The Nation Newspaper

Category: Editorial

  • ‘Chief Kanran’ exits

    ‘Chief Kanran’ exits

    • Veteran Nollywood actor Olusegun Akinremi dies two weeks to 70th birthday

    It was the ultimate tribute to his performative skills that he became better known as “Chief Kanran,” following his role as Alafin Kanran in a Yoruba television drama in 1988. His real name was Olusegun Akinremi. A veteran Nollywood actor, he performed on stage and in movies in a career that spanned more than 50 years.

    According to him, “any actor that cannot perform successfully on stage to a live audience is not an actor.” He died on August 15, aged 69.

    Often cast as a royal, an authority figure or a wealthy personality, he featured in several notable Yoruba films, including “Ewe Orun,” “Aiye,” “Efunsetan Aniwura,” “Agbarin,” and “Bata Wahala.” On stage, he notably featured in “Langbodo,” Nigeria’s drama entry for the Second World African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC), which took place in the country in 1977; he also played the title role in “Kurunmi,” a play by Ola Rotimi.

    He appeared in episodes of “Mirror in the Sun,” which marked his transition from stage to screen, and also played General Philips in the TV soap “Megafortune.” His participation in these English-language television productions demonstrated his versatility.

    Born in Keesi, in present-day Ogun State, he studied at the Centre for Cultural Studies (now the Department of Creative Arts), University of Lagos, and later at the former University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife), where he earned a diploma in directing, acting, and film production.

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    In an interview published in 2020, when he turned 65, he explained that he had “stepped aside from film-making” because “some people in the industry see people like me as a threat because I will not do anything that is not professional.” He, therefore, “diverted to the production of soap operas.”

    He recounted how he had faced vicissitudes of life. He said at the time: “The problem I am having now is that my shooting equipment got burnt three years ago. This has affected me negatively. Two years ago, I took a loan and used my cars as collateral but I couldn’t pay back the loan. Therefore, my cars had to go for it. Armed robbers also came to my house about five times…

    “This was the reason I moved out of the building and started living in a church. I couldn’t afford to pay for my accommodation anymore. After this, my blood pressure ran high to an alarming level. There was a day I was rushed to the hospital and the doctors did not believe that I would survive.”

    His appearance in “Seven Doors,” a 2024 film by Femi Adebayo, showed his enduring artistic relevance. He believed that “A good actor doesn’t retire.” According to him, “When you don’t see some actors again, it is not because they have retired, rather some producers just want to render them useless by not inviting them to locations again.”  

    “Nobody thought it would be his last act,” Adebayo said in a tribute, adding that he “may have walked through the last door, but his voice and artistry will never be silenced.”

    There are lessons from his career for today’s Nollywood players. For instance, he stressed the importance of passion, saying, “In the 60s, 70s, 80s, and early 90s, we did not act for money. Rather, we acted because of the passion we had for the job. But things have now changed. Even up-and-coming actors are in the profession because of money.”

    Sadly, he died about two weeks before his 70th birthday, which he was reported to have looked forward to with great excitement. He will be remembered as an actor who was so good he was identified by his stage name.

  • Sanitising the digital space

    Sanitising the digital space

    •Government efforts to rid the social media of toxic content is welcome

    The Federal Government has at last chosen to wield the big stick in sanitising the digital space in Nigeria. Last week, 13.5 million social media accounts were closed down by relevant government agencies, while about 59 million contents regarded as fake, harmful and socially unacceptable, were removed.

    While the figure is quite high and may be considered frightening by those who are generally suspicious of government actions, especially when it concerns the freedom of speech and expression, it is considered by most Nigerians as long overdue, provided due process is followed.

    In this case, three agencies, the National Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) worked in concert in the sanitisation exercise. This would therefore appear to have been well thought-out and executed, especially as there have been no loud outcry by individuals involved.

    Many of those involved would appear to be people who faked the accounts and their identities and therefore hurt others.

    Government has a duty to regularly enforce the code of conduct given to social media giants such as X, Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook, among others, to operate in the country. While citizens have the inalienable right to free speech and expression, including the right to criticise governments and their agencies, decorum should be maintained and such rights do not extend to inciting the public against the country. The traditional electronic and print media also have lines that they must not cross.

