•Approve 30% derivation, 20% based on population 

•Senate projects N100 trillion budget for 2026 fiscal year 

•North jittery because it’s ill-prepared, Natasha explains

•Northern groups decry politicisation of issue 

•ASUU insists move will destroy public varsities

After many weeks of controversy, governors of the 36 states of the federation and the Presidential Tax Reform Committee, yesterday, agreed on modalities for sharing the Value Added Tax (VAT).

The governors, at the end of their meeting, endorsed the sharing of the VAT proceeds on the basis of 50 per cent equality, unchanged from what is currently in operation; 30 per cent derivation, from 20 per cent currently in operation and 60 per cent that was proposed by the Presidential Tax Reform Committee headed by Mr. Taiwo Oyedele.

The governors also agreed on 20 per cent sharing on population basis, from 30 per cent which is the current allocation before the tax reform proposal.

The tax reform deal came as Senate yesterday projected a N100 trillion aggregate expenditure for the 2026 fiscal year, and vowed to free funds it said were being held by some government organisations.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Ogun West), made the disclosure during a Stakeholders Public Hearing and Interactive Session on the 2025 Appropriation Bill. The session had the theme, “The 2025 Budget of Restoration: Securing Peace, Rebuilding Prosperity.”

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, said some stakeholders in the north were jittery about the tax reform bills because the region was ill-prepared for such fiscal legislation.

At the same time, some northern groups urged Nigerians, particularly northerners, to be wary of political actors using the current tax reform debate as platform to advance their ambitions ahead of the 2027 general election.

However, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) reiterated its stance against the proposed Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, warning that it would spell doom for public universities in the country if implemented.

The communique of the governors’ meeting with members of the Presidential Tax Reform Committee in Abuja, held behind closed-doors, was signed by Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdul Rahman Abdul Razaq.

The communique stated, “The Forum endorsed a revised Value Added Tax (VAT) sharing formula to ensure equitable distribution of resources: 50 per cent based on equality, 30 per cent based on derivation, and 20 per cent based on population.

“The Forum reiterated its strong support for the comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s archaic tax laws. Members acknowledged the importance of modernising the tax system to enhance fiscal stability and align with global best practices.

“We, members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and presidential tax reform committee, convened on the 16th of January 2025 to deliberate on critical national issues, including the reform of Nigeria’s fiscal policies and tax system, arrived at more resolutions.

“Members agreed that there should be no increase in the VAT rate or reduction in Corporate Income Tax (CIT) at this time, to maintain economic stability.

“The Forum advocated for the continued exemption of essential goods and agricultural produce from VAT to safeguard the welfare of citizens and promote agricultural productivity.

“The meeting recommended that there should be no terminal clause for TETFUND, NASENI, and NITDA in the sharing of development levies in the bills

“The meeting supports the continuation of the legislative process at the National Assembly that will culminate in the eventual passage of the Tax Reform Bills.”

Yesterday’s meeting between the governors and members of the presidential committee marked a major breakthrough, as the northern states’ governors, emirs and chiefs had last year rejected the proposed tax amendment bills sent to the National Assembly by the federal government.

They said it was capable of jeopardising the wellbeing of the people in the region.

The northern leaders said they were not against any policy that would ensure the growth and development of the country, but called for equity and farness in the implementation of all national policies and programmes to ensure that no geopolitical zone was marginalised.

Their position was contained in a communique signed by Chairman of Northern Governors’ Forum, Governor Muhammadu Yahaya of Gombe State, after a joint meeting with the traditional council in Kaduna.

The communique read, “Forum notes with dismay the content of the recent Tax Reform Bill that was forwarded to the National Assembly.

“The contents blare against the interests of the north and other sub-nationals, especially the proposed amendment to the distribution of Value Added Tax (VAT) to Derivation-based Model.

“This is because companies remit VAT using location of their headquarters and tax office and not where the services and goods are consumed.

“In view of the foregoing, the Forum unanimously rejects the proposed Tax Amendments and call on members of National Assembly to oppose any bill that can jeopardise the well-being of our people.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Northern Governor’ Forum is not averse to any policies or programmes that will ensure the growth and development of the country.

“However, the Forum calls for equity and farness in the implementation of all national policies and programmes so as to ensure that no geopolitical zone is short-changed or marginalised.”

Senate Projects N100 Trillion Budget

The senate projected a N100 trillion aggregate expenditure for 2026, vowing to free funds held by some government organisations.

The National Assembly is currently considering the N49.7 trillion 2025 Appropriation Bill submitted to a joint session of the two chambers of the federal legislature in December last year by President Bola Tinubu.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Ogun West), revealed the figure during a Stakeholders Public Hearing and Interactive Session on the 2025 Appropriation Bill, with the theme, “The 2025 Budget of Restoration: Securing Peace, Rebuilding Prosperity.”

The session had in attendance the governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, professional bodies, non-governmental organisations, and heads of critical economic agencies of the federal government.

Adeola said the National Assembly was working to shore up the federal government’s revenue by freeing funds held by organisations, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

He said, “In the past, we borrowed money to stabilise the naira, so that the exchange rate can be somehow good and that we are not being threatened. To stabilise the naira, we were borrowing.

“CBN is doing a lot of things behind the scenes.

“When this administration came, it said there is no need for that. If you recall, we are operating a free economy. We must be seen to be operating that free economy and it throws everything to the table. No more subsidy, no more exchange rate difference, and no more electricity tariff.

