Personnel of the Armed Forces, Department of State Services, Nigeria Police Force, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have killed 20 Indigenous People of Biafra’s fighters in the Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State.

Also in the joint operation which was conducted on March 7, the security operatives destroyed 50 of their camps.

Among the camps destroyed included the IPOB’s Supreme Headquarters, Command and Control Centre, and Military Council Headquarters.

The operation is the second conducted in the same Local Government since the beginning of the month and the third in the state.

Punch Anniversary Lecture: Guest Speaker, Prof. Wole Soyinka Delivers On Recovering The Narrative0.00 / 0.00

On March 5, Personnel of the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Navy killed five fighters IPOB fighters during a gun battle that occurred at Ejemekuru in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State.

Also, on March 2, troops killed an IPOB fighter after a fierce gun duel and recovered three Improvised Explosive Devices, one Toyota Highlander SUV, one Hilux vehicle, and eight rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition, among others from their hideouts.

However, in a statement on Sunday, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba said the troops came in contact with many Improvised Devices planted by the fighters and ditches along the axis to the camps.

Buba added that the fighters’ hideouts were well concealed with foliage that prevented them from being sighted during air surveillance.

The statement read, “On March 7, 2024, the combined troops of Operation Udo Ka with Nigeria Police, Department of State Security Service, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps conducted a raid/clearance operations to the IPOB/ESN violent extremists/terrorists in Mother Valley, Orsu LGA of Imo State.

“The team cleared about 50 IPOB/ESN hideout tents in the valley including terrorists’ Supreme Headquarters and their Command and Control Centre as well as its Military Council Headquarters.

“Troops also, cleared Buteuzor’s hideout/residence office, logistic base, temple, and shrine. The hideouts were well concealed with foliage that afforded the criminals cover from air surveillance to prevent monitoring and detection.

“The Valley had sufficient power supply for the camps. The terrorists hibernated there, reared animals, and also owned farms to be self-sustaining to live and fight. During the operations, troops also encountered several command IEDs and ditches along the axis of the camp.”

Buba stated that the ditches dug by the fighters were covered and the IEDs detonated.

He noted that in the fight that ensued after making contact with the fighters, 20 of them were killed and several weapons were recovered from them.

Buba said, “All were detonated and ditches were covered with excavators before reaching the camp. The location is identified to be the supreme headquarters, command, and control centre as well as the Military Council Headquarters of IPOB/ESN.

“During the operations, troops made contact with terrorists. Following a firefight, troops neutralised 20 terrorists and recovered several quantities of assorted weapons such as G3 rifles, AK47 rifles, auto pump action guns, double barrel guns, locally made pistols, and RPG bombs.

“Troops also recovered assorted ammunition which included 226 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 216 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 172 live cartridges, 4 AK47 magazines, and 3 G3 magazines. Other items recovered include several quantities of IEDs (OGBUNIGWE), POS devices, baofeng radios, mobile phones, handheld IEDs, CCTV cameras, inverters, and batteries. Additional items include Biafra flags amongst others.”

Buba also said shallow graves were spread across the IPOB fighters’ camps, accusing them of being involved in ritual killings.

“Troops destroyed all camps, hideouts, and shrines in the location. The location was also littered with shallow graves indicative of Idol worshipping and ritual killings. The ritual killings at the camp account for the several cases of missing persons in the region.

“The recovered items are being processed and analysed for their intelligence value. Nevertheless, troops are sustaining the momentum and going in pursuit of the terrorist and their cohorts, dislodging them from their enclaves,” the statement added.

On 23 February, 2023, the Nigeria Customs Service embarked on the distribution of 25kg bags of rice to indigent Nigerian citizens in the Lagos Area at its Zonal Headquarters in Yaba, Lagos State. The exercise was marred by a stampede which claimed the lives of seven persons. The tragic incident led to the imediate suspension of the food disposal initiative by the Nigeria Customs Service. 

It is sad to note that the authorities of the Nigeria Customs Service have not deemed it fit to identify the bereaved families of the deceased and commiserate with them. As a matter the deceased persons have been blamed for their "impatience". According to the spokesperson for the Customs, Mr. Abdullahi Maiwada, “At a point, they decided to be impatient. When we saw the crowd, we even suspended the collection of forms and said, ‘Let’s give them free’. We did that, we exhausted everything. After exhausting everything and we told them everything had finished, and that they could go, that we didn’t have any more, they persisted. Some of them broke the fence of that place. We had to put some barricades to cover the area. Some of them went and entered the container."

Since it is common knowledge that similar distribution of food items to poor people had recorded stampede in the recent past, the authorities of the Nigeria Customs Service must accept full responsibility for the blatant negligence that led to the avoidable death of the seven citizens. Since a bag of rice was selling for N77,000 at the material time, it ought to have occurred to the Nigeria Customs Service that its Zonal Headquarters in Yaba would not be able to contain the crowd that had been invited to purchase a 25kg bag of rice at N10,000.

Therefore, the authorities of the Nigeria Customs Service should take urgent steps to identify the bereaved families of the seven deceased citizens with a view to paying them adequate monetary compensation. However, if our advice is ignored by the authorities, we shall not hesitate to approach the Federal High Court to enforce the fundamental right of each of the deceased persons to life as guaranteed by section 33 of the Nigerian Constitution and article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights. 

Furthermore, the Nigeria Customs Service should lift the suspension of the distribution of the remaining bags of rice without any further delay. To avoid another stampede, the distribution should be carried out through the appropriate local government councils and local government development areas in Lagos State and other States of the Federation. 

Femi Falana SAN,

The Chair, 

Alliance on Surviving Covid 19 and Beyond (ASCAB)

The lawmaker representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Bello El-Rufai, in an enlightening conversation with Seun Okinbaloye on Saturday, shared insights into the sentiments of his father, the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, regarding his recent ministerial nomination by President Bola Tinubu.

According to Bello, his father had no initial desire for a ministerial position and viewed the Senate’s rejection of his nomination as a loss of an effective administrator for Nigeria.

Bello disclosed that it required significant persuasion from him and other family members to convince Nasir El-Rufai to accept the ministerial nomination offered by President Tinubu.