    However, we call on all tiers of government and the agencies involved in ensuring decency in the public place to carry everyone along. The starting point should be sensitising the public on the applicable code of conduct. An agency like the National Orientation Agency (NOA) should be mandated to use all mechanisms to get across to the social media giants and the various blogs on the law and requirements guiding their operations in the country.

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    After the tiff with X, formerly known as Twitter, we expect that all the international social media accounts would have been registered on the domestic front. Besides, there should be a forum for regular interaction between them and the government agencies. This would help in building confidence, thus leaving the social media agencies to do much of the weeding out of fake accounts.

    It is not enough to shut down the accounts, the agencies, aided by security forces, should track down the culprits and bring them to book. The law is meant to be obeyed by all. When some are apprehended and tried under the relevant laws, others would sit up, thus freeing the country largely of toxic posts and contents.

    As the 2027 general elections approach, it is obvious that many people are preparing to use Artificial Intelligence to clone accounts and create fake contents concerning candidates to whom they are opposed. Unless steps are taken now, it would be difficult to differentiate correct and fake accounts. They could even come up with fake results of elections, which could lead to uproar in the society. Where new technology has to be acquired to achieve this purpose, this is the time to purchase them ahead of the elections.

    Nigeria has had enough of chaos, especially in relation to elections. We cannot afford to have mayhem in 2027.

    The Federal Executive Council and National Assembly should work in tandem with relevant civil society groups to ensure that Nigeria is respected by other countries.

  • Reps’ right step

    Reps’ right step

    •We commend their bill to upgrade Lagos‘s LCDAs to LGs

    Over two decades after the administration of then Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu created 37 Local Council Development Areas in Lagos State from the then existing 20 local government areas to bring the total number of local councils in the state to 57, the House of Representatives has taken concrete steps towards the full legalisation of these grassroots administrative entities.

    The 37 are called LCDAs to distinguish them from the constitutionally listed 20 LGAs in the 1999 Constitution, as a result of the controversy created by their creation. The LCDAs were established in response to long standing popular pressures for the decentralisation of local administration in the state.

    Indeed, the Alhaji Lateef Jakande administration had increased the number of local government councils in the state from eight to 23 in the Second Republic (1979-1983), but this decision was reversed with the return to military rule in December, 1983.

    At the time of the restoration of democratic governance in 1999, Lagos State had 20 LGAs created through military fiat, although there continued to be intense demand for more local government councils, and understandably too.

    Although the smallest state in the country in terms of geographical size, Lagos was the most populated sub national jurisdiction in Nigeria, necessitating greater decentralisation of government to facilitate the benefits of development reaching larger numbers of people.

    There is no doubt that the Tinubu administration was on firm legal standing when it created the 37 LCDAs in 2003. For, as provided for by Section 8(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the power to create new local government areas rests with state House of Assembly through a bill passed for that purpose in accordance with stipulated processes.

    Accordingly, the state government went through all these constitutional requirements; namely getting the request for the creation of the council areas, supported by two-thirds majority of members representing the areas demanding the new councils; receipt by the House of Assembly of support for the demand by two-third majority of members from the area, and approval  for the creation of the new councils in a referendum by more than two-thirds majority of the people of the local government areas where the demands for the councils originated.

    Other conditions met before the formal passage of the bill creating the 37 LCDAs were the approval of the result of the referendum by a simple majority of the members in each local government council in a majority of local government councils in the state and the approval of the referendum through a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of members of the state House of Assembly.

    However, Section 8(5) of the Constitution requires the National Assembly to make “consequential provisions” to ensure the formal listing of the names and headquarters of the new local governments in the constitution.

    It was because the latter had not yet been done that the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration withheld the statutory allocations due to Lagos State as it claimed that the LCDAs were not recognised by the constitution and thus not qualified to receive funds from the Federation Account.

    The administration continued to withhold the funds despite a subsequent ruling of the Supreme Court that the Federal Government had no power to seize the funds, even though the LCDAs remained ‘inchoate’ until listed in the constitution.

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    Although the succeeding administration of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua released the withheld funds to Lagos State in obedience to the apex court, the 37 LCDAs remain unlisted till today, and thus lack constitutional recognition.

    The bill, sponsored by James Faleke (Ikeja Federal Constituency) and 21 others for requisite constitutional amendment to accommodate the 37 LCDAs as full-fledged LGAs, along with 42 other constitutional amendment bills, offers the 10th National Assembly an opportunity to rectify this anomaly.

