The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday joined the battle to halt further depreciation of the naira against the dollar.

It launched a crackdown on dollar speculators, hoarders, racketeers and firms issuing invoices in foreign currency.

The anti-graft agency said it had raised 14 special task forces to fish out culprits.

The anti-graft agency, which announced the arrest of many racketeers in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kaduna, said each task force will operate from the agency’s 14 zonal commands.

It has also invited for questioning some proprietors of privately run varsities and higher institutions who charge fees in dollars.

The development came on a day the Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) requested that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) allow its members to resume dollar sales.

The naira exchanged yesterday for N1, 490/$ at the parallel market and N1, 418/$ in banks.

In a statement by its Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Dele Oyewale, the EFCC said the task forces will ensure “the enforcement of extant laws against currency mutilation and dollarisation of the economy.”

 “The task force, inaugurated by the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Ola Olukoyede, was raised to protect the economy from abuses, leakages and distortions exposing it to instability and disruption.”

The CBN frowns at the use of foreign currency as a medium of exchange in Nigeria.

In a statement by its erstwhile Director, Corporate Communications, Ibrahim Mu’azu, the apex bank drew attention to the consequences of contravening the provisions of the CBN Act of 2007.

According to the Act, “the currency notes issued by the bank (CBN) shall be legal tender in Nigeria…for the payment of any amount.”

The statement reads: “The attention of the Bank has been drawn to the increasing use of foreign currencies in the domestic economy as a medium of payment for goods and services by individuals and corporates.

“It has also been observed that some institutions price their goods and services in foreign currencies and demand payments in foreign currencies rather than the domestic currency (the naira), which is the legal tender in Nigeria.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the attention of the general public is hereby drawn to the provisions of the CBN Act of 2007, which states inter-alia: ‘the currency notes issued by the Bank shall be legal tender in Nigeria…for the payment of any amount’.

“Furthermore, the Act stipulates that any person who contravenes this provision is guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a prescribed fine or six months imprisonment.

“This prohibition, however, is without prejudice to foreigners, visitors and tourists who are encouraged to continue to use their cards for payments or exchange their foreign currency for local currency at any of the authorised dealers’ outposts.

“The general public is hereby advised to report any contravention of the provision of this Act to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for appropriate action.” 

Although the EFCC was silent on the number of those arrested, it said some suspects have been undergoing interrogation.

The statement added: “Already, the commission has arrested some perpetrators of issuance of invoices in dollars and mutilation of the naira in Lagos and Port Harcourt.

“Also, proprietors of private universities and other institutions of higher learning charging fees in dollars have been invited by the commission.

“The commission is committed to the enforcement of all laws in place for the reflation and stimulation of the economy.”

In a separate statement, the EFCC said its operatives in the Kaduna Zonal Command arrested three persons in connection with suspected currency racketeering.

It listed the suspects as Musa Gideon, Abdul Seidu Adamu and Justine Musa.

They were arrested yesterday on Yakubu Gowon Way, Kaduna while trying to “sell new naira notes to an EFCC’s undercover operative”.

“The operative, a member of the special task forces set up for the enforcement of extant laws against currency mutilation and dollarisation of the economy, functioned in a sting operation carried out by the team.

“The operation yielded the arrest of the three suspects selling new and old naira notes to the tune of N1, 307,400 and in possession of many Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards.

“The suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded,” the EFCC statement said.

BDCs to CBN: let our members resume dollar sales

The Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) has requested that the CBN allow its members to resume dollar sales.

It said dollar distribution at the retail end of the market would recommence if the proposals it submitted yesterday to the CBN were approved.

The association also proposed the return of the self-regulatory status of ABCON by the apex bank. This, according to the association, will ensure compliance by its members with regulatory guidelines.

President of the Association, Aminu Gwadabe, said the BDCs would also partner with International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs) to ensure the economy attracted more forex proceeds to deepen market liquidity.

The CBN had in July 2021 stopped forex sales and issuance of new licences to prospective BDCs after its Monetary Policy Committee two-day meeting in Abuja.