This revelation came to light following the Senate’s decision in August to confirm only 45 out of the 48 ministerial nominees presented by the President, excluding El-Rufai, Stella Okotete from Delta, and Sani Danladi from Taraba.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio stated that the three unconfirmed nominees would undergo further security checks, advising those not confirmed to seek redress with the President.

This decision has sparked discussions on the criteria for ministerial appointments and the implications of the Senate’s rejections on the administration’s ability to assemble a competent team.

Expressing his disappointment, Bello El-Rufai remarked on the setback his father’s rejection represented, not only for their family but for the country at large.

He emphasized the potential contributions Nasir El-Rufai could have made to the nation, leveraging his vast experience and administrative prowess.

He said, “I was in the National Assembly when my father’s nomination was rejected. It was very disappointing and still is. Myself, the Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, and one of my father’s commissioners, Mr Hafiz Bayero, played a key role in convincing my father to work with this current government.

“He (Nasir) didn’t want it. It’s hard for Nigerians to believe it because they feel it is everyone in Nigeria who wants to be a minister.

“To be fair to him, he didn’t want the job. We convinced him that, with the antecedents of Asiwaju, he would create an excellent team as he did in Lagos.

“The President wanted to work with him. It was clear when he came to Kaduna. We also had an idea of what his portfolio would be. It was meant to be power and gas. He insisted to the President in private that Nigeria would not sort its electricity issue if gas was not put under the other components of power.

“The irony is that nothing has been rougher than the lack of power in the last two weeks. I’m disappointed because Nigeria lost an effective administrator in my father, one who is willing to make difficult decisions to solve a problem.”

Bello, further said many Nigerians do not really know his father.

He said, “My father is a very simple person who’s been stereotyped a lot. I got a video of him where people say this or that about him without even knowing him.

“My father does not go out of his way to change what people think about him. He doesn’t really care.

“There’s a perception that he’s anti-Christian. But, the closest person to him since we (children) were four years old was a man from Cross River State, Peter Jones.

“Religion is personal to us. As minister of the Federal Capital Territory, he demolished mosques. The imam said he hated Islam. He demolished churches and the Christians said he hated Christians. Maybe, it is the wrong imams and pastors who have issues, not him.”

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The Kaduna lawmaker added that his father was highly flawed in many ways.

Former Super Eagles technical adviser, Jo Bonfrere has endorsed Emmanuel Amuneke for the team’s vacant coaching job.

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, declared the position vacant following the expiration of Jose Peseiro’s contract.

Peseiro was in charge of the three-time African for 22 months.

The Portuguese guided the West Africans to second position at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Amuneke, who is one of the coaches favoured to take over from Peseiro confirmed he has already applied for the job.

Bonfrere believes Amuneke has what it takes to lead the Super Eagles.

“Yes, I agree Nigeria needs a local coach at the moment. Not a foreigner,” Bonfrere told VON.

“But the country will have everything to gain if the authorities should appoint Emmanuel Amuneke for the job. I know him very well.

“He has a very strong mentality. He has the discipline and technical savvy to achieve results. In fact, if the Federation calls me to provide technical backup to Amuneke, I will gladly accept the task.”

Dey your dey

Make I dey my dey

Dey your dey o

Nobody worry nobody

Kpekele kpekem

Dey your dey

My brother dey your dey

Make I dey my dey

Dey your dey o

Nobody worry nobody

Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, said Nigeria should break up if the path would solve the country’s challenges. Soyinka said this at the PUNCH Newspapers’ 50th-anniversary lecture held in Lagos recently.

Delivering his lecture titled ‘Recovering the Narrative’, Soyinka said Nigeria should decentralise for Nigerians to enjoy the country more.

The elder statesman said decentralisation would allow governance to get closer to the people, adding that it was high time for leaders to stop taking Nigerians for a ride.

“I know the fear. The fear is collapse, break up. That’s been the excuse given by several regimes. But suppose the nation is breaking up informally, in other words as a fact rather than as a theory. Then, you better just address this. Come straight on and see exactly what happened. What is wrong with general representatives seeing them and saying this is the protocol of our association, Anything outside of it? Anyone who does not want to accept these protocols, abide by these protocols and manifest these protocols in the act should take a walk. I have no problem at all.

“We live in what is known as the nation beginning as a vast football field ending up as a ping pong table. If that is going to restore dignity to citizens. If that is going to guarantee three square meals a day then so be it. One of my favourite expressions with people is “Let nations die, that humanity may live.”

He explained that while Nigerian politicians know the importance of restructuring, they change their tune when they get to power.

He said, “What do you mean by restructuring? Well, I don’t even like the word restructuring. I prefer expressions like reconfiguration and decentralisation. And those who lead, recognise the necessity of it. They recognise the importance, almost the inevitability of it…

“It’s about time, I think leaders stopped taking this nation for a ride, you know, we must decentralise. Security, you know, has become a burden to bear. Decentralised so that the government can come closer to the people, and productivity can really be manifested as a product of citizens, not simply as a manna from heaven.”

In the same vein, Mr Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, has said that Nigeria’s current constitution would not adequately address the nation’s economic predicaments and other myriad challenges. Anyaoku spoke to newsmen in his country home, Obosi village of Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

He said the current challenges being faced in the nation like poverty, insecurity, and dilapidated infrastructure, among others, were serious challenges bedevilling the country.

“We cannot effectively address these challenges that have assumed nationwide dimension, especially insecurity which has pervaded the Northern part of the country and other communities,” he said. He stressed that the current constitution was a departure from the constitution that the nation’s founding fathers negotiated and agreed upon.

“I am on record for saying that these challenges cannot be effectively addressed under the constitution and governance system we have at the moment.

“The constitution for a pluralistic state as Nigeria; we have to return to those principles of the constitution as earlier agreed by our founding fathers. “Until we do that, I am afraid that we cannot effectively deal with the challenges facing the nation,” he added.

Now, let us get to the underground (In Fela’s voice)

I will pick randomly, in Benue, it is the Tiv versus the Idomas vs others, in Kogi it is the Igbiras versus Igalas, in some cases it has even degenerated to no Catholic has ruled our state, and in others we cannot allow the Muslims to continue.

None of these debates has brought the much-needed development for a nation that is so structurally divided.