    Along with Kano State, Lagos hosts the highest population among states in the country. In the 2006 population census figures, Kano was estimated to have a population figure of 9,401, 288 while Lagos recorded slightly over nine million persons. Estimates for 2025 indicate that Lagos and Kano have populations hovering around 18 million each.

    However, as the economic capital of the country, which attracts a daily influx of people from across the country and even beyond, Lagos is widely believed to harbour a considerably larger population than official figures assume. Yet, Kano State has 44 LGAs and Jigawa, which was carved out of Kano in 1991 has 27 LGAs, making a total of 71.

    There are those who fear that states may abuse the power to create local government councils to arbitrarily and astronomically increase the number of their LGAs so as to access higher revenue allocation from the centre. The antidote to that is to predicate the creation of additional local governments and even states on the demonstrated capacity of the latter to be financially self-sustaining.

  • Powering our campuses

    Powering our campuses

    • More tertiary institutions get solar minigrid

    With the Federal Government’s approval of N68.7bn for a Solar Minigrid Electricity Project for eight of its universities and a teaching hospital, these institutions can be hopeful of more stable and affordable power  supply on their campuses.

    Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed this after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, chaired by President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.

    The beneficiary universities are: University of Benin, Benin; University of Lagos, Lagos; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the University of Ibadan, Ibadan. Others are Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife; Federal University, Dutse, and Federal University, Wukari.

     “This initiative aims to ease the energy cost burden on universities and hospitals by providing reliable, good-quality electricity”, the minister said adding that “The lack of stable power supply has created crises in some schools and hospitals, with institutions unable to afford local electricity.”

    As the minister noted, epileptic power supply has created a lot of problems on many university campuses, especially for those of them on Band A that have had to contend with more than triple the monthly electricity bills they used to pay since last year when the new tariff structure began.

    Band A electricity consumers in the country had their tariffs adjusted from the previous N68/KWh to N225/kWh last year. They are are to have at least 20 hours of power supply per day.

    While this may be a fair deal for the universities in terms of the hours of light they have per day, the tariff is not pocket-friendly.

    For Ahmadu Bello University, its electricity bill jumped from N1.2 bn to N4.4 bn per annum; that of the University of Ilorin rose from N70 million to N230m monthly, and N840m to N2.7bn, respectively, per annum. University of Jos’s electricity bill jumped from N25m to N30m to N80m every month; that translates to about N960m annually.

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    The situation in other universities is not significantly different, that is for those on Band A.

    This compelled some of the institutions to devise survival strategies, taking energy-saving measures to reduce power consumption and mitigate the financial impact of rising tariffs on their budgets.

    But nothing compares to the option Energising Education Programme, led by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) that the Federal Government has brought in to change the narrative.

    It is therefore not surprising that the institutions are excited about it and have commended the government for the initiative, which is expected to be a game changer on the campuses; at least as far as power supply is concerned.

    It is significant that the eight new beneficiary-institutions are the second batch to benefit under the scheme. Other universities that similar renewable energy projects have already been implemented, with support from the World Bank, are University of Abuja, Abuja, and Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (8 MW).

    Others are the Nigerian Defence Academy (2.6MW) and the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, which also uses solar power.

    Stable power supply is sine qua non in our tertiary institutions as in other places, to enable them function optimally.

    With this latest initiative, the Federal Government has taken a major step towards addressing this critical area of need of the institutions. We can only plead with it to expedite release of funds to facilitate completion of the projects, and also ensure proper supervision to ensure that money allocated is judiciously spent.

    This is the only way to make the initiative go round the federal tertiary institutions.

    Moreover, regular maintenance is key to the durability of these facilities. Lack of good maintenance culture is a major problem of public institutions in the country.

    With these alternative power sources for the tertiary institutions, the Bola Tinubu administration has fulfilled a major campaign promise of up-scaling tertiary education in the country through targeted funding of pressing needs.

    The universities must do their part to sustain them.

    State governments and other proprietors of universities and other tertiary institutions desirous of cutting their power cost should emulate this example of the Federal Government.

