There is no denying the fact that the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State is an ill-advised and disproportionate measure that threatens to escalate an already tense situation in the state. It is akin to using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, a classic case of applying a bigger problem to solve a smaller one. The crisis in Rivers, while serious, does not warrant the draconian measure of a state of emergency, which has historically been reserved for situations where a state has become completely ungovernable due to insurgency, war, or natural disaster.

Against the backdrop of the foregoing, it is germane to recall that Rivers State is a crucial economic hub in Nigeria that has been embroiled in a political crisis stemming from the power tussle between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who now serves as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Thus, the friction between the two political gladiators has spilled over into the state’s legislature, judiciary, and even the security apparatus, leading to a breakdown in governance.

However, while the situation is concerning, it has not degenerated into total lawlessness. The courts are still functioning, the security agencies are still in operation, and economic activities have not ground to a halt. The political instability is largely an elite struggle for control, and while it has trickled down to affect governance, it has not created the kind of anarchic conditions that justify a state of emergency.

Declaring a state of emergency in Rivers would mean suspending democratic institutions, imposing military rule, and giving the federal government sweeping powers over the state. Historically, states of emergency in Nigeria have led to further crises rather than solving them. For instance, the declaration of a state of emergency in Plateau and Ekiti states in the early 2000s did not yield lasting peace but rather deepened political tensions.

The implications of such a declaration are dire. First, it would disenfranchise the people of Rivers by sidelining their elected government. Second, it would set a dangerous precedent where political conflicts are met with authoritarian responses rather than dialogue and democratic solutions. Third, it could have economic repercussions, as investors would see Rivers as an unstable environment, leading to capital flight and further economic downturn.

Without a doubt, the crisis in Rivers is a political problem that requires a political solution. In fact, the crisis in Rivers is fundamentally political, and political problems require political solutions. This is as the issues at play include loyalty struggles, governance style differences, and conflicting interests within the ruling party. These are challenges that should be resolved through dialogue, negotiation, and institutional mechanisms, not military intervention.

Rather than imposing a state of emergency, the federal government should facilitate a roundtable discussion involving all stakeholders, including Governor Fubara, Minister Wike, lawmakers, traditional rulers, and civil society leaders. Mediation efforts should be aimed at ensuring that the democratic institutions in the state function optimally and that governance is not held hostage by personal ambitions.

Additionally, the judiciary must play its role in resolving the legal disputes arising from the crisis. The courts should be allowed to function without political interference so that legal interpretations of the unfolding events can provide clarity and direction.

Irrespective of the fact that Nigeria’s democracy is not new to incidents of declaration of state of emergency, the latest declaration in Rivers, no doubt, highlights the dangerousness of its pronouncement for Nigerian Democracy. 

In fact, the recently declared state of emergency in Rivers, will no doubt further set a precedent that could be exploited in other states facing political crises. This is as Nigerian politics is replete with conflicts between governors and their predecessors, rival factions within parties, and power struggles at different levels of government. Therefore, if the federal government responds to such conflicts with emergency declarations, it could mark the beginning of an era of arbitrary interventions, weakening Nigeria’s democratic structure.

Moreover, the security forces, which are already overstretched with issues of insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, and separatist agitations in the South-East, should not be dragged into what is essentially a political conflict. Deploying federal forces to Rivers in an emergency scenario would further militarize governance and increase the risk of human rights abuses.

Against the backdrop of the foregoing view, it is not a misnomer to opine that Nigeria’s democracy is still evolving, and that part of that evolution is learning to handle political crises within the framework of democratic institutions. The situation in Rivers, while challenging, is not unmanageable within the bounds of democracy. The federal government must resist the temptation to employ excessive force where political engagement is needed. Declaring a state of emergency in Rivers would be a classic case of using a bigger problem to solve a smaller one, and history has shown that such approaches often create more chaos than they resolve. Instead of exacerbating the crisis, the focus should be on dialogue, institutional reforms, and upholding the rule of law. That is the only sustainable path to peace and stability in Rivers State.

Beware the Ides of March has been an unceasing admonition to politicians since the brutal assassination of Julius Caesar on 15 March, 44BC when events move in a certain troubling trajectory. In the case of Caesar, he was warned by a soothsayer and the wife Calpurnia as is usual with women, was ill at ease. What with their intuition which is superior to any debate. Didn’t Chief Awolowo say to the world that his wife was a jewel of inestimable value who was usually Divinely guided? And didn’t the wife of Pontius Pilate say to her husband that she was troubled in her dream all night and her husband should “have thou nothing to do with the death of that man because He is innocent?” The innocent Man was no other than the Lord Christ. This is because women have an abundance of richer spiritual content in their make-up that enables them to easily tell right from wrong than men. And so exultantly and confidently the wife of Charles de Gaulle one-time President of France, said: “Charles, you govern France, but I rule this house including you!”

Feeling confident, Caesar headed for the Senate meeting ignoring the warnings.
“I could be well moved. If I were you.
If I could pray to move, prayers would move me.
But I am constant as the Northern Star.
Of whose true fixed and resting quality
There is no fellow in the firmament.
The skies are painted with unnumbered sparks;
They are all fire, and everyone doth shine.
But there’s but one in all doth hold his place.”
Julius Caesar was felled, stabbed by his traducers.