Because we are structurally deformed we check how many SE, SW, SS (which by the way is an anomaly), NE, NW, NE are on a list before we check whether they are qualified. We still suffer a COVID-like disease called Federal Character in a characterless state, still plagued by terms such catchment area, educationally disadvantaged (by who abeg)

We pride ourselves by our state of origin, yet are minorities in many cases in the so-called state. We debate which region is poorest, and which feeds the other. A nation of an elite and intellectual class conspiracy against the ordinary citizens and themselves.

We keep amending our constitutions and reviewing them since forever. We stay on our high horses and cry restructure like in that one pill is the local Yoruba “agbo” that cures all ailments. We speak to decentralization, to a people that have not allowed the local government system work, we recommend a shift to the parliamentary system of old like if we go back, spirits would operate it.

Nigerians remind me so much of what deep thinkers men are…and permit me to share this.

I mowed the lawn today, and after doing so I sat down and had a cold beer. The day was really quite beautiful, and the drink facilitated some deep thinking.

My wife walked by and asked me what I was doing and I said ‘nothing’. The reason I said that instead of saying ‘just thinking’ is because she would have said ‘about what’. At that point, I would have to explain that men are deep thinkers about various topics, which would lead to other questions.

Finally, I thought about an age-old question: Is giving birth more painful than getting kicked in the nuts? Women always maintain that giving birth is way more painful than a guy getting kicked in the nuts.

Well, after another beer, and some heavy deductive thinking, I have come up with the answer to that question. Getting kicked in the nuts is more painful than having a baby; and here is the reason for my conclusion. A year or so after giving birth, a woman will often say, “It might be nice to have another child.” On the other hand, you never hear a guy say, “You know, I think I would like another kick in the nuts.” I rest my case.

Time for another beer…but before I pop it open

In sincerity have we really allowed the current skewed federal structure to work, with bogus census figures, with criminal politicians, is it about systems, structures or those that work it. If today we have a feeding bottle federal fiscal structure, do we expect much difference or will it be a Seven-up case when we restructure.

Let me end with this little narrative, a young man chose to change his name for reasons best suited and known by himself alone. For small money, he walks into the High Court, swears to an affidavit, that reads, “I, Zakka Davou Dangwang, Nigerian citizen, Adult residing at XYZ, deponent to the oath, and by virtue of positions (that I know he’s not conversant with), changes the said name to Zakka Azi Nyam, all documents/credentials bearing old names remains valid.” He even adds a newspaper change of name publication.

What has changed? The young dude is still who he is…in reality all those calling for restructuring are the same elites that have refused to restructure the structure, especially when they had the opportunity. Nigeria, Nigerians are not yet sure what they want, to restructure, or to structure the restructuring, or to make structures work—May Nigeria win.

If life be long, I will be glad
That I may long obey;
If short, then why should I be sad
To soar to endless day?

And so it was for Herbert, the sun set at noon.

I wrote most of this tribute while on the flight back from China to attend Herbert’s funeral.  My mood had shifted from the initial shock and devastation to that of grieving and a deep sense of loss of a friend who had become my brother.  To that of thanksgiving to the Almighty, for the gift of Herbert in the first instance to his family and friends, his staff at Access Holdings and for his extraordinary accomplishments, for his energy and drive, his vision and mission, passion and compassion, his industry, and his humanity.

Yet the tributes have hardly relented and have only grown more intense as time has passed. It is almost like the kind of treatment reserved for kings and statesmen. Except, one can say that, for Herbert, the subject of our grief was the de-facto Prince of the banking industry, and he was a man who did extraordinary things with the ordinary things that he found in his life’s path.

Herbert had the audacity to dream. He dreamt big and made it happen.
Herbert and I were friends but not particularly close until he decided it was time to conquer the Pensions Industry. He reached out to me through our mutual friend – Nduka Obaigbena with the intention of acquiring my PFA. What started as a pure business relationship, deepened into a close friendship. He was regularly in my house, if I was in Lagos, I would call him and his response was “you dey house, I dey come”, and he would always be coming from Aliko’s house (so I can understand Aliko’s tears and deep sense of loss).

He was a financial whiz kid, indeed a colossus, who straddled the financial services industry, redefining it in his own unique way. Herbert has been described as a “visionary”. Literally, he and Aigboje set out with a vision to make Access Bank one of the top banks in Nigeria. They took over a bank of very modest reputation and swiftly turned it into a formidable national financial services behemoth and is now transforming into a global conglomerate. Not satisfied with turning Access Bank into one of the top five banks in the country, they then set out to make the bank one of the top banks in Africa by 2027. Already, by January 2024, Access Bank had acquired six banks across western, southern, and central African regions.

In their days running Access Bank, Aigboje and Herbert earned reputations as taskmasters. (Aigboje describes it, in his 2021 memoir, as “our fabled work ethic”). Critics saw them as willing to go to any lengths to achieve whatever they sought. The landmark takeover of Intercontinental Bank in 2011 — which tripled their customer base — was believed to be a hostile, even ruthless, one. Not uncommon allegations, admittedly, at that level of performance. Similarly, the merger repositioned the Nigerian banking sector on the African continent as the combined entity had the potential of ranking amongst Africa’s top 10 banks according to The Bankers’ Magazine’s review of top African banks.

Ironically, Herbert’s most telling impact was not just about the mergers and acquisitions or about his corporate conquests. It was not in the number of businesses or branches in his fledging conglomerate. When Access Bank bought Diamond Bank in 2018, the resulting entity became the biggest lender in Africa by customer base. It means that the bank lent to more people and entities than any other financial institution on the continent. It also meant that the bank became a leading provider of capital to the private sector, particularly MSMEs in the continent.

Selling the PFA to Herbert was an easy decision for me. We had grown it to the point where I was convinced that we needed an institutional investor that could drive the business effectively to compete against Stanbic IBTC. There were more than 10 suitors out of which I zeroed down to only 2, Access and GTB. During his tribute on Wednesday night, Segun Agbaje mentioned that Herbert was his friend and at the same time, his competitor, he meant every word of that. Segun also wanted to buy the same PFA. He pleaded with me not to sell to Herbert, but Herbert won at the end. Herbert assured me that he could compete against Stanbic. He was emphatic that he would enter the market with at least N1 trillion assets under management. He was able to quickly achieve this by acquiring First Guarantee Pensions and Sigma Pensions in quick succession, Herbert was in too much of a hurry to grow any business organically, his preference was for mergers and acquisitions (Buy then Build). He then set his sights on Premium Pensions, the second largest in the industry. We both worked relentlessly on this, my assignment was to engage the two major blocks in Premium Pensions. When the infighting in Premium got messy, Herbert quickly turned his sights in the direction of ARM Pensions and engaged his friend Deji Alli and the rest is history. In a couple of months, he was able to enter the industry with assets under management of over N2 trillion. Vintage Herbert.

