President Bola Tinubu has been re-elected as the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), about one year after he took over the leadership of the regional bloc. 

The Nigerian leader who rose to power in May 2023 was re-elected as the ECOWAS chairman during the 65th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government. That event took place at the Presidential Villa in Nigeria’s Abuja capital on Sunday.

Stabilising Fund

During his opening remark at the summit, President Tinubu urged ECOWAS member states to make financial commitments to help in the battle against terrorism in the region.

“As we move to operationalise the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) in combating terrorism, I must emphasise that the success of this plan requires not only strong political will but also substantial financial resources,” he told the gathering.

“We must therefore ensure that we meet the expectations and recommendations set forth by our ministers of defence and finance in order to counter the insecurity and stabilise our region. Member states must make extra commitments to providing resources for stabilising the region.”

Coup-Hit Region

In recent years, ECOWAS has been hit by a wave of coups in member nations. Niger Republic, Mali, and Burkina Faso have been taken over by junta leaders.

ECOWAS had in the wake of the coups imposed a raft of sanctions including border closure on the three nations.

While they were lifted in February, the countries left the regional bloc a few days later. The trio said they have “irrevocably turned their backs” on ECOWAS and have instead formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

During the AES maiden summit in the Nigerien capital of Niamey on Saturday, Niger Republic’s military leader Abdourahamane Tiani accused ECOWAS of incompetence in tackling jihadists’ incursion into the region.

“Our people have irrevocably turned their backs on ECOWAS,” Tiani insisted.

“The AES is the only effective sub-regional grouping in the fight against terrorism,” Tiani declared on Saturday, calling ECOWAS “conspicuous by its lack of involvement in this fight”.

The exit came as the trio shifted away from former colonial ruler France, with Tiani calling for the new bloc to become a “community far removed from the stranglehold of foreign powers”.

[Channels TV]

The Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has maintained an open arm relationship with the media. It is in line with the philosophy of the President as an avowed democrat who spent a lifetime fighting for the entrenchment of democracy and human rights.

This administration has remained very tolerant of media criticism and guaranteed citizens' rights to freedom of expression. It is however disheartening that some elements are abusing this free environment guaranteed by the Government. We are alarmed by the level of reckless reporting and statements by some media organisations and individuals that border on national security and stability.

While we sometimes view and treat those occasional reporting as part of media's normal work, we have now seen a pattern that is difficult to be wished away as normal journalism.

The insidious and inciting publications by the Daily Trust these past months have come across as nothing but a deliberate effort to brush the government with a tar. On many occasions we have restrained ourselves from believing that this was the case but the consistency of the jejune and mischievous publications leaves us with no option.

In the aftermath of the coup in Niger Republic, Daily Trust championed a jaundiced narrative that the Federal Government was driving the country into a war and twisted it with regional sentiment to cause disaffection. The same newspaper gave a banner headline to a baseless accusation that the Government was working on citing foreign military bases in the country. Neither Daily Trust nor originators of that imaginative allegation provided any shred of evidence. 

Then just two weeks ago, Daily Trust concocted and popularised a lie that the Federal Government had renamed the Murtala Mohammed Expressway in Abuja to Wole Soyinka Way. In all those instances all that the paper depended on were falsehood and hearsays. They also showed no remorse or the humility to recant.

We however did not envisage that Daily Trust and people behind it could decend to the reckless level of attempting to set the country on fire by falsely accusing the government of signing a deal to promote LGBTQ. We found that despicable and wicked because the allegation is nowhere in the document signed. Surprisingly, the paper put forward no evidence nor provided the agreement allegedly signed to prove their point.

The baseless and sensational story unfortunately formed a basis for khutba (sermons) by some of our respected imams who were misled by the story thereby raising tempers. 

On the part of the Government, we continue on the honourable path of civility by restraining ourselves from taking self-help or draconian measures. While past governments clamped down on the media for infractions much lower than this, we are however toeing the path of civility and the rule of law. 

This afternoon, I have the Honourable Minister of Budget and National Planning to provide more clarity on this issue.

But beyond this, the Federal Government is lodging a formal complaint to the NPAN Ombudsman on this irresponsible reporting. 

In addition, the Federal Government will use every lawful means to seek redress in the court of law.

The Federal Government once again restates its friendly policy towards ethical media and free speech. We would however not take fake news and disinformation that would injure the peace of our country and it's national security lightly. 

We once again thank you for your support and cooperation.

THE  Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, is a cantankerous old fossil – irascible, quarrelsome and testy, no doubt. Whether as a local government chairman, chief of staff, minister or governor, he is bad-tempered, cranky and grouchy; a man not only at war with himself but perpetually with others. This is not the quality of a good leader even if the person is dubbed “Mr. Projects,” whether deserved or otherwise.

Leadership demands a healthy dose of humility. But as governor of Rivers State for eight years, Wike was at war with everyone, abusing all who dared cross his path. With him, every criticism, no matter how constructive is a definite no-no. His entire worldview is governed by the “us against them” mentality and in pursuit of this cock-eyed philosophy of life, he takes no prisoners, which explains why barely two months out of office, he was engaged in a war of attrition with his successor and anointed political godson, Siminalayi Fubara.

Even as that war rages in his home state with debilitating consequences, Wike, characteristically has opened another battle front, this time in the FCT against Senator Ireti Kingibe. 

Ideally, both the minister and the senator ought to work together for the good of the FCT. Not being a state, Abuja has no legislature but the territory is subject to the laws made for it by the National Assembly and administered by the President in accordance with Section 299 of the 1999 Constitution which provides that:  “The provisions of this Constitution shall apply to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja as if it were one of the states  of the Federation; and accordingly-  (a) all the legislative powers, the executive powers and the judicial powers vested in the House of Assembly, the Governor of a State and in the courts of a State shall, respectively, vest in the National Assembly, the President of the Federation and in the courts which by virtue of the foregoing provisions are courts established for the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”

But such synergistic relationships based on co-creating outcomes will always be an anathema to Wike, through whom the president administers Abuja in his capacity as the FCT Minister because nobody can be his coequal. And Kingibe, elected by an overwhelming majority of the Abuja electorate on the platform of the Labour Party (LP), desired a minister she could partner with for the good of the FCT and not a boss with an exaggerated opinion of himself.

That is the genesis of the fight. Kingibe voiced out her frustration in a television interview on Sunday, making it clear that she was not Wike’s friend, whom she accused of sidelining her. But she was decent in all she said even as she reeled out her constituents’ complaints.

While acknowledging that Wike has done some commendable jobs in the FCT, she, however, lamented that it has not trickled down to the masses. For instance, she complained that in the 2024 FCT supplementary budget of nearly N100 billion, only N19 billion has to do with the people.