“By so doing, what we are trying to do, this N49.7 trillion 2025 budget you are seeing, maybe by next year it will have doubled because by then, there is still a lot of our revenue that still need to be freed.”

Adeola said, “A lot of revenue has been held hostage by no other person than organisations, like the NNPC. The NNPCL still believes that there are still some elements of subsidy that are being treated as an operational expense in their documents that they still need to wipe out for more revenue to be freed and all other sundry items.

“By the time all this comes to pass, I can tell you maybe next time when we are gathered here, we will start having a budget of a minimum of about N100 trillion. So we are working round the clock, especially on this side of the divide, to ensure that we shore up our revenue.”

Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly, Senator Godswill Akpabio, urged his colleagues and other critical stakeholders to make the 2025 budget one that prioritised the welfare of Nigerians.

Akpabio said, “Together, we must ensure that this budget is not a mere ledger of revenue and expenditure, but a living document that prioritises the welfare of every Nigerian.

“This is not an ordinary assembly, and this is not an ordinary moment. For we are not gathered here merely as legislators, public servants, or citizens, but as custodians of Nigeria’s destiny, stewards of its promise, and architects of its future.

“Our beloved nation faces trials that would shake the resolve of lesser nations, but I am here to affirm, with unshakable conviction, that within every challenge lies the seed of opportunity. The task before us is formidable, but it is neither beyond our reach nor beneath our determination.”

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) said it had saved Nigeria N1.9 trillion from contract fraud over the years. Director-General of BPP, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, stated this during the budget defence session with the Senate Committee on Public Procurement.

Adedokun said the agency set up June 14, 2007 remained a key stakeholder in the war against corruption in the country, especially as regards contract awards, inflation, and diversion.

He said, “The BPP has within the last 17 years been changing the landscape of public procurement in Nigeria by ensuring transparency, fairness and efficiency on contracts awards and execution.

“The BPP has been saving the country from loss of at least N40 billion annually to contract inflation, diversion of public funds, and poor service delivery. Records from our price intelligence unit indicate that total money prevented so far from being diverted to personal pockets from contracts award is N1.9 trillion.

“BPP has over the years been significantly contributing to increased revenue generation by the relevant agencies, like the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigeria Pension Commission (PENCOM), among others.”

Natasha: North Jittery Because It’s Ill-Prepared

Chairman, Senate Committee on Local Content, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has said some stakeholders in the north were Jittery over the tax reform bills because the region was ill-prepared for such fiscal legislation.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, called for the revitalisation of northern Nigeria’s socio-economic and cultural heritage.

She urged northerners to embrace the vision of the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello, who led the region to prosperity in the 1950s.

The senator, according to a statement by her media aide, Arogbonlo Israel, made the appeal while speaking at the Sardauna Memorial Day in Kaduna.

She highlighted the importance of education and cultural preservation to achieve the envisaged economic transformation.

Akpoti-Uduaghan stated that in 1959, Nigeria’s groundnut export to the UK was valued at £27 million, equivalent of N3.6 trillion today, while current groundnut exports were only $3 million.

Akpoti-Uduaghan stated, “The only reason why the north is jittery about the Tax Reform Bills is because we are ill-prepared. If we were generating N3.6 trillion from one agricultural product, would we be bothered about the reforms?

“Hence, we must task our leaders with developmental mind-sets to stir up the entrepreneurial ecosystems so our lands and factories can be productive once again.

“Let’s act from a position of economic abundance for our region and country at large.”

She urged collaboration among northern leaders and civil society to achieve those goals.

According to her, “In 1959, Nigeria groundnut export to United Kingdom alone stood at £27 million, which has an equivalent purchasing power of N3.6 trillion today.

“The residue from the groundnut’s oil extraction was also exported to the UK as livestock feeds. Today, Nigeria’s groundnut exports sit at distant $3 million.

“The northern Nigeria’s cotton industry shaped the Liverpool cloth market in London, UK, between the 50s and 70s, while the Kaduna Textile Mill flourished, creating thousands of jobs.

“Today, the cotton industry in Nigeria is pretty much non-existent while this same industry generates $21 billion annually. That’s the thriving economy Sardauna helped create and left for us to improve upon.”

Northern Groups Decry Politicisation of Tax Reform

Some northern groups urged Nigerians, especially northerners, to be wary of political actors using the current tax reform debate as platform to advance their 2027 political ambitions.

They said certain political actors were deliberately manipulating public sentiment, disguising personal interests under the guise of regional or national concern, thereby, diverting focus on tax reforms to an agenda centred on the 2027 general election.

The groups, which comprised Nigeria First Project Initiative, Muryar Talaka Awareness Initiative, and Coalition of Northern Nigerian Students Forum, gave their position via a communiqué issued at the end of a one-day engagement with youth groups, students, and community-based organisations at Arewa House, Kaduna.

The engagement was on the theme, “Tax Reform Bills: Between the Facts and Politics.”

The communique was jointly signed by National Coordinator, Nigeria First Project Initiative, Comrade Hamza Saulawa; National Secretary, Muryar Talaka Awareness Initiative, Comrade Bishir Dauda; and Coordinator, Coalition of Northern Nigerian Students Forum, Sadi Garba Sadiq.

Participants emphasised the need for accountability, transparency, and visionary leadership, particularly from the northern states governors.

They stated, “Only transparent and committed governance can lift the region out of its current economic and social challenges.”

