was based in Medina, Ohio before taking the Ipetumodu throne, was accused of using his companies – among them Available Tax Services Incorporated, Available Financial Corporation, and Available Transportation Company – to defraud the American government through the Covid-19 relief fund. His accomplice, Oluwasanmi, was accused of using his own companies – Dayspring Transportation Limited, Dayspring Holding Incorporated, and Dayspring Property Incorporated – to obtain millions of dollars later diverted for personal expenses, in breach of U.S. federal laws. The duo, among other things, fraudulently obtained the sum of $3.76million from the U.S. Paycheck Protection Programme and Economic Injury Disaster Loans scheme.

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    Oloyede’s legal ordeal seeped into the open following his long absence from his native community upon a trip abroad. Anxiety mounted in Ipetumodu after the monarch was absent from several important festivals that required his presence, but word soon filtered out that he was being held by U.S. authorities. After nearly a year of facing trial, both Oloyede and Oluwasanmi pleaded guilty in April to wire tax fraud charges. Oluwasanmi filed his guilty plea on 10th April, while Oloyede entered his plea on 21st April. Oluwasanmi was, early in July, sentenced by the district court to 27 months in prison, and Oloyede got his own sentence on 26th August.

    U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio said Judge Boyko found that Oloyede led a conspiracy to exploit the Covid-19 emergency loan programmes. A statement from the office said: “From about April 2020 to February 2022, Oloyede and his co-conspirator, Edward Oluwasanmi, conspired to submit fraudulent applications for loans that were made available through the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.” It added: “They obtained approximately $1.2million in SBA funds for Oluwasanmi’s entities and $1.7million for Oloyede’s entities.”

    Oloyede also submitted fraudulent applications in the names of clients and their businesses, for which he collected 15 to 20 percent as kickback for obtaining the loans for them “without reporting this income to the IRS on his own tax returns.” Prosecutors said the funds were then used for personal gain. “Investigators learned that the defendant used funds obtained from these loans to acquire land, build a home and purchase a luxury vehicle,” the district attorney’s statement said, adding that in all, Oloyede “caused the SBA to approve 38 fraudulent applications, amounting to $4,213,378 in disbursed loans and advances.”

    Oloyede and his accomplice would have been celebrated as Nigerians who thrived in other lands when home-borns of the land struggled to survive; but no, they are geniuses of the evil kind. The monarch knows now, if he didn’t before, that the law is no respecter of persons. You could imagine his consternation when U.S. law agents pulled him in without scant regard for his royal status back home. That hardline posture is not being taken back home, though, by the Osun State Government that insisted on obtaining a certified copy of the U.S. district court judgment before making a decision on the Alapetu stool. “While it may be true that the monarch has been convicted and jailed, there is no official record with us. We will direct that the Certified True Copy of the judgment be obtained. After studying it, the government will then decide on next steps,” Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters Commissioner Dosu Babatunde said in a statement, adding: “We cannot rely on Facebook posts and stories to justify such a serious matter. ”

    People of Ipetumodu aren’t themselves as laid back and have plied demands for a new Alapetu to be installed. Oloyede ascended the throne in succession to Oba James Adedokun Adego (Akunradoye II) who passed on in 2017. He came through a hotly contested process involving more than ten princes, and with religious authorities including clerics and Ifa priests reportedly consulted before he was handed a letter of appointment by former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola. But an heir to the Apetu throne, Prince Laboye Ayoola, accused stakeholders of prioritising wealth over tradition and neglecting Ifa consultation during the selection process. In an interview with The Nation, he cited disregard for custom by kingmakers, government and ruling houses for the emergence of the embattled monarch. Ayoola, from Aribile ruling house, described the monarch’s fate as an embarrassment to the community. “Oba Oloyede was considered because of his wealth. He only came home to contest the stool and kept shuttling between Nigeria and the U.S. until his arrest,” he said.

    If Ifa was consulted, was the oracle in error about Oloyede’s suitability for the throne? Other considerations must have come to play. So, the monarch’s tangle with the U.S. law raises questions afresh about the process of selection to traditional stools whereby the depth of the pocket, more than character and credibility of ancestry, tips the scale in a contender’s favour. It was not so in traditional history.