  • Justice for Jennifer

    Justice for Jennifer

    • Vigilante men who humiliated youth corps member in Anambra must be prosecuted

    Many Nigerians with some little power seem not to realise that the days of impunity that military rule symbolised are over for good in the country. The political class tends to lead like the military, barking orders even in a democracy. Security agencies, both the regular military and even para-military personnel terrorise the people.

    Even the police that are supposed to be closer to the people, protecting and serving them, often go overboard with their use of force.

    It is therefore not surprising that the Anambra State vigilante group popularly known as ‘Agunechemba’, literarily translating to, ‘the lion that protects the community’ recently turned the ‘protection in their name to terrorism’.

    There has been a viral video showing eight masked members of the group assaulting a female corps member, Jennifer Elohor, a zoology graduate of the Delta State University, Abraka, and at some point stripped her naked.

    There has been righteous indignation across the country at a time the social media has made news-reporting accessible to most people with smart phones. The eight vigilante men that were involved have reportedly been dismissed by the state governor, Prof. Charles Soludo. He claimed that even though the incident is trending in August, it happened more than a month ago.

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    We are worried that there had been reports of the vigilantes showing signs of authoritarianism and abuse of office. The governor as the chief security officer of the state ought to have cautioned them before this ugly incident.

    This embarrassing occurrence with the youth corps member was avoidable. Ironically, as their name implies, they are supposed to protect the citizens, how come they turned into the terror the video depicted them as?

    From the victim and other eyewitnesses’ accounts, the group of eight, wearing masks, viciously attacked the corps members, barked orders at them, confiscated their phones and laptops, beat up any of those pleading with them to show mercy, which of course infuriated the vigilantes the more. They were particularly brutal with the main victim, Miss Jennifer Elohor, as they thoroughly beat her, dragged her on the floor and stripped her naked.

    Even though the governor claims the culprits have been arrested and sacked from the vigilante group, the lady, her parents and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) that posts corps members for national service, insist on justice for the victim.

    Governor Soludo claimed the lady has had some restitution from the government, like her phone and other damaged personal effects being replaced. This, to us, though commendable, is not enough.

    The assault and violation of young women in Nigeria seem not to have been treated with the seriousness that can send the appropriate signal that government has zero tolerance for such acts. Some men seem to get away with such shenanigans possibly because there are always precedents showing culprits literarily getting a slap on the wrist.

    Just a few days ago, another young lady, Comfort Emmason, was assaulted by both a female flight attendant who, upon landing, invited some male Ibom Air personnel and some others who again, violated the lady’s body and privacy. Before the lady could recover from the assault, the Ibom Air management got her imprisoned; she was only released because of national outrage.

    This public display of the abuse of power is symptomatic of societal dysfunction.  The vigilante people were just re-enacting the abuse of power that is very common in the society, intimidating innocent people, often with that usual question of, “do you know who I am”?

    As the saying goes, many people in power at any level often behave as though they are above the law and can always get away with blue murder.

    The notorious eight vigilante members must be punished according to the law. A slap on the wrist is not just an insult on the lady and her colleagues who were assaulted but is capable of damaging the image of the state.

    The lady claims she is now scared of going back to her place of primary assignment as a result of the assault. Government must take drastic action on these notorious vigilante men, otherwise, many intending corps members might refuse to go and serve in the state.

    Investors are watching too. The state must do the needful and that means seeing that justice is seen to have been done in this case. Nigerians are waiting for further action beyond sacking the notorious eight.

  • Lifeline for kidney patients

    Lifeline for kidney patients

    •Govt subsidy of N38,000 per session will save 25m sufferers N95bn

    For the nation’s elite tertiary health facilities once described as ‘mere consulting clinics’, it has been a journey to renewal, although in different degrees, under successive administrations since 1999.

    Whether it is the much-hyped N50 billion FGN/VAMED contract signed in 2002 to refurbish eight teaching hospitals under the Obasanjo administration, or the spirited efforts by the Goodluck Jonathan administration and later, the succeeding Muhammadu Buhari administration, to salvage what was left of the initiative, including the expansion of the number of beneficiaries and the scope, it has been a roller coaster journey of sorts.

    Currently, the Bola Tinubu administration has taken the initiative to a higher gear with its whole-of-industry approach.  From the on-going partnerships with pharmaceutical companies to boost domestic production while assuring more pocket-friendly prices of essential drugs, to the revamping of the health infrastructure across the board, a new face of the sector has steadily begun to emerge. 