Much has also been said about Herbert’s state-of-the-art university in his Isiokpo hometown. In truth, the university is no ordinary one. Like all things Herbert, the institution has grand visions to close Africa’s skills gap in finance and technology, and ultimately to help shape Africa’s future.

Again, just like everything else that Herbert conceived and executed, the University was neither a whim nor a product of purposeless ambition. He got me involved in this project as well, my specific assignment was to get the license out from the National Universities Commission (NUC). The executive secretary of the NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed was a member of the board of trustees of The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) which I chaired. The university bears the mark of an important part of Herbert’s bigger vision. The institution is a product of the HOW (Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe) Foundation, which he founded in 2016 to support health, education, and capacities of young people. The university, billed as the first Ivy League institution in Africa, came straight out of the foundation’s five-year strategic plan to provide quality education and shape the future of education in the continent. This may sound very idealistic. But then who would have put their money on Herbert and his partner taking a small bank that ranked outside the top fifty in the country and turned it into the biggest lender on the continent?

The objective of the university, not surprisingly, is to build expertise of Africans in finance and technology. It is very obvious, therefore, that the university’s goal and outlook synch almost seamlessly with Herbert’s triple passions in finance, technology and human capacity.

In itself, The Wigwe Foundation is another testimonial of a life driven by not one, but multiple visions, each amplifying the essence of the other. In just five years, the foundation had trained dozens of Nigerian doctors abroad, funded the education of thousands of out-of-school children in northern Nigeria, and supported the operations of health facilities.

From his banking legend to the other sectors in which he has affected society and broken the boundaries of possibilities, Herbert has operated like a human force perpetually on the move, pausing only to conceive another vision after attaining the last one. It is almost inevitable that only death would have placed a limit on the heights that Herbert was bound to attain. He was in a hurry to get so many things done, like he knew he had limited time on this earth.

Up to the time of his death, Herbert was still very actively pursuing his visions, doing deals, and setting personal targets. In January, just weeks before his death, Herbert’s Access Bank announced a deal to acquire Uganda-based Finance Trust Bank, the seventh bank it would be acquiring within a short time. The full take-over was scheduled to happen in June, just four months from the time of his death. Earlier in the year, he had wanted to put ATMs at a chain of filling stations in Cameroon, but the owner had refused. In her tribute, Iyabo Soji-Okusanya said that shortly after Herbert’s death, she told her colleagues that instead of sitting down to mourn, Herbert would wish them to keep working, cutting deals. They went back to work and tried to revive the deal, this time, the owner accepted, he said he could not deny Access Bank this after the tragic occurrence of Herbert’s death. In death, Herbert was still closing deals for the bank. He had also planned to take up mentoring of the students at the Wigwe University, scheduled to start operation in September this year.

Herbert was a very generous man, HRH Khalifa Sanusi in his tribute on Wednesday spoke glowingly about his generosity, Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) also spoke of his immense generosity during his tribute. He supported several worthy causes at home and abroad.

Given the timing of his death, one would be tempted to say that these plans belonged on the list of his unfinished business. But knowing him as we do, it is hard to imagine that Herbert envisioned and planned for everything except the fate of his legacy.

It is also hard to mourn Herbert like we do regular people, however tragic his death was. There is just too much to celebrate and reflect, even for someone who died at such a relatively young and vibrant age. The only service we can do to his memory is to continue to reflect on what we can learn from his life of relentless aspirations and serial triumphs.

After listening to all the tributes, I would like us to emulate that of his friend, partner, and brother Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, who asked us to clap for Herbert for 10 minutes during the evening of tributes.

I hereby call on all Nigerians to pause and clap for Herbert Wigwe for an extraordinary life of remarkable achievements,

Adios, Dear Friend and Brother.

A mong the pantheon of today’s political godlings, perhaps Senate President Mr. Godswill Akpabio is the epitome of the spirit of the times. An embodiment of power and delusion, Akpabio’s pronouncements on the state of the nation resonate with echoes of emptiness and grand hallucinations. The impression is that of a man who is either deliberately out to misinform or is so thoroughly intoxicated by the aroma of supreme power that he mistakes his own delusions for portrayals of reality.  For some reason, he probably thinks that his elevated office and the grand toga of Senate President will glorify whatever nonsense he mouths on national affairs. A typical man for all seasons as characterized by my friend Segun Adeniyi a few weeks back, Akpabio will stop at nothing in his serial adulations of Tinubu and his government. After over six months in office, most people would expect that the nation’s number three citizen should have fulfilled his gratitude obligations to President Tinubu for elevating him to dizzying heights. But not Akpabio. He is intent on usurping the role of the Minister of Information or the nabobs that are crawling around the corridors of Aso Rock Villa to natter endlessly and be paid for it.

A few weeks ago, Akpabio was variously quoted as claiming that the Federal Government has doled out a frightening N30 billion a piece to each of our 36 governors and the Minister of the FCT. He was forced to disown the naked falsehood by some sensible governors. Just last Thursday, Mr. Akpabio was at it again. He was quoted as waxing lyrical on how insecurity has receded and declined under the Tinubu administration. Meanwhile, he was in attendance barely a fortnight ago when insecurity forced his principal to summon a meeting of all governors and security chiefs to initiate moves towards  the introduction of state police. The terrorists and bandits heard Akpabio this time. On the same day, they struck in Kaduna State. They attacked a school and carted away over 287 children and their teachers including the head teacher of the school. The world has heard it.