The struggle in Rivers State has been long coming. It began as soon as Siminalayi Fubara took up the mantle of office as Governor, but he did not have enough experience to deal with people who are adept in the power game and watch his back. As I said last week, the crisis in the oil-blessed Rivers State is unremitted power struggle for political and economic control. Nyesom Wike is undoubtedly driving at enthronement of godfatherism worship to replicate the Lagos doctrine. Governor Fubara had wondered that since Wike governed Rivers State permitting no interference from any quarters, why should he not be allowed to serve with the same free hands and latitude.

The relationship between Wike and Fubara was chummy in the early stages of the latter’s Administration. It was such that when Wike was appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Governor Fubara led some members of his cabinet, elders and stakeholders of the state to Abuja on a congratulatory celebration. There was hardly any visit to Port Harcourt by Wike that Fubara did not lead his officials to receive him at the airport. Many of Wike’s commissioners when he was governor were inherited by Fubara. Unknown to Fubara there were undertows charging in the mass of waters that is Rivers State and abutting Government House. A secret plan had reached an advanced stage to impeach him because of his stand-off against interference in his administration from Abuja. This was in October, 2023, when he was barely six months in office.

That was when things began to fall apart. Reports said he had to move fast to avert the harm to his rulership and political career so early. But some occurrence came to his rescue. A wing of the State Assembly building caught fire. The coincidence was too much not to insinuate that it was the handiwork of arsonists known to people in the executive. The Assembly members read into the incident a deliberate effort to stall the impeachment process. They removed the Majority Leader of the House, Edison Ehie. The legislators were determined to still forge ahead with their impeachment resolve to a logical conclusion. However, they were disbanded by security operatives who drove them away when they reconvened to pursue their objective to remove the governor. The Governor himself came out. He addressed them describing the attempt to impeach him a nullity.

The House was broken with four going on the side of Governor Fubara and 27 for FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. The Governor moved the Assembly to Government House ostensibly to rebuild or renovate the building damaged by fire. The governor said later that the building had suffered from integrity deficiency and had largely to be pulled down. The larger faction led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule refused to move the Assembly to Government House. On 11 December, 2023, at a reception held in honour of Tony Okocha, chairman of APC chapter in River State, they announced their defection to APC. They were shown on video standing with Okocha raising hands and brandishing broom the symbol of APC.

Edison Ehie who had become the Speaker on the side of Fubara headed for the state High Court to obtain order recognising the four members as constituting the authentic Rivers State House of Assembly. He made efforts to declare the seat of the 27 group vacant since they had changed party and gone away with the APC. Based on that recognition the 2024 budget was presented to the four-man legislators. They passed it and Governor Fubara signed it into an appropriation law on the same day. Lawyers say that there had been a similar case of thin legislature strength in Plateau State before which they could cite. The budget in Port Harcourt, anyway, covered the renovation of the Assembly building damaged.

On 18 December, President Bola Tinubu waded into the crisis, asking the parties in the rift to sheathe their swords and embrace peace. Fubara was asked to re- absorb the pro- Wike commissioners who had left the administration of their own free will. He was asked to re-present the 2024 budget as well. He re-absorbed the commissioners but he declined to re-present the appropriation bill which those close to him said had been overtaken. This led to renewed stand-off. Nyesom Wike said the only path to peace in the state is in Fubara re-presenting the 2025 budget and tabling his list of commissioners before the expanded legislative house.

As the crisis situation was deteriorating, President Tinubu came in with a big stick! He declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, 18 March, exactly two years Fubara had his electoral victory at the polls. It is not the state of emergency that is so much of a problem as the exercise of that power is discretionary and based on what intelligence reports he has, but the attendant sacking of the governor, his deputy, Professor (Mrs.) Ngozi Odu; their Executive Council; and Members of the State Assembly. Lawyers argue that by so doing the President has exceeded his brief spelt out in the constitution.

It is reassuring that lawyers have been churning out quite some literature on this such that everything, the hastiness of action by the Federal Authority has sounded more like working to the answer. Many analysts say the gaze is on 2027 and Rivers State is crucial in the electoral calculation. What with Nyesom Wike conducting himself with his accustomed lack of refinement and with a certain sense of entitlement to Rivers State beyond a call to serve for which we all must bow our spirit in humility for the Grace. What with the pro-Wike State House of Assembly members not making themselves available for Governor Fubara to present his budget and list of commissioners in line with the ruling of the Supreme Court! To frustrate him, the Assembly adjourned indefinitely without any thought about his finding the resources to run and meet the obligations of the state.

Bola Tinubu and Nyesom Wike are two of a kind sharing the same political philosophy which is that struggle for power is not a child’s play. You fight for it “at all costs, snatch it and run with it.” Both will not let go on their super-rich empires.

Unfortunately, the dominant wish among our people is to line up behind the man with the deep pocket. They drop their principles.

See the spate of defections!!

The Governor said while addressing the people of River State before vacating Government House on Wednesday: “Even in the face of the political impasse, we have remained committed to constitutional order and the rule of law, putting the interest of our people above all else. This was why immediately after Mr. President’s intervention to broker peace, we did not hesitate to implement the agreed terms in good faith, including welcoming back commissioners who had previously resigned on their own volition. Furthermore, we moved swiftly to comply with the Supreme Court’s judgment immediately we received the certified true copy of the judgment to return the state to normalcy…. Unfortunately, at every turn, members of the Rivers State House of Assembly frustrated our efforts, thus making genuine peace and progress difficult.”