Anyone who knows Wike’s antecedents will attest to the veracity of Kingibe’s claims. The minister is a brick and mortar business aficionado with zero penchant for human capacity building, which explains why despite the immense resources available to the state under his watch, Rivers reported the third highest rate of unemployment with 43.7 per cent, coming only behind Imo State with 48.7 per cent, and Akwa-Ibom State with 45.2 per cent.

Expectedly, Wike, a man with such a thin skin, who is not known for taking prisoners, went for the kill.

Speaking at the flag-off of the construction of Mabushi Bus Terminal in Abuja on Monday, he vowed to ensure that Kingibe does not return to the senate in 2027.

Typically, he went overboard: “I overheard somebody on Arise TV this morning. Unfortunately I hear the person is a member of the National Assembly and it is unfortunate I say so. With all due respect, what you don’t know, you don’t know, what you know you know, and the good thing for you is to tell people you don’t when you don’t know, then people will educate you.”

Then, being someone not given to decorousness, he hubristically postured: “The Honourable Minister of State and my humble self have not been in office for more than 11 months and the person is angry that they are praising us. If you don’t want or you are angry about that, go and hang yourself in a transformer.”   

But what he said next, which is typical of Wike, should give every well-meaning Nigerian and lover of democracy cause to worry.

“I challenge that legislator,” he thundered, “If you are very popular, 2027 come and run under Abuja, we will fail you. Do you think that what happened last time, will happen again? It will not happen again. Luckily for me, I am the FCT Minister now. So that is my territory and I’m not afraid.”

Of course, what happened last time was that in the 2023 elections, the Abuja electorate, egalitarian, urbane and enlightened, and thoroughly embarrassed by the scandalous records posted by the Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government rebuked the ruling party by rejecting its candidates, including Tinubu. Ireti Kingibe is a primary beneficiary of that loud rebuke.

In the last one year since that rejection at the polls, things have become direr in Nigeria. Tinubu promised to continue from where Buhari stopped. And what a fantastic job he has done of his self-assigned job, not only consolidating on the tragic failures of the Buhari administration but redefining, literally, the meaning of cluelessness in governance.

So, the only way what happened in 2023 will not happen again in 2027 is if Wike and his likes are prevented from doing what they did in 2023.

Wike did not tell Nigerians who he is plotting with to fail Kingibe in 2027. But we can hazard a guess. This is a government that is barely one year in office in a country where all the indices of human development have gone south and rather than working strategically to pull Nigeria out of the pit of despair, all that bothers Wike and his ilk is how to wangle their way back to power even without the people’s mandate.

And don’t forget, Wike has no vote in Abuja having not transferred his voter registration from Rivers State to the FCT. And it is not likely he will do so because he will also be going back home in 2027 to ensure that he “fails” his nemesis – Fubara. But even if he transfers his voting location from Obio-Akpor to the FCT, he still has only one vote. So, how will that stop Kingibe’s re-election if the people decide otherwise?

Truth be told, Wike represents all that is bad with our democratic peregrination since 1999. His is the ugliest face of Nigeria’s democracy. He and his ilk have become so entitled that they now take Nigerians for granted.

But the good thing is that Nigerians now know what they are planning to do in 2027. Definitely, they are not preparing for elections. They want to, once again, snatch it, grab it, and run with it, while asking their hapless victims to go to court.

But Wike may also be right in a sense that what happened the last time will not happen again. He may be surprised that Nigerians, having been pushed to the wall by the people in power, have decided to resist the shenanigans that hallmarked the 2023 polls going forward. After all, the only thing they will lose if they do so will be their chains.

States across Nigeria experienced another round of blackout on Saturday as the national electricity power grid crashed to 70.60 megawatts around 4 pm.

It marked the seventh time the national grid would collapse in 2024. The previous collapses were on February 4, April 10, April 15, March 11, March 12, and March 28.

During the inauguration of the 31-member Presidential Economic Coordination Council held at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday, President Bola Tinubu described the current low electricity generation in the country as shameful.

Tinubu said, “We have the challenge of energy security in Nigeria. We need to work together to improve our oil and gas sector, and we must also increase electricity generation, as well as distribution throughout the country. We are determined to do that with your cooperation, collaboration, and recommendations. As a nation, it is so shameful that we are still generating 4.5GW of electricity.”

Data on the ‘Nigeria Grid: Generation Profile’ supplied by the Transmission Company of Nigeria, indicated that the country’s power generation crashed to 70.60MW on Saturday.

Electricity generation initially increased from 3,788.63MW to 3,976.24MW around 10am yesterday, but dropped to 1,075.08MW at 3 pm, before crashing to 70.60MW around 4 pm. It was observed that only the Trans-Amadi Gas Turbine Power Plant in Rivers State supplied power to the grid around 4 pm on Saturday, producing just 0.80MW at the time. Power generation on the grid moved up slightly to 72.30MW around 5 pm, as engineers from TCN struggled to restore the grid, according to sources from the transmission company.

DisCos lament

Confirming the collapse of the grid, the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, in a statement, said all its interfaces in the TCN stations were out of supply, adding that it was unable to provide services to customers in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states.

“The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company wishes to inform its esteemed customers of a general system collapse which occurred at 15:09 hours today, July 6, 2024. This has resulted in the loss of supply currently being experienced across the network. Due to this development, all our interface TCN stations are out of supply, and we are unable to provide services to our customers in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states. We are on standby awaiting detailed information on the collapse and restoration of supply from the National Control Centre, Osogbo,” a statement signed by the EEDC’s Head of Corporate Communications, Emeka Ezeh, read.

The Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company also tweeted on X, “We regret to inform you that the power outage being experienced in our franchise states is due to the system collapse of the national grid.”

Similarly, the Kano DisCo said, “We regret to inform you that the power outage being experienced in our franchise states is due to the system collapse of the national grid. The collapse occurred at about 3:10pm, hence the loss of supply in all our outgoing feeders. The power supply shall be restored as soon as the national grid is powered back. Our sincere apologies for any inconvenience.”

In a statement released by its management on Saturday, titled, Notice of System Collapse, Ikeja DisCo equally appealed to its customers to bear with the company for its inability to supply power, noting that it was due to the national grid collapse. It said, “The current service disruption is due to a system collapse of the national grid at about 15:08 hours today. We are in collaboration with relevant stakeholders within the power value chain to ensure speedy restoration of supply.”

Meanwhile, data on the TCN Discos load profile site showed that all the eight Discos had 0.00MW load allocation as of 6pm on Saturday.

‘Incessant grid collapse embarrassing’

Commenting on the development, Adetayo Adegbemle, who is the convener and Executive Director of PowerUp Nigeria, an electricity consumer rights and power sector policy advocacy organisation, stated that everyone involved in the electricity value chain should be embarrassed by their inability to prevent grid collapses.