A day earlier, Boko Haram or ISWAP or both struck an IDP in Borno state. They took away over 100 inmates mostly women and destroyed some of the new buildings erected by humanitarian agencies to house the displaced persons. On the same day as the Borno attack, inter militia violence in Benue state claimed 30 lives. Just last Friday, the terrorists struck again in Kaduna state. Gunmen attacked a mosque during Friday prayers and killed a number of worshippers. No one knows what further acts of brazen insecurity will be visited on our hapless people any time. So much for Akpabio’s delusionary and self- ingratiating propaganda.

But this piece is not about the Akpabios of this world. It is about a much more fundamental trouble with government and governance in Nigeria. From the forests of our recurrent troubles, an unsettling reality has unfolded. It is a simple observable problem. Hardly does our successive governments achieve closure on any national problem. Be it insecurity, economic disaster or the scourge of ever increasing poverty or terrorism, no job ever seems to get completed by government in Nigeria. Everything remains an unfinished business which is carried over to subsequent years or handed over to the next administration. Isolated troubles even graduate into permanent features of public life as to acquire separate charges and allocations in our annual budgets. We now make annual budgetary provisions for insecurity,  poverty alleviation, cybercrimes, new forms of corruption and even for combating self inflicted economic disasters . 

Year in, year out, our troubles regenerate , multiply and assume lives of their own. Nothing ever gets resolved nor does any task get completed. The Nigerian state never puts anything behind it in order to face new challenges. Nothing bad comes here and ever goes away again. Everything that afflicts us becomes an endemic ailment and we add it to our ever expanding basket of troubles and vocabulary of abnormality. We budget for bad things and assume them as part of a new normal that grows by the day. The pile heaps on the heads of our helpless and hapless citizenry.

Our economy hardly ever improves. Our GDP growth rate never remains on a rise for more than two quarters. Our exchange rate has steadily worsened for over two decades. Our poverty index rises every year as more and more people enroll in the poverty republic. Even more people exit the miserable middle class as they lose jobs and living standards. Familiar places become more dangerous with the years as rail rolling stock and passenger coaches are routinely stopped by bandits and ransacked for captives to be held for ransom. In this place, nothing ever improves neither does a government declared emergency been known to end. Every Nigerian public business remains forever unfinished.

Soon enough, new government positions are created, even new ministries spring up and an industry of sorts is born in honour of the unfinished businesses of state. Take poverty alleviation and the empowerment of the under privileged. Nigeria as the new Poverty Capital of the World has necessitated a whole gamut of government actions to address poverty. From the onset of the Buhari government, a department sprang up first in the office of the Vice president with varying nomenclature. Then it was yanked out of the VP’s office and granted independent full ministerial status. Humanitarian Affairs. National Emergency Relief Agency. Poverty Alleviation, any group of names.

Soon enough, new ways of dispensing government money in pursuit of these maladies emerged. Cash transfers to the poor. N-Power. Palliatives. Helicopter Money. In a nation of too many illiterate people, it is easy to come up with target figures of people whose lives will be made better by these new phantom schemes- cash transfers relief for 15 million, 20 million, 25 million families of individuals. Just name a figure. No questions asked about the relationship of these arbitrary numbers to the mass of impoverished humanity.  Some agencies of government speak of households, others prefer individuals and yet  others opt in other wild directions. Some want to assist traders with Trader Money, Artisan Money, Vulcanizer Support etc. In spite of these diverse epithets, nothing changes. Poverty as the poet said, “stands there like an elephant, huge and unmoved”.

In one recent instance, a new Minister was placed in charge of one of these schemes for which a ministry had been created. Before our very eyes, the elegant new Minister had ordered over half a billion Naira of government cash to be paid into her friend’s private bank account. Her friend had become a government ATM through whom beneficiaries  of government poverty alleviation in a number of states would be paid! Her patrons and principals were embarrassed that she did not spend enough time to learn the trade before swooping! She lost her job within weeks of being sworn in. Investigations are still ongoing and may be completed on the eve of the 2027 elections, just in time for her to rejoin the re-election campaign trail!

Similarly, a Buhari era Minister of Humanitarian Affairs has reportedly been called in to explain how N37 billion of the poverty alleviation money entrusted in her care developed wings. Reports indicate that a few billions of the unaccounted funds have been returned to the EFCC. Again, investigations are said to be ongoing. In a situation where the reality of poverty has also become a business, government is not likely to be in a hurry to either scrub the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs or take it off the budget. Poverty alleviation is likely to remain an unfinished business for a long time.

Insecurity is easily the most entrenched area of our culture of unfinished national business. For more than 12 years, insecurity has come to occupy a central place in the language of our social and political discourse as a nation. Our insecurity has created its own industrial momentum of unfinished business. In the absence of a formal war, our entire security and military apparatus has become embroiled in the last ten years or more in combating forms of insecurity in all of our 36 states and the FCT.  Countless prison breaks have taken place all over the country. No one knows how many children have been adducted from school dormitories and hurled into slavery or sadistic ‘marriages’ to jihadists and nasty zealots. Many have died unnecessary death either in the hands of sundry gunmen or badly trained security personnel. Yet many more have been abducted, kidnapped and ransoms totalling billions of Naira paid. Children have lost their parents to enemies they cannot recognize just as parents and husbands have watched their children or wives abused before their very eyes. 

The world has come to brand Nigeria as a permanently unsafe and insecure place. In furtherance of this brand identity, our citizens have been branded, our passport held in permanent disdainful suspicion with our citizens subjected to all manner of indignities at airports and land borders across the world. Of course the global arms business has benefitted from our permanent insecurity status. The United States, Turkey, China and all manner of black market arms dealers around the world have benefitted from our institutionalized insecurity. We have , for the past decade or more, been buying  all manner of instruments of war to combat what is widely regarded as an internal security problem. We now need sophisticated fighter jets, helicopter gunships and all classes of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) to suppress bandits, terrorists and community based common criminals. No one cares to ask about the human rights implications of using disproportionate force to discourage common criminals from disturbing the peace. “War is war. All is fair in war”, I can hear the arms merchants and their Nigerian agents chant in unison.

The recent spate of insecurity incidents has come at a time when most Nigerians thought that the critical emergency of the hour is the epidemic of hunger and government inflicted hardship  ravaging the country. That in itself is manifesting in hitherto unimagined ways. In the various theatres of the hardship war, new forms of anarchic trends are being witnessed. Destitutes and children have taken to way -laying and looting trucks in transit especially those loaded with food items. Private and government warehouses are being breached and ransacked. In Abia state, a hungry man has reportedly shot dead his teenage son for ‘eating the only food left in the house’. In Lagos, two children have reportedly been sold in exchange for some bags of rice.

