The Nigerian Senate (Red Chamber) under the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is a joke. If anyone thinks the Senate is not a joke but represents an arm of government, it is still a joking arm of government where joking relationship seems not to be frowned upon. I am yet to change my stance that the Red Chamber, under Akpabio, is not capable of making common and uncommon Nigerians happy through lawmaking and oversight function especially as that relates to checkmating the excesses of the executive arm of government and its proclivity towards dictatorialism. And this because the Senate President is an uncommon senate president.

Under this current regime which has President Tinubu as the First Citizen, it is doubtful if the three arms of government still exist. Examples abound to argue that the three arms of government, since the emergence of uncommon Akpabio with the support of Tinubu, had been merged into one single executive arm. The executive arm, which looks like a merciless sledge hammer, now hammers the masses at will—unhindered and unchecked. That sledge hammer does not discriminate between the lowly and mighty. Once one does not belong to the caucus of Tinubu’s henchmen, escaping that sledge hammer would be miraculous. That is why I pity Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in her lone fight. 

Who is Natasha to challenge Akpabio? If the bimbo eruption in the Red Chamber could be verified to be true, who is Natasha to say ‘no’ to Akpabio’s advances? Maybe she needs to be tutored that as a senator, one loses his or her gender and transforms into a unique human specie that cannot be sexually harassed. I don’t know if that is what a former female senator, Florence Ita-Giwa, meant when she said: “When you get to the Senate, you are there as a person. You’re not there as a man or woman.”

Bimbo eruption means a sex scandal in which a woman publicly accuses a male politician of sexual misconduct. The problem here is that the woman making the accusation is also a politician. I have, for long, struggled to find a streak of integrity in the Senate President. Yet, I must say it clearly that it is difficult to believe any of the Akps (Akpoti and Akpabio). Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is not a saint that must be believed and Akpabio may not be the billy goat that he has been caricatured to be—no matter how loose we think he conducts himself. 

Untill Natasha substantiates her claim that Akpabio harassed her and was fixated on that ‘thing’ that should ideally be monopolized only by her husband, it is still an allegation that women easily make against men when they lock horns with men. This is  not to say the Senate President is not lascivious (we should not forget his “We are not in a nightclub” address to Natasha sometime in July 2024). It is also not to say he is. The truth is that lasciviousness, of this magnitude that involves the Third Citizen, can only be established with convincing evidence; not by mere weaponization of the media to heat the polity. 

Again, Akpabio might be excused since he is known for his characteristic verbal diarrhea or ‘verbal incontinence’ as Prof Toyin Falola chose to put it, but can’t the Third Citizen learn to be polite or pretend to have some dignity while discharging his duty as Senate President? Only few would raise an eyebrow, for instance, if he uses dirty language in a club while he socializes with female lawmakers. Dignified language should, however, be reserved for the Parliament and the serious business of lawmaking.

Whether Natasha is right or wrong in her accusation, she has been knocked out (for six months). She was suspended, they said, not because of the sexual harassment allegation made by her but because of her unruliness in flouting some rules in the Parliament as they relate to sitting arrangement. We thought the suspension was too much for punishment, we were wrong. A recall process was immediately initiated. Akpoti has indeed crossed the red line. Fighting Akpabio, if she was well informed and appropriately counselled, is like fighting the Federal Government. For that reason, even the First Lady, Remi Tinubu, who was once threatened to be impregnated when she was a senator by an unruly misogynistic senator could not empathize with her. Her body language to Natasha is OYO (On Your Own).

Though Natasha outsmarted the powers that be in Kogi State and rendered them toothless and tactless by her ‘magical’ helicopter in her last visit where she was warmly welcomed by an overwhelming crowd of supporters, one is not sure if she would defeat the powerful Akpabio even if she could convincingly substantiate her claim. I am saying this because this regime seems to be more dictatorial than democratic. If that assumption is right, no amount of evidence could all the Natashas of this world pull together to unseat or villainize Akpabio. He is although a lawmaker, Akpabio belongs to the presidency and the presidency belongs to him. But, again, because Natasha has been carrying the global community along, we can only remain spectators in the ongoing match of immorality in our national parliament.