Adegbemle added that some people should be sacked to fix the situation. He said, “I think everyone involved in the value chain should be embarrassed by the regular occurrence and inability to put measures in place to avoid this constant grid collapse. It is unfortunate because everyone blames others.

“I believe that if heads had been rolling for people not taking responsibility, someone would have stood up to fix this problem.”

Suggesting a way forward, Adegbemle said, “There is a need to align the value chain, and that was something the Siemens deal promised to achieve. If the head of TCN, for instance, were to lose his job tonight, the next MD would be more willing to work with other subsectors to ensure this does not happen again.

“Whatever is needed to forestall these grid collapses is definitely in the hands of the leadership of the TCN, especially.”

Also reacting, the Executive Director of the Electricity Consumer Protection Advocacy Centre, Princewill Okorie, regretted that the grid kept collapsing, despite the increase in electricity tariffs.

Okorie expressed concern that unmetered customers would still be made to pay for the period of the collapse, questioning what the government had been doing to prevent such incidents.

Asking some pertinent questions, Okorie said, “What are the causes of these grid collapses? Are the materials used in building the grid of good quality? Who is managing the grid? The players in the sector are more interested in collecting money from consumers, rather than making the system stable. What you hear more about the power sector is payment. The money that international communities are bringing into the industry and the money that is unlawfully collected from consumers—where is it being utilised? How do the DisCos spend their operational expenditures?

“In the past few months, they keep increasing tariffs, yet the power sector is inefficient. They are interested in collecting money, but whether the money is judiciously utilised or not, nobody cares. They keep overbilling customers. The desperation to collect revenue for services not delivered is a challenge. Now that the grid has collapsed, the unmetered customers will still be made to pay for darkness. That is injustice. The government should address this issue of grid collapse once and for all.”

NECA urges upgrade of power grid

On his part, the Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, Adewale Oyerinde, urged the government to address the persistent collapse of the national power grid.

He stated that the incessant collapses severely disrupt power supply, leading to erratic electricity provision across the country, stressing that the power grid should be upgraded. He called for swift action to prevent further disruptions and ensure a reliable power supply for all Nigerians.

Oyerinde said, “They should ensure to fix the cause of the national grid collapse. Once there is a collapse of the national grid, there won’t be power supply, or it becomes epileptic.

“We urge the government to fix the power grid, especially now that there is no subsidy on electricity. They need to upgrade the grid to stop the incessant collapse.”

[Punch]

• FG releases details, insists pact won’t hurt Nigeria
• Disregard fake news about agreement, govt tells clerics
• Ex-British Diplomat: Reports linking deal to LGBT rights irresponsible

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, yesterday said there was no clause on $150 billion for Nigeria in Samoa Agreement.

He said what Nigeria signed was the “Partnership Agreement between the European Union and its Members States and members of the Organization of the Caribbean and Pacific States”.

He denied that the agreement had anything to do with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) rights.

He said Nigeria’s signing of the agreement was accompanied by a declaration clarifying its understanding of it.

He said the agreement Nigeria entered into contained 103 foundational articles and 79 African region specific protocols.

He said “none of the protocols offends our laws.”

He said the agreement has no clause on LGBTQ+ rights or any agreement indicating that Nigeria support LGBTQ rights.  He said: “Anything we sign must be in tandem with our constitution and laws. Anything beyond that is null and void.

“Tinubu respects Nigeria’s sensitivity and diversity and will never approve anything that will be seen as damaging our sensitivity.”

Bagudu spoke at an emergency press briefing on Abuja in the company of the Minister of information and Orientation, Mohammed Idris, and the Special Assistant to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga.

FG threatens to drag Daily Trust to Ombudsman, court

Taking the first shot, the Minister of information and Orientation described as fake news and disinformation the report that the government has signed the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) agreement in exchange for $150 billion, saying the government would consider legal actions against the media House.

He said the agreement has no provision for LGBT in whatever form, adding that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will never sign any agreement that is against the country’s constitution, law, culture and religion.

He said the government would drag Daily Trust newspaper to an Ombudsman and the court to prove that it misled Nigerians on the agreement.

Idris advised some clerics already inciting Muslims in the country against being misdirected by fake news.

He said contrary to what was reported, there is nothing in the agreement that is of concern.

Idris said that following the report in the national daily, Ulamas started to use it in their Friday sermons to castigate the government.

The minister cautioned against media publication that continued to advance the erroneous narrative that the Samoa Agreement recently signed by the Federal Government was to promote the LGBT agenda in the country.

He said the affected media outfit would be dragged before the, Ombudsman of the Newspaper Proprietors of Nigeria (NPAN).

He, however, assured that the Tinubu administration will not trample on press freedom.

He said: “We are alarmed by the level of reckless reporting and statements by some media organisations and individuals that border on national security and stability.

“While we sometimes view and treat those occasional reporting as part of media’s normal work, we have now seen a pattern that is difficult to be wished away as normal journalism.

“The insidious and inciting publications by Daily Trust these past months have come across as nothing but a deliberate effort to brush the government with a tar.

“On many occasions we have restrained ourselves from believing that this was the case, but the consistency of the jejune and mischievous publications leaves us with no option.

“In the aftermath of the coup in Niger Republic, Daily Trust championed a jaundiced narrative that the Federal Government was driving the country into a war and twisted it with regional sentiment to cause disaffection.

“The same newspaper gave a banner headline to a baseless accusation that the government was working on citing foreign military bases in the country. Neither Daily Trust nor originators of that imaginative allegation provided any shred of evidence.

“Then just two weeks ago, Daily Trust concocted and popularised a lie that the Federal Government had renamed the Murtala Mohammed Expressway in Abuja to Wole Soyinka Way.

“In all those instances all that the paper depended on were falsehood and hearsays. They also showed no remorse or the humility to recant.

“We however did not envisage that Daily Trust and people behind it could descend to the reckless level of attempting to set the country on fire by falsely accusing the government of signing a deal to promote LGBTQ.

“We found that despicable and wicked because the allegation is nowhere in the document signed. Surprisingly, the paper put forward no evidence nor provided the agreement allegedly signed to prove their point.

“The baseless and sensational story unfortunately formed a basis for Khutba (sermons) by some of our respected imams who were misled by the story, thereby raising tempers.

“On the part of the government, we continue on the honourable path of civility by restraining ourselves from taking self-help or draconian measures.

“While past governments clamped down on the media for infractions much lower than this, we are however toeing the path of civility and the rule of law.

“But beyond this, the Federal Government is lodging a formal complaint to the NPAN Ombudsman on this irresponsible reporting.