[TheNation]

A former member of the House of Representatives, who represented Ika federal constituency of Delta State, Dr Cairo Ojougboh, is dead.

Reliable sources said that the outspoken politician and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) died on Wednesday night while watching the AFCON 2023 semi-final match between Nigeria and South Africa.

“As soon as a penalty kick was awarded against Nigeria during the AFCON match with South Africa on Wednesday’s semi-final clash in Bouake, Ivory Coast, he slumped,” a source privy to the incident told LEADERSHIP on Thursday.

Details Later…

[Leadership]

Fuji musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, aka KWAM 1, has been the official ‘palace entertainer’ for almost a decade. Evidently through the instrumentality of then All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his ‘Nigeria, Sai Baba, Sai Buhari’ song that preceded the 2015 general election was a campaign anthem that also elicited an uncommon dance step from the man who would go on to defeat an incumbent president. Early in 2021, when it became obvious that APC bigwigs were plotting to edge Tinubu out of the race for the party’s presidential ticket, it was KWAM 1 who released a song of defiance, ‘On your mandate we shall stand, Bola…’ which has turned out to be prophetic. So, when the avid supporter begins to sound like a ‘wailing wailer’, there is fire on the mountain.

In a video posted on his Instagram page titled ‘A Special Message to Mr President,’ last weekend, KWAM 1 lamented the suffering Nigerians have had to endure since Tinubu assumed office. “Akanbi (Tinubu), my boss, please don’t turn a deaf ear to people’s outcry,” KWAM 1 sang in a mournful tone that speaks to the economic and security challenges in the country today. “Nigerians are angry. The Naira is becoming worthless. People are weeping and without electricity. How did we get to the point where Nigerians are now being kidnapped every day?”

The two sectors most critical to the survival of any nation (and their people) are economy and security. Nigeria is currently challenged on both. The security situation is so bad that kidnappers now enter palaces to kill traditional rulers and take away their wives while innocent school children have become game for these dare-devil criminals who operate across the country, including on street corners and major highways. The situation is worse on the economic front. Prices of even basic foodstuffs are now beyond the reach of most Nigerians. And things can only get worse, given rising inflationary pressure. Last November, the exchange rate for cargo clearance by the Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) was raised from N757/$ to N783/$, representing a 3.4 per cent increase. By December, it was raised from N783/$ to N952/$. That was a 22 percent increase within a period of just 30 days. By last weekend, the rate had been further jacked up from N952/$ to N1356/$! That represents a 43 percent increment within another month!

In his column, ‘Urgent Need to Halt Soaring Food Prices’ last Sunday, Waziri Adio painted a dreary picture of the current situation. He urged action lest we have a crisis on our hands. “In a country where 26.5 million people are officially classified as food insecure, where citizens spend 59% of their incomes on food and where 104 million people are classified as income poor, nothing can be more existential and more dangerous than sky-high food prices,” Waziri wrote. “The negative impacts on social stability, economic growth, human development and national security are simply too grave for the government not to swing into crisis mode.” And just yesterday, the gravity of our situation was brought home by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Temitope Fadeshemi. “The level of poverty in Nigeria is alarming. An estimated population of 88.4 million people in Nigeria is living in extreme poverty,” he said in Kaduna. “Overall, 12.9 per cent of the global population in extreme poverty was found in Nigeria as of 2022.”

Yes, it is difficult to fault the explanation of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Olayemi Cardoso on the forex situation. Especially given the abuse to which a regime of multiple exchange rates had been subjected by the last administration. Nor can we argue against the removal of subsidy in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry that has further pauperised Nigerians. But the cavalier way these decisions were taken without considering the consequences is what has led us to where we are now. The dire situation in the power sector was on Monday aptly captured, ironically by Tinubu’s own newspaper, The Nation: “Zero Megawatt to Discos cripples homes, businesses.” To worsen matters, public officials continue to live in opulence and recklessly spend scarce resources, including to purchase exotic vehicles for themselves at outrageous prices.