The participants said the reforms aimed to simplify the country’s tax structure, broaden the tax net to include more sectors, and encourage compliance while supporting economic growth.

They added that the benefits were crucial for long-term fiscal stability and sustainable development of the country.

The participants also called for caution and restraint in the ongoing debate over the tax reform bills, and advised the public to disregard divisive rhetoric propagated by agents of discord seeking to exploit the issue for political gain.

They encouraged northerners to actively participate in the upcoming public hearings on the tax bills, stressing that citizens should present their views constructively and engage lawmakers through established democratic channels, as advised by President Bola Tinubu.

The groups specifically called on the northern states to diversify their revenue sources to reduce dependence on federal allocations.

They said governors and leaders should prioritise agricultural development, leveraging the region’s potential in value chains, such as cotton and groundnuts, to boost productivity.

They also urged northern states to capitalise on federal government policies on solid minerals and livestock development to generate income, employment, and revenue.

They said the tax reform bills, if implemented effectively, could significantly enhance the country’s revenue base, reduce over-dependence on oil revenue, and ensure a more equitable tax system.

Participants, however, expressed regret that the discourse on the tax reform bills had been heavily politicised, regionalised, and ethnically charged.

ASUU: Tax Bills Will Ruin Public Universities

Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) reiterated its stand against the proposed Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, saying it would spell doom for public universities in the country if implemented.

Addressing a press conference in Jos, the Bauchi zone of ASUU, comprising six universities, and led by Zonal Coordinator, Professor Namo Timothy, expressed the union’s concerns about the bill.

Timothy said the bill sought to replace the Development Levy, a major source of funding for Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) projects, with the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

The move, ASUU argued, would have far-reaching implications for the survival of TETFund and the Nigerian tertiary education system.

The union stated that TETFund had been instrumental in infrastructure development, postgraduate training, research, and capacity-building in public tertiary institutions since 1993.

It wondered why the federal government would want to do away with the fund.

Timothy stated, “ASUU Bauchi Zone,  made up Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi; Federal University, Kashere; Gombe State University, Gombe; Plateau State University, Bokkos; University of Jos, Jos; and Sa’adu Zungur University, Bauchi,  has observed with concern, the on-going public debate on the review of the tax system in the country under a proposed presidential bill tagged, Nigeria Tax Bill, 2024, which is currently before the National Assembly.

“The bill seeks to enact a new law and to abrogate the Education Tax. The bill, if passed into law, will replace the Development Levy, a major source of funding of TETFund projects, so that all the funds generated from the Education Tax will be ceded to the newly established Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

“This is dangerous and unpatriotic. Section 59 (3) of the proposed Nigeria Tax Bill 2024 stipulates that only 50 per ent of total collection from the Development Levy will be accessed by TETFund in 2025 and 2026 while the remaining part will be shared by National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigeria Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), and Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

“In 2027, 2028 and 2029, TETFund will receive 66.7 per cent of total collection, while in 2030 TETFund will receive zero allocation. The far-reaching implication of this toxic bill is that by 2030 all the funds generated from the Development Levy will be accessed solely by NELFUND.

“This portends danger for the survival of TETFund and, consequently, the Nigerian tertiary education system. It is noteworthy that TETFund has been the backbone of infrastructural development, postgraduate training, research and capacity-building in public tertiary institutions in Nigeria since 1993.”

The union leader called on the National Assembly to halt further debate on the bill and protect the sanctity of the TETFund Act 2011. He urged Nigerians to rise against anti-people policies of the Tinubu administration.

[Thisday]

On the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 45th President of the U.S., on January 19, 2017, I wrote an article I could easily write now. It was entitled “A Memory of America on Obama’s Last Day.” With minor edits, it’s worth repeating as Trump happens again as the 47th President of the U.S.

Only exceptionalism could have offered that opportunity. Only exceptionalism could produce a Barack Obama and, eight years later, bring forth a Donald Trump—one neoliberal and the other a neo-anything-is-possible.

The peculiar aspect of the U.S. is that everything is extraordinary. If any doubt remains, the election of Donald J. Trump, who takes office on Friday as the 45th President of the United States of America, resolves the matter.

Everything about Trump is unsettlingly peculiar. He has weakened his party, exploited voters’ most basic instincts, ignored the media, and mocked U.S. allies. Nonetheless, he has secured a victory that has made him even more powerful and audacious. Everyone else, including the party and the nation, seems weaker, more bewildered, and divided.

In Trump versus the rest of the world, Trump is the indescribable enigma. The rest are demystified and stranded.

As the new Trump world order emerges, exceptionalism – once a distinctly American concept – assumes a different significance. I grappled with that word when I first encountered it from my lecturer, Ayo Akinbobola, many years ago in school.

Exceptionalism. How do I explain it? It’s that special quality for which most people love America; the idea that you can become whatever you wish to be, whoever you are, regardless of your background; that through hard work, persistence, and innovation, you can attain grace from grass; that America is the only place on earth that confronts its diversity with courage, not shying away from its own worst demons; that America is a land of both genius and demagogue, each pursuing their path, but within a system that also strives to protect the weak and vulnerable while, some would add, paradoxically creating its own weak and vulnerable.

I learned from my US-trained teachers in school and saw from the cowboy movies I watched growing up that this made America unique.

My first American friends embodied the generosity of spirit I had always heard about. Melvin and Paula Baker, whom my family and I met during a holiday in Florida over ten years ago, have consistently treated us like family, offering themselves and everything they have at our disposal whenever we visit.