    One thing Ifa need not be bothered about is whether Oloyede will resume his crown at a future date. He will not. He was arrested in May 2024 and has been away from the Ipetumodu throne for all of that time, and he obviously won’t be back for a long while. When the Osun government says it is waiting to obtain a certified copy of the U.S. court judgment before taking next steps on the Alapetu stool, you wonder if the stool had an occupant since Oloyede’s arrest.

    •Please join me on kayodeidowu.blogspot.be for conversation.

  • Nigeria-China relations and the Global Governance Initiative

    Nigeria-China relations and the Global Governance Initiative

    • By Charles Onunaiju

    Last July, at the 17th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in Brazil, with the theme of “Strengthening Global South Cooperation and Promoting a more Inclusive and Sustainable Global Governance”, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu called for “a financial restructuring and a re-evaluation of the global social and governance order”, and added that “Nigeria re-affirms its commitment to strategic collaboration that translates into sustainable and inclusive development for all”.

    Now, an important opportunity and strategic platform has offered itself for Nigeria to translate her resolve and “commitment to strategic collaboration” into practical action that would give effect to “sustainable and inclusive development”.

    At the recent summit of the 25th Heads of States Council of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held in the Chinese city of Tianjin, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), and expressed China’s resolve to “work with all countries for a more just and equitable global governance system and advance toward a community with a shared future for humanity”. He went further to outline the essential and basic features of the proposed Global Governance Initiative to include first and foremost, sovereign equality, which recognizes the equal weight and stake of all states in the international system which must translate to inclusive decision-making and equitable participation of all state actors thereby giving effect to the democratisation of the international system.

    Additionally, the initiative holds that the representation and voice of the developing countries should be further enhanced and this clearly aligns with Nigeria’s and Africa’s long standing demands for the reform of key international institutions to reflect the realities and especially, the coming into reckoning of Africa and other countries in the Global South to the emerging multi-polar international order.

    The Global Governance Initiative (GGI) also calls for unconditional adherence to the United Nations system as the embodiment of universally recognized expression of the law and rule-based system of international intercourse, while cautioning that “the house rules of a few countries must not be imposed on others”.

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    The Global Governance Initiative (GGI) further emphasize multilateralism which shall be entrenched in the architecture of global governance system that would be characterized by “extensive consultations and joint contribution for shared benefit”, and further reaffirmed the centrality of the United Nations, whose authority and key role is irreplaceable in global governance. The proposed framework for global governance underscored the fact that the initiative would not be just about the “games nations play”, but should be one that “ensures that the people of every nation are the actors in and beneficiaries of global governance, so as to better tackle the common challenges of mankind. Only the People-centred approach to global governance can guarantee and deliver tangible results.

     The fifth leg of the proposed Initiative would focus on “taking real actions” that produce tangible results.

    Traditional international forums are usually characterized as platforms for grandstanding and diplomatic circus- show where actors say what they did not mean and with little effects on delivering tangible outcomes. Nigeria and Africa have been on the receiving end of international grandstanding and highfalutin Western proposals that deliver little or nothing in practice.

    For example, in 2013, U.S President Barack Obama launched Power Africa Initiative, meant to double access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa where estimated 600 million people lack access then. This year, (2025) the U.S government shut down the Power Africa Initiative for persistent failure to meet targets and lack of significant progress. A report in 2019 revealed that Power Africa Initiative overstated its achievements, with many projects and energy deals, never materializing and most of modest new connections then, coming from mere hand-held solar lanterns. Even, the U.S -led Build Back Better (B3W) world, a project to supposedly address and support global infrastructure deficit and rival China’s Belt and Road Initiative, fell apart before its one year anniversary for zero funding outlay.

    in the proposed initiative on global governance, actions will speak louder than words. The Chinese leader said that “the Global Governance Initiative would adopt a systematic and holistic approach, coordinate global actions, fully mobilize various resources” to strive and bring about more visible and practical outcomes. The new map of global governance envisaged by the initiative, would uphold the original commitment to peaceful co-existence, build and strengthen confidence in win-win cooperation and more crucially, advance forward, in line with the trend of history and also thrive, as it keeps pace with the times.

    Nigeria-China comprehensive strategic partnership declared by the two sides during President Tinubu’s state visit to China last year would now more effectively function as an important platform to advance their shared vision of global governance reforms, whose important features have been meticulously articulated in the Global Governance Initiative (GGI).