    It is in the context that we commend the latest plan by the Federal Government to subsidise the cost of kidney dialysis in federal hospitals across the country. Under the plan, the cost per dialysis session is now set at N12,000 as against the N50,000 previously charged. This, in the view of the government, will bring relief to the estimated 25 million sufferers of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and other kidney related diseases, while expanding access to universal health coverage.

    Already, the implementation of the pilot scheme is said to be ongoing in 11 federal tertiary health institutions across the six geo-political zones of the country.  These are the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, University of Jos Teaching Hospital, Jos, National Hospital, Abuja, Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta, and University College Hospital, Ibadan.

    The others are University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin, Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Federal Teaching Hospital, Owerri and Federal Medical Centre, Abakaliki.

    No doubt, the initiative, a timely one, offers a whole new beginning in that critical area of need. Like the Tinubu administration has also promised, the citizens can look forward to the expansion of the scheme in the quest for universal access.

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    It is in every respect, a classic example of people’s money being judiciously spent. For the kidney patients in particular, the net savings, which comes to N38,000 per session, is a humongous burden taken off their shoulders. This in a simple term represents an average net saving of N95 billion in one single session for the estimated sufferers.  Given that most of them actually undertake the procedure at least thrice in a week, Nigerians can better appreciate the magnitude of the savings that would inevitably accrue to the families from the intervention as indeed its overall impact on the economy as a whole.

    It is in every respect a product of sound thinking and so deserving of plaudits. However, like most well-conceived initiatives of government, the bane is oftentimes the so-called Nigerian factor.

    It starts from the bureaucracy that is hopelessly out of tune with the imperatives of service delivery, more so in a sensitive sector like healthcare; it extends to officials choosing to play god where simple professionalism is required, right up to the cadres insisting on payment to get signed-on or even demanding far above the prescribed charge.

    We also have the well-known plague of infrastructural inadequacy, particularly power, and finally, the poor maintenance culture prevalent in public service as a whole.

    These are issues that those charged with the implementation will have to guard against. Given our experiences in which noble initiatives of government have been thwarted by those charged with their implementation, it will not be out of place to have in place, a monitoring board to ensure that government’s goals are realised.

  • Bullet economy

    Bullet economy

    •A high-speed train helps to power a $1tr economy by 2030. It must happen.

    Exciting news: the prospects of a bullet train, linking Nigeria’s three prime economic centres, Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt: in a fast-paced triangular movement of human and cargo; not leaving out the federal capital of Abuja — and in three years too!  Too good to be true?

    No.  After a 10-year planning dating back to 2015, De-Sadel Nigeria Ltd and China Liancai Petroleum Investment Holding Ltd, just announced a plan to build a gas-powered 4,000 km high-speed rail project.

    Not only that: the $60bn, needed for its first phase, a Lagos-Lokoja 1, 600 km route, cutting across six states — Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Kogi and Niger — is already in the bag, courtesy funding from the Asian Development Investment Bank.

    “Today, with our partners, I have just presented the official proof of fund for the project,” ‘The Nation’ of August 18 quoted Samuel Uko, CEO of De-Sadel Nigeria Ltd, as saying. “The fund is coming from the Asian Development Investment Bank; and it is to cover the first phase of the project that cuts across four major cities of Nigeria.”

    Senator George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), got  that proof on August 17 in Abuja, after the project partners visited him.  That first phase would cost $55bn.

    But no less exciting is the phased strategy of the project which, if it succeeds, could mean some cities enjoying the bullet train, even before the three years needed to complete the first phase.

    Again, Mr. Uko explained: “The 1, 600 kilometres that cover the four major cities of the country will take us 36 months to build.  But we won’t wait until the 36th month to build.  For instance,” he added, “from Lagos to Lokoja will cut across about six states, and when we get to the second or third state, the people from the first two states will start enjoying the train.”

    That means, even before completing its first phase, the bullet train would start paying its way.  That’s good thinking — if it can be well implemented.

    The truth is, if the current reforms — harsh now — must deliver concrete comfort to all across the board, the economy must post far higher wages, paid from far higher returns to investors.  That would mean the birth of an entirely new economy.