Melvin and Paula are white, but colour or creed has never been a concern—whether we or they are visiting. Occasionally, I’m amused to see them sweating over a meal of pepper soup, even when it contains the mildest spices.

America is exceptional not because it is perfect but because, despite its flaws, people like Melvin and Paula made it extraordinary.

Then 9/11 happened. Fear took hold, and exceptionalism faced its most significant test since Vietnam. The political elite and the military leaders started a catastrophic war in Iraq by dressing up fear and suspicion as facts.

That changed everything. Al-Queda, the Taliban, ISIL and other terror franchises around the world were born by the mother of all wars from which America and the world have not recovered.

I felt the change around this time seven years ago when I visited the U.S. before Christmas. A young Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, had planted a bomb in his pants to bring down a commercial plane over Detroit. Coming at America’s vulnerable moment, there was a severe backlash from that incident.

During my visit in January 2010, many U.S. airports and border posts opened a black book for Nigerian travellers. The intrusive body searches at these airports and the cold, hostile stares at non-whites left me in no doubt that something was changing in America

But Barack Obama’s election was supposed to halt the tide; it was supposed to send a message that America had not wholly forsaken exceptionalism, that if a black guy with a funny Muslim-sounding name could become president in America, you could be what you want to be – no matter who you are – if you work at it.

That’s Obama’s story, which he calls “the audacity of hope.” How else could someone born to a Kenyan father and raised by an Indonesian stepfather become a senator and then the 44th president of the United States?

Yet, some say that it is precisely this exceptional quality that is the trouble with America. They say it is exceptionalism that produced an Obama who is not black enough to meet black expectations, not white enough to be accepted by whites, and not brown enough to attract the sympathy of those in between.

Evangelicals regard him as the anti-Christ for endorsing stem cell research and despise him for his late remarks on gay rights. Millions of Nigerians will also not forgive him for never once visiting the world’s most populous black nation during his eight years in office, opting instead to throw stones from Ghana, the country’s backyard.

It’s a deep bucket, but who can deny that America’s exceptionalism produced a miracle that Martin Luther King could only dream of?

Eight years ago today, America was on its knees, broken by a catastrophic terror war and greedy Wall Street.

Globalisation was also taking its toll and would become a significant factor in U.S. politics. To think that this was the moment when the country elected its first black president –when the lines of failure seemed to have fallen in the most unpleasant places – is hard to imagine now.

But it happened, and Obama made the most of his lemons. In several ways, he’s leaving America better than he found it: jobs growing, the country cured of its addiction to oil, its economy in better shape, and its youth unleashed and innovating.

Obama is leaving without the scars of scandals that marred many of his predecessors. The dignity of his office is intact.

Only exceptionalism could have provided that chance. Only exceptionalism could produce an Obama and eight years later produce a Trump – the one neo-liberal and the other neo-anything-is-possible.

In the days ahead, no one is exactly sure what to expect – not pollsters, pundits, or even members of Trump’s cabinet. But we’ll see, one tweet at a time, just what is left of what has made America exceptional.

Ishiekwene, Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP, is the author of the new book Writing for Media and Monetising It. 

•Office of SDGs, HCD Africa, others educate Epe women on financial literacy

The Lagos State Government on Wednesday restated its commitment to women's empowerment and financial inclusion in hard-to-reach communities for them to be independent and self-reliant.

The Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Sustainable Development Goals, SDG, Dr. Oreoluwa Finnih, spoke on Lagos State Government's commitment during an advocacy programme for over 100 women at Odomola in the Eredo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of the Epe area of Lagos State. 

Speaking at the event held at the Aimasiko Compound, Alasko Hospital Bus Stop in Odomola, Finnih advised women to ensure they are engaged in one business or the other, no matter how small, to be financially empowered, with a call on them to imbibe saving culture.

Dr. Finnih, represented by her Technical Assistant, Dr. Oluwunmi Akinlade, said the advocacy programme in partnership with Human Capital Development (HCD) Africa was to increase advocacy for women's financial inclusion in hard-to-reach communities as well as increase awareness of data's role in delivering better HCD outcomes.

She said it was important to educate women on financial literacy to empower them.

"Our advice to women is to make sure that they save. We want every woman to be able to fend for herself. We want women to be financially independent. We don't want them to depend solely on any man. We don't want to depend on other people, especially if we have children. We want to take care of our children and make sure that we have enough money to do whatever we want," she said. 

Also speaking, representatives of the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASSRA), Mr. Kayode Yusuf, and the National Identification Management Commission (NIMC), Mr. Saheed Adebayo, while educating the women in Epe on the importance of data for development, urged the women to ensure they are captured for the exercise.

Yusuf said LASSRA registration is very important for Lagos residents because it helps the State Government to plan on how to meet the community needs in terms of planning and provision of amenities, while Adebayo said NIN is important for every citizen of Nigeria.

Speaking during the event, some of the beneficiaries, especially those who were captured for NIN and LASSRA as well as those who opened bank accounts with some financial institutions on the ground, commended the Lagos State Government, HCD Africa, and other partners for coming to their communities for the advocacy programme which they noted has changed their orientation on financial inclusion and the importance of data.

Mrs. Oyinade Ilesanmi, Halimot Abiodun, and Alaba Oshin, among others who spoke to journalists during the event, said they learnt a lot of things on how to manage, invest, and spend their money. 