    As it is remarkably well known, China’s Initiatives are not empty talks or political grandstanding because they are issued from an in-depth and rigorous study of the subjects in question, in all their historical dimensions and reflect the trends that shape contemporary human prospects and outlook. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an outstanding international public goods for which over 150 countries are currently in partnership, with more than a decade of seamless operation and China’s investment of more than $1 trillion exemplifies the successful practice of “extensive consultations and joint contributions for shared benefits”.

    Nigeria and China have elaborate consultative mechanism through the institutionalized process of inter-governmental dialogue, which have enriched bilateral cooperation between the two sides and enabled misconceptions of understanding and challenges in cooperation to be solved through more cooperation and not less. In the specific instance of the proposed GGI, the mechanism for extensive bilateral cooperation between the two sides can be used to mutually enrich the vision of global governance reforms and methodically advance it on the global platform because it reflects the shared concerns of both sides.

    The initiative resonates with Africa’s historical calls for equitable and inclusive international system that is both non-discriminatory and fully democratic. It also reflects, Africa’s concerns that the international governance system should solve real problems, and produce practical outcomes, as a meaningful response to the many challenges confronting humanity. There is a common understanding that humankind is becoming a community of shared future and the corollary to this understanding is that a global governance mechanism that would adequately respond to these challenges must be inclusive and broadly participatory and the initiative on global governance provides an outline for such important undertakings.

    The vision of the common humanity can be more practically realized within the framework of a global governance apparatus that reflect both the general and common will of all the peoples, whose most extant institutional representation is currently the United Nations system.

    The Global Governance Initiative has come at a very opportune time when humanity is at a crossroad and the choice it has to make is both grim and optimistic and a buff of fresh air has just emerged to compel humanity in the direction to work not only for self-preservation but collective security with the obvious dividends of universal peace and shared prosperity.

    •Onunaiju is research director of Abuja based think tank

  • Addressing insecurity with youth empowerment

    Addressing insecurity with youth empowerment

    • By Tekena Amieyeofori

    The 2025 edition of the International Youth Day was marked recently across the globe with the theme: “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond”. The theme recognises the resourcefulness of young people and appreciates the vital role they play in meeting the ever increasing socio-economic needs of the 21st century.

    Back home in Nigeria, many state officials seized the occasion of the International Youth Day, observed on August 12 every year, to celebrate young people in the country for their creativity, resilience and entrepreneurial spirit.  On that occasion, the remarks of the country’s First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu were particularly apt: “Nigerian youths are not just leaders of tomorrow; they are shaping the solutions of today and the future”. Now, this isn’t one of those niceties politicians employ when they want to patronise the electorate for political gain. Rather, it’s a statement of fact that reflects the true situation in Nigeria where youths are blazing the trail in the 21st century digital economy.

    In the fintech sector where Nigerian youths are strutting their stuff, for instance, the emergence of brands such as Flutterwave, Interswitch and Paystack have drastically changed the face of digital economy, providing financial inclusion, attracting investments and creating jobs in the country. In 2024, the country’s total value of digital transactions reached N1.07 quadrillion, reflecting a 79 percent increase from N600 trillion in 2023.

    Nigerian youths have also demonstrated unrivalled capabilities in the entertainment industry which is now a low hanging fruit for economic growth and development. Nollywood, one of the world’s biggest movie industries, has been dominated by successive generations of Nigerian youths since the early 1990s. With the application of modern technology and increased funding from the private sector, the market for the Nigerian movie industry has expanded tremendously, both domestically and internationally in over two decades. This explains why Nollywood’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP rose from roughly N1.6 trillion in 2020 to an estimated N1.97 trillion in 2023.

    Nigeria’s music scene, particularly afro beats dominated by youths, has also carved a niche for the country in the global music industry. Currently, songs released by prolific afro beats artistes like Davido, Tiwa Savage and Burna Boy are making waves in neighbouring African countries, Europe and North America. Talented artistes like Temilade Opeyemi (popularly known as Tems), Burner Boy and Wizkid have won the prestigious Grammy Awards at various times for their innovative style of music production globally. Like Nollywood, the music industry has made significant contributions to the growth of the Nigerian economy over the years. In no distant time, the Afro beat market, which is expanding in leaps and bounds, is projected to hit $1.4 billion. Needless to say, Nigeria is a gift to the world; and her neighbours in the international community acknowledge this fact.