The craving for power and influence by man is an age-long intoxication. It was for fear of losing power and influence as well as hold on their fellowmen that the political and priestly establishments in Israel conspired and instigated hate among the people to get rid of the Lord Jesus Christ. And they executed Him Who brought the Holy Word of Salvation. The end to the intoxication is not in sight and will not be until mankind have the knowledge of the consequences of the burden in every wrongdoing which are awaiting them in life hereafter! They are severe; they are relentless. The entire Creation is governed by immutable, living and self-acting Laws.

Governor Fubara and his government should be immediately recalled. State of Emergency may be retained to curb lawlessness such as emerging oil pipeline vandalization which President Tinubu accused Fubara of not censoring. Options to return the state to normalcy can be exhausted in the arbitration of the courts. States are coordinate entities with the Centre; that is why we are a federation.

UNIQUE SEASON OF FASTING
For millions of Christians and Moslems world-wide this is a special season. The mosques are overfilling every evening. And from pulpits on Sundays an outpouring of exhortations for the good life thunders across the globe. It is yet another season of the great yearly fast, ladies and gentlemen. This year’s fasting period is unique. The last time the period for both faiths coincided was 32 years ago. Those who have pre-occupied themselves with this ecclesiastical purification of body and soul say the coincidence is indeed every 33 years. Their prediction borne out of cosmic calculation is that indeed the fasting by adherents of both Christianity and Islam Ramadan and Lent will fall on the same day, 18 February, next year. The Moslems turned their gaze upwards on 28 February with the sighting of the moon and should be away in spirit until the appearance of another crescent, about 30 days altogether. The Christians went on their knees on 05 March to begin their own 40-day retreat from worldliness.

In 1993 when this overlapping occurred, I said given the fact that a substantial majority of Nigerians subscribe to both religions, it may not be quite out of place to assume that, under normal circumstances a wave of purifying flames or currents would sweep through the country at least for the period of the fast. A great many unbelievers, too, might be wondering, shaking their heads in pity, at what sounded to them as transcendental penitentiality that demands abstinence from food, drinks and pleasure was really all about and what has befallen the world!

I do fast. And I enjoy doing so on two grounds. First it affords me the opportunity to give the body a break from its enormous workload. Withdrawal from food for some time is like bringing the city of millions of trillions of cells to a standstill on a sanitation last Saturday of the month. All the wastes that heavy work schedule locked in the closets are brought out and emptied as all energy is diverted to detoxification of the household. Thereafter, the body gets lighter, livelier, more radiant and youthful.

But by far more important is the benevolent effect of true fasting on the inner man. Man himself. True, a revitalised cloak or vessel as a refurbished motor car is to a motorist, is an invaluable asset for spiritual mobility and outreach, it is in the capacity of a fast to loosen spirit from body awhile and connect man to his Maker that its greatest benefit resides.

Man on earth is a union of body and soul, the soul itself a union of the spirit, that is of man, and his non-physical, finer coverings. The unions are held together by a mesh of radiations to which each party makes a contribution. Full consciousness is a state in which each party generates its required share of heat for the union. When the current is low from any side, the uniting mesh weakens and the union loosens. This happens often, as when the body is in a state of shock or illness, during sleep when the body goes to rest or when at the other end, the inner man loses the will to live and loses hold on the body, its cloak.

This is clearly evident when a tired body falls asleep, its contribution to the rays diminishes and the soul is freed through a weakening of the union hold, soars away, in what the brain, memory brain also called cerebellum, is later to remember faintly as a dream, having not fully and consciously participated in the experiences of the soul. It is the same principle that is enunciated by such alternative forms of medicine as acupuncture, acupressure, reflex zone therapy and iridology. Those channels of energy they speak about are nothing other than paths of energy flow.

Fasting may indeed have a spiritually composing effect if it turns man away from earthly trivialities and assists him to seek connection with his Maker. This will depend, however, on the inner state. For once the deprivation of nourishment to the body compels it to weaken; the union with the soul loosens somewhat, and the soul thus freed may easily gain the necessary connection with finer, that is immaterial currents. Gratitude arises to flow to the Throne of Grace. With finer currents come blessings, clarity, guidance, protection etc.

It needs be pointed out, however, that not all fasting brings blessings. There cannot be blessing where fasting does not engender an awakening inwardly. In fact, many who fast in this expectation are inwardly dead and do fast only out of habit or society expectation. For those who cannot fast for whatever reason or do not believe in it, that awakening is by no means unattainable through other agencies. Many souls are known, for example, to open up in the woods, seashore or in music halls. It is important for each person to find the key for unlocking the treasures of his own inner life. Above all, however, there is no better way to the unfolding than what The Grail Message by Abd-ru-shin points out: “He who bears within himself the firm volition for what is good, and strives to give purity to his thoughts has already found the way to the Highest! All else will then be added unto him.” Elsewhere, The Grail Message states: “If you deal exclusively and earnestly with what is good all else follows of its own accord. Thus it is not at all so difficult! But in your volition you constantly reach far beyond this, thus from the outset making the most simple things not only very hard for yourselves but quite often even impossible.”