They also commended the organisers for providing an avenue for them to open accounts with some financial institutions and doing NIN and LASSRA registrations.

Commending the Lagos State Office of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Human Capital Development (HCD) Africa and other partners, the CDC Chairman of Eredo LCDA, Mr. Yakubu Akingbade, said the programme will have a positive effect on the women.

He said: "We appreciate the Lagos State Government, particularly the Office of SDGs and other partners for the advocacy programme. It is an empowering programme and I believe they will make good use of everything they learnt to improve their businesses. I want to urge the government to give them soft loans to empower them more in their businesses."

The advocacy programme tagged “Promoting Human Capital Development through Advocacy for women’s financial inclusion in hard-to-reach communities” is organised by the Office of SDGs in collaboration with HCD Africa, Pay Business (Opay), Cowrywise, Lagos State Resident Registration Agency (LASRRA), and National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

The programme is aimed at equipping women in underserved areas across 12 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos State with essential financial literacy, entrepreneurship training, and access to vital financial services.

The President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, has expressed delight with the international recognition accorded to six Nigerians for distinguishing themselves in their careers.

Naija News reports six Diaspora Nigerians were named by President Joe Biden among the 400 recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in the United States.

The prestigious recognition, established by former President Bill Clinton in 1996, is the highest honour bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers.

The Nigerian honorees include Azeez Butali, Gilbert Lilly Endowed Professor of Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Iowa; Ijeoma Opara, Associate Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences), Yale School of Public Health, Yale University; and Oluwatomi Akindele, Postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Others are Eno Ebong, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biology at Northeastern University; Oluwasanmi Koyejo, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University; and Abidemi Ajiboye, Executive Vice Chair of the Case School of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University.

This year’s awardees, announced by President Joe Biden on January 14, 2025, are employed or funded by 14 participating United States government agencies.

Reacting to the achievement of the various Nigerians, President Tinubu, in a statement on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, congratulated the Nigerian scientists and engineers for making President Biden’s honours list.

President Tinubu in the statement, commended these trailblazing Nigerians for their remarkable achievements in science, technology and engineering.

The Nigerian leader noted that recognising these exceptional talents underscores Nigerians’ vast potential to excel both at home and on the global stage.

He also submitted that he looks forward to the honorees sharing their multidisciplinary expertise to benefit Nigeria’s development efforts under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

[DailyTrust]

First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has announced the appointment of Felicia Obozuwa as Executive Director, Corporate Services and Service Management, following approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Felicia brings nearly three decades of experience and a proven track record of excellence to her new position. Her expertise and leadership will be invaluable assets to FCMB as it continues to drive strategic growth and innovation.

Felicia is a seasoned banking professional with deep consumer, corporate, and commercial banking expertise. In her current role, she oversees the Bank’s Operations, Service Management, Human Resources, Training, Administration, Property Development, and Project Management.

She holds a law degree from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, and an MBA from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom.

Shehu Sani to Lamido: Look beyond politics on security issues

“We are thrilled to welcome Felicia to our Board. Her passion, expertise, and commitment to excellence make her an ideal fit for this position.”

[DailyTrust]

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in the last Edo governorship election, Asue Ighodalo condemned what he called “deliberate acts of violence and harassment meant to make us take our eyes off the ball.”

He, however, expressed gratitude to the people of Edo State and reiterated his confidence in the judiciary as the tribunal proceedings over the disputed September 2024 governorship election intensified.

The guber candidate spoke to reporters outside the courthouse on Wednesday, where he addressed supporters’ concerns and condemned acts of intimidation aimed at disrupting the legal process.

DAILY POST reports that an armed man was seen in a viral video demanding justice from the tribunal.https://dailypost.ng/2025/01/15/edo-apc-pdp-bickers-over-shooting-at-election-petition-tribunal/

Addressing reporters, Ighodalo said, “We strongly believe that the judiciary will do the right thing, and we’re looking forward to the outcome of the tribunal.

“Our focus remains reclaiming our mandate and working positively for the good people of Edo State. We will take poverty out of our land, eliminate fear and intimidation, and unlock the great potential of this state.

“I want to thank the good people of Edo State for coming out in massive numbers to vote for us on September 21 and for keeping faith through the difficulties.

“They’ve stayed calm in the face of intimidation and harassment, living on the strong hope that our efforts to reclaim our mandate will be successful.”

On the series of alarming incidents that have marred the tribunal proceedings, including an attack by a masked gunman outside the courthouse, he noted that “These acts of violence and harassment are deliberate distractions meant to make us take our eyes off the ball.”

He further stated that “the incidents underscore the importance of staying focused.

“There are many distractions being thrown our way, but we will not be deterred.

“Our goal remains ensuring that we go through this tribunal process and hopefully emerge with the mandate the people of Edo State gave my deputy Osarodion Ogie and myself.”

It could be recalled that earlier on Tuesday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, raided a popular Benin hotel where PDP witnesses were reportedly being kept, an incident that further raised tensions.

Party officials have accused the APC of deploying state resources to intimidate witnesses and derail the tribunal process.

The EFCC has released a statement confirming the raid but denying that it was politically motivated.

Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi, Chairman of the PDP’s Edo Caretaker Committee, condemned the incidents, linking them to a broader APC strategy of intimidation.

“The APC is deploying thugs disguised in PDP attire and using state agencies like the EFCC to disrupt our case at the tribunal. This level of desperation is unacceptable,” he claimed.