    The theme for the 2025 International Youth Day does not only appreciate the important role youths play in driving the SDGs; it also takes into cognisance the need to accord them  inclusion and participation in decision-making. It is on this note that Mrs. Tinubu urges that: “Let us continue to invest in our youth, amplify their voices, and support their voices to build a more connected, just and sustainable world”. But the sad reality is that Nigeria has not done enough to optimally harness the deep wells of resources dwelling inside of her youths who account for the largest segment of her vast population. Admittedly, several youth-centred economic empowerment programmes have been implemented by successive governments over the years, but they remain mere tokenistic interventions that are unable to touch the lives of young people who are disproportionately affected by rising unemployment rates in the country.

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    The unpalatable consequence of failing to engage technologically savvy Nigerian youths, most of whom are unemployed, has been the rise of a growing army of internet fraudsters and other groups seeking solace in available illegal economic spaces in the country. In the Niger Delta where youths have ingeniously developed a simple technology to refine petroleum products, the federal government insists that their creative enterprise is illegal. This is in spite of the fact that the country’s badly managed refineries have been run aground, prompting massive importation of refined petroleum products, until recently, from countries where some Nigerian leaders are said to have built refineries for private economic gain. The implication is that lack of opportunities for Nigerian youths who have demonstrated capacity for self-development and national economic growth amounts to wilful denial of their economic rights, which is a manifestation of leadership failure that has become a major driver of poverty and insecurity in the country.

    The relationship between poverty and insecurity is often debated in many fora. While some development analysts maintain that insecurity leads to poverty, others insist it’s the other way round. No doubt, armed conflict breeds poverty as enormous resources are committed to prosecute war to the detriment of provisions made for human and infrastructure development in budgetary allocations. Moreover, countries emerging from armed conflict usually experience economic setbacks as a result of depleted national reserves and severely damaged infrastructure like schools, hospitals, electricity grids etc. But the truth is that poverty, especially when fuelled by structural injustice, breeds insecurity in a profound way.

    A careful observation of the insecurity situation in the country shows that Boko Haram’s influence thrives on relative deprivation in the northeast. Young vibrant people in the communities, without employment and means of survival, are frustrated and dismayed at the government for failing to better their lives. In 2016 Mercy Corps carried out a study on the incentives for joining Boko Haram among youths and identified the following factors: peer influence, financial aid, and grievances against the government. The summary of findings in the study shows that poverty and inequality are the major drivers of insecurity in Nigeria’s northeast.

    Fortunately, there was a major policy shift from the usual token offered Nigerian youths as economic empowerment in June 2025 when the Federal Ministry of Youth Development signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a private firm to train100, 000 youths in forex trading annually. Unlike other previous economic empowerment programmes designed for Nigerian youths, the proposed training in forex trading is well thought out and properly tailored to create livelihoods for the surging band of unemployed youths who have become the very agents of violence and insecurity across the country. The programme takes cognisance of the digital and entrepreneurial skills the youths possess and will further equip them to compete more favourably with their counterparts in other corners of the globe. Ultimately, it would reduce youth unemployment and drive financial inclusion consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals as they concern quality education, decent work and economic growth, as well as peace, justice and strong institutions.

    At the moment there are moves to effect a pay raise for political office holders in Nigeria where the ordinary citizens, especially the youths, bear the brunt of a prevailing economic hardship that continues to heighten the country’s misery index.  Obviously, it would amount to further misapplication of scarce funds in a rainy day that is already upon the country. Moreover, the planned pay raise for the political elite will further increase inequality which is both an expression of structural injustice and recipe for violent agitations and insecurity in any political system. The government of President Bola Tinubu is advised, therefore, to spend wisely with increased funding of programmes designed to empower youths economically. It goes without saying that when young people are positively engaged, they hardly find time to indulge in criminal activities that breed insecurity.

    •Amieyeofori (Ph.D) can be reached via tekena4real@gmail.com.

  • A look through Mbah’s cosmetic governance in Enugu

    A look through Mbah’s cosmetic governance in Enugu

    By Basil Ani

    When a trader in Ogbete Main Market is slapped with a daily levy by an agent flanked by armed police, or when a mother at a Primary Health Centre in Uwani waits hours for a drug that never comes, they aren’t debating the merits of the APC versus the PDP. Their calculus is far more basic: where is the governance? Where are the essentials? Contrary to much-touted ojectives, there is no functioning health center available to the community at present.