    So, this project signifies that new bullet economy, with bullet-paced shuttles of human and cargo; and a frenetic though orderly pace of economic activity all round.  Indeed, if there is any grand infrastructure to push a $1trn Nigerian economy by 2030, within reasonable costs, this must be it. 

    High-capacity rail is a great one for economy of scale, with reduced unit costs.

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    But no less important is this investment model.  Traditionally, big-scale infrastructure, like rail, get funded from government budget cycles.  That often explains the comparatively long periods of delivery, since funding is never fully guaranteed. 

    A hybrid model is public-private-participation (PPP), which harbours government-private sector collaboration.  This wholly funded private sector investment — now in rail, but could also be applied to road and electricity power — is an exciting addition to the mix, of public projects, with entire private sector funding, subject to rigorous checks of funding availability, before full government approval.

    That shows how far, in infrastructure renaissance, the Federal Government has come since 2015, when the Buhari government started the Lagos-Ibadan-Kano standard-gauge rail.  That in 2025, the Tinubu government is essaying a bullet rail by 2028 is a tribute to the radical rail upgrade of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) years, contrasted to the rail paralysis of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) years. But be that as it may, the government must do its due diligence. The project partners have made their funding claims. The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) — which has approved it — should double-check its findings, before the full business case is taken to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for final approval.

    Inasmuch as it’s a free market regime, adequate passenger protection must also be worked into the fare regime, without plumbing into crude price control.  The speed train is blessed with a ready and booming market.  But the sponsors too must know that any attempt to extract profit too soon might pronounce doom for the market.

    This is an exciting project.  While everyone must cross their t’s and dot their i’s, let it happen fast, with little or no needless bureaucracy.

  • Stealing in advance

    Stealing in advance

    •It is disheartening that some public officers engage in anticipatory assets declaration to cover their tracks

    The revelation by chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, that some politically exposed persons engage in anticipatory declaration of assets to cover corrupt practices in the future should be fought vigorously.

    By such despicable conduct, public officers and politically exposed persons in anticipation of the money they will steal while in office, declare anticipatory assets in the declaration forms they are mandated to fill with the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), as provided by the 1999 constitution (as amended). 

    By the provision of Section 11 of the fifth schedule of the Constitution, every public officer is mandated to declare his/her assets. It says: “Subject to the provisions of this constitution, every public officer shall within three months after the coming into force of this Code of Conduct or immediately after taking office and thereafter: – at the end of every four years; and at the end of his term of office, submit to the Code of Conduct Bureau a written declaration of all his properties, assets, and liabilities and those of his unmarried children under the age of eighteen years.”

    To undermine that provision, public officials declare anticipatory assets. According to Mr Olukayode: “Now, they declare what they intend to acquire by the time they are in office before they are sworn in to office. It’s terrible. We saw that and we felt, no, this is pretty bad.”

    Speaking of an individual the commission investigated, he said “he was so devilishly smart that he had already registered the property that he didn’t own at the time at the land registry. He designed the mansion that he wanted to build there. So, in other words, before he was sworn in, he had started thinking about the money to steal and what to do with the money.”

    By the provision of the constitution, the CCB is supposed to investigate the declarations made in the form submitted. It is not supposed to be a mere routine, for the type of shenanigan discovered by the EFCC to happen.

    In the case referred to by Mr Olukayode, the politically exposed person declared an asset of N3 billion in advance of occupying the public office, which implies that he has already set for himself a high target of corrupt enrichment.

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    The EFCC chairman spoke at the launch of a new product by the Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reforms of EFCC in collaboration with the CCB, geared to promote ethics, accountability, and exemplary governance in Nigeria’s public service. Collaborating the historic milestone, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, emphasised, “Today is a bold statement that we are dedicated to instilling integrity, transparency, and the highest form of accountability at the very heart of public service in our dear country.”

    He emphasised the constitutional role of the CCB, “It is the moral and ethical bedrock of the public service, setting the standards by which we are to conduct ourselves. We must adhere to them not only as public officers but as guardians of public trust and public integrity. It emphasises service over self and commitment to duty over privilege.”

    We commend the EFCC for its collaboration with the CCB and for the innovative programme of using technology to fight corruption.