Akpoti versus Akpabio’s harassment match started long time ago. The last straw that broke the camel’s back was the sitting arrangement which led to the unmuting of the initially muted sexual harassment. Now again, it is assassination harassment. But this time, it is Natasha that is harassing Akpabio. So, what do the suffering Nigerian masses gain in all this? Nothing! 

Conversely, what do the suffering Nigerian masses lose in all this? Everything! When lawmakers abandon lawmaking to entertain the citizens with in-house altercation that bothers on sexual harassment, we can only mourn the death of democracy or queue behind the Burkinabe military ruler, Captain Ibrahim Traore, who recently claims democracy does not produce development. Traore’s claim about democracy is true of Nigeria. One of the products democracy produces in Nigeria is the shameful display in our national assembly. No one should think all our lawmakers are birds of the same feathers. It is possible there are fine exceptions but their voice cannot withstand the cacaphonous voices that we often hear.

In one of my columns two years ago after the inauguration of the 10th Senate and knowing that Akpabio is the Senate President, I wrote: “I advised Nigerian lawmakers that law-making is a serious job and that it should be given the seriousness it deserves. Nigerians are not to be ridiculed in the name of law-making.” I saw it coming and it has come to pass. Although I never knew there would be bimbo eruption and that things will be this bad and even worse, I knew many of the lawmakers will end up ridiculing Nigerians.

Nigerians are eager to see Natasha in court to prove her allegations or shut up. They are also eager to see Akpabio in court to defend himself or apologize to Natasha and recall her from suspension. If Natasha would not shut up and Akpabio would not apologize, the court should act fast to determine their case. My advice to them is not to be represented by lawyers or any legal team. After all, they both read law and bagged a degree in law. If they both defend themselves in person, the sexopolitical drama will be more interesting. 

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests.

The discussions in this session have been quite enriching. Our profound thanks to the speakers and the panelists for their incisive analysis. 

These analyses have lent insightful perspectives to the discourse regarding how Africa can leverage the potential in its 1.3 billion population to boost trade and investment. Such a large population, plus Africa’s combined GDP of $3.4 trillion and the fact that the continent has 65 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land, means that Africa should actually be building the table – and not waiting to be invited to the table.

But one of the challenges lies in translating Africa’s remarkable potential into real economic development that benefits the continent’s people. The big question has always been how that can be achieved. One of the solutions lies in fully exploiting the power of trade, particularly intra-Africa trade. It would seem this was what the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA came to fill. Indeed, the need for integration and trade facilitation has never been more compelling than now, given all the existential crises we are experiencing.

The World Bank estimates that AfCFTA could lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty, raise incomes for 68 million people, and boost Africa’s income by $450 billion by 2035. That is about 10 years from now. But another big question is the extent to which AfCFTA’s key objectives, such as removal of tariffs and non-tariff barriers have been actualised. The answer leaves much to be desired. Rhetoric has not been matched with necessary action. The result is that the economic benefits that African economies would have reached from improved inter-trade remains a dream defied.

How can it be explained that despite its vast arable land, Africa still spends $40bn on food imports, annually? Now, imagine what difference such a substantial sum could have had on African economies if they were generated by intra-continental trade.

The dream of a continent-wide common market remains as yet elusive. Despite our frameworks, deep-rooted structural barriers still exist: Only 14.4% of Africa’s trade is intra-African, compared to 69% in Europe and 59% in Asia. Just 7% of Africa’s trade moves by air, yet we still face the highest intra-continental flight costs in the world. Over 70% of goods are transported by road — but poor road infrastructure and border bottlenecks cost us over $4 billion annually in lost trade.

Furthermore, maritime transport is underutilised. Only one in ten African countries has a major port efficiently connected to inland markets. Only 1 in 10 African countries has a major port efficiently connected to inland markets. Rail systems – our most cost-effective bulk trade option — remain disconnected or outdated across most of the continent. These statistics are dismal, especially given that it is nearly a decade since the signing of the AfCFTA.

But it is not all doom and gloom. Europe’s long walk to the European Union offers some inspiration, given the many barriers it faced. It took the European Union over 35 years — from the Treaty of Rome in 1957 to the launch of the Single Market in 1993 — to fully realise a space where goods, services, capital, and people could move freely. They did not just talk integration — they backed it with laws, infrastructure, and political commitment. The Schengen Agreement, which came later, made it possible to travel across most European countries without a passport. The EU’s common legal and regulatory framework ensures that a product approved in one country can move freely across all others — without new checks or taxes. It was not instant — but it was intentional.

Africa can learn from this. We do not need to reinvent the wheel — we just need to align ours. If Europe could do it with dozens of languages, diverse economies, and a history of divisions, then AfCFTA as its compass, Africa has every reason to succeed.

However, we cannot talk about building a common market when we are not yet connected — physically or digitally. So, the question is not what is wrong, but what must be done. First, consolidation is key. We need more than political will. We need a unified legal and regulatory framework — one that harmonises trade rules, streamlines procedures, and builds confidence for businesses across borders.

Second, investment in the enablers is critical. The growth engines of African trade are not abstract: they are transport corridors, smart ports, cross-border rail, digital payments, efficient customs, and unified standards.

Africa’s youthful population may be a unique demographic advantage in a world where many other continents contend with aging populations. But it could still prove to be a social tinderbox if not carefully harnessed. Nurturing Africa’s human capital should be seen as an imperative because it is every nation’s true wealth. No nation ever rises above the sheer capacity of its human capital. So, it goes without saying that growing our human capital will necessarily entail fixing our education system. Only when we sufficiently train our youths can they be truly considered as the future of world labour. This is a development imperative.

That brings me to a challenge and a call to action. AfCFTA is not a feel-good creation. Neither should it be subsumed by a regional block. It is for all of us. Let us not allow regionalism to become a barrier to pan-African growth. Let us unite our markets, our ports, our rails, and our ambitions.

To global partners: Africa is a force — in fintech, agriculture, logistics, green energy, and more. While much of the world is aging, Africa is getting younger. By 2030, over 40% of the world’s youth will be African. That is not just statistics — that is a competitive advantage.

So, the message deductible from the discussions this afternoon is that Africa’s economic renaissance lies in extensive trade – not aid or charity.

Africa is ready. Let us turn frameworks into highways; Let us turn policies into power; Let us turn potential into performance. The time is now. And the opportunity is massive. And Africa is moving.

Thank you.

•Being a closing remark by Governor Mbah of Enugu State during the session on “The Africa Opportunity: Regional Collaboration and Trade Facilitation” at the just concluded Commonwealth Enterprises and Investment Summit in London

The House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise has vowed to investigate the alleged diversion of imported finished goods to FreeTrade Zones (FTZs) from other ports by unscrupulous Customs Licence Clearing and Forwarding agents in connivance with bad eggs in the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other agencies.

Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Leke Abejide, stated this in an address at the Lekki Free Trade Zone Command of the NCS on Friday.

According to him, the criminality which he described as a great economic sabotage, was perpetrated to shortchange the nation of needed revenues, especially the loss of over N1.5 trillion in one year.

He said, “It was so bad that in one of the free trade zones that I don’t want to mention because I don’t want them to run away; we know them and we will go back to five years later and collect this trillions from them. So this is where you should be looking at.

“They will not pay duty because the law says in three months after production you will come and pay duty. They will go and sell first. Honourable colleagues, this has worked so fast.We need to do something about it. More than 1.5 trillion lost in the process of this last year.

“We are doing it already but I don’t say it out. The system we are going to use, they will know that we, too, we are experts in this. We will be able to get them those who they thought they have beaten five years, they must vomit it.

“We know them and I believe in this place it’s happening too whereby they will come in the form of bringing raw materials and they bring finished goods and they take it to the market”.

Speaking at DUFIL Prima Packaging factory located within the Lekki FTZ, the committee chairman said the House would amend the NEPZA Act to address the loopholes that companies and individuals exploit to shortchange the government.

[DailyTrust]

Dangote Industries has emphasized the need for significant investment in research, technology, and global best practices to drive sustainable industrial development in Nigeria.

The call was made by Ayirioritse Okerentie, Deputy Regional Director (South East) of Dangote Cement PLC, during the Dangote Group’s Special Day at the 36th Enugu International Trade Fair, organized by the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA).

Okerentie stressed that for Nigerian products to achieve global competitiveness, the country must prioritize innovation and research. 

He added that advancing the industrial sector through technology and development initiatives is key to staying ahead of international competition.

“Developing Nigeria industrial sector requires massive investment in technology, adoption of best in-class global practices. This is the best way for products from Nigeria to gain global recognition. When your products are of global standards, global recognition becomes easy,” he said 

He described the theme of the fair, “Developing Nigeria Industrial Sector/SMEs for Economic Advancement & Global Recognition” as apt.  

Okerentie said that Dangote Group was Africa’s foremost indigenous manufacturing conglomerate which believes that the nation’s industrial/manufacturing sector has the capacity to impact significantly on the economy especially in the creation of jobs, provision of goods, reduction in imports of finished products and adding of value to our raw materials.

”It is generally accepted that a nation’s economic wellbeing is largely dependent on the industrial/manufacturing sector,” he said.

He noted that the industrial/manufacturing sector is labour intensive and could create millions of direct and indirect employments for people of diverse skills such as administrators, accountants, engineers, technicians, marketing & sales among others. 

“It can also create indirect employment for supply chain actors in other sectors of the economy such as raw materials suppliers, logistics and transportation, farmers, and miners,” he said..

Speaking on Dangote petroleum refinery, he said the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, has exported refined petroleum products such as aviation fuel, Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), automotive gas oil, naphtha to many African, European, American and Asian markets and that the products conform to the Euro V specifications.

He disclosed that the Dangote Petrochemical Complex has kicked off the production of polypropylene, a major raw material used in textile, plastic, furniture and pharmaceutical sectors.

 “According to the Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN), the country imports 90 percent of its annual polypropylene requirements (amounting to 250,000 metric tonnes), but will now become a net exporter, generating foreign exchange to strengthen the economy. We are optimistic that many new manufacturing outfits will emerge relying on both the products and byproducts of the petroleum complex as feedstock in their production processes,” he said .

“As a conglomerate driving the diversification of Nigeria’s economy, while we produce critical household items, some of our other products serve as either feedstock or raw materials for other manufacturers.

”The evolution of these mutual interdependent industries is expected to revolutionise Nigeria’s economy by creating linkages between different industrial sectors.

”The linkages will provide cushions to the economy, preventing disruptions in production as raw materials are available. Linkages are vital in sustainable economic and industrial development. We are envisaging a connected and interlinked manufacturing sector that will produce goods that are usually imported, and in the process create more jobs for the growing youth population,” he said..

Okerentie noted that dDngote Group’s participation in the Fair, apart from the exhibitions, is to seek connections with other businesses. 

The president of ECCIMA, Sir Odeiga Jideonwo expressed joy that Dangote Group had been part of the chamber’s success story in the hosting of the Enugu International Trade Fair over the years and had been major sponsor of the fair for the past four years.

“There is no doubt that Dangote Plc has added a lot of value to the growth of the Nigerian economy, operating in almost every sector of the economy. 

“The recent investment of Dangote Group into the oil and gas industry has taken the company to another level, especially with the positive impact Dangote Refinery has made on regulating the prices of Petroleum products in Nigeria. 

“We commend the Dangote group for this and request that the Federal Government should give the company all needed support to continue to bring smile on the faces of Nigerians once again,” Jideonwo said.

[TheNation]

The Caribbean are one of the most diverse people on earth. Their composition includes indigenous Carib, Taino and Ciboney, integrated with millions violently ripped from Africa, Europeans and migrants mainly of Chinese and Indian origins.

They are also some of the most bloodied, repressed and suppressed in world history. Today, most of the colonies in the world are in the Caribbean. The issue of colonialism in the Caribbean is so bad that the colonialists refuse to recognise many of them as colonies.

The Assembly of Caribbean People, ACP, in a webinar on April 5, 2025 co-ordinated by Kandis Sebro, decided to deliberate on the past, present and the future of the Caribbean. The theme was: “Culture, Resistance, Sovereignty and Revolution.” I was not only given the honour to attend, but also to speak.

The moderator, Elsa Sanchez of the Dominican Republic made it clear that: “The Caribbean people are not asking for permission to be free.” All they demand, is “a fair and sovereign world.”

African liberation fighter and famous author, Franz Fanon, was produced by Martinique which ironically remains a French colony. Tragically, France and the United Nations, UN, refuse to recognise its colonial status.

Martinique is one of the longest suffering countries in world history. It was colonised for 133 years by Spain, before France occupied it on September 15, 1635, that is 390 years ago!

At the APC conference, the position of Martinique was presented by Robert Sae in a paper titled: “The Struggle for the Achievement of Sovereignty.” He said the people are told they are sovereign, but not independent. The French, he said, dictates to the people who cannot even decide on tariff in their homeland.

He said the great resistance of the Cuban and Bolivarian Revolutions continue to inspire the people. Sae asked the ACP to further equip Martinque people with information and technological know-how to further their struggle for independence.

Barbados and Haiti presented a paper titled: “The Caribbean, a Space of Proposals for a New World.” It was presented by David Denny of the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration.

He said Caribbean movements need to develop an Action Plan that can help them unite socially, economically and politically “so we can create a space for our people in the world.”

Denny submitted that the Caribbean people need to build a united movement that can create the conditions of the Grenada Revolution. He suggested that one of the basic steps that need to be taken is the strengthening of the Trade Union Movement that could make them serve the workers. He also suggested that the Reparations struggles should be part of the agenda for liberation, and linked with the solidarity struggles of the Latin American and African Peoples.

He noted that there is a big divide between the Caribbean People and the Afro-Descendants in Latin America, and suggested the creation of joint anti-fascist platform like Venezuela is building.

The Haitian Platform to Advocate Alternative Development, PAPDA, which is dedicated to promoting alternative development models in that country, particularly on food and sovereignty, also made a presentation. Camille Chalmers who spoke for the organisation, said the Caribbean people are fighting against genocide and re-colonisation. The region, he said, is “at the heart of trans-modernity.” He noted that it had produced strong revolutionary movements which resulted in the Haitian, Cuban, Bolivarian, Nicaraguan and Grenadian Revolutions.

Chalmers noted that the diversity of the people had united them. He said when the oppressors brought diverse people together with the potential to divide them, the people countered by creating their own language of unity, adding: “We created Creole, we also created our own religion, Voodoo, which incorporated the religion of the oppressor. We equally created an organisation of labour on the basis of freedom, solidarity and freedom.”

He paid tribute to Haitian revolutionary leader, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who after the liberation of his country on January 1,1804 wanted to move on to liberate Martinique and Guadeloupe where the French had established slavery. Dessalines also had a wider plan to liberate Africa from colonialists.

Chalmers noted that France imposed a terrible ransom on Haiti two centuries ago which destroyed the foundations of the latter’s economy. He said this is one of the reasons the people should not relent in their demand for reparations.

The paper: “The Caribbean Driving Emancipatory Processes” was delivered by Julia Canrera of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with Peoples, ICAP. The presentation identified three stages of emancipation the Caribbean people had undergone: colonialism, efforts to eradicate internal oppression, and Northern American imperialism. ICAP noted the imposition of the International Monetary Fund, IMF, and the World Bank, and their enslaving conditionalities on the Caribbean people. It asked for support and solidarity with the Caribbean people to implement their Ten-Point Programme of emancipation.

I spoke on the establishment of the End Colonialism Movement, ECM, a product of the August 12-13, 2024 international conference hosted by the African think tank, the Society for International Relations Awareness, SIRA.

The ECM, I informed, demands independence for 61 colonies around the world, including Martinique, Guadalupe and Puerto Rico which the United States has occupied since December 10, 1898.

I pointed out that the ECM document supports the Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice adopted by the 15-member countries of the Caribbean Community, CARICOM.

I also presented to the conference, the ECM suggestions that to take serious steps towards ending colonialism in the world, the UN should properly identify and designate all affected territories as colonies in accordance with its Charter which defines them as “territories whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government”.

Secondly, that it addresses colonies by their proper name and not as ‘Self-Governing Territories’, NSGTs, which serves to obscure their true status. Thirdly, that it concentrates on and aim more directly at decolonisation and less on ancillary matters.

Thirdly, that it recognises all colonies rather than merely the 17 which have been designated.

Fourthly, that the UN admits all colonies into the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, just as India and the Philippines were admitted in 1945 while still being British and American colonies respectively.

Fifthly, that it holds public Decolonisation Hearings and Negotiations between the colonies and the colonising countries to work out actionable plans for decolonisation and their implementation.

I also informed that the ECM had urged the UN to design concrete and actionable plans for decolonisation in the world by the year 2030 which is when the UN Fourth Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism ends.

Responding to my presentation, Edwin Cortes, who had spent 14 years in US jails for agitating for Puerto Rico’s independence said: “I think Nigeria represents hope for the new world we want to create.”

Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, on Friday paid a courtesy visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari at his Kaduna residence.

Atiku was accompanied by top political figures including former governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), former Minister of Communications, Isa Pantami; former governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa; former governor of Benue State, Senator Gabriel Suswam; and former governor of Adamawa State, Jibrilla Bindow.

A video of the visit was shared on social media by Atiku himself.

Reflecting on the visit, Atiku noted that the former president was in high spirits and entertained the delegation with his trademark sense of humour.

“As the Waziri Adamawa, I was obligated to be in my Adamawa during the Sallah celebrations. I held forth for the Lamido Fombina (Adamawa) in some of the activities of the Sallah celebrations,” Atiku wrote.

“Today, I had the opportunity to pay a post-Sallah visit to His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2015-2023. It was a wonderful time with him. As usual, he cracked me up (to the extent that my ribs were hurting) with his peculiar humour.”

[Vanguard]

Bayo Ojulari, group chief executive officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, says the $2.8 billion Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline project reached 72 percent completion rate at the end of the first quarter of 2025.

Ojulari announced the development at the 2025 Oloibiri lecture series and energy forum (OLEF) organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja.

In his keynote address, Ojulari, represented by Udy Ntia, NNPC executive vice-president, upstream, said globally, upstream oil and gas companies are expected to invest more than $30 billion in digital technologies in 2025.

“These technologies are not optional extras. They are foundational to improving asset reliability, lowering lifting costs, and reducing greenhouse gas effects,” he said.

“At the NNPC Ltd., we have embraced digital transformation not as a buzzword but as an operational imperative. We have embraced this reality with deliberate strategy.

“Our upstream subsidiary is deploying real-time reservoir monitoring, predictive maintenance, and AI-driven subsurface imaging to drive value and operational resilience.”

Ojulari said its digital transformation roadmap is anchored on three core pillars: intelligent automation, data governance, and cyber resilience.

“But beyond revenue, our hydrocarbon wealth must now become a bridge to a broader, more sustainable energy future. Technology is no longer an enabler. It has now become a fulcrum,” the NNPC boss said.

“In alignment with Nigeria’s energy transition plan, targeting to achieve net zero emissions by 2060, the NNPC Ltd. has initiated gas-led transition programmes, including the expansion of autogas programme, targeting more than one million vehicles through 2026.

“Energy transition is not a story. It is a global necessity, but its pathways must be shaped by local realities. Africa cannot afford a transition that leaves its people in the dark.

“As we forge ahead into this new energy era, let us remember sustainability is not a destination. It is a journey, a journey powered by technology, guided by sound policy, and anchored on a robust ethical supply chain.”

In June 2024, the federal government said the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project would be delivered by the first quarter of 2025, but the deadline has been missed.

[TheCable]