    No branding echo, no glossy billboard, and certainly no change of political party allegiance can replace the tangible presence of functioning clinics, equipped classrooms, or paved roads.

    Yet, as swirling rumours suggest Governor Peter Mbah is poised to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), a move seen by many as a pre-2027 survival strategy, it is imperative to spotlight Enugu state’s structural headaches. Performance, as the people’s lived reality attests, does not pivot on party colours but on palpable delivery.

    Through debt and extraction, a vice-like grip now appears to have been exerted on the state’s struggling economy. Governor Mbah’s ambition is grand: to grow Enugu’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion by 2031. However, the strategy to get there appears less about creating wealth and more about extracting it aggressively from an already strained populace.

    According to the Debt Management Office (DMO), Enugu’s domestic debt stands at a staggering ₦188.42 billion as of March 2025. While the state’s 2024 Debt Sustainability Analysis revealed over ₦51 billion in federal-guaranteed loans were written off to ease the books, the debt burden continues to pinch capital spending.

    The question echoing across the state is: where are the payoff projects? The borrowed billions haven’t materialised into the promised factories or agro-clusters. Instead, the government’s answer has been an unprecedented drive for Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). IGR shot from ₦37.4 billion in 2023 to over ₦200 billion in 2024, with projections aiming for an audacious ₦500 billion in 2025.

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    For the government, this is a cause for celebration. For ordinary residents and SMEs, it feels like a vice-like grip. The revenue is not flowing from new thriving industries but from the pockets of petty traders, transporters, and small business owners.

    In Enugu state, it has been a labyrinth of levies that feel like death by a thousand cuts

    The promise was a streamlined tax system through the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS). The reality is a proliferation of agencies – ESIRS, ENGIS, Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, ESWAMA, Ministry of Health officials, VIOs, and local councils – all acting as overlapping revenue points, each with its own set of levies and sanctions.

    For transporters, it’s a daily ticket system for keke, okada, minibuses, and trucks, which must be paid before noon or face penalties. For shop vendors, it’s ₦30,000 annually; for market traders, ₦36,000, plus sanitation, signage, and other myriad charges. Enforcement is often militarised, with ESWAMA officials and others accompanied by police armed with AK-47s, creating an environment of fear rather than voluntary compliance.

    A petty trader at Ogbete, who pleaded anonymity for fear of reprisal, captures the mood: “They come often with police. I pay rent, utility charges, and now these endless levies. They claim it’s for development, but I see no change. I only see more padlocks on other shops that couldn’t cope.”

    This aggressive extraction has a direct, inflationary impact on households. Landlords are passing the costs of government levies to tenants, with rents in some areas jumping from ₦350,000 to ₦600,000 in a single year. It is little wonder the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently listed Enugu as one of Nigeria’s most expensive states to live in.

    The grand illusion in the state is in the so-called flagship projects that appear pitted against genuine populist needs,

    The government points to its flagship projects to justify the revenue drive: the renovated Hotel Presidential, plans for an International Conference Centre, and the NigerGas revival. Yet, these elite-focused projects have little direct impact on the daily struggles of the average citizen. To make matters worse, the Presidential Hotel project is also incomplete; the third and fourth floors still remain unfinished. Despite this, the hotel was officially commissioned, leaving critical work outstanding

    Smart Schools? More Like Smart Talk! Sadly, Governor Mbah’s Smart School project remains largely incomplete; although 260 schools were promised, less than ten have been completed to date and some of the already built structures have even collapsed. The administration’s flag off of its 260 smart schools project claims to have trained over 18,000 teachers but this is only slightly more impactful than a mirage. Out of the 260 schools target meant to be sited across various wards, only fifteen have been constructed as at the beginning of September, 2025. School heads in Nsukka and Udi still report no ICT equipment, unreliable solar panels, and no meaningful training follow-through. “They showed us devices during launch. But we’re back to slates, cramped rooms, and unpaid teaching assistants,” a head teacher confessed.

    There are also terminals that terminally don’t exist: the much-trumpeted ultra-modern bus terminals in Emene and Abakpa remain largely empty and dusty. There are no ticket booths, no schedules, and no functional shelters. Commuters still pay cash to drivers on the street, under the watchful eyes of taskforce squads collecting their own levies.