Following his return from a ‘private’ visit to France on Monday, the president would have seen media highlights and must have listened to the full rendition of KWAM 1’s ‘special message’. Considering that the president also started badly in Lagos before he turned things around, I want to share the optimism with which KWAM 1 ended his dirge. That is why I am recommending that the president again watch Saworoide, the 1999 Mainframe (Tunde Kelani) movie that was sponsored by the Tinubu Inauguration Committee for his swearing-in as Lagos State Governor 25 years ago.

The movie was weaved around Saworoide, a brass bell talking drum. Written by the late Professor Akinwunmi Isola, a world acclaimed authority on Yoruba tradition and culture, Saworoide is the story of a fictional community called Jogbo which, like Nigeria, has enough to meet the needs of people in terms of resources but not enough to satisfy the greed of a few powerful individuals. Principal actors include the late Isola himself, Adebayo Faleti (also now of blessed memory), Kola Oyewo, Bukky Wright, Lere Paimo, Kunle Bantefa, Kunle Afolayan, Peter Fatomilola, Ayantunji Amoo, Kabirat Kafidipe, and the late Larinde Akinleye.

In ancient Jogbo, the king and his subjects had a binding social contract that engendered prosperity for all but with dire consequences for deviants. “For the fictional Yoruba land of Jogbo, a ritual with the Saworoide had been established for rulers about to ascend the throne. Lapite (Oyewo) who becomes the King early in the story rejects the ritual as he intends to use his new position to enrich himself and escape accountability,” a Mr Tishe wrote on the enduring lessons of the movie depicted through metaphors and allegories with a powerful message on good leadership. “Although fictional, the events in the land of Jogbo call for reflection and action on the part of leaders and citizens for positive change.”

For 16 years (since he left office as Governor), Tinubu had been plotting to be president of Nigeria. So, now that he has realized what he publicly admitted as a ‘lifelong ambition’, he cannot be described as an accidental leader. Therefore, in moments of introspection, Tinubu must ask himself whether his presidency is simply about the trappings of power or whether he is interested in leaving a worthy legacy for posterity. It would be a shame if it were all about the former. Meanwhile, I understand that the Tinubu administration is undertaking important and necessary reforms which hopefully will yield gains in the future. But you don’t preach sermons to hungry people. Immediate measures are required to relieve the pains of Nigerians. And there is also an urgent need to tell Nigerians what his medium to long term economic and security plans are beyond this ‘kick-and-follow’ approach that is not helped by mixed messages from some of his palpably incompetent ministers.  

Here is the point. The ‘Emilokan’ philosophy, which is about entitlement, may have helped Tinubu wrest the presidential ticket of APC—which to be fair is no more than a party carefully constructed by him as a special purpose vehicle to power—from conspirators. But such disposition is of no use to him in presiding over the affairs of Nigeria. When leaders place more importance on what they believe they are entitled to rather than what they offer society, they are setting themselves up for big time failure. The only thing that can untangle the multitude of problems we face in the country today is for Tinubu to humble himself and admit that Nigeria has given him so much and use his stewardship to pay back.

That explains why I recommend that the president should go back to watch Saworoide and the sequel, ‘Agogo Eewo’ (the gong of taboo). In a 2020 review, ‘Saworoide, An Allegory of Present Day Nigeria’, Tobi Oduselu concluded his treatise on a sombre note. “While this cinematic masterpiece shows a semblance to Nigeria’s current realities, it also serves as a predictive imagination of how the future will turn out if the current mishandling of our resources persists,” Oduselu wrote. “It is not enough to promise change; it is imperative to deliver on those promises and take care of the people.”

As the Yoruba would say, a half-hint (this time, of impending doom) is sufficient for any ‘Omoluabi’ to get the full message!

Lagos Traffic and the Water Option

Inside the Control Room of the Monitoring and Data Management Centre of the Lagos Waterways Authority (LASWA) at the sprawling Falomo Jetty last Friday afternoon, I watched activities in real time on the entire stretch of the Lagos lagoon, from Ikorodu to Badagry. The General Manager, Damilola Emmanuel, was on hand to take me through what I was seeing live on the big screens. But what was I doing at the Falomo Jetty?