There needs to be a way out of these multiple crises. The upshot of all this is to challenge our government to call this anomaly of multiple crises its rightful  name. Are we in a war or at peace? Does any of our troubles have an end in sight?  Why must we consecrate transient problems that other nations put out in months into permanent conditions?

Government needs to summon up the courage to become pragmatic and unconventional. Government must attach a deadline to its exertions in the various areas of the troubles that afflict us. Our security forces now need to give all bandits, terrorists, armed agents,  non- state actors and trouble makers a deadline to surrender beyond which deadline they qualify as enemy combatants with full consequences. On the economy, I guess it is time that the government of the day gathers the nation’s best economic brains in one room with a simple task: come up with workable solutions to rescue our economy within a 12 month window.

It is also time to dissolve the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and other related poverty enabled government efforts. They are enriching a few opportunists and deepening the poverty of the majority. Poverty was not created by any ministry. It was created and widened by a succession of bad inhumane governments presided over by politicians. Our poverty and economic calamity are the products of the politics of bad table manners: eating too much when the majority are starving! Therefore, all those who have held executive political positions from local government to federal level since 1999 should voluntarily let us know how much they are willing to “lend” to the Central Bank in both Naira and foreign exchange within  the next three months to help us revamp the economy. That is probably all the money we need to revamp the economy. No need for World Bank or IMF loans. No need to go camp in hand to Qatar, Saudi Arabia or UAE. We shall repay our politicians the ‘soft loan’ within an agreed time frame for as long as the loan amount can be justified as legitimate income in their period of public service.

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet…” (Matthew 24: 6).

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet…” (Matthew 24: 6).

AS Nigerians are drenched in cries of agony, so is the air also thick with rumours of a coup d’état or military take-over. Those not marching on the streets and shouting “ebi n pa wa” (We are hungry!), like the multitudes that have done so across the country, are, like my brother, Azu, who, in his latest column, complained about the heat wave and the parlous state of power supply. I sleep in a room that is naturally well aerated; still, anytime the air ceases, sleep takes a flight. To divert sleep time to work becomes impossible with no power supply. Running generators in the middle of the night is simply unconscionable and without electricity to charge the batteries, the inverter cannot work. The cost of the other alternative, solar, has shot through the roof! Like another of my PUNCH-day colleagues, Godwin Nzeakah, aka Ogbuefi, would say, it does not rain for hapless Nigerians, it pours! Yet, we saw it coming but neglected to act. Crying after the head is off, bolting the stable doors after the horse has bolted and crying after the milk has been spilled is all we are doing now. Worse are my fears that we may recourse to taking rash decisions in our habitual manner of cutting corners and adopting fire brigade approaches to matters that demand painstaking fidelity with due process.

We risk going back into the thick forest of jackboot dictatorship that we exited at great pains and sacrifice; we shall be making our situation worse should we resort to another military take-over at this point in time. The military top brass has spoken out forcefully against a coup but can we take their word for it? Are they themselves not at risk should their juniors decide to upturn the apple cart? It has been said that the antidote to military coup is good governance: Can anyone say, in good conscience, that this country has witnessed good governance since the present civilian rule began in 1999? Rather than improve, things have gone from bad to worse; the worst of all the civilian governments being that of Muhammadu Buhari. The incumbent, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is stuck in the miry clay that Buhari engineered deliberately or otherwise, leading to the immense suffering that Nigerians experience today. Unfortunately, there is no easy and fast way out of the quagmire, even though the patience of Nigerians is already running thin. Agent provocateurs are cashing in on the situation mostly to serve selfish interests. A population that worships the belly and that only knows of temporary pleasure, like biblical Esau, wears their ignorance like a badge, harassing every voice of reason and ready to cudgel every contrary opinion into submission.

If democracy teaches us anything, it is that the majority is not always right. Interestingly but also ironically, the tyranny of the majority has been one of the most damning drawbacks of democracy. So, then, did the German playwright, Henrik Ibsen, posit that the strongest man is he who stands alone. Oftentimes, we need the services of a telescope to differentiate between democracy and mob action. Strong leaders, ready to stand alone and chart the course, however unpopular, have made the most profound impact on our world. Galileo, for instance, was sent to the inquisition for affirming that the Earth was spherical and not as flat as a trencher that the authorities had claimed it to be.  Had Martin Luther not dared to be different, what would our world have been without the Reformation?  My message to Tinubu is: Dare to be different! Listen to the people but all the same chart the course that will take Nigeria out of the dark tunnel engineered by Buhari and his cabals. Speak to us more often. Explain your actions more plainly. Be more forthright in exposing the shenanigans of the past. No cover up of Buhari or anyone for that matter! On your own part – and on the part of your family members – be more sensitive to public perception of your actions. While you need to take all the precautions that need to be taken to contain the rumours of coup, don’t allow it to clip your wings.

Despite the rash of coups around us in the West African sub-region in recent times, military take-overs have generally become an aberration. In Nigeria especially, the military not only destroyed the fabrics of our society, it also overstayed its welcome. From the first military coup that was Igbo-dominated and one-sided in the political leaders and military officers it executed; to the first military government led by another Igbo-man, Gen. JTU Aguiyi-Ironsi, that destroyed our federalism and instituted centralism and military-style command structure; to Yakubu Gowon whose rash decisions (together with Chukwuemeka Ojukwu’s) led to the civil war and the subsequent fritting away of our oil wealth; to Murtala Muhammed who destroyed the Civil Service with his rash “with immediate effect” dismissals and retirements; to Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration when Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) was allowed to collapse and pronto surfaced Obasanjo Farms Nigeria (OFN); to Muhammadu Buhari whose draconian rule led to retroactive  executions, the trampling of the people’s fundamental human rights and the disappearance of huge oil windfalls; to Ibrahim Babangida whose SAP began the destruction of the Naira, who introduced corruption and the settlement syndrome, and destroyed seniority and esprit de corps in the military; to the vilest of them all, Sani Abacha, who stole this country blind and who wasted MKO Abiola away in detention and, finally, to Abdulsalami Abubakar whose administration has the blood of Abiola on its hands – we have had more than enough of military rule. No more! Perish the thought of military take-over if no one wants Nigeria to perish with it!