    Sadly too, health and agriculture reflect promises without pulse: the pledge of 260 Type-2, 24-hour PHCs and a new 300-bed hospital rings hollow when a midnight visit to a centre reveals no doctor, no drugs, and no staff. Meanwhile, farmers in Nsukka say the promised “one million hectare agro-industrial” scheme is yet to translate into road access, tractors, or improved security.

    On-going purported moves towards defection can hardly serve as anything more than mere distraction: a change of clothes won’t heal the wound

    In the face of glaring governance inadequacies in Enugu state, a defection to the APC would be the cheapest form of political theatre. It can only be a manoeuvre designed for survival, not service. As an Abuja-based political analyst bluntly put it, “Changing parties is cheap theatre. Without delivery of democracy dividends, it’s just political cosmetics.”

    Such a move would not reduce the state’s crippling debt burden, rein in the multitude of agencies extorting residents, power a single smart school or stock a single PHC with drugs. Neither can it reverse Enugu’s damning ranking as 36th out of 36 states on the ease-of-doing-business index.

    Governance is not an identity parade! As Enugu inches toward 2027, the subtext is clear: party change or political restructuring won’t fix broken pipelines or classrooms. The voters demand substance over spin, results over rhetoric. Soiling new party labels with old, unmet promises won’t erase what Ndi Enugu truly ask for: real schools, functional health centres, open roads, fair taxation, and thriving jobs.

    Many feel concerned about what they see as Peter Mbah’s pretentious governance. Of what essence is branding without bread? Governor Peter Mbah promised Ndi Enugu “a new dawn.” Instead, what we see today is a government heavy on cosmetics and light on content; a government obsessed with photo shoots and billboards, yet indifferent to the gnawing hunger of its people.

    Surely phantom industrialization cannot be an answer to yearnings for true economic development.  Mbah’s industrialization dream is nothing but smoke. Two years down the line, not one new factory has sprung up, not a single investor has pitched a tent, and not one Enugu youth has found work in the so-called “industrial revolution.” Instead, borrowed billions are wasted on phantom “smart schools” that exist more in glossy presentations than in the broken classrooms where our children still sit under leaking roofs.

    Can citizens live with luxury on empty stomachs? When a government pours billions into renovating Hotel Presidential while its people scavenge for food, priorities are upside down. What ordinary trader or keke rider can afford to step foot into that hotel? The project, concessioned to friends and financiers, reeks of self-enrichment in a state where hunger stalks the streets.

    The rampant daily complaints about taxation without mercy deserves attention. Ask the average Enugu trader or driver what Mbah’s “ease of doing business” means, and they will laugh bitterly. It means multiple taxes, endless levies, harassment, and extortion. It means shuttered shops and crippled small businesses. Instead of empowering his people, Mbah has become a tax collector-in-chief.

    Every visitor is greeted with billboards of shiny transport terminals. Ndi Enugu know better. They see no terminals, no order, only harassment by tout-like taskforces who collect government levies with intimidation. It is deception in its purest form.

    Debt and deceit cannot be a recipe for the pursuit of greatness. Mbah is alleged to have mortgaged the future of Enugu’s children with reckless borrowing running into hundreds of billions. Yet the loans vanish into contracts without jobs, without industries, without infrastructure. The people are left with debt, while cronies laugh all the way to the bank.

    Even the farmers feel betrayed. The much-hyped “1 million hectare” agriculture revolution?  Now appears to be pure propaganda. Our farmers still trek to insecure farms on dangerous roads, with no tractors, no support, no policy framework. Hunger deepens, but the governor keeps boasting at conferences.

    Of greater concern to some of his critics is the perceived suppression of democracy. When a government that claims to uphold rule of law brazenly denies Hon. Bright Ngene his mandate, it is clear: this is no democracy, it is a fiefdom. Dissent is gagged, opposition trampled, yet Mbah preaches about justice abroad while practicing injustice at home.

    Too much of healthcare and education appear to be in ruins Public hospitals rot. Schools decay. Teachers are demoralized. But the governor seems to spend more on branding exercises than on human lives, giving rise to perceptions that he governs for headlines, not for humanity. This gives rise to being seen as a mercantilist government Everything under Mbah is concessioned, outsourced, or sold to cronies. Governance has been reduced to trading public resources among private allies. The people are spectators, not beneficiaries.