In Lagos last weekend for a burial ceremony, I visited Bode Makanjuola, CEO of Caverton Offshore Support Group, who also oversees Caverton Marine, a critical subsidiary. He offered to take me on a boat ride from their Jetty in Ozumba Mbadiwe through the lagoon to showcase their latest venture. The diversification into boat building, according to Bode, began with the construction of a 40-passenger Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) ferry. And the ferry on which we rode was constructed right in Nigeria, specifically at their Badore, Lagos Jetty. It features 20 USB charging points, radio channels and a space left for television. Although not yet operational, I found the ferry service more luxurious than the ones I experienced in Zanzibar a decade ago and Sierra Leone last year. “Now, we have ten of such ferry each of which, as you can see, is built for the luxury of passengers and very safe,” Bode assured me.

To beat the Victoria Island traffic after the visit (and boat ride), I asked to be dropped at the Falomo Jetty (to access Ikoyi) and then I had the chance encounter with the LASWA boss, Damilola. Surprisingly, the lounge at the jetty is better than what you find in some airports in the country. Established in 2008 by the government of Babatunde Fashola, the agency can serve as a catalyst for decongesting Lagos roads. But it needs to encourage private capital which Caverton Marine and other players are tapping into.

Bode has bold ambitions. “In addition to passenger ferries, we are also actively building security and cargo boats. We have plans to expand our fleet to include fishing and leisure boats, ensuring that we meet diverse industry demands and contribute to the growth of Nigeria’s maritime sector,” Bode told me before we parted at Falomo last Friday. “In line with international marine vessel classification agency guidelines, our boats are designed and built with precision, utilizing cutting-edge technology and with the expertise of our dedicated team, we intend to exceed the most stringent industry standards.”

From what I saw last Friday, water transportation can be a viable option for those who want to avoid the impossible Lagos Road traffic. But it will require considerable investment, especially from the private sector in partnership with the Lagos State government. Bode Makanjuola is already positioning himself with an investment that is already in millions of dollars. Under the prevailing business environment in Nigeria, such daring comes with enormous risk. And enormous reward!

No fewer than twenty-five people have been apprehended by the Niger State Police Command in respect to a mass protest in Minna, the state capital, on Monday.

Naija News recalls that there was a mass demonstration in Minna, reportedly led by women and youths who were discontented with the exorbitant cost of living in the area.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, however, the police command in the state said it arrested one Aisha Jibrin, 30, and two other women, Fatima Aliyu (57 years old) and Fatima Isyaku (43 years old), who allegedly led the demonstration.

Twenty-two other persons were also arrested.

According to the police, the protest commenced when Aisha and a group of women blocked the Minna-Bida Road at the well-known Kpakungu Roundabout, voicing their frustrations with what they perceived as the suffering inflicted by the Bola Tinubu government.

Subsequently, men and youths reportedly joined the demonstration, obstructing the movement of vehicles.

Naija News reports that despite the deployment of police operatives to the scene, the youth continued their protest, claiming that the police were mere puppets of the government and incapable of taking action.

Nevertheless, the Niger State Police Command released a statement on Wednesday, announcing the arrest of Aisha and her colleagues and accusing the protesters of engaging in violent behaviour.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Wasiu, acknowledged that the police used minimum force to disperse the protesters.

However, he further alleged that after the police resorted to minimum force, the protesters retaliated by attacking the police with various weapons such as stones, bottles, sticks, and cutlasses. They also caused damage to police patrol vehicles and parts of the Kpakungu Division roof.

The statement read, “It could be recalled that on February 5, 2024, at about 7 am, a large number of women and miscreants mobilised and blocked Minna-Bida road and Kpakungu Roundabout claiming to be protesting against increase in foodstuff prices, causing major obstruction on the highway and deprived motorists, travellers and other road users from gaining access to attend to their lawful businesses.