    We recall the case of the former Senate President Bukola Saraki who was accused of anticipatory declaration at assumption of office and under- declaration of assets after leaving office as Governor of Kwara State; which was dismissed on technicalities. The claim by Mr Fagbemi that “This innovation will not only enhance awareness but will also promote preventive compliance, facilitate training, and serve as a resource for citizens, civil society, and oversight institutions,” is reassuring.

    The fight against the cankerworm of corruption must be fought by all to succeed.

  • Pay-as-you-go

    Pay-as-you-go

    •That would be a pipe dream without prepaid meters

    The debt profile, on the power front, is to say the least depressing — courtesy of the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) current inquest into that sector.

    For power received till September 30, 2020, 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) owe the Federal Government N2.7 trillion, a Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) document, submitted to PAC, just showed.  That sum ought to have been paid into the Federation Account.

    By a 2021 auditor-general’s report, which NBET Managing Director, Mr. Johnson Akinnawo, submitted to same PAC, the sector is ridden by sundry debts, aside alleged sharp practices. 

    Such include N100 billion that NBET paid to power generation companies (GenCos) for electricity allegedly not delivered to the national grid; N30 billion debt which market operators have not been able to collect, and N166 billion, which fell below the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) payment threshold, which DisCos, yet again, failed to remit, thus worsening NBET liabilities to GenCos.

    All of this funding chaos has put a huge strain on the Federal Government, the sectoral funding guarantors, condemning it to squaring a N4 trillion debt, or risk the collapse of the power sector, redounding in sheer economic paralysis and social anguish.

    It’s good the Federal Government has

    lugged that heavy cross; and is in the process of clearing that backlog.  But after the clearance, the government has announced plans to transit the sector into a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model, as in mobile telephony, for electricity consumers.

    Finance minister and coordinating minister of the economy, Olawale Edun, while announcing the new policy, explained that state governments’ take from the Federation Account had increased — and exponentially too — from N2.1 trillion, a month (pre-subsidy removal) to N7 trillion (post-subsidy removal).  That way, sub-national — and indeed all electricity consumers — especially the power-gulping public corporates, awash with bigger revenues, should be in a position to pay their electricity bills, not relying on any government subsidy.

    Removing power subsidy, particularly for struggling households, still gore economic rights lobbies, especially with reform pains still raw and rife.  But on the balance, this would appear a fair — indeed, strategic — move; especially if another N4 trillion debt is not to build up in no time.  It’s a path to a complete deregulation of the sector.

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    “Going forward, that programme has been built as well, looking at ways to ensure that collections increase,” Mr. Edun told a news conference in Abuja, “and that there’s more of a pay-as-you- go approach that doesn’t leave the government with a bill to pay.” 

    Well said!

    In truth, PAYG has worked, like magic, for mobile telephony and allied data business.  It drives the dominant chunk of that market, and has made it worth investors’ while.  So, it could well be the answer to the troubled power market; and its game-changer.

    Besides, neither the criminal estimated billing system (that fleeces consumers) nor the feeding bottles from government subsidy, is as sure as DisCos securing own revenues and promptly paying for services, along the electricity value chain.

    Only PAYG can secure that, without a doubt.  But what is PAYG without prepaid meters?  Right now, there is an estimated 7.2 million to 7.4 million pre-paid metering gap in the market.  So, how can the PAYG dream become reality with this yawning gap?

    Yes, there is a Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) trying to close that gap.  But it is just too slow.  So, for PAYG to work, there has to be a consequential investment, independent of PMI, preferably by the private sector, to deliver rapid results.  The government must explore this possibility — and fast.

    Electricity PAYG is a great idea.  It’s the joker to fix DisCo indebtedness, which paralyses the sector.  But without prepaid meters for everyone, it’s a pipe dream.

  • An answer to Ansaru

    An answer to Ansaru

    • We commend our security forces for a major accomplishment

    No one who knows a thing or two about securing a place, whether a home, a precinct or a town, would say it is an easy task. It is neither given nor cheap. It requires vigilance, resources and coordination. Even at that, they have to be right one hundred percent. The terrorist has to be right only once and one percent, and that one percent could undermine 99 percent of official diligence.

    That is what makes securing a region or a nation that much precarious and overwhelming at times. So, when the country announced that it has arrested two major figures of terror, it was as much a relief as it was a joy.

    The national security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, made the disclosure recently. It was the two kingpins of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, also known as Ansaru.