“In addition, the Federal Government will use every lawful means to seek redress in the court of law.

“The Federal Government once again restates its friendly policy towards ethical media and free speech. We would however not take fake news and disinformation that would injure the peace of our country and its national security lightly.”

Idris insisted that the Federal Government has nothing to hide.

He said the Tinubu administration was committed to Probity and Transparency.

He added: “The Ministry of Information and National Orientation under my leadership will do everything possible to ensure transparency, honesty in the dissemination of credible information.

“We made this solemn pledge at the beginning when we were new to office and we will continue to do that.

 “We call on you, members of the media, to please help us to spread only what is correct and what you know you can verify.

“It is normal and indeed within the right of the media to scrutinise the affairs of government.

“Nobody can take that away but it is important that care is taken so that when information is being passed, we only present what we know to only the true, credible, honest and in the best interest of our nation.

“Whenever information is being spread that will harm our unity, that will harm our political existence as a nation, then of course there must be something to be asked there.

“We will continue to provide information to the media as needed.

“I would also implore the media to please report only what is factual.

 “The series of headlines we think that we have received from the newspaper has given us a cause for concern.

 “For me, as a member of this industry, I am really particularly pained that I have to come to address a particular medium in this regard.

“But it is important because we have made this pledge that we are only going to provide what is credible, what we know to be factual.

“The President and this administration will not in any way, in any way, I repeat, the President will not sign or cause any office official to sign anything that will harm our nation, not in any way.

“So to all those who come on in that there is a signature out there that gives away our country as an LGBT-compliant country or seeking to do that, it is mischaracterization, misrepresentation.

“The current government insists that our laws will be respected, our norms will be respected, our traditions will also be respected and our values will be respected.

“The two major religions here are against it.

There is a law existing against the issue of LGBT. The current government of Nigeria would not go against that.

“I think it is important that we put this out there for those who have reacted largely due to ignorance.

There is also a Surah, Surah Al-Hujurat in the Holy Quran.

“Before you put out any information out there, it is important that you cross-check and be sure of your facts.”

He also called on religious leaders to show understanding, while promising that the government will continue to engage with them.

“We will continue to engage them, we will continue to put out the truth there, we will continue to give them.

“That is why we came, not just with the document that Nigeria sent, but the entire document relating to the whole issue of Samoa, the so-called Samoa agreement, the cross-cultural agreement.

 “There is nothing we have examined, the Attorney General of the Federation has examined it, and there is nothing that is said there that is of concern.

“But of course, the government is there to continue to clarify, to continue to explain and to continue to appeal for the understanding of not just the media but for the Nigerian population, for us to continue to grow on the path of progress and unity of our country.

 “Please, we call on all of you, and I want to use this opportunity to thank those media organizations that have provided clarity by fact-checking some of these claims put forward by this particular newspaper.

 “It has been fast-checked, the statements and all the documents are actually out there, and the equality of this agreement has also been shared.”

Bagudu clarifies agreement

Bagudu clarified that the agreement signed by Nigeria was for cooperation and the economic development of the country.

 He said: “President Bola Tinubu did not authorise anything that is damaging or hurtful to our sensitivity and we have not signed any such agreement.”

 “Mr. President has undertaken, consistent with his campaign promise, a very demanding diplomacy in order to convince the world that we need all the support and the world is taking it seriously, because there is so much transparency, because there is so much clarity.

“I recall when we visited Saudi Arabia for the first time, the Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia stated that they compare what President Nasser al-Baghdadi is doing to that of his brother, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, taking on courageous measures that they should have been taking decades ago.

“Development partners, as you very well know, are also media savvy. They see what is happening. So let us not ridicule our nation based on misrepresentation.

“Let us support the commendable endeavours and reward the hard work so that the development partners we are relating with, the investors we are looking for will be interested in our resolve.

“When industrialists or development partners see a lie coming too far, they will have the right to worry.”

Bagudu cautioned against reports beclouded with political expediency.

He said: “So we know that some will do it because it is politically expedient. We can do nothing about it, but we believe the majority of Nigerians are able to see paths for themselves and support so that Nigeria can continue to be respected, Nigeria can continue to be an investment destination.

“And also appreciate that hardworking men and women in service, in ministries are dealing with these issues and they will be demoralised if all they see is their effort being misrepresented by somebody with a big voice in society, using their power wrongly, a media house or a group of media entrepreneurs.

“So I appeal to all Nigerians to support the bold, courageous endeavoors we are taking, so that our development partners will also be strengthened and continue to relate with us and to know that we appreciate what they are doing for us.

Giving insights into the contents of the agreement, Bagudu said Nigeria did not sign an agreement only with the EU but with many other countries.

He added: “It’s a requirement by those countries so that they set out the parameters of the cooperation.

“When you get a copy of the document, you will see that this is a broad agreement.

“It is about education; it is about food security; it is about water and sanitation; it is about decent work; and it is about demography.

“It is about youth. It is about culture and sustainable development. It is about inclusive economic development. It is about private sector development. It is about human rights, democracy and rule of law. It is about good governance, public administration, personal data, peace and security.

“So those are the articles. Each article is about an area of cooperation. We signed an agreement with the EU to say that we believe we can cooperate in these areas, in the several areas, which are about 100 and almost 200 distinct areas.”

Bagudu, who was visibly upset by the narration in the public domain, said Nigeria was painstaking in signing the agreement.

He added: “Even when we signed this agreement, we had to also sign a specific implementation agreement.

“For example, we have a rule of law agreement. We have just signed one about four months ago. “The EU will say that for this period of time, between 2024 and 2027, for example, we are going to give you this amount of money.

“The rule of law is $30 million to support ICPC, to support the EFCC, to support the Ministry of Justice.

“We have the migration agreement also. We also have on the democratic institutions.

“So what I say is that within this agreement, there is nowhere where it is mentioned that Nigeria is going to receive $150 billion or any sum for that money.

“But these areas of cooperation are areas which will develop further and grow further.

“And they will lead to capital, will lead to support, will lead to technical support that we can enhance good production.

“One of the biggest supports we are receiving from the EU, for example, is called IDICE, which is our digital. About $300-600 million worth of projects are coming under that.

 “So I would say that there is nowhere in the world of development where you see 150 billion.

“But these are agreements which I believe, like with other countries, define what you want to relate with those countries in and how to go about it.”

Responding to a question, Bagudu said: “So you can imagine what about 79 other countries are like. That is why the agreement provides a proviso where a country, each country, not just Nigeria, can issue a declaration, clarifying some basis in which it is signing.

“Like I gave the example, one of the obvious ones; we didn’t provide it because of concerns about misrepresentation about LGBT, for example. We are clear. 