The award-winning Nigerian author and Beyoncé-sampled essayist is back with her first novel in a decade, which makes now a great time to get to know her work.
She’s won multiple awards for her novels, had her Ted talk sampled by Beyoncé, and was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2015. Now, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is back with her first novel in 10 years - so if you haven’t read anything by the Nigerian author yet, it’s a good time to catch up.

The entry point

Adichie’s second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun, not only won the Orange Prize for Fiction (now the Women’s Prize for Fiction) in the year I was a judge, but also its Winner of Winners in 2020, and was made into a 2013 film with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandiwe Newton. It begins after Nigerian independence in 1960, telling the story of the Biafran war via “The Master,” a maths lecturer in Nsukka (where Adichie grew up), his London-educated lover Olanna, and teenage houseboy Ugwu. The traumas of war are preceded by joyous intellectual jousting, fuelled by Ugwu’s mouthwatering jollof rice and pepper soup. While Adichie once acknowledged to me her debt to Romesh Gunesekera’s Sri Lanka-set novel Reef for this master chef culinary device, her breakthrough novel earns its place as a West African War and Peace.

The credo

Adichie’s essay The Danger of a Single Story, first given as a 2009 Ted talk (and available as an eBook), sets out her stall as a storyteller as succinctly as Orwell’s 1946 essay Why I Write. Joining novelist Chinua Achebe’s call for a “balance of stories,” it echoes Binyavanga Wainaina’s How to Write About Africa, the 2005 satirical bombshell in Granta magazine - reprinted in a posthumous 2022 collection for which his bereft friend Adichie wrote the introduction. “Power is the ability not just to tell the story of another person, but to make it the definitive story,” she writes – a flattening of experience that “robs people” of human complexity and dignity while exaggerating their differences. “Africa is a continent full of catastrophes … But there are other stories … just as important.”

The spectacular debut

The consummate coming-of-age novel Purple Hibiscus, which won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for the best first book, explores faith, freedom, sexual awakening and religious hypocrisy through a 15-year-old girl, Kambili, growing up in south-eastern Nigeria after a military coup. Her father, a “Big Man” factory owner, is a patriarch and religious zealot whose wife-beating tyranny devastates the family, even as he garners human rights awards for defying the new regime. Where the Catholic church demands prayer in Latin, not Igbo, and cash-stuffed envelopes get things done, a brother’s act of defiance leads ultimately to prison. Yet Kambili blossoms with a scholarly aunt in Nsukka, a university town where questioning and debate are encouraged not slapped down. To the strains of Fela Kuti, she exults because, for all its potholes, “Nsukka could free something deep inside your belly that would rise… and come out as a freedom song.”

The epic love story

The 600-page, tricontinental novel Americanah, winner of the US National Book Critics Circle award for fiction, is as much sharp observational comedy and critique as romance. Its heroine Ifemelu, a fellow at Princeton, is first seen having her hair braided for the journey home after 13 years away. Fleeing military-ruled Nigeria, she felt the burden and pathologies of race only in the US – as explored in her flâneur’s blog, “Raceteenth, or Various Observations About American Blacks (Those Formerly Known as Negroes) by a Non-American Black”, which ranges from Barack Obama to the vexed politics of black hair. But her homesickness is partly for her first love, Obinze, the “only person with whom she has never felt the need to explain herself”. Having failed in the visa lottery for the Land of the Free, he languished in London before making it as a property developer in his newly democratic homeland. As the novel traces their sundered lives towards reunion, the question is whether their love is beyond rekindling.

The one everyone should read

We Should All Be Feminists speaks to successive generations of women and men in its efforts to reclaim feminism’s high ground from a mighty backlash. Expanded from a 2012 Ted talk – since sampled on Beyoncé’s Flawless – it bristles with outraged anecdotes and observations on how women are still taught to shrink and silence themselves, how gender bias becomes normalised through repetition, and how the cage of masculinity breeds men’s fear of weakness and vulnerability. “We must raise our daughters differently. We must also raise our sons differently,” Adichie writes in a book that could be read alongside her advice for parents, Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions. Embracing her great-grandmother, who ran off to marry the man of her choice, as a feminist avant la lettre, Adichie rebuts notions of feminism as “un-African”.

The one that will make you feel less alone

Published the year after her father’s sudden death from kidney failure, Notes on Grief is a doting daughter’s reckoning with her father’s loss. It contains rare confidences from an author who guards her privacy and a bracing confession of the rage and turmoil of mourning. Though the family met on Zoom, Adichie had not seen her father in the flesh for months when he died during lockdown, and her “leaden heart” feels only fury at condolers’ presumptuousness (“he is in a better place”). Flashes of obituary reveal a man, deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Nigeria in the 1980s and a leading professor of statistics, who had returned from doctoral studies at Berkeley shortly before the Biafran war when all his books were burnt by Nigerian soldiers. Years later, he was kidnapped for ransom because of his famous daughter. Yet his humour, “already dry, crisped deliciously as he aged”. Was he “the reason I have never been afraid of the disapproval of men?” Adichie asks. “I think so.”