The House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review recently received a bill for an Act to make provisions for rotation of power among the geo-political zones, senatorial zones and federal constituencies in presidential, governorship and senatorial elections in Nigeria.

This stems from cries of marginalisation by different regions of the country and some localities even within states.

DAILY POST reports that the bill which was sponsored by member representing Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency, Benue State, Ojema Ojetu, if passed and assented at the end of the review, may bar zones that have produced the President of Nigeria since the return to democratic governance in 1999 to allow other zones.

According to the copy sighted by our correspondent, the bill would alter Section 133 of the constitution by inserting some sub-sections to the nation’s extant laws.

Sub-section 2 of the proposed law opined that “The Office of the President of Nigeria shall revolve round the six geo-political zones, with each state holding the office for a maximum of two terms of four years each, to give every section and state in Nigeria a sense of inclusion, participation and representation in Nigeria’s democracy.”

Sub-section 3 reads, “Any zone in Nigeria which has produced a President of the Federal Republic shall not be eligible to produce another President until the other zones take their turns.”

Sub-section 4 says, “The effective date for consideration in the rotation of power shall be 29th of May, 1999 when the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) became effective.”

Meanwhile, sub-section 6 says “The office of the governor of a state in Nigeria shall revolve round all the three senatorial zones in the state, to give every indigene of the state a sense of inclusion, participation and representation in the development of the state.

Sub-section 7 states that “Every senatorial zone in a state which has produced governor of that state in a democratically conducted election shall not be eligible to produce a governor, unless and until other senatorial zones produce governors of the state.”

DAILY POST reports that since the country returned to democracy in 1999, only South-West, North-West, and South-South had produced a Nigerian President.

While Olusegun Obasanjo from South-West was elected in 1999 and re-elected in 2003, Late Yar’ Adua from Katsina State, North-West succeeded him in 2007.

Goodluck Jonathan from South-South succeeded Yar’ Adua and handed over the mantle of leadership to Muhammadu Buhari, another North-Westerner.

The current Nigerian leader, President Bola Tinubu from Obasanjo’s region (South-West) succeeded Buhari in 2023.

Some stakeholders, who spoke to DAILY POST on Saturday, expressed support for the bill, saying it was long overdue, considering the ethnic violence that usually erupt during general elections.

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko lamented that the rational presidency ought to have been a law since the country returned to democracy in 1999.

Onwubiko told DAILY POST on Saturday that even some political parties that earlier adopted zoning to enable rotational presidency failed.

While declaring support for the bill, Onwubiko, however, expressed pessimism that the bill may not get the nod of the majority of lawmakers.

He said, “The concept of zoning of political offices even made it into the constitution of some political parties, including the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party which dominated politics for 16 years from 1999 before the All Progressives Congress came on board in 2015.

“Unfortunately, even the PDP failed to uphold this critical aspect of its constitution and for over two times, conceded its Presidential ticket to Atiku Abubakar even when the Eastern zone of Nigeria has never gotten to the office of executive President since independence.

“So, for the purposes of social justice, we may give the bill for rotation of political offices some form of support. The problem is that politicians in Nigeria are not known to follow the law so they will undermine that provision of the bill.

“Some may even get it quashed in the court of law. The best way to safeguard the objective of such an idea is to include it as part of the amendments of the Nigerian constitution so it may be difficult for politicians to abuse.

“By and large, that bill should be included in the current process of amendments of the Nigerian Constitution”.

Similarly, the factional Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro told DAILY POST on Saturday that the bill, if passed into law, would ensure the sustainability of Nigeria’s democracy.

He said, “in a momentous stance, Ohanaeze Ndigbo throws its weight behind the bill advocating for the rotation of power as a pivotal step towards stabilizing Nigeria.

“With all eyes, especially those of Ndigbo, keenly observing the progress of this bill, the proposed provisions for the rotational allocation of power among various geo-political zones, senatorial zones, and federal constituencies in presidential, governorship, and senatorial elections hold immense significance.

“Ohanaeze commends this progressive development aimed at breaking the cycle of ambitious politicians exploiting weak state institutions to wangle their way into power through collusion with cabals, corrupt INEC officials, and clandestine networks.

“If enacted, this bill will not only put an end to the incessant over-recycling of power-hungry individuals but also prevent the dominance of powerful tribes, clans, and factions over marginalized groups at the national, state, and local government levels.

“We hail this opportunity as a crucial step towards upholding the unwritten pact of the Rotational Presidency, transforming it into a binding legal instrument.

“This legislative move is vital for ensuring democracy’s sustainability, eradicating ethnic hegemony, and fostering a more inclusive political landscape where all regions have an equitable opportunity to lead”.

Also, a chieftain of the ruling APC, Mailafia Gwamna lamented that the North Central had only produced military Heads of State but never an elected president since 1960.

Gwamna, a native of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, told DAILY POST, “It is a good thing that the bill is coming up now but this law should have been enacted immediately when Nigeria exited military rule.

“Since 1960, North Central, comprising the FCT, Benue, Kogi, Plateau and Niger State have not produced a Nigerian President.

“This is not correct. We are all Nigerians and everybody needs to have that sense of belonging. How do I even tell my children that one day they can become president?

“Since 1999, the presidency has been going round the South-West, North-West and South-South. So, it will be a thing of joy if the bill scales through, but we should not put our hope in it, otherwise, we will be disappointed.”

[DailyPost]

A new government  in Ni geria came on board, on May 29, 2023, that is  some 9 months ago. Although the new administration headed by former Lagos governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu is sponsored by the All Progressives Congress, APC, which had earlier sponsored his predecessor, optimists believe that this time around, change is around the corner.

If it is actually on its way, it does not appear that any such movements concern the pervasive insecurity of the Buhari years. As if nothing has changed, several students and their teachers only 3 days ago faced threats of kidnapping resulting in no less than 287 missing persons in Kaduna State. The modalities of the abduction as well as official reactions to the development suggest that at least as far as the subject of insecurity is concerned, Nigeria is yet to move from where it stood before May 29, 2023.  