“But I gave the example of what we were worried about. We were worried that because of the way Europe is moving to clean energy, we don’t want to sign something that limits our capacity to develop our oil and gas sector clearly.

“One of the declarations you see made it clear that even though we signed any agreement on climate, we were categorical that it was not to limit us in any way because those are developmental rights and we kept within our constitution.”

Reports linking Samoa Agreement to LGBT rights irresponsible, says ex-British diplomat

A former British diplomat in Nigeria, Mr David Roberts, yesterday condemned reports linking the Samoa Agreement Nigeria signed penultimate Friday to the protection of LGBT rights as irresponsible, saying the document was a partnership pact on the growth and development of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and the Pacific States that signed it with EU Member countries.

There had been a backlash against the Federal Government after a national newspaper published a claim that some provisions of the agreement protect the rights of LGBT, contending that Nigeria signed on the back of a proposed $150bn loan.

Despite the rebuttal by the Federal Government through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Mohammed Idris, social media remained agog with the condemnation of the agreement, forcing the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu to address a press conference yesterday to clarify the content of the document further.

“I found it incredible that anybody could believe that the Samoa Agreement, which is a protocol of economic and social development  between the EU and its member states and the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) on the other hand is to further Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) rights,” Roberts said in a statement yesterday. 

He said nothing could be further from the truth, adding that except the reports were deliberate misinformation, he failed to see how anybody could have read the agreement and come to such a conclusion.

According to the former diplomat, “the agreement is a document that journalists can read. You do not need a Freedom of Information Act request to read it. It is a public document on the EU’s website.

“It is a harmless treaty that aims to reduce and eradicate poverty in the ACP nations and lead to the financial integration of African and Caribbean nations into the world economy.”

He said the best predictor of future events was the past, explaining that it was an agreement that over 50 countries had signed.

“How many of those countries have been forced to implement the LGBT agenda? Zero. None,” the former Director British Council in Nigeria said.

Saying that the reports were capable of inciting violence and civil unrest in a country as conservative as Nigeria, Robert said there ought to be punitive consequences for the publishers of the false reports if such irresponsible reportage was to be avoided in future.

[TheNation]

Atiku Abubakar, former Nigeria’s vice-president and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, has slammed the Nigeria Police for their blatant breach of citizens’ rights and disregard for court orders.

Atiku’s outrage follows the arrest and transportation of Yusuf Sheriff Banki from Abuja to Maiduguri, Borno State, in defiance of a standing court order.

Justice M. A. Madugu of the Bwari Judicial Division had on the 13th of June, 2024, granted an order restraining the IGP, AIG Zone 15, CP FCT, their agents, privies, or anybody acting on their authority from arresting, intimidating, harassing and threatening Yusuf Sheriff Banki and his families pending the determination of the suit before the court.

But the Nigeria Police acted in breach of that order. Atiku is incensed by the Gestapo-style arrest, which flagrantly violated a valid and subsisting court injunction restraining the Inspector General of Police, the Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 15, and the Commissioner of Police FCT from arresting Banki.

Condemning the action, Atiku berated the police for their impunity and lack of respect for the rule of law and citizens’ rights. He decried the incident as reminiscent of the oppressive military dictatorship era when citizens were detained without adherence to legal processes.

Emphasising that Nigeria is a nation of law and order, Atiku called on the police to unconditionally release Yusuf Sheriff Banki.

He also highlighted a worrying trend of journalists being arrested under the guise of the cybersecurity law for holding leaders accountable.

[Nigerian Tribune]

No fewer than 15 persons have reportedly lost their lives due to the widespread flooding experienced across the country within the last seven days.

Several properties, including houses, cars and other valuables were destroyed by the disturbing disaster.

DAILY POST recalls that on June 24, the popular Trademore Estate, Abuja, was submerged following a sustained torrential rainfall that led to the death of two residents.

Apart from many houses almost completely destroyed, the flood which overflowed the estate canal, also swept away several cars.

In Yobe State alone, about 30 communities were destroyed on July 1st when heavy downpour was experienced in the area, leading to the death of about nine persons.

The State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, while confirming the ugly incident, revealed that over 10,845 individuals across 12 LGAs of Yunusari, Nguru, Nangere, Gujba, Damaturu, Fika, Bade, Bursari, Yusufari, Geidam, Machina and Karasuwa were affected by the floodings.

On Wednesday, movements were restricted while economic activities were crippled in Lagos State due to the persistent rainfall that caused unexpected flooding in many parts of the state.

It was more worrisome in some residential areas in Ibeju-Lekki and other strategic locations where thousands of residents were unfortunately displaced.

DAILY POST gathered that some of the worst affected areas included Epe, Eredo, Bogije, Labora, Abijon, Sangotedo, Awoyaya and Ibeju-Lekki.

A primary six pupil was reportedly swept away by the flood in the Ikosi-Ketu area of Lagos.

Also, seven occupants, including a one-year-old baby girl, were rescued alive from a collapsed two-storey building at the Mushin area of the state, following the heavy downpour.

Similarly, the Lagos State Police Command on Thursday confirmed that a yet-to-be-identified 61-year-old man lost his life after being electrocuted during the flood incident.

Nigerians knock federal and state governments over failure to be proactive

The recurring cases of flooding in the country have raised concerns among stakeholders who lamented that the Federal and the state governments failed to be proactive in tackling the menace.

DAILY POST recalls that in 2022, over 662 Nigerians lost their lives to flood across the country.

According to the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, 662 people were killed, while 2,430,445 others were displaced.

About 3,174 people also suffered various degrees of injuries during the flood disaster.

In 2023, the National Emergency Management Agency said over 45 Nigerians died, while 171,545 persons were displaced as a result of widespread flooding experienced across the country.

DAILY POST reports that despite the warnings and previous cases recorded, Nigeria was still caught unprepared in 2024.

Reacting to the Wednesday incident in Lagos State, a former governorship candidate in the state, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, said the Lagos State Government has not been proactive on flood management.

In a television interview monitored by DAILY POST, the Labour Party chieftain said, “What is more painful to me is that I see a government that is in your face and very active when it comes to demolition but you have this kind of thing (flood) you don’t see any emergency response or protocol.

“We are not seeing men on the ground. We are not seeing intelligence being given out early: ‘avoid these routes’. There were no diversions.

“I don’t feel a sense of ‘I told you so’. Anybody who loves Lagos well enough and has looked at the history of Lagos would see these things way before they happen”.

Similarly, Emmanuel Onwubiko, the Head, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, told DAILY POST on Saturday that it is not enough for the government to alert Nigerians of imminent danger of flooding, urging both the Federal and the state governments to take proactive actions.

He said, “Environmental issues like flooding are things that are even beyond the government. The only thing is that the government needs to be ready for remediation and rescue if it happens eventually.