‘Cancel culture? We should stop it. End of story: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on backlash, writer’s block - and her new baby twinsHer first novel in 10 years, Dream Count, charts the interlinked lives and desires of four women during the Covid-19 pandemic. Adichie’s mother, who died in 2021, was an inspiration for its mother-daughter relationships. Central is Chiamaka, a Nigerian travel writer living in the US, considering her body clock and missed opportunities. The character of Chiamaka’s housekeeper, Kadiatou, was inspired by Nafissatou Diallo, the Guinean woman who in 2011 accused the then IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault in the New York hotel where she worked as a maid - though the case was dismissed because she was said to have lied about her background. “A victim need not be perfect to be deserving of justice,” Adichie notes in the novel’s afterword, arguing for the need for “imaginative retellings”. Fleshing out this character while preserving as sacrosanct her account of the alleged assault, was, for Adichie, “to ‘write’ a wrong in the balance of stories”.

Dream Count is published by 4th Estate.

British Writer and Critic Maya Jaggi wrote for The Guardian, London

In this piece, Senator Bunmi Adetunmbi, who represented Ekiti North District between 2011 and 2015 in the Senate, urges the National Assembly to consider the imperative of e-voting, instead of using the ‘voice vote’ to arrive at decisions.

Some of the decision-making methods generally employed by parliaments all over the world include voice voting, rising voting, show of hands, roll call, e-voting. All except for voice voting, provides a means to directly measure the voting pattern of individual members of parliament. Since the inception of the 4 Assembly in 1999, the Senate has largely employed voice voting for practically all of its decisions with the notable exception of constitution amendment bills and rare cases of call for division. Majorly, “Say Aye” and “Say Nay” have been the voting habit, which sometime gets challenged and a call for division demanded by members who feel strongly that the Senate President, based on his discretionary interpretation of the relative decibel level of response, has not dispensed his judgement fairly.

In his epochal and widely publicized legislative agenda, Senate President Bukola Saraki identified legislative best practices as one of the pillars of a comprehensive agenda at reforming the legislative business of government. Under this pillar, he promised an E-Parliament “using ICT in the regular conduct of legislative activities of the Senate, such that modern information communication tools will be used across the activities of the National Assembly” He went further to specifically declare that “the Senate will make e-voting a regular feature of Senate legislative business. The adoption of E-Voting is to clear any iota of doubt on the credibility of the voting process in the Senate. The method will ensure transparency and accountability thereby restoring the credibility of the voting activities in the system.” These are laudable initiatives and Dr. Bukola Saraki should be commended for offering these radial steps at reforming the way the business of the Senate is conducted.

The recent passage of the harmonization report on the order of elections, which led to a walk out by 10 senators, brings to the fore the issue of transparency and public accountability in National assembly voting process. One wonders why despite the promised voting reforms of Senator President Bukola Saraki, some of the recent sensitive decisions of the Senate have been dogged with controversy and protests by aggrieved Senators that the Presiding Officer is undemocratic and nursing a hidden agenda. This is a serious allegation that could have been addressed if the proposed e-parliament envisaged by Senator Saraki had been implemented.

Parliamentary vote by roll call to enumerate those that say “yea” or “nay”, on specific issues provides verifiable and empirical record on how parliament voted. It enables the general public, constituents and political parties to know how their representatives voted on issues of interest and concern to them. This form of transparent and open balloting system is considered the best for any deliberative and parliamentary assembly that is accountable and responsible to a constituency. Although Rule 73 of the Senate Proceedings provides for dissenting members to call for division to call for recorded votes, but under the proposed e-voting reform of Senate President Saraki, this should have been the rule of voting rather than the exception. I believe this is the anomaly that the laudable declaration of Senator Saraki intended to address and reverse at the onset of his Senate Presidency in June 2015. Unfortunately, this is yet to happen in the eighth assembly. 

There were many instances during the 7th Senate where I served, that I wished my choices on major issues were placed on record beyond the untraceable “Yeas or Nays have it” that characterized most of the decisions of that era. Only during constitution amendments and a call for division by Senator Babajide Omoworare of Osun State did I recall the use of recorded voting during my four-year tenure of 2011-2015. Calling for voting history of representatives to know their positions on important parliamentary debates is impossible as a result of this casual style of voting. This makes it practically impossible to assess the quality of representation and how much parliamentarians toe party lines on policies and electoral promises. Voice voting, in my view, should be limited to simple decisions such as adoption of record of proceedings and the likes. Other serious business of the parliament such as resolution of motions, passage of bills should be resolved through recorded voting.

For a parliamentarian, the duty of representation, in my view, is superior to that of law making because you have to be elected first as a representative before being law maker, in other words, without being a representative, you cannot be a law maker. Therefore, as representative of constituencies, senators have the primary and sacred duty of advocating the priorities of their constituents and constantly balancing local and national interests, and providing the constituents feedback on the choices he or she makes on their behalf. This is the soft underbelly of democracy and can only be measured if voting records of representatives are recorded and open for scrutiny and compliance trail by those whose mandate he or she carries and the party that gave it expression. Part of the reasons for the current poor public perception of the National Assembly is largely due to poor understanding of their roles and the value attached to it. The e-voting reform initiative proposed by Senator Bukola Saraki, if implemented, will give the media more work to do by creating a wider agenda of issue-based discussion on the deliberations of parliament and specific roles of individual parliamentarians and clusters of partisan and multiparty interest groups. This way, we can further build public confidence in the institution and further demonstrate its value to our democracy as well as justify the cost of running parliament in a democracy.