“The command immediately drafted police patrol teams led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations – DCP Shehu Didango to the scene, and after much persuasion by the police, the protesters deliberately refused to clear the road for public use, while His Excellency, the Deputy Governor of Niger State, Yakubu Garba, equally availed himself at the scene and addressed the group, yet they turned deaf ears and chose to be violent.

“However, the police adopted minimum force to disperse the protesters who turned violent by attacking the police with weapons such as stones, bottles, sticks, cutlasses and damaged Police patrol vehicles and parts of the Kpakungu Division roof.

“In the course of this, the police arrested the initiator of the protest, one Aisha Jibrin 30yrs, Fatima Aliyu, 57yrs, Fatima Isyaku, 43yrs all of Soje ‘A’ of Kpakungu area of Minna and 22 other miscreants, with the following weapons:

“A bench and a stick used as a barricade, three knives, one scissors, one cutlass, one saw blade, one iron pipe, four other sticks, two wraps of Indian hemp, charms, etc.

“During interrogation, the said Aisha claimed that she was not aware that her action was illegal by mobilising over 100 women and miscreants to block the highway for a violent protest. She claimed further that she informed one youth leader, Hassan, in the area, who promised to inform the police of their plan to protest, but did not do so.

“Meanwhile, all suspects were taken to SCID Minna for investigation and they will be charged to court for prosecution, as effort is ongoing to arrest other identified members of the violent protest.

“The Commissioner of Police, Niger State Command, Shawulu Danmamman, urges Nigerlites, members of the public to be law-abiding and should not resort to self-help, but rather approach appropriate authority to address issues whenever the need arises.”

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have beaten South Africa’s Bafana Bafana on penalties to reach the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 final.

The match finished 1-1 after extra time and the three-time champions will face hosts Ivory Coast or the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final on Sunday.

Stanley Nwabali was the hero of the night as he saved two penalty kicks.

Nigeria were hoping to make it into their fourth AFCON final but were made to work for it early in the first half as South Africa bossed early proceedings.

Substitute Kelechi Iheanacho scored to give Nigeria a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over South Africa on Wednesday after an Africa Cup of Nations semi-final thriller in Bouake.

The Yoruba set a huge store by character, which they insist is more precious than rubies and gold. “E hu iwa Omoluwabi'' is a refrain that so unambiguously states what the Yoruba expect from every true-born son or daughter. Those who deviate are referred to as bastards – “omo ale”. Proper or good behaviour is non-negotiable. There are certain characters or behaviours that must not be mentioned, not even once, among Omoluwabis.

One of such is stealing/cheating. Another is laziness or slothfulness. Liars and unreliable people, those who are not bound by their words, are loathed among the Yoruba. They are to be avoided like a plague. Wealth does not define the Yoruba; character does. Good character, not wealth, is what the Yoruba believe a person should flaunt and which every other person should acknowledge, respect and emulate.

A number of songs, proverbs, and words of wisdom of our elders are drummed into the ears of every Yoruba child. One such song, which I learnt in elementary school and which remains ingrained in my soul, is: “Kini n f’ole se l’aiye ti mo wa? (2ce) L’aiye ti mo wa ewon ko sunwon/Ewon ko sunwon f’Omoluwabi/Kini n f’ole se l’aiye ti mo wa” Thieves and vagrants are ostracized; murderers are excommunicated and anyone related to such fellows are enveloped in shame.

Unable to live with such shame, many have been known to commit suicide, considering death a more honourable outcome - “Iku ya j’esin”. Begging was alien to Yoruba land and culture. It used to be considered a shameful thing. The Yoruba taught the virtues of hard and diligent work - “Ise l’oogun ise/Mura s’ise ore mi/Ise la fi n d’eni giga…” Students were taught to study hard – “Bata re a dun ko-ko-ka/Ti o ba ka’we e/ Bata re a dun ko-ko-ka”

I first noticed it in Lagos – “Eko gb’ole, o gb’ole” - but street begging has since enveloped the entire Yoruba landscape. Beggars of Yoruba extraction compete favourably with those who were seen as the traditional beggars. These days, there are no vices that were loathed in Yoruba land that have not now seized the entire Yoruba landscape. Look around you, the “twale” and “alright sir” boys and girls, the area boys and area girls, are mostly Yoruba youths.