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has quickly visited the scene – from where he has given the assurance that the abducted pupils would be rescued soonest. While addressing members of the affected  community, the governor said, “In my capacity as your elected governor, I am assuring you that by the grace of God, all the children will return unhurt.” The stereotype statement is a very familiar one. His predecessor, Nasir El Rufai gave similar assurances 8 years earlier. President Tinubu has also promptly waded in with a directive to the security agencies to swiftly rescue the abductees including those affected in Borno State. Again, this is not new because former President Buhari spoke similarly all through his tenure. The only difference is that Tinubu is more assertive and better forthcoming with his acceptance of vicarious liability for several incidents.

If some citizens believe the relevant agencies will do as the President directed, nothing shows that insurgents are also as simplistic. Evidence that they are emboldened to remain lawless is provided from the same state – Kaduna, where in less than 48 hours after attacking and abducting about 287 students from  Kuriga community, the bandits struck again killing at least two worshippers during Friday prayers.

According to one of the community leaders, Hudu Kwasakwasa, the attack took place at about 2 pm on Friday, a day after the school abductions;  with the bandits opening fire indiscriminately on the worshipers. When incidents like this occur who precisely should be held accountable? This is probably the appropriate junction to ask the question that is yet to be answered in the country making it appear that no one is in charge of security anywhere in our clime.

There is also a possiblility that identified security agencies may do little or nothing about security breaches and that they would not be held accountable. Here, we recall the 2018 story of former Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who disobeyed President Buhari’s orders to prioritise government’s response to insecurity in Benue state by personally relocating to Makurdi. It is not only that Idris did not relocate as directed, the President did not know that the Police boss disobeyed his orders. Buhari got to know only in March 2018 during his own belated visit to the state whereas the directive had been given in January, that is, 3 months earlier when gunmen invaded some Benue communities and killed 73 persons. Even when the President became aware of Idris’s non-compliance, he was surprisingly allowed to remain in office as IGP.

By the suspension of Minister Beta Edu and a few removals of some office holders for one lapse or the other, Tinubu has shown that it may not be business as usual but actions taken so far are too few to make the desired impact on the level of impunity and prevalent indiscipline which he inherited from his predecessor. In all honesty, so many things happened in the past for which no one was held accountable; a good example being the series of jail breaks in the country.

Between 2015 and when President Tinubu assumed office in 2023, there were no less than 18 prison breaks in Nigeria, with nearly 9,000 inmates released. The Kuje prison at the heart of the nation’s capital, Abuja, presented a scandalous jailbreak which followed the same pattern of attacks on security forces with the use of explosives. When Buhari visited the location and was showed round the facility, all he said via a  tweet was that  he was “saddened” by the attack and “disappointed” with Nigeria’s intelligence system.’

With the way the jaibreaks were handled it is easy to imagine that in future, Nigeria  may not be able to develop strong correctional centres or indeed any viable societal institution . Here, the attack on an Abuja-Kaduna train service in March 2022 is instructive. According to media reports,  terrorists emerged from the Kateri-Rijana forest of Kaduna State, setting off explosives to derail the train carrying 362 passengers. Shots reportedly came from all directions as the attackers surrounded the train and managed to abduct over 100 of the passengers while 8 people died. Government did nothing thereafter to allay the fears of citizens that there was no safety anywhere in Nigeria.

Instead, the nation was left to hear claims and counter claims on the subject. The then Kaduna governor El Rufai was sure the blame ought to have gone to the military for failing to attack the terrorists, despite identifying them long before the train tragedy. On his part, former transport minister, Rotimi Amaechi,  said he had long warned of possible attacks on the rail line. Amaechi claimed he had requested some digital security and crime detection equipment that could forestall such terror attacks on the rail line but his requests were turned down.

If a minister got approval to spend huge sums to put the rail into use, those in the corridors of power who turned down a smaller request to technically secure the system may have to be unravelled by posterity. And that would come several decades after the lapse had led to the holding of several passengers as hostages who were released in batches following negotiations with their captors after the attack. The abductors were believed to have collected huge ransoms from the families of the abductees. This confirms that in Nigeria, the security of the people along with their welfare which our consitution says is the primary purpose of government is handled halfheartedly with no one held accountable for its unending  breaches

Unfortunately, information on future developments after the initial passing of the buck has as usual been poorly managed.  For example, although the military later claimed to have apprehended one of the masterminds of Abuja-Kaduna train attack, nothing substantial emerged as to who the sponsors of the attacks are or the extent to which the capture of the said mastermind could have led to getting to the root of the national embarrassment.

The military only said the suspect was apprehended by the troops at Damba community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna state. Such incomplete  stories could only make citizens doubt the capacity of our men in uniform to help get a secured Nigeria.  

Benue State citizens are probably among the most prominent Nigerian citizens who lost faith long ago. During the tenure of the immediate past Governor Samuel Ortom, a few people imagined that daily killings in Benue communities were exaggerated for political purposes.   Now that the new governor belongs to the same ruling party as the President and  therefore have no cause to be ‘intransigent’ as Ortom allegedly was, everyone had hoped that peace would return to Benue after May  2023.

It would seem that the hopes are misplaced as the new Governor Hyacint Alia has started vowing to fish out killer herdsmen in Benue state. Alia says  his administration will not rest until the armed herdsmen responsible for the recent brutal murder of innocent persons in Wandoo community, Mbalom in Gwer East Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, are brought to justice. Who should the nation hold responsible for the unacceptable deaths? Why can’t government move faster on the issue of state police and isolate external bandits creating homeless people in Nigeria?

Many citizens are probably impressed with President Tinubu’s approach of accepting responsibility unlike his predecessors who hid comfortably under excuses. But because the approach visibly needs a buffer, it is time for Tinubu to be encouraged to show many officials charged with specific duties the way out when such duties fail. If such officials in charge of security in a state are asked to step aside for others to take control when security breaches occur in such a state, everyone will be become conscious that to hold an office is premised on the capacity and alertness of the office-holder to ensure that nothing under the office goes wrong. They should not only step aside but be made to account for each lapse. This task of holding people accountable must be differentiated from the camera talk-shows which the legislature often organizes with their so-called invitations to heads of Ministries, Parastals and Agencies. It is time to see changes  in security matters in Nigeria.