This is why Senator Saraki’s e-voting reform must be revisited to address a critical need for transparency in our legislative practice, boost the peoples’ confidence in the parliament and deepen our democratic culture. The public needs to be provided with relevant information to measure the quality of representation in the legislative chambers through transparent and responsible accounting of parliamentary votes. This is why, as much as practicable, voice voting should never be allowed to become the popular method for serious decision making in the legislative chambers. To the extent that it veils the voting identity of elected representatives, voice voting is fundamentally flawed and is a form of political corruption that should be discouraged in taking important decisions in the National Assembly. As it has played out in the current issue of the bill on the amendment of the timetable for the 2019 elections, e-voting would have established attendance, whether or not quorum was formed and how members wish to vote. Adoption of a voice call in such a sensitive issue is susceptible to controversies of the interpretational judgement of the Presiding Officer with the undesirable potential of promoting over time, the erosion of trust and confidence in the quality of decision emanating from leader of the deliberative assembly. Worse still, it helps to mask the face, muffle the voice and veil the choice made by each representative, this can promote indolence and non-transparent representation. It reduces public accountability on parliamentary decision to unacceptable minimum and provides undesirable cover for truancy on the part of some representatives.

On the other hand, any other form of decision-making that maintains the record of individual choices provides transparent measure of the representative’s quality of decision making. It becomes easy to know how the choices made by each representative hurt or promote the interest of their constituents, supports or undermines the policy preferences of their political parties. Recorded decision-making tools also promote the emergence of ideological differentiation within the various parties in the assembly and brings into full public glare what side of issues their representatives stand on major social and economic policy debates.

Luckily for us, our Senate and House of Representatives chambers have fully installed, functional e-voting systems which can easily be put to use to put names to votes and give specific identity to decisions in our National Assembly. It must be emphasized that e-voting is just another form of recorded voting that can promote decision integrity in NASS and make our Chambers truly hallowed. It follows logically that even if the e-voting system is not employed for whatever reason, manual recording is very possible, roll call, division and several other manual forms parliamentary vote recording exist that can be utilised.

To improve on the quality of legislative representation and promote transparency and accountability at this critical stage of our democratic evolution, our Senate and House of Representatives must move away from the convenient but controversial voice voting to recorded voting. Every legislator should be identifiable with and account for the choices he or she makes on behalf of the general public, their constituents and the political parties that gave them electoral platform. It is on this score and in the interest of building the institution of parliament, that Senator Bukola Saraki should not abandon his original commitment to e-voting and thereby giving room for imputation of wrong personal motive or partisan interpretation to his role as Senate President. He owes it a duty to his tenure not to allow  drift of a noble mission, and in his own words, he owes the public a legacy that will “clear any iota of doubt on the credibility of the voting process in the Senate.” There is still time for him to make good this ennobling reform.

originally published in The Nation, Feb. 23, 2018.

Programme: City Talks with Dr. Reuben Abati

Time: 12:00pm

Guest : Hilda Dokubo 

Social Activist and Actress

Topic: State of Emergency Declaration in Rivers State

Date: March 22, 2025

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/92877141732?pwd=VEJWb29OL2VVekZUTHRpdWYxK0xxZz09

Meeting ID: 928 7714 1732

Passcode: 600206

The Nigeria Customs Service, Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command, has revealed how it intercepted a total of $578 000 falsely declared from an inbound passenger coming into Nigeria from South Africa.

The Customs Area Controller in charge of the command, John Harrison announced this while addressing journalists at the command on Friday.

He explained that the suspect, Mr. Okorie Sunday, came into the country on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, with the money undeclared and hidden in his body.

According to him, the passenger, on arriving at the airport, started acting strange, which warranted a search by the officers on duty.

“The passenger was said to have declared $279,000 and hid $299,000 on his body, bringing the total money to $578, 000. This contravenes the threshold of $10,000 approved by law,” Harrison said.

Harrison added that the suspect also concealed £100 and a counterfeit $250.

The cash that was handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was jointly counted and confirmed by customs and the anti-graft agency.

The CAC highlighted that such unlawful behaviour undermines the integrity of the nation’s financial system.

Harrison mentioned that customs has provided forms at the counters of all airlines to allow passengers to make the lawful declaration.

While receiving the intercepted cash, the acting Zonal Director of EFCC Ahmed Ghali, urged members of the public to avoid such crimes advising that any cash over $10,000 should be declared as provided by law.

Ghali added that such an act exposes the country to money laundering and could make the country look like a hub for illicit financial inflows.

He added that the EFCC will investigate and verify if the money is genuine or fake while taking further investigative action.

[TNG]

If you’re scanning the crypto market for the best altcoins to buy now, you’re not alone.

With Ethereum’s Layer-2 scaling solutions gaining traction, investors are hunting for high-potential altcoins before the next bull run sends prices soaring. 

I’ve been in the game long enough to know that catching the next altcoin to explode isn’t about luck, it’s about spotting market trends, liquidity, and institutional adoption before the crowd. 