[DailyPost]

Peter Obi in his New Year message reminded Nigerians of the obvious:  the worsening political, economic and security situation of our country. Food insecurity that has become our new national norm; our nation and its fortunes are in clear reverse, while Nigeria remains one of the poverty capitals of the world, with over 100 million people living in extreme poverty and more than 150 million in multidimensional poverty.

To change the narrative, Obi wants President Tinubu to cut down what he considers as his “wasteful foreign trips; travel around Nigeria by road to observe the condition of most of our collapsed highways; visit our national hospital, make both impromptu and planned visits to our tertiary institutions, visit various IDP camps and assure these Nigerians that they will soon return to their communities.

Finally, he wants the president to ensure “future elections are credible and truly reflect the will of the people”.

The president has already acknowledged some of these problems and the harsh effect of his economic policies. What he said was that to avoid mortgaging the future of our children the way PDP did by selling or sharing properties kept in their care for our children, we needed to make some sacrifices today.

In fact, the expectation of most Nigerians was that the president’s first act in office was going to be resettlement of those driven from their land to IDP camps back to their land. That is distributive justice.

Nigerians did not only expect the president to visit the hospitals, they had expected him to sponsor a bill stopping all political appointees and lawmakers from embarking on medical tourism. This is the only way to equip our teaching hospitals.

Obi is also allowed to make few exaggerations including his claim that Tinubu’s less than two years administration should be held responsible for the current figure of 100,000 Nigerians living in extreme poverty despite ARISE Television’s admission during the interview that the figure as at the time Buhari took over power 10 years ago (2015) stood at 70%. After all, government is a continuum.

Obi who claimed victory despite coming a distant third in the 2023 election and who is yet to congratulate the winner of the contest despite INEC’s verdict and the Supreme Court’s celebrated judgment also has the right to call on the president to guarantee the sanctity of the 2027 contest. 

I think what Felix Morka decries is Obi “crossing the line of truth and peddling false narratives, arrogant unwillingness to acknowledge obvious markers of progress, mobilizing outrage and stoking tension against the government’ which he thinks  are not exactly the most admirable hallmarks of leadership.”

He also frowns at the fact that Obi led a restless band of online mobs, who continue to attack, intimidate, bully and issue death threats to other citizens who dare disagree or criticize Obi or his opinions or position on any subject or matter of national conversation.

Even here Obi has not crossed any red line. The beauty of democracy is that no one has the last say especially in a world where the media is a captive of the dominant ruling class and where no newspaper or news platform can be said to be truly free. We have seen selective coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza by CNN and presentation of alternative reality by the Fox News which aided Trump’s triumph in his re-election bid despite his election denials and sponsoring of an insurrection against his own government.

This is why I also think ARISE television cannot be accused of crossing any red line for  its decision to play the devil’s advocate following attempt by APC and its spokesman, to discredit Obi and  his message. It was obvious whose battle was being waged when Felix Morka, the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was confronted during an interview on its THIS WEEK program on Saturday, January 4, with a question such as –  “You have actually hit back with a volley of attacks, calling Peter Obi a prophet of doom. Some of you have said he is always embarking on voodoo economics that are not in line with current realities. Don’t you think that is a slingshot that has gone beyond normal politicking?

Morka’s: “No, he is the one throwing darts. Mr. Obi is shooting from the hip… Obi has crossed the line so many times. And, I think that, at this point, he has coming to him whatever he gets. He should manage it” would have been sufficient answer for those not engaged in politics of mischief and subterfuge. But for ARISE reporters   “it is a threat to free speech”; for Obi  it is an indication of impending crackdown by an intolerant federal government  while for former VP Atiku Abubakar, “an alarming disdain for democratic principles.”

I sympathize with Morka who, as a result of “Peter Obi’s allegations has received  about 400 documented threats, about 200 of which are explicit death threats messages, individuals have detailed how they plan to harm me—threatening to shoot me, behead me, and carry out other gruesome acts”. But even in spite of the above, I still don’t think anyone has crossed the red line. Free speech is another name for democracy.  

The beauty of democracy is that it is not without its democratic ethos which for instance celebrates character. In this regard, the messenger is often the message. Probing the character of purveyors of messages is as important as free speech.

Unfortunately, the common denominator between Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar is opportunism. Atiku Abubakar has moved from PDP, through ACN to PDP, back to APC from where he went back to PDP where he first served as vice president in 1999. Upon his return, he waged war against those who kept the party together while he was shopping for presidential tickets from other parties. And tragically his breach of PDP’s constitution was to put the party in disarray in the run up to the 2023 election.

Peter Obi is tarred with the same brush.  He first rode on the back of Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s APGA party to power. After publicly declaring he would never abandon APGA, he jumped boat after his second term to join PDP. He rose rapidly and became Atiku’s running mate in the 2015 but following Atiku Abubakar’s breach of PDP constitution which would have allowed Obi to emerge as PDP candidate in the 2023 election, Obi decided to pull down the edifice on the heads of everyone.

Obi decided to play identity and religion politics by exploiting the sentiments of his Igbo people that had since 1999 supported PDP to victory. Close to 70% of his six million votes in the 2023 election came from Southeast and South-south populated by his Igbo brethren,

For Atiku and Obi’s infidelity and opportunism, Tinubu’s eight million votes would have been no match for PDP and Labour’s close to 14m votes.  Their loss was Tinubu’s gain.  Sadly despite being deficit in character, both men still pretend to be part of solution to Nigerian crisis of nation building.