“The government should be able to evacuate people from the flood-prone areas. Telling Nigerians that there is going to be flooding in 31 states is not enough.

“Sometimes the government needs to force these residents to move out of the danger areas. Some people may not want to leave willingly because it is their ancestral home.

“The Nigerian government should provide ecological funds that will resettle victims of flooding in the country.

“When these flood-prone areas are identified, the government is expected to inform the residents of the danger of staying back especially during the season of heavy rainfall.

“The state government should build camps where they can possibly relocate the affected people, not allowing people to be stranded when it happens”.

Poor urban planning, deforestation, others responsible for flooding in Nigeria – Expert

An environmentalist, Dr Gabriel Ajeh told DAILY POST on Saturday that poor urban planning and inadequate infrastructure development were the major causes of flooding in Nigeria.

According to him, “as most cities continue to expand, encroachment of settlements into flood-prone areas have also continued among citizens, leading to flood disaster.

“The urbanization in many parts of the country is very poor. There are places even in Abuja that people should not be allowed to reside.

“Unfortunately, you see these places being occupied by people despite knowing that floods usually occur in those places.

“For example, the issue of Trademore Estate in the FCT is not new. Every year we hear about people dying in the area due to flooding, yet people are allowed to continue living there.

“Another issue we must consider, especially as we battle climate change, is deforestation and environmental degradation.

“This has significantly reduced the natural flood protection that is usually provided by forests, wetlands, and mangroves, thereby heightening the risk of floods in Nigerian communities.

“We need to understand that the degradation of natural ecosystems contributes to soil erosion, which can worsen flooding by increasing sedimentation in rivers.”

FG places 18 states on red alert

Tension was heightened on Thursday when the federal government placed at least 18 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, on red alert over possible severe flooding expected from the end of July 2024.

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Terlumun Utsev, who raised the alarm while addressing reporters in Abuja, said Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Rivers and Taraba, as well as the FCT may be adversely affected in the coming days.

According to the Minister, from the end of July, the country might start experiencing river flooding, which might be more devastating than the current situation.

The Water Resources minister said river flooding was expected from major rivers like the Niger and Benue, urging continuous monitoring and proactive measures.

[DailyPost]

Bandits have abducted two journalists and their family members in Kaduna State.

The armed men stormed Danhonu community in Millennium city of Chikun local government area of Kaduna and raided houses of the reporters of The Nation newspaper, Alhaji AbdulGafar Alabelewe, and that of Blueprint Newspaper, AbdulRaheem Aodu, their wives and children .

Alhaji Alabelewe is also the current chairman of the correspondents chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kaduna State Council.

A family member of one of the victims Taofeeq Olayemi, who confirmed the incident, said the bandits stormed the community at about 10:30pm on Saturday and started shooting sporadically before carrying out their action.

He said they kidnapped Alhaji Alabelewe, his wife and two of his children, while Alhaji Aodu and his wife were kidnapped, leaving behind their sick daughter.

“Initially, they picked Alhaji Abdulgafar, his wife and three of his children and a girl staying with them before asking the girl to return back with one of the children, leaving with Abdulgafar, his wife and two children.”

“They shattered their doors, windows and removed their burglary after scaling the fence.”

Olayemi, a family member of Mr. Aodu, who lives close to the victims’ houses said,” They came around 10:30pm on Saturday and started shooting sporadically. They first burst Aodu’s door open and picked him and his wife and left their sick daughter behind.

“Then, they entered Abdulgafar’s house through the fence and jumped into his house. They went straight into his bedroom and picked him, his wife and two of their kids. They left immediately, after which the vigilantes arrived and started shooting into the air.”

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Kaduna, ASP Mansir Hassan could not be reached for reaction as his phone was not connecting as at the time of filing this report.

[DailyTrust]

A masquerade (Egungun) must hearken to the warnings of his guide if he is to make it back to base safely. He could take liberties in the alleyways and rural roads, but when the procession is heading towards the expressway where vehicles zip along at breakneck speed, the masquerade must be attentive to the instructions of his guide, lest an auto accident reduce him to just another orthopaedic casualty, a humiliating climbdown from the olympian heights of ancestor-hood.

Thus, when Fuji musician Abass Obesere, in his unique sassy style, sang, “Egungun be careful, na express you dey go”, the song quickly caught on, serving as a warning, not just to masquerades who are revered as representatives of the ancestors, but also to the general society. When the choreographed pandemonium of the procession appears to have developed a racy kind of velocity even without self exertion, perhaps the cavalcade is heading downhill!

Mirage

Living in Nigeria and having to experience the same foibles that catapult us backwards to the starting blocks while our co-runners are breasting the tape, is an extreme sport of sorts. One republic comes, one republic goes, what was once considered a prospect becomes a mirage with successive generations of leaders outdeviling their predecessors.

Flagellated by the harmattan of lean times, we are suffocated by the choking déja vu’s of knowing that we have passed through this valley of the shadow of want before — and shall do so till Kingdom come. Unlike the great American civil rights activist, Fannie Lou Hamer, it appears we can never be sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Egungun be careful! The social media is awash with contending covens of hate casting spells on gullible youth to join forces for the Ultimate Uprising, the one that will end all uprisings. The last time I checked, there were still many people languishing in the gulag on account of the last EndSARS protest. But for continued efforts by conscientious activists like Shehu Sani, Femi Falana and several civil society groups, those in jail would have been completely forgotten by now.

Last July, in the heat of claims and counter-claims by many interested parties, Amnesty International challenged the Lagos State government to disclose the identities of 103 #ENDSARS victims allegedly billed for mass burial after three years in the morgue. The protest which had started as a rage against police brutality eventually became politicised and weaponised by those fighting for the political soul of the nation.

While that unfinished business was inherited by the Tinubu administration and efforts are ongoing to secure the release of those still in jail, those who thrive in conditions of guaranteed confusion have been cloning posters and protest materials pinched from Kenya, urging Nigerian youths to emulate their Kenyan counterparts.

Strange

I find that campaign strange because, while any group can influence another irrespective of size, Nigerian youths have always demonstrated the capacity to do their own thing their own way at their own chosen time. They did not need any external stimulus to reject the Anglo-Nigerian Defence Pact that was negotiated between the Nigerian government and the United Kingdom in 1958, signed in 1960 and abrogated in 1962 due to public protests led by Nigerian students.

Egungun be careful. The wanton looting, arson, maiming and savagery that attended the Kenyan protests were not part of the agenda of the organisers. The day after, when Nairobi’s central business district was no longer recognisable, it became clear that some other dark forces had also come to the party.