One project making waves is Dawgz AI, a meme coin with real utility, fast transactions, and a growing ecosystem.

5 Best Altcoins to Buy Now

From coins with solid market capitalization to those poised for explosive growth, we’ve got you covered. Below is a list with 5 best altcoins to buy now!

1. Dawgz AI: The Presale Opportunity You Can’t Miss

If you ready for a game-changing opportunity in the world of crypto assets, meet Dawgz AI, the meme coin with a twist! 

Currently in presale at a price of $0.00345, $DAGZ is already making waves, offering you a chance to invest early and be part of something huge before it takes off. 

This is your chance to invest in a coin that blends AI-powered technology, lightning-fast transactions, and a strong community vibe that’s bound to go big. 

Whether you’re a crypto veteran or new to the scene, $DAGZ is the next big thing.

How to Buy $DAGZ:

Buying $DAGZ is super easy, and here’s how you can get started:

• Select Your Network:
  Connect your wallet to either the Ethereum or Solana network. You can pay with ETH, USDT, USDC, BNB, or SOL.
• Purchase Tokens: Input the amount of $DAGZ tokens you want to buy and confirm the transaction with your selected cryptocurrency (ETH or USDT).
• Consider Staking for Extra Rewards: You can stake your $DAGZ tokens for additional rewards, with staked tokens becoming available to claim eight days after the presale ends.
• Claim Your Tokens: If you prefer not to stake your tokens, you can easily claim them using the same wallet and network you used for the purchase

Why Dawgz AI?

Dawgz AI it’s a project with real utility and advanced AI-powered trading algorithms designed to deliver consistent profits for holders. Here’s why $DAGZ is a must-have:

• Meme Coin ROI: With its AI-powered technology, you’re looking at strategic investments that deliver massive growth while still keeping the fun, community-driven energy alive.
• Advanced Technology: Dawgz AI’s high-frequency trading algorithms are designed to run 24/7, 365, maximizing your returns without requiring constant monitoring.
• Accessible Investment: $DAGZ is made for everyone. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced trader, you can join the journey without needing deep technical knowledge.
• Community & Hype: Dawgz AI is backed by a strong community and growing hype. $DAGZ is poised to be a leader in the meme index while also delivering the profits.

2. Solana (SOL) 

Solana (SOL) is steadily holding its ground in the crypto space. 

Currently priced at $130.96, it has experienced a 5.96% increase in the last 24 hours, with a market cap of $66.79B. 

Known for its fast transactions and low fees, Solana is becoming a popular choice.

As we approach the next bull run, analysts predict that Solana could see significant gains, especially as more users and developers continue to adopt its decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem.

As adoption grows and more projects build on Solana’s platform, it remains a key altcoin to consider for long-term growth.

3. Cardano (ADA)

Cardano, currently priced at around $0.7314 and has recently seen a 6.18% increase in the past 24 hours, has carved out a solid position in the crypto world, particularly with its focus on sustainability and scalability

With a focus on sustainable blockchain development, Cardano’s ecosystem has been gaining momentum, especially with its smart contract capabilities and growing partnerships.

As the DeFi space expands, Cardano’s low fees and scalability position it well for future growth.

As the crypto industry continues to mature, Cardano’s robust ecosystem and commitment to improving scalability make it a promising option for strategic investments.

4. Dogecoin (DOGE)

Dogecoin (DOGE), currently priced at $0.1714, has seen a 4.48% increase over the last 24 hours.

Although its price tends to be more volatile compared to other major cryptos, Dogecoin continues to hold its place in the market due to its low transaction fees and its widespread recognition. 

With a total supply of 148.49B DOGE and the same amount in circulating supply, Dogecoin’s price movement often reflects sentiment in the broader crypto market.

It’s not always taken seriously by traditional investors, but DOGE still enjoys a solid following, and its lighthearted nature continues to make it an interesting option in the crypto ecosystem.

5. XRP (Ripple)

XRP, currently priced at $2.51, has experienced a solid 12.21% increase in the past 24 hours, with a market cap of $146.32B.

 As one of the top players in the crypto market, XRP stands out with its focus on facilitating fast, low-cost cross-border transactions.

With a circulating supply of 58.1B XRP and a total supply of 99.98B XRP, it has a large presence in the market. 

Despite the ongoing legal challenges it faces, XRP continues to show strong growth and remains a key asset for those looking for crypto solutions in international payments.

Comparing Top Altcoins: Dawgz AI, Solana, Cardano, Dogecoin and XRP

When it comes to selecting the best altcoins to buy now, there are several options with unique qualities. 

While Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), Dogecoin (DOGE), and XRP are all well-known, Dawgz AI ($DAGZ) is quickly becoming a strong contender with its AI-powered technology and early investment opportunity in its presale. 

Dawgz AI offers an exciting chance to be part of a growing community while securing passive income from staking and benefiting from advanced AI trading algorithms.

Which crypto coin will boom?

While it’s hard to predict with certainty, Dawgz AI ($DAGZ) is a strong contender due to its AI-powered technology and early presale momentum. 

Along with Solana (SOL), which has proven scalability and XRP, known for its use in cross-border payments, Dawgz AI stands out with its unique combination of AI-driven trading and meme coin appeal.