While their Igbo counterparts are busy learning trade and their Hausa counterparts are riding Okada and pushing carts to eke out a living, the Yoruba youths are useless to themselves and to the society. Yet, they insist on living life to the hilt, and on the fast lane, to boot. They are the enforcers. They are the political thugs. They are the “agberos” They are the petty thieves waylaying and stripping the hapless of their phones and other valuables at street corners.

Cultism has run riots among Yoruba youths. It is no longer the exclusive preserve of students in the institutions of higher learning. Primary schools, secondary schools, any gathering of youths in Yoruba land these days is infested with cultism. They kill, they maim. Rival groups waste one another with relish.

Evil – all manner of evil – walks naked on our roads, wasting our future before our very eyes. Now, our youths are said to have graduated into the ranks of kidnappers, bandits and terrorists! All eyes used to be on the Fulani but the kidnappers of the Ekiti school children are said to be of Yoruba extraction.

Governance in Yoruba land progressively took a dip the very moment Chief Obafemi Awolowo, in pursuit of his ambition to rule Nigeria, left the office of premier of the Western Region for the position of Leader of Opposition in the Federal parliament. Cracks soon set in between him and his successor, SLA Akintola, with other Action Group leaders siding with this or with that. The Fulani-led government at the Centre cashed in on that, aided by Nnamdi Azikiwe and his Eastern Region, to set the Western Region on fire and send Awo to jail.

From that moment, things fell apart in Yoruba land. Akintola, Fani-Kayode and others betrayed Awo. Fani-Kayode in turn betrayed Akintola. In the Second Republic, the core opponents of Awo were big-time Yoruba politicians and business moguls, the likes of Meredith Adisa Akinloye, Richard Akinjide, Omololu Olunloyo, FRA Williams, Bashorun MKO Abiola, among others.

Dogs began to eat dogs. Bola Ige dumped Alayande out of the Oyo governorship race. Cornelius Adebayo did similarly to Chief Josiah Olawoyin in Kwara state. Both disrespected the counsel of Awo. Ige got his due recompense at D’Rovans, Ibadan years later as his peers ditched him for Chief Olu Falae.

Against Awo’s advice, both Ige and Sunday Afolabi served in President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government in the Fourth Republic. A man who hates your father cannot love you, the son, Awo was reported to have told his two political sons gone errant. Both Ige and Afolabi perished in Obasanjo’s government. Those who did not perish serving Sani Abacha lost relevance and the reputation that had taken them decades to build – the likes of Ebenezer Babatope, Alhaj Lateef Jakande and Olu Onagoruwa, who also lost his first son to the bargain.

The Fourth Republic started well for the mainstream Yoruba political leadership in 1999 but wily Obasanjo unhinged it four years later in 2003. Only Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Lagos governor survived the Obasanjo tsunami. A new king was born!

Whatever aileth the Yoruba nation today must be placed squarely at the door mouth of the Asiwaju of Yorubaland and Jagaban Borgu. Tinubu uprooted the Awo political dynasty and created a new political empire of his own. The Yoruba nation today is cast, for better or for worse, in the image of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. If all is well, give the credit to Tinubu. If all is well the other way round, as our elders would say, hang it as well around Tinubu’s neck!

The creation, nurturing and blossoming of the Yoruba area boys and girls coincided, if I can put it that mildly, with the ascendancy of Tinubu as the master of South-west politics. Coping with the influx of Hausa/Fulani criminals into Yoruba land is difficult enough, especially with the obstacles deliberately put in the way of containing the criminals by Federal power. To now have to contend with the sad spectacle of our own children themselves swelling the ranks of the criminals is distressing, to say the least.

But what do we expect from jobless youths? What do we expect from generations whose destiny has been wasted by our political leaders who have no plan for them other than use them as thugs and then dump them? Why are our youths not being helped to learn a trade like their Igbo counterparts? Whatever you may say, the Fulani are smart; they buy carts and okada for thousands of their youths and then unleash them on us down South. Who will do similarly for our own youths?