    The verdict of the streets appears unforgiving; the people of Enugu easily see through deception. They know Mbah is not people-focused but profit-focused, not a reformer but a brand manager. His government is a glossy cover with empty pages inside. Ndi Enugu did not elect a PR firm; they elected a governor. And until he descends from the billboard to the streets where his people groan,branding-heavy his legacy will remain one of betrayal and branding without bread.

    If Governor Mbah or any political actor truly wants to reclaim the hearts of the people, they must pivot from extraction to empowerment, from elite projects to populist needs. Because when the electorate steps into the voting booth, they won’t be voting for banners or party logos—they’ll be voting on their lived experience: the boarded-up shops, the inflated rent, the empty health centres, and the fear of armed tax collectors. No defection can erase that record.

    •Basil Ani, a public affairs commentator, writes from Enugu State

  • Climate change: Future projections

    Climate change: Future projections

    • By Adebayo Adeleye

    The world is right now on the cusp of significant climate changes, with far reaching consequences for our world. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), there is an 86% chance that at least one of the next five years will exceed 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level, and a 70% chance that the five-year average warming for 2025-2029 will be above 1.5°C.

    Rising Temperatures and Extreme Weather: As global temperatures continue to rise, we can expect more frequent and intense heatwaves, droughts, and storms. The WMO report predicts that the annually averaged global mean near-surface temperature for each year between 2025 and 2029 is likely to be between 1.2°C and 1.9°C higher than the average over the years 1850-1900. This increased warming will lead to more extreme weather events, such as; Heatwaves: More frequent and prolonged heatwaves, especially in tropical regions, Droughts: Increased risk of droughts, particularly in areas with changing precipitation patterns, Storms: More intense storms, including tropical cyclones and heavy rainfall events.

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    Regional Variations: Climate change will not affect all regions equally. Some areas will experience more pronounced changes than others. For example: Arctic warming: The Arctic is predicted to warm at a rate more than three and a half times the global average, leading to significant sea ice loss and changes in ocean circulation, Precipitation patterns: Changes in precipitation will vary regionally, with some areas experiencing more frequent and intense rainfall, while others face drought and water scarcity.

    Consequences and Implications: The consequences of climate change will be far-reaching and devastating if left unchecked. Rising sea levels, more frequent natural disasters, and changes in weather patterns will impact the following; Human health: Increased risk of heat-related illnesses, waterborne diseases, and mental health issues. Climate change is projected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year from undernutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress between 2030 and 2050, Ecosystems: Loss of biodiversity, damage to coral reefs, and changes in species distribution. If warming is kept to 2°C, 18% of insects, 16% of plants, and 8% of vertebrate animals are projected to lose over half of their geographic range, Economies: Significant economic losses, damage to infrastructure, and impacts on global trade. Direct damage costs to health are estimated to be between US$ 2-4 billion per year by 2030.

    Mitigation approach: While the outlook may seem grim, there are steps that can be taken to mitigate the effects of climate change. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, transitioning to renewable energy sources, and promoting sustainable land use practices are crucial for a more climate-resilient future. Some potential solutions include; Renewable energy: Transitioning to renewable energy sources like solar and wind power to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, Energy efficiency: Improving energy efficiency in buildings and industries to reduce energy consumption,

    Sustainable land use: Promoting sustainable agriculture practices and reducing deforestation to sequester carbon dioxide.

    Individual actions: While governments and international organizations have a critical role to play in addressing climate change, individual actions can also make a difference. Some ways to contribute include: Reducing carbon footprint: Using public transport, carpooling, or driving electric or hybrid vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Conserving water: Using water efficiently and reducing waste to conserve this precious resource, Supporting climate-resilient agriculture: Buying locally sourced produce and supporting sustainable agriculture practices to promote climate resilience.

    Conclusion: Climate change is a complex and multifaceted issue that requires a comprehensive response. By understanding the future events and trends anticipated, we can take action to mitigate the effects of climate change and promote a more sustainable future for all. It is essential that governments, industries, and individuals work together to reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency, and invest in renewable energy solutions to limit warming to 1.5°C and prevent catastrophic impacts.

    •Dr. Adebayo Matthew, Adeleye (Ph.D., Ibadan)

    Researcher on Environmental Pollution and Control badeleye@gmail.com  +234 803 525 6450