    Few Nigerians know of the name, and no less the nightmarish persons. But all they need to know to get a measure of the feat was that they are linked to Boko Haram, a dread name for rapine and rupture of peace in the northeast, and ISWAP. They are therefore part of the worldwide group al-Qaeda.

    “This is one of the most significant arrests that have been made,” said the chief of defence staff, General Christopher Musa. “These are guys that were haunted for a very long time. It shows that the intelligence and operational works are working together.”

    The two leaders were allegedly the heads of Ansaru, an al-Qaeda-linked group, and Mahmuda, a relatively new and lesser-known militant group. Mahmuda gained national notoriety after a series of onslaughts earlier this year in the country’s north-central region.

    “These two men have been on Nigeria’s most-wanted list for years. “They jointly spearheaded multiple attacks on civilians, security forces and critical infrastructure,” Ribadu said.

    The two men are Mahmud Mohammed Usman and Mahmud Al-Nigeri. These seasoned brutes were the masterminds of the notorious jailbreak of recent times, that is, the attack on the Kuje Prisons in Abuja, one of the most supposedly fortified penitentiaries in the country. It signalled the vulnerabilities of a national fortress.

    It is a testament to their rugged sense of subversion that they marked it out, in spite of its neighbours in the seat of power, including the presidency, and proceeded with their plots to break it down. It was like an assault on the vertebral bone of the Nigerian prison system. They did not only succeed, they triumphed in a spectacle of deaths, liberty for the inmates, a spectacle also of the impotence of national security in 2022 when they struck and released 879 prisoners.

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    They were prized inmates, fellow goons of bloodshed and savagery in the country. They were awaiting trial but the two men, in their show of the solidarity of daring with their nabbed fellows, looked our security forces in the eye.

    The two men were not only of interest to Nigerians but also the world. They were not just terrors at home; their status is world famous. Hence, the two main countries in the enterprise of clipping terror in the world did not hesitate to praise Nigeria for this cardinal capture. The United States and Great Britain who had balked at some of Nigeria’s efforts in the past demonstrated a welcome lack of restraint in their adulation. This shows that our security forces scored for world peace by this act of rigour and competence.

    It is also significant because it happened with the two men alive. According to Ribadu, they had been on their trail for a long time, but they were particularly active in the mission between May and July, this year. We must recall, too, that two men were at the heart of the attack on the Niger uranium facility in 2013.

    It is interesting that this achievement has even paralysed the tongues of critics, including notable political opponents of the president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who never have seen that this event was only one in a series of major captures in the past two years under the leadership of Ribadu.

    The other finds and killings may not have the refrain of the two men, but they have been major figures in setting the country in the hands of tyrants. They were local sources of fear and trembling. They include Kachalla Halilu Sububu, Kachalla Ali Kawaje, Kachalla Damina, Kachalla Dangote, Kachalla Barume, Kachalla Shehu, Kachalla Jafaru Tsoho, Kachalla Yellow Mai Buhu, Yellow Sirajo, Kachalla Dan Muhammadu, Kachalla Makasko, Yellow Hassan, Boderi, Kachalla Dan Ba birki, Auta Dan Mai Jan Kai. No doubt, both Usman and Al-Nigeri may be bigger, but for the locals, the others were as real and sometimes worked in cahoots with the Ansaru top guns.

    We note some of the areas of fear that have seen subdued stories of onslaughts, notably Nasarawa, Kaduna, Taraba, Adamawa, Kano, et al. The terror group that threatened Sokoto State known as Lakurawa sent tremor across the country. It is to the security forces’ credit that they have not been able to rise to their threat level.

    The capture of the two men also tells us how the fight against banditry is not just a national worry; since it means we have to police our borders, a herculean task given that we have long borders of thousands of kilometers.

    We still have a lot of work to do, especially in the Benue State and Plateau State axis, as well as in Zamfara and Katsina states. Of course, Borno State remains an underbelly of trepidation.

    General Musa has warned about civic complicity in which locals who know these criminals protect them by giving them intelligence and providing them with the warmth of local infrastructure and supplies in the name of religion. They are knights of terror and not of piety, and should be seen as such.

    Many people have called for a speedy trial, and the world will be interested in how the men who have separated and ruined villages, torn apart families and made a glamour of butchery will face the angry majesty of the law, and quickly, too.