Yesterday (Tuesday, 6 February, 2024), I was invited to join the Afenifere team to commiserate with Ekiti State’s Gov. Biodun Oyebanji over the tragedy that befell the state recently. Two traditional rulers were felled by suspected Fulani terrorists and some school children were kidnapped on their way to/from school. God have mercy! Ekiti suddenly became Chibok and Dapchi!

The Afenifere delegation was led by Chief Korede Duyile, who described the disasters as unfortunate. Duyile proffered the following solutions: that the governors of the south-west cooperate more than ever before to confront the security threats facing the sub-region; and that Amotekun, the security outfit of the South-west, be given appropriate arms and ammunition. “We want Amotekun to be fully armed. It is not easy to work with bare hands or with incantations”, he said. He also faulted the country’s structure: “If governors are in control of security, it will be easier to tackle these problems” he said, adding that the need to restructure the country has become more urgent than ever.

Responding, Gov. Oyebanji described the killing of the Obas as “sacrilege and an affront to the Yoruba race”, which he said his government would not take lightly. The culprits would be brought to book, he vowed. Despite party differences, the South-west governors are cooperating on security and had measures in the pipeline before the unfortunate death of their chairman, Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state. After giving Akeredolu a befitting burial later this month, the South-west governors will unfurl their plans.

Oyebanji praised President Tinubu for providing leadership and encouragement to Ekiti in its trying moments. Despite being out of the country, he said the president called him on a daily basis and also gave directives that have been of immense benefit to the state. “I want Afenifere to thank him for me” he said before passionately pleading with the Afenifere to forge a common front and work together “because it is only in unity that we can confront and defeat this menace. Your voice carries weight”

Nigeria needs urgent restructuring. And the South-west itself needs urgent repositioning. Governance must be elevated to a higher level. Hope renewed, which Tinubu promised, must not remain a cliché. Blood and flesh must be infused into it. Time to act is now!

The All Progressives Congress has faulted criticism of President Bola Tinubu by candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party, Peter Obi, asking the duo to share suggestions with the President on how to effectively run the economy and governance.

The APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, in an interview with Channels TV on Tuesday, urged the two presidential candidates of opposition political parties to suggest ideas to Mr Tinubu and not just condemn what the government is doing to address economic hardship in the country.

Mr Morka stated that they were making “incendiary” statements to instigate the public.

He said, “Opposition politics is not necessarily about condemning. These individuals, Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, touted some of the economic policies this government is running with to be at the core of their economic agenda. So what has happened? So it is not enough to just condemn, these leaders should be able to, assuming they have the silver bullets this government is not deploying, they point it out.’’

Mr Morka dismissed Mr Abubakar’s recent criticisms of the Tinubu-led APC government as “completely jaundiced by his own political self-interest.”

“It is not enough for Atiku Abubakar to bandy words. I expect a man who thinks deeply as he claims about governance, economy, and other aspects of our natural life to offer ideas, concrete suggestions,” he said.

The duo of Mr Abubakar and Mr Obi have criticised Mr Tinubu’s economic policies, lamenting economic hardship in the country.

Last week, Mr Abubakar berated Mr Tinubu’s government, saying his chaotic policies were dashing hope and pushing the country to the brink.

With inflation and food prices spiking under Mr Tinubu’s watch, Nigerians have cried out over economic hardship. Earlier in the week, protests over soaring food prices rocked two northern states, Niger and Kano.

But Mr Tinubu, in December 2023, urged Nigerians to show understanding, saying “the financial re-engineering of our country is ongoing. We are determined to deliver Nigeria safely through the tunnel of hope, stability, and economic prosperity.”

Last week, fuji maestro Wasiu Ayinde, aka Kwam 1, who is also Mr Tinubu’s musician ally during his campaign, cried out over economic hardship in the country.

“Nigerians are angry, traders are angry, why is kidnapping on the increase?” Kwam 1 sang, lamenting the naira freefall against the dollar.