The irony is that no society can make progress without a culture of protests, disputations and vigorous intellectual intercourse. Last month, we celebrated the remarkable events of June 12, 1993, because it was the day a new Nigeria was born and then strangled at birth. Such savagery! We had not only protested; we had made the country ungovernable! Every season has its own costume. We should not confuse harmattan with winter.

In terms of how we can make our country better, I am completely open to any kind of developmental ideas that we can use to help our people conquer current challenges and live a better life. In Nigeria, as in many other places, political parties are mere alphabets. Watch what they do; not what they say. Any idiot can write a manifesto. What matters is how the power of representative democracy is deployed. Our people have the capacity to recognise good governance when they see it.

Egungun be careful! The headlong rush of Nigeria’s First Republic towards perdition was not unpredictable. It was just that the main actors were too steeped in their happy-go-lucky ways and couldn’t spare the time to notice what the streets were saying.

Titanic

Doyin Okupe may not exactly fit your description of a principled politician. The more uncharitable of his critics say he’s a political harlot committed only to the ideology of the oesophagus. However— fair is fair, in contrast with some of his peers, Okupe is a qualified medical doctor and could have a day job if he so chooses. I have learnt not to look at the messenger in the Nigerian public space. It is the message that counts.

The other day, Okupe was at his most lucid when he compared the Nigerian situation with the last revelry on the Titanic before the ‘unsinkable’ ship sank. The Titanic was a big ship with many floors. The top deck was the very definition of luxury. The lower decks were packed with lower class people that weren’t even counted when planning for lifeboats.

When the Titanic started sinking, water started filling up from under the ship, the lower decks where the lower class passengers were. While those in the lower floors were struggling and dying, those in the first class cabins on the higher floors had no idea that their end was near. They were making merry in the grand ballroom with champagne and fine dining, still living the lie that their ship was unsinkable. They looked around them at all the luxurious fittings and despite all the signs that they were in trouble, they just didn’t get it. The band continued to play until the very end.

Okupe’s punchline was that Nigeria was in trouble; those at the bottom know it, while those at the top think it’s business as usual.

In these circumstances, you would expect that the government would deliberately cultivate a broad base of friends and collaborators to help bridge the perception gap between what the government claims to be doing and what the people think it is doing. Unfortunately, what we have here is that the man appointed by the president to administer the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, does not have the temperament to be a team player. If he continues like this, he will surely win more enemies for President Tinubu.

Pola-Pola

Telling Senator Ireti Kingibe who disagreed with his cement and mortar mentality to “go and hug a transformer” is the kind of lingo that area boys in Mushin or Onitsha main market would use. It is an infra dig for a minister of the federal republic. And to think that Senate President Akpabio then went ahead at the occasion of the flag-off of the construction of a bus terminal (see how low we have sunk) to orally throw the concerned senator under the bus!  Gladly, I hear that the same Akpabio is now cobbling together some kind of truce mechanism.

Egungun be careful! When the bata drum becomes too stridently loud, polá-polá, it may be about to burst. Hear Ola Rotimi: ”When the tortoise is going on a senseless journey and you say to the tortoise, ‘brother tortoise, brother tortoise, when will you be wise and come back home; eehn! The tortoise will say: Not until I’ve been disgraced.”

I grew up being made to understand that everything about the United States of America was a model to the rest of the world. “In America” was a constant recourse in public discourse — whether we were talking about democracy, constitutionalism, federalism or public accountability. Anything American was the best for the world. It was one country where every detail of the life of a top public official, or an intending one, was examined by the media and the public. It was one country where if the president or governor was accused of impropriety with evidence, the next line of action was resignation. Even a stained presidential or governorship candidate would withdraw from the race.

I recall, as if it happened yesterday, the case of Senator Gary Hart in the run-up to the 1988 presidential election. He was rated as the frontrunner in the Democratic Party. Suddenly, rumours started popping up that he was having an extramarital affair with Donna Rice, a young activist. Although he flatly denied having liaisons with her and there was no concrete evidence beyond circumstantial facts, Hart had to withdraw from the race amid the unrelenting media scrutiny. The impression I got, even as a teenager with negligible understating of politics and political intrigues, was that America was a country where ethics actually mattered in the choice of public officers.

Let’s say the American democracy of today is not what it used to be and the adventure of President Donald Trump is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, threats it has had to navigate in centuries. As Americans prepare for the 2024 presidential poll, the whole world is watching how they will handle the “Trump Test”, which I would vaguely describe as when a rabble rouser, or — to be charitable — a non-conformist urinates on an established democratic order. Every system — be it political, economic, social or technological — must undergo its own crisis or face a litmus test at some point in time. It is a fact of human evolution. We cannot avoid or prevent it. We only have to navigate it.

The US situation is complicated by the fact that Trump’s opponent, President Joe Biden, is apparently not in a good state of health. He is 81. If he wins, he will be 82 when he starts a second term in January 2025 and will be 86 when his tenure ends. He is already the oldest to be sworn in — he was 78 in 2021, beating the record set by Trump who was 70 when he was inaugurated in 2017. To be clear, Biden’s problem is not his age. It is the uncertain state of his health, both physical and mental. His performance at the CNN debate, where he said many things that even his most loyal supporters admitted they could not comprehend, set off an alarm bell in his corner. This can’t be downplayed.

With Biden’s refusal to withdraw from the race — something we used to say only of a typical African leader who would prefer to be referred to as “late president” rather than “former president” — he appears to be putting personal interest first. Ageing is a normal human process and it is nothing to be ashamed of, strictly speaking. He can argue that while he has indeed had his moments, he has not broken any law — either legal or moral — and he can still hold his own. That is probably why he is insisting on remaining in the race despite his poor debate outing and unflattering stand in the opinion polls. It is now left to 160 million American voters and 538 electors to determine his fate.

Trump is currently favoured to defeat Biden in the November 5 election. And that really worries me. I will explain why — it has nothing to do with my political bias. Personally, I have become so disillusioned with politics, home and abroad, that I am no longer passionate about any party or candidate. In Nigeria, the mindless killing of nine youth corps members by a political mob in Bauchi in the 2011 general election killed something in me. I just can’t get over it. This has been worsened by the perennial deceit upon deceit in the Nigerian political games. I can’t deal. Abroad, the rise of far-right wingers and conspiracy theorists disheartened me. I have become a dispassionate onlooker.

I worry about the return of Trump mainly because many developing democracies look up to the US for inspiration and now they have bad examples to learn from. I was having a little discussion with someone who tried to justify some nonsense in Nigeria by saying “it happens even in America”. Before now, “in America” meant something good, something enviable. Role-modelling is nothing strange in the human society, whether at personal or national level. We compare systems and services and try to challenge ourselves to be as good as others. In my previous article, I compared the UK bureaucracy with that of Nigeria and challenged the government to reform our system.