Conclusion

As the crypto world keeps evolving, Dawgz AI is shaping up to be the best altcoin to buy now.

With its combination of real utility, AI-powered trading, and a strong, growing community, $DAGZ offers a unique opportunity for those looking to get in early. 

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) says it is investigating TikTok and Truecaller over alleged data privacy violations as part of efforts to enforce compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA).

Speaking during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Vincent Olatunji, the national commissioner and chief executive officer (CEO) of NDPC, said the agency is assessing the platforms’ compliance with data protection laws and would determine necessary regulatory actions based on its findings.

“As we speak, we have even gone to the extent of investigating multinationals. We are currently investigating TikTok and Truecaller in the area of data privacy,” Olatunji said.

“Depending on our findings, if they are able to go through remediation and do what is right, we are happy to work with them.”

The NDPC CEO noted said when the commission began monitoring data protection compliance, only 4 percent of organisations adhered to regulations.

He, however, said through increased enforcement and stakeholder engagement, compliance levels have now surpassed 55 percent.

Olatunji said the NDPC prioritises remediation over immediate sanctions, evaluating data breaches based on their severity, the number of individuals affected, and the potential economic impact.

Instead of publicly declaring non-compliance, he said the commission provides companies with clear corrective measures to address identified issues.

The commissioner added that organisations found in violation must keep comprehensive records of their data processing activities and rectify any lapses.

“Additionally, they are subject to monitoring for six months to a year to ensure full compliance,” he said.

Olatunji said while the commission prefers a corrective approach, it will not hesitate to enforce stricter actions if necessary.

At the press conference, the NDPC also introduced the NDPA general application and implementation directive (NDP Act GAID), a regulatory framework designed to help data controllers and processors comply with the NDPA.

Olatunji said many organisations lack understanding of data protection regulations, often leading to inadvertent breaches.

The commissioner said the NDP Act GAID addresses technical and organisational measures in the areas of data protection principles, lawful basis of data processing, NDP Act compliance audit, and data subject rights, among others.

He said the directive, which will be available on the NDPC’s portal, intends to provide clarity and reinforce the role of data protection officers in ensuring compliance.

The suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, following the declaration of a state of emergency in the state, has reportedly moved with his family to Bayelsa State.

Naija News reports that the development comes after President Bola Tinubu’s decisive action on March 18, suspending Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months in a bid to restore governance and order to the state.

The state of emergency follows months of escalating political unrest in Rivers State, sparked by a bitter feud between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.

The ongoing crisis has led to violent clashes, legislative gridlock, and legal disputes that have effectively paralyzed the state’s administration. The political instability prompted President Tinubu to intervene with the suspension of key state officials.

According to sources cited by TheStreetJournal, Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri offered refuge to Fubara and his family amidst the turmoil.

On Wednesday, March 19, Fubara and his family relocated to the Bayelsa State Government House, leaving the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt.

The move took place under reduced security presence, with some Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and security personnel still stationed at the premises. However, the Government House was described as relatively quiet following their departure.

In response to the growing crisis, President Tinubu appointed former Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State.

Ibas has been tasked with overseeing the affairs of the state during the six-month emergency rule. His appointment is aimed at resolving the deepening political conflict and restoring stability to Rivers State, which has been struggling with internal divisions and disputes between the governor and state lawmakers.

[NaijaNews]

…Commends Apex Court for Reaffirming Party Supremacy 

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has received the Judgment of the Supreme Court which affirmed that the issue of Party leadership positions, including that of the National Secretary is entirely an internal affair of the Party requiring only the Party internal mechanism to which the courts have no jurisdiction.

Today’s judgment of the Supreme Court reaffirms the standing position of the Party and emphatically settles the emergence of Rt. Hon. SKE Udeh Okoye as the substantiative National Secretary of the PDP having been duly nominated, endorsed and ratified through the internal mechanism of the PDP statutory Organs and bodies in line with provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017).

For clarity, the NWC at its 576th meeting held on the 11th of October, 2023, directed the South East Zonal Executive Committee to nominate a replacement for Senator Samuel Anyanwu upon Senator Anyanwu’s nomination as the governorship candidate of the PDP to contest the November 2023 Governorship election in Imo State.

Consequent upon the directive of the NWC, the South East Zonal Executive Committee at its meeting held on the 20th of October 2023 passed a resolution approving the emergence and forwarding of the name of Rt. Hon. SKE Udeh Okoye to the NWC as the National Secretary of the Party.

Accordingly, the NWC at its 577th meeting held on 7th of November 2023 pursuant to its powers under the PDP Constitution, duly received, deliberated upon, accepted and approved the emergence of Rt. Hon. SKE Udeh Okoye as the National Secretary of the Party, which appointment has also since been endorsed by relevant Organs and bodies of the PDP including the Board of Trustees (BoT), South East Zonal Caucus, the PDP Governors’ Forum and officially communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the general public.

The PDP commends the Supreme Court for upholding the principle of the supremacy of the Party in the management of its internal affairs, describing it as victory for democracy.

The NWC urges all patriotic members of the PDP to remain united as we work together to move our great Party forward.

Signed:

Hon. Debo Ologunagba

National Publicity Secretary