Peter Obi, the Obidients’ best candidate to govern Nigeria, displayed no special skill as governor of Anambra, a state he left as a jungle. As a business man once described as ‘a container economist’ by President Tinubu, all he has told us publicly is that he was a wine importer. And for Atiku Abubakar, Obasanjo’s testimonial on him was damning.

I think we must start to interrogate how we got to this sorry path while remembering with nostalgia, the role of Nigerian youths in the evolution of the Nigerian state. While the nation is today being haunted by a mob ready to fight and kill for a man who believes in nothing, we easily recollect how it was that 20 Nigerian law students who in 1920 first proposed the idea of a Nigerian federation patterned after Switzerland to the colonial masters.

While we today have in Lagos some youths who do not behave much differently from the Almajiris of the north, visiting violence and destruction on government and private properties, what we had in the forties in Lagos were youths who organized debates and strategized on how to get rid of the colonial masters.

It is on record that Chief Anthony Enahoro who went on to become one of the  best parliamentarians Nigeria has ever produced was an editor  of a national newspaper at 22, and that Bode Thomas, the deputy chairman of Action Group who died at 33, was the author of ‘regionalism’ despite his principals’ preference for federalism. Even military boys who did not have advantage of education but joined the military to be able to climb the social lather ended up ruling our country in their twenties and thirties.

In a move to strengthen bilateral relations and economic cooperation, United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has accepted an invitation from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to visit Nigeria later this year.

According to a statement on Thursday by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the invitation was extended during bilateral talks on Wednesday night at the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2025.

Tinubu, who arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday as a guest of the UAE President, actively participated in the forum, which focuses on global sustainable development and climate action. 

On Wednesday, he delivered Nigeria’s position on key issues, including climate change, water security, and energy transition, while commending the UAE for hosting a successful event.

During their discussions, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed gratitude for President Tinubu’s visit and reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to enhancing economic ties with Nigeria. 

Both leaders explored avenues for increased investment in Nigeria, with the Nigerian leader highlighting the progress of his administration’s economic reforms.

“Our economic reforms are stabilizing and growing the economy. We have seen renewed confidence from foreign investors and international oil companies, who are announcing billion-dollar investments. Nigeria is open and ready for more partnerships with the UAE”, President Tinubu stated. 

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the UAE’s determination to strengthen cooperation across various sectors.

Accompanying President Tinubu were key Nigerian officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; and National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu. 

The UAE delegation included Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs; and  H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 

Other UAE officials at the meeting were:  Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation; Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and  Salem Saeed Al Shamsi, UAE Ambassador to Nigeria.

President Tinubu also took the opportunity to thank the UAE leader for the warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation during their stay.

[TheNation]

Underlying the definitions of bullying in dictionaries is power imbalance. To bully someone is to direct aggressive behaviour at them, to intimidate or threaten them, to act cruelly towards someone, or to coerce them. For one to do these, there must be a power dynamic that makes the person at the receiving end vulnerable. Such a tilt of strength can either be embodied by an individual with a disproportionate physical or social power or a group of individuals converging on a weaker party to diminish them. Since the word “cyber-” got appended to bullying in Nigeria, it has acquired a new meaning that has virtually subverted the logic of power that underlies it.

Now, and no thanks to the police’s tendency to meddle in every matter in which a “big man” cries about being inconvenienced with public embarrassment activated by a previously unknown entity, a supposed victim of bullying these days is frequently someone who can commandeer the resources of the state. If you have enough clout to send the police on your errands, can you really claim to be a victim of cyberbullying?

Let us begin with the now infamous case of the singer Burna Boy (Damini Ogulu) at whose behest a singer cum comedian Darlington Okoye (Speed Darlington) has been reportedly incarcerated for months. As the story is told—and which Burna Boy has not denied—Speed Darlington is in jail because he taunted Burna Boy about his association with disgraced artiste Sean Combs (aka P Diddy). In December, the court ruled that his arrest and detention constituted “a gross violation” of his constitutional rights to dignity, liberty, expression, and movement. Despite a direct court order, the police have refused to release him. That makes you wonder, is Burna Boy really a “victim” if the police can sacrifice institutional integrity for his sake?

Meanwhile, the same insinuation Speed Darlington made about Burna Boy has been hurled at several US celebrities who as much as took a photograph with P Diddy. None has asked a man to be incarcerated indefinitely because they got butthurt. Please note that these are people whose reputation far outpaces that of an arriviste like Burna Boy. Yet, they will not take that track because they are self-assured enough to understand the price of celebrity. Unlike the quintessential African “big man”, they are also sensible enough to realise that power should have a more productive function than to abuse others cheaply.

Then, there is the case of Olamide Thomas, who was arrested and incarcerated for cursing the President’s son, Seyi Tinubu. This was another case of the police torturing logic just to satisfy a big man with small feelings. They claimed the curse “placed Seyi in fear of death, violence or bodily harm”. That would be hilarious if were not tragic. How does the law assess the effectiveness of a curse? If curses worked the way people who watch too many Nollywood films think they do, something should have happened to Seyi long ago, given that people have been cursing his father (and their family) since 1999! I am genuinely curious as to why Seyi would be so unsettled by curses that it would compel the police (and the court) to overreact to superstition.

Add to that the ongoing case of bloggers, Precious Eze, Olawale Olurotimi, Rowland Olonishuwa and Seun Odunlami, hauled before the Federal High Court in Lagos for “acts of cyberbullying” (some reports describe the allegation as “cyberstalking”) against the CEO of Guaranty Trust Holdings, Segun Agbaje, when they published uncomplimentary remarks about him. I am by no means defending those bloggers (who have long pulled down the publications anyway), but accusations of nepotism, power play, and self-enrichment are so commonplace in Nigeria that accusing a CEO will not elicit as much as a gasp. They certainly do not warrant holding people in custody for upward of three months. The police cannot fight cyberbullying with judicial bullying, sorry.

Even more laughable is the amended charge against them that states their alleged offence can potentially cause “a breakdown of law and order in the Nigerian banking system”? How can anyone cause a breakdown in law and order within the banking system when that sphere is not an extricable part of regular life? The officers who came up with that idea will surely have a profitable gig doing comedies in their police uniform. If they must know, the operational deficiencies and the decline of the high standards for which GTB used to be known (and renowned) will result in “a breakdown of law and order in the Nigerian banking system” faster than the opinion of a blogger no one would have otherwise read.

Add to the growing list of police overreach the case of Abraham Daniel, a former minister at Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Abuja. He was recently summoned for questioning regarding an “investigation” into “cyberbullying”’ following his accusations against his former principal, Pastor Paul Enenche, for reneging their “gentleman’s agreement.” While the police summons appeared civil enough, it is still intimidating, especially given that the issue at stake is a matter of personal differences between two individuals who should resolve their matter privately. If one party can get the police to act on his behalf even in a petty issue, can he still be “cyberbullied”?

These cases are worrisome because they show a growing pattern of judicial abuse that began under the previous administration and is becoming gradually routinised. Do not forget that under alleged civilian President, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), the DSS arraigned a man for treason in the courts for, among other spurious offences, insulting the President. Buhari’s wife also had a young man stalked, arrested, detained, and later charged to court for basically calling her “fat”. What astounded me most was that the police spent six months tracking the guy before they apprehended him. If they demonstrate a similar diligence toward their responsibilities to Nigeria, the country will not be so insecure.

Look at all the spheres all the supposed victims of cyberbullying represent—popular culture, politics, industry, and religion—and understand why this pattern is worrisome. Figures representative of virtually every sphere of our socio-political life are one-trick ponies whose only recourse is to use their clout with the police to perpetrate abuse. That is not good for society by any measure. Even worse, at the rate the police are going with their trivialisation of the law by filing sensational charges over minor issues, they will turn every rabble-rouser into an anti-establishment hero. We should properly delineate what constitutes “cyberbullying” (or “cyberstalking”) so that it stops being exploited by anyone who has some money in their pocket and can purchase justice.

No matter what you think or how you feel about any of those people standing trial for cyberbullying, we should not be so numb that we fail to ask if the issue is about legal protections against malevolent speech or just an increasing pattern of intolerance for human rights. When people who have commensurate power say nasty things against each other on social media, the police never swoop in to “investigate”. Regardless of how vicious the exchange by the warring parties gets, the police never take sides to lament “injurious speech” that therefore warrants filing charges of cyberbullying, cyberstalking or even criminal defamation. It is when the matter becomes a case of the top dog vs an underdog that they become animated. Their conduct calls into question the whole idea of “bullying” as an act of aggression and intimidation. If bullying (cyber- or wherever else it takes place) is about a powerful person preying on a weaker party, what constitutes it when the supposed victim is the one who can afford to hire the police?

The Senior Pastor of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman, has attributed current economic hardship to poor decisions made during the 2023 elections.

Suleman made this assertion during Tuesday and Wednesday’s two-day “Recovery Conference 2025” in Bauchi State, the Daily Post reports Thursday.

Ahead of the event, he paid a courtesy visit to the Government House, where he met with Governor Bala Mohammed.

While commending Mohammed for his leadership and hospitality, Suleman described him as “a man of honour” and pledged his continued prayers for the state’s progress. Senior pastors, including Dr. Kingsley Aigbe, accompanied him.

However, speaking with journalists at the Government House, Suleman didn’t mince words about the nation’s state, blaming Nigerians for their electoral choices.

“What Nigerians are going through is partly what they deserve. Before the election, we cried out, we screamed, we yelled. The man (President Bola Tinubu) who came into leadership had no manifesto—just a sense of entitlement with his ‘it’s my turn’ mantra,” Suleman declared.

He criticised Tinubu’s administration for poor policy decisions and the mismanagement of the country’s oil sector.

“The oil sector has been plundered. In the next 10 to 15 years, I don’t think Nigerians will recover from the damage. Now, all we can do is pray,” he lamented.

Suleman urged Nigerians to reflect on their voting decisions ahead of the 2027 elections, cautioning, “If they’ve suffered enough by then, perhaps they’ll make better decisions.”

Echoing Suleman’s concerns, Mohammed, also took a swipe at Tinubu’s policies, warning of their potential to harm the nation irreparably.

“Tinubu’s policies don’t have a clear vision and are taking us to the road to perdition and destruction. That is why when I talk about tax reforms, it is not because I don’t want reform, but because I want reform that will have a national impact. I don’t have anything against the president but respect,” Mohammed said.

The governor vowed to continue criticising Federal Government policies as long as they “shortchange Nigerians.”

“Nigerians deserve better, and I will not shy away from pointing out these shortcomings,” the governor maintained.

[Punch]