Trump represents everything the typical African politician stands for: lack of values, disdain for accountability, emotional manipulation of voters, cheap propaganda and grandstanding. Ahead of his election as president in November 2016, Trump rode on anti-Islamic sentiments (he promised a travel ban on Muslims from some countries), racist messaging (“take back America” apparently because a black president, Barack Obama, was in office for eight years) and misogyny (he spoke condescending to a female interviewer and questioned if she was on her period). This was not the “in America” that I used to read about. In times past, he would have lost the election. No, he won.

During a pre-election debate with Mrs Hilary Clinton, he openly asked Russia to hack her e-mail. Ages ago, that was enough to cast him out of the presidential race or ignite voters’ revolt. No, he won. He was accused of sleeping with a porn star. He did not deny it. He was accused of saying he loved to grab women by their privates. He did not deny it. It appeared the more dirt was raked up about him, the stronger he became in the presidential race. His eccentric support base continued to grow and he kept saying the basest of things, tinged with fake news. Many saw him as an embarrassment to the US, but it mattered little as he got the strategic votes that he needed from his likeminded fans.

Being president did not mellow him or refine his character. He continued to say outrageous things, some blatantly racist. He described COVID-19 as “Kung Flu” — in obvious reference to its suspected Chinese origin. On national TV, he proposed ingesting Dettol as a treatment for COVID — right in front of disease experts. He was recorded allegedly asking for votes to be manipulated in the State of Georgia to help him overturn Biden’s haul in the 2020 presidential election. When he lost to Biden, he blatantly refused to concede, instead assailing the integrity of the ballot by insisting — without proof — that the election was rigged. That is exactly what a typical African politician would do.

Things only got worse. By convention, American states give all their electoral college votes to the candidate that wins in a state. Trump tried to break the tradition as his strategists sought to get some states won by Biden to split their votes. The height of it was on January 6, 2021 when the presidential results were to be ratified by US Congress at the final stage of the processes ahead of Biden’s inauguration. Trump’s supporters attacked the US Congress. Vice-President Mike Pence had to be smuggled out of the chamber. On social media, Trump described the political thugs as “patriots”, further hurting the emotions of families who lost loved ones in the unprecedented attack.

Out of office, Trump has had to face numerous criminal charges, including for fraud and paying hush money. He has been found guilty in both cases and there is still one more pending on the January 6 attack on the Congress. However, there is no law in America than bars a convicted felon from running for president. The laws were made probably under the assumption that convicted felons would not entertain the faintest thought of contesting. In the America of yore, a candidate would drop out of the race on moral grounds — even if there is no legal justification for it. That was what “in America” used to mean to me. But Trump, like a typical African politician, is testing the limits of the law.

If Trump is returned to the White House, it is not just that the credentials of American democracy will be endangered. It is not just that the stock of rabble rousers will rise. It is the cheap excuses and dangerous motivation it will offer the anti-democracy elements in Africa and other regions of the developing world that I worry about. We saw how President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil tried to copy from the Trump playbook during his tenure. We saw how his supporters attacked federal government buildings in the Brazilian capital after he was defeated in the 2022 election — a clear imitation of what the Trump thugs did in the US. Such “in America” modelling is a threat to the rest of the world.

In truth, American democracy has been suffering body blows for a while — long before the Trump adventure. The judiciary is highly partisan, exemplified by the Supreme Court judges who hardly reach verdicts on the basis of justice but rather on political and religious biases. The 2000 presidential face-off between George W Bush and Al Gore was settled by the Supreme Court justices based on their partisan leanings, not the facts of the case. The court has just granted some immunity to Trump — awarding him a get-out-of-jail (pun unintended) bonus. Meanwhile, Congress impeachment proceedings are hardly guided by a moral compass but fundamentally by partisanship.

Truth be told, democracy is facing a crisis globally. But it has been mostly about representation and accountability. Citizens are disenchanted with their representatives and think the current system is not serving the people well. A Trump comes along and rides the waves. Still, the Trump crisis is in a league of its own. It is about character. He has no shame. The Leader of the Free World — as Americans love to call their president — could be a convicted felon who is fully sold to Machiavellianism. In a country like Nigeria where democracy advocates are struggling to promote ethics as a core requirement for leadership, expect the shameless politicians to imitate Trump.

AND FOUR OTHER THINGS…

CONVERSATIVES CRUSHED

The Labour Party, led by Sir Kier Starmer, has comprehensively defeated the Conversative Party in the UK general election. The manner of the victory was so chastening it could be termed a humiliation. I think the Tories paid the price for the scandal-ridden reign of Boris Johnson. The message from British voters was more like “enough is enough” or “anyone but the Tories”. It reminds me of the Change campaign of 2015 in Nigeria which was “anyone but Jonathan”. However, Starmer has been mostly ambivalent on critical policies regarding tax, immigration and healthcare. I won’t be surprised if Britons are on his neck by this time next year. He should enjoy the euphoria while it lasts. Politics.

THE LGBTQ+ QUESTION

In Nigeria, most of those who make initial comments on a national issue and stir long-lasting controversies often have two things in common: ignorance and mischief. The hysteria over the Samoa Agreement is my latest evidence. Nowhere in the agreement is any country mandated to apply LGBTQ+ rights. Yet, the internet has been in a frenzy. Many commenters have not read one word of the agreement. I know that 2027 politics has fully commenced but I think our politicians and their supporters should spare a thought for the peace of this country. In any case, we banned same-sex relationships in 2013 and there is yet no evidence than our lives are now better. Remarkable.

BOKO BACK?

When you say it is peace and safety, then a sudden destruction descends. Suspected Boko Haram terrorists suicide-bombed funeral and wedding ceremonies in Gwoza, Borno state, last weekend, killing dozens and injuring hundreds. Suicide-bombing had ceased for a while and we focused our energies on fighting insurgency — which is more conventional and territorial. But terrorism is tricky as the element of surprise is always there. Soft targets are always vulnerable. Are the insurgents so well cornered now that they are forced to change tactics? Are we entering a new phase in this war? Whatever it is, the security chiefs must return to the drawing board. The war is not over. Evidently.

NO COMMENT

Mr Amos Daniel, a 36-year-old driver, recently confessed to journalists that he stole his employer’s car on his first day at work and then testified in his church that he just bought a car. “I was employed as a driver. The first day I was employed, I stole my madam’s car to go and give testimony in church that I have bought a car and it is what God has done for me,” he told the media after being arrested by the police. Imagine the full volume of “Hallelujah!” in the church after his testimony. In many churches today, the evidence that you are serving a “living God” is cars, houses and bank account balances. But to steal a car and then testify in church thereafter is another level entirely. Wonderful.