Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori said on Friday that he survived 38 cases in various courts from pre-election to post-election up to the Supreme Court to become Governor of Delta State.

Speaking at a thanksgiving service at the Government House Chapel in Asaba, the governor called on his opponents to partner with him to move Delta State forward.

“This victory is for our people to know that our God is faithful and He alone has delivered us.

This victory is for everyone and like I promised Deltans, I will be the governor for all Deltans,” he said.

Oborevwori stressed that God ordained him to be governor and thanked Deltans for supporting his ambition.

“I came to this altar before I went to Abuja for this last judgment and I said God is not a man that he should lie. I have promised God that every time He gives me victory, I must come here to thank Him.

“I have done it several times and I said I would also return the same day of the victory to thank God. For the Lord has redeemed me.

“This victory is not about me but about the people of Delta State. The immediate past governor said that somebody who would not recognise this altar will never be governor; God has honoured that word,” he said.

Oberevwori added: “This case made it 38 cases for me from pre-election matters to this one. Even the governors who have done eight years did not go through such a number of cases.”

The governor, who was earlier welcomed from Abuja by a mammoth crowd at the Asaba International Airport, said he was happy that the litigation was over, assuring that he would now concentrate on delivering on his MORE Agenda for the people.

Reacting to the judgement, the immediate past governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, on his verified Facebook account, wrote: “This judgement truly underscores the trust and confidence that the people of our state, the Big Heart of our nation, have placed in the leadership of Governor Oborevwori’s administration and our great party.”

Also, former governor of the state, Emmanuel Uduaghan, said: “ These cases have been quite trying, but for those that have passed through this route, propaganda was a big issue.

“We thank God for the overall result; it is now time to settle down fully and deliver the dividends of democracy.”

Management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery has commenced registration of distributors for the lifting and distribution of refined petroleum products across the country.

So far, members of three prominent associations, that constitute 75 per cent of the total market in Nigeria have been registered. The associations are the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, (IPMAN), and Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, (MOMAN).

The company is also considering other marketers that have signified interest in the lifting and distribution of its petroleum products in the country.

Executive Secretary, Depot, and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), Olufemi Adewole said that the association commenced discussions with Dangote Petroleum Refinery regarding the lifting and distribution of refined petroleum products last year during a meeting between DAPPMAN Chairman Dame Winifred Akpani, the 2nd Vice Chairman, Alhaji Mahmud Tukur and the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote.

According to him, the meeting was to explore collaboration between the refinery and DAPPMAN members whose nationwide presence will be critical in distributing products from the refinery to the consumers.

He said the refining of petroleum products from Dangote Refinery would accelerate Nigeria’s economic development and provide DAPPMAN members with seamless access to refined petroleum products.

Speaking in the same vein, National Vice President of IPMAN, Alhaji Hammed Adekunle Fasola, said the association had declared its intention to lift and distribute petroleum products from Dangote Refinery.

He said: “We have already established a business relationship with Dangote Refinery. We believe that the relationship is going to be a win-win one. Our association owns 80 per cent of the retail outlets in the country and we have all it takes to ensure smooth distribution of petroleum products from Dangote Refinery across the country.”

Also, the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, MOMAN, Clement Isong said MOMAN members have registered with Dangote Petroleum Refinery to become marketers of its products.

“I confirm that my members have registered with them. We were waiting for the production to start and now it has started, and they will start discussing the commercial terms. So yes, major marketers and other players will buy for the market. The important thing was the registration.

“So now the commercial terms will be agreed with each marketer and then they will buy from them. There are several ways you can buy from them. They have loading ranks, over 90, so you can take your truck to go and pick. You can also use vessels to pick. Those are the two ways you pick products.”

Designed for 100% Nigerian Crude with the flexibility to process other crudes, the Refinery can load 2,900 trucks a day at its truck-loading gantries. The products from the Refinery will conform to Euro V specifications. The refinery design complies with the World Bank, US EPA, European emission norms, and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) emission/effluent norms, employing state-of-the-art technology.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery can meet 100% of Nigeria’s requirement for all refined products (Gasoline, 45 million litres per day; Diesel, 14 million litres per day; Kerosene, 10 million litres per day and Aviation Jet, 2 million litres per day) and have surplus for export.

After COVID and the war in Ukraine, free-trade boosters in Davos fretted over a new bout of turmoil in global supply chains due to rising geopolitical frictions.

The Israel-Hamas conflict, Yemeni rebels attacking ships in the Red Sea and tensions over Taiwan weighed on political and business elites at the five-day meeting of the World Economic Forum, which wrapped up Friday.

“There are geopolitical dynamics that are on our minds with respect to obviously the potential disruption of supply chains,” Francesco Ceccato, CEO of Barclays Europe, told AFP on the sidelines of the WEF.

“We thought we had normalised those after Covid. Clearly, that’s a little bit more precarious after … what is happening every day in the Red Sea,” he said.

Before Hamas’s attack on Israel in October, the World Trade Organization had forecast global trade growth of 3.3 per cent, an improvement from 0.8 per cent in 2023.

But WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told the forum this week that she was now “less optimistic” about world trade in 2024 due to “worsening geopolitical tensions”.

She added, however, that it would be “much better than what we saw in 2023. Unless a major war breaks out, then all bets are off.”

– Disruptions for ‘few months’ –

The Red Sea route carries about 12 per cent of global maritime trade, but the attacks have prompted many companies to take a massive and costly detour around the southern tip of Africa.

Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen say they are targetting Israel-linked ships in protest over the war in Gaza.

US and UK military forces have launched a series of strikes against rebel sites in Yemen.

The Huthis have “changed global trade and global shipping costs,” said Karen Harris, an economist at the consulting firm Bain & Co.

Vincent Clerc, the CEO of Danish shipping giant Maersk, said the conflict will probably disrupt supply chains “for a few months at least. Hopefully less, but it could be also longer because it’s so unpredictable”.

Automakers Tesla and Volvo were forced to temporarily suspend some production in Europe due to a shortage of parts.

Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, told the Davos conference that shipments of liquefied natural gas “will be affected” by the Red Sea tensions.

-Taiwan tensions

There are concerns along other major trade routes.

Taiwan’s presidential election last weekend renewed US-China tensions over the democratic island, which China considers a part of its territory that must be brought back under its control, by force if necessary.

Speaking in Davos, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recalled that a huge amount of commerce flows through the Taiwan Strait.

“If that were to be disrupted, it would affect the entire planet. And it’s about the last thing we need, especially coming back from Covid,” Blinken said.

Taiwan itself is a major producer of semiconductors, the microchips that are vital for a range of products from smartphones to cars.

“Any disruption in the flow of that product is going to be, again, a watch item or a concern,” Ceccato said.

– Green and tech trade spats –

Microchips are already at the heart of a trade spat between Washington and Beijing as the United States has tightened export curbs on the technology over national security concerns.

China is also squabbling with the European Union over the bloc’s probe into Chinese electric car subsidies.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang took the podium on Wednesday to slam “discriminatory” trade measures on green and tech trade.

Europe is also concerned about the huge subsidies for clean technologies in the United States under the Inflation Reduction Act.

But German Finance Minister Christian Lindner warned the EU against following in the Americans’ footsteps.

“We have to avoid a subsidy race,” Lindner told Friday’s panel.

 Panama drought

On top of geopolitical tensions, climate change has also played tricks on global trade.

A drought and water shortages linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon reduced ship traffic through the Panama Canal.

“We have more sources of disruptions,” said Tobias Meyer, CEO of German logistics group DHL.

“It’s more likely that two, three, four of these events somehow accumulate. And that leads then in the system of transport to certain bottlenecks,” he said.

Harris said each disruption “simply reinforces the return on investment for near-shoring, re-shoring” — the act of bringing production home or closer instead of relying on factories across the world.

[AFP]

The elder statesman and convener of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark, has said the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari severely hampered the growth of the country and reversed the gains of his predecessors

Speaking while reviewing the performance of Buhari’s government, Clark said Buhari pushed Nigeria five decades backward.

Buhari had, on Tuesday, showered encomium on himself for giving his best to the country between 2015 and 2023, despite insecurity, economic hardship, and unemployment among other challenges that plagued the country under his watch.

The former leader said this at the book launch of his former media aide, Femi Adesina, in Abuja.

The two books, Adesina wrote are: ‘Working with Buhari: Reflections of A Special Adviser, Media and Publicity (2015-2023)’ and ‘Muhammadu Buhari: The Nigerian Legacy (Volume 1-5)’.

However, Clark, in a statement said the portrayal of Buhari’s government in the book did not reflect the parlous state of the nation and what Nigeria went through under him.

He said the books were contrary to the assessment of the majority of Nigerians of his administration, adding that Buhari’s government was beset by unprecedented economic downturn, insecurity and bigotry.

“I watched the public presentation of the book chronicling activities/achievements of Muhammadu Buhari during the eight years of his administration as President and Commander-In-Chief of the country, as contained in about 80 pages of the 488-page book,” the nonagenarian said.

“What struck me most is the attitude and statement of former President Buhari who eulogised his achievements as President of the country during the occasion.

“This, I must say, is contrary to the assessment of majority of Nigerians of his administration. To most of us as Nigerians, Muhammadu Buhari failed abysmally as President.

“His administration was full of insecurity, economic collapse, injustice, religious bigotry and lack of direction. The eight years of his administration plunged Nigeria and Nigerians, five decades backwards.

“Even his successor, the current President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noted as much in his speech at the time of the occasion where Buhari was eulogising himself.

GUINEA-BISSAU coach Baciro Cande believes his side can still end their AFCON 2023 Africa Cup of Nations journey with victory over the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

The Djurtus are bottom of Group A after losing their first two games to hosts Cote d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea, and have been eliminated from the tournament.

However, Cande is not giving up hope of at least taking the big scalp of the three-time African champions when they face each other on Monday.

Guinea-Bissau are not totally helpless against Nigeria, having beaten the Super Eagles in recent times, a shock 1-0 win incidentally in a qualifying match for AFCON 2023 in Abuja last March.

Cande was also the Djurtus head coach for that match and he fancies a repeat against Jose Peseiro’s Super Eagles.

“We have one game left (against Nigeria) to close the group stage and we hope to win,” Cande said after his side’s 4-2 defeat to Equatorial Guinea yesterday.

The Super Eagles are second in the group with four points, behind leaders Equatorial Guinea on goal difference, and a draw would seal a top two spot and a place in the round of 16.

Guinea-Bissau have never won an AFCON game in their history and this is the fourth edition they are attending, although Cande thought they should have done better against Equatorial Guinea.

“I feel sad. We wanted to win this match but we did not succeed,” he told reporters after the game.

“Before their first goal, we had four chances to score plus the penalty that was refused.

“We worked hard to be ready for this game. Football is sometimes like that.”

[NaijaTimes]

Described as “prominent Opposition spokesman” (for the 2023 PDP/Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign), Daniel Bwala hugged the limelight early in the week when he was not only sighted at the seat of power, Aso or Presidential villa, but was also captured posing for a snapshot with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress. During the last presidential campaign, Bwala, like many other anti-Tinubu politicians, said unprintable things about the APC and Tinubu and swore by thunder that it was Atiku/PDP or nothing!

Now, has he eaten his vomit? Is he defecting? Is this an act of disloyalty and has he, in so doing, stabbed both Atiku and PDP in the back? Rather than his act – which is commonplace anyway and which is to be expected from our bread-and-butter politicians devoid of principles, character and ideology – it was the reason he gave that resonated with me: “In this time of hunger and problems…” he was quoted as saying! Is it not said that when hunger enters the belly, nothing else finds its way there? Has hunger entered Bwala’s belly?

Bwala was more forthright than Dr. Doyin Okupe who resigned from the Labour Party citing “ideological differences” Okupe, who was for a brief period the Director-General of the Peter Obi/Labour Party presidential campaign, did not, however, state the direction in which he was heading. Can he return to PDP? Or is he joining APC, the winning team? If talks of a grand alliance between PDP, Labour Party and NNPP materialize in future, what happens? It has been said that success (APC) has many fathers – and attracts many defectors! – but failure (PDP/Labour Party) is an orphan!

Okupe, however, made a profound disclosure, which should sadden every lover of democracy, when he referred to political parties as Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) for the purpose of contesting elections. No considerations for party ideology or manifesto. Assuming the Labour Party had won the last presidential election, would Okupe have still resigned from the party because of ideological differences?

Judging by the use to which SPV and shell companies have been put to undermine this country, it is sad when our leaders treat an important pillar of the democratic system as political parties as mere SPV. A shell company is defined as “essentially a corporation without any active business operations or assets. These entities often mask the true ownership from law enforcement, other businesses, and the public, facilitating the concealment of illegal funds and evading anti-money laundering regulations and taxes” while SPV is defined as “a legal entity created to fulfill narrow, specific or temporary objectives. Special Purpose Entities are typically used by companies to isolate the firm from financial risk” The mentality of buccaneers that our politicians exhibit about politics and governance is the reason why nothing is working in this country.

Back to Bwala. There is no denying the fact that a majority of Nigerians today live in a time of hunger and problems. All available economic indexes say so from the rooftop. Inflation rate roars at 28.2%. Food prices; transportation costs; cost of living generally, cost of drugs and medicaments, Naira depreciation, cost of utilities are beyond the reach of many while high unemployment rate rose to 4.2% in the second quarter of 2023. Keeping children in school is no longer possible for many parents.

Many Nigerians now resort to self-medication or traditional medicine. People eat what they find – when they find it at all – and not what they want or like to eat. No more balanced diet. Lagosians, who can be said to be representative of Nigerians generally, chanted that unfortunate reality to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on December 30 last year in Lagos with choruses of “We are hungry” Yes, people are hungry! And angry as well – justifiably so!

In different times and climes, people have reacted in different ways to “times of hunger and problems” The scriptures record in Genesis 12: 10 – 20 that when there was famine in the land, Abraham “japa” to Egypt in search of greener pasture but disaster nearly befell him there, if not for God who intervened and reclaimed his wife, Sarai (as she then was), for him.

Again, in the time of his son, Isaac, another famine visited the land and Isaac, forgetting the nasty experience of his father, also chose to “japa” to Egypt but God restrained him, leading him instead to Abimelech, king of the Philistines at Gerar. What befell his mother (Sarai) in Egypt almost befell his own wife, Rebecca, at Gerar but God also saved the day for him.

So, “japa” is not a new phenomenon and some problems can pass from generation to generation. In the time of Jacob, the son of Isaac, there also was famine in the land and Jacob had to send his children to Egypt in search of food. (Genesis 42, 43 and 44).

It is instructive for Christians to note what Isaac did at Gerar in the time of hunger and problems, such as we have today in Nigeria. The Bible records: “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great” (Genesis 26: 12 & 13). Isaac might have prayed; he might also have fasted a hundred days; he might have done a countless number of days of vigil – but in addition to all of that, he sowed in the land. He toiled.

Isaac did not wait only for miracles, signs and wonders. He did not wait for manna to fall from heaven. He did not wait for palliatives from the government. Isaac sowed in the land. We have thousands of miles of arable land lying fallow. Many are not ready to work but all the same want to live life to the hilt. They go from one prayer place to another shouting “I receive” to prophesies that are not backed up with work!

At another time there was famine in the land and a certain man of Bethlehem called Elimelech and his wife, Naomi, and their two sons “japa” to the country of Moab. There, however, disaster struck as the man and his two sons died. The only saving grace left to Naomi was Ruth, wife of one of the dead sons, who insisted on following her back to her country. So devastated was Naomi that, when her kinsmen came to welcome her back home, she told them: “Call me not Naomi (Pleasant) but call me Mara (Bitter)” because she said she went out full but came back empty. Through Ruth, however, God changed her story.

Be careful before you join the Joneses. Abroad is not for everyone a bed of roses. Defection or political prostitution, though may accord you temporary respite in the short run, may inflict permanent damage on your political career in the long run.

Back, again, to Bwala. He said he was invited by the President; it was not him that initiated the visit to the seat of power. He said he had been a Tinubu man in the past. He said he told his erstwhile (?) principal, Atiku Abubakar, that Tinubu had sent for him and he was going to answer the presidential summons. Like they do say that there must be an end to litigation, he said there must also be an end to politicking. Patriotism, he said, dictates that the man declared by INEC and the courts to have won an election should be allowed – in fact, assisted – to govern. If I am permitted to quote the late Ooni Olubuse, I will say Bwala made some sense to me, but…!

Those who are used to being in the corridors of power, enjoying government largesse, cannot do without it for long. Politicians generally gravitate towards the winning side. Four years is too long a time to stay in the political wilderness. What will they eat “in this time of hunger’? How will they grapple with the many problems popping up here and there, one of which is that their followers will scatter in no time if they no longer can afford the means to retain their loyalty. Before the next election, another politician in power would have wormed his way into the hearts of the electorate in Bwala’s locality and our man would no longer be politically relevant. No politician wants that. Years and decades of toil in politics must not be allowed to go down the drain just like that.

So, when they move the cheese, move with the cheese! That is the wisdom in “Who moved my cheese?” by Spencer Johnson. If Bwala and Okupe decide, “in this time of hunger and problems”, to move where the cheese is, don’t blame them! Corruption and politics are the two thriving “business” in this time of hunger and problems!

Politicians are masters of use-and-dump; they are fair-weather friends. For them, there are no permanent friends but permanent interests. And the interests that matter to them are their own selfish interests. Trample principles! Eat your vomit to feed your stomach! If you can’t beat them, join them!

At least five persons were killed in the explosion

The reverberating shocks and aftermath of the explosion in Ibadan, Oyo State Capital, has killed a hotel manager, Tunde Solomon.

He died as result of the heart attack he suffered during Tuesday’s explosion that occurred at Dejo Oyelese close, Bodija Housing Estate in Ibadan.

At least five persons were killed in the explosion while several others suffered varying degree of injuries.

Property worth millions of naira were destroyed while hundreds of people have been displaced as a result of the incident.

Solomon, prior to his death, was Operations Manager of BON Hotel Nest Ibadan located few metres from the scene of the blast.

The management of the hotel announced the death of Solomon in a statement on Friday.

It described the deceased as selfless and dedicated, adding that he used his 25 years in the industry for the growth of the organization.

”We regret to inform you of the sudden passing of our beloved Operations Manager, Mr.Tunde Solomon. Mr. Solomon suffered a heart attack on the 17th of January 2024 and it is believed that was a consequence of the explosion which occurred on the 16th of January 2024 at Bodija.

”Mr. Tunde Solomon was a vastly experienced member of staff with more than 25 years in the industry. His commitment to his role and his contributions to the growth of BON Hotel Nest Ibadan and the BON group in general during his tenure were invaluable.

”His loss leaves a void that will be deeply felt by all who had the privilege of working alongside him. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Mr. Solomon’s family during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they navigate through this challenging period,” the statement read

I have had the privilege of high office and can state without equivocation that the office of the Nigerian president is one of the most powerful presidencies in the world with enormous powers, coercive and otherwise.

The President is the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces. He has ultimate control of the activities of the armed forces and all other uniformed and non-uniformed security services in Nigeria. He decides by nomination and appointment, members of the judiciary, the executive, and heads of national bodies across the country. In addition, he enjoys the effects of an illusory separation of powers with the National Assembly that has largely existed at the behest of the executive office. It is also the responsibility of the president to set the moral and cultural tone of the entire nation. The President has ultimate responsibility for the welfare and well-being, the security, development and good governance of the federation and citizens of Nigeria.

Despite this remarkable availability of power, the lackadaisical approach to the deteriorating security situation in the country begs the question – who is really in charge?

Mr President, you have been sworn in. You have appointed the members of your government, represented the country on the international stage, and presented a budget; but the greater duty of the presidency is the security of life and property. I must confess that it was a shock to find the Christmas Eve massacre in several communities in Plateau State and the ‘accidental’ bombing of citizens in Tudun Biri, Kaduna, by the Nigerian army absent from the President’s New Year speech. Considering that your only reference to these subjects has been through surrogates, direct references to the subjects would have been the respectful and conscientious thing to do.

The Christmas Eve massacre in Plateau State left over 200 people dead and more than 300 injured. This horrendous attack and others that took place during the festive period are not isolated occurrences of insecurity in the country. Convoys of political officers, including a sitting governor are attacked with a heightened sense of boldness and impunity. Nigerians have almost become numb to the constant reports of terrorism, banditry, robberies, kidnappings, mob justice, and the sacking of whole communities.

The campaign of genocide in the middle belt has unleashed increasing terror for over a decade, with the deliberate killings of indigenes by so-called herdsmen who brandish sophisticated weapons. The previous administration under Buhari paid lip service to the safety of citizens in its 8 years of existence. Instead, there was a concerted effort to placate the terrorists at the expense of the victims. The resistance by the communities and states involved was met with barely veiled threats and insensitive comments from the presidency with the administration’s spokesperson, Mr Femi Adesina, once saying, “Ancestral attachment? You can only have ancestral attachment when you are alive. It is better to be on the land than under it.”

Following the staunch rejection of the land-grabbing efforts in the guise of Cattle Colonies, Cattle Routes, RUGA, and Grazing Reserves, the killing spree intensified, sending scores of Nigerians to the grave and chasing thousands more out of their homelands. Concurrently, security across the country deteriorated.

So-called statesmen and terrorist apologists consistently made flippant and inflammatory comments, further exacerbating an already volatile situation.

Today, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, the self-acclaimed spokesperson for terrorists continues to stoke the embers of hatred with insensitive and exasperating comments, making bogus claims of victimisation of Muslims.

His October 2023 diatribe was a compendium of misinformation, hatred, and unfounded paranoia. His arrogance has been fed by the government’s kid gloves treatment of his insensitive and inciteful statements such as “Kidnapping children from school is a lesser evil”, “How many people have bandits killed? A few”, and “The military is responsible for terrorist attacks and pushing the blame on Boko Haram”.

There is no cogent reason to explain why the State Security Services has yet to caution his tirade of misinformation and revulsion towards Christians, Southern Nigeria, and other groups whose beliefs differ from his own.

Mr President, who is in charge?

We can not afford a presidency that inherits the erstwhile administration’s collusive, dismissive, and patronising approach to security, while the country continues to burn on multiple fronts.

The security of lives must be the priority for this administration. Tackling these factors of insecurity are precursors to the success of the president’s economic agenda to ensure food security, poverty alleviation, reduced unemployment, and social security. Food inflation rose to 33.93% in December 2023 and will continue its upward trend if farmers are unable to safely return to their farms.

Ali Ndume, the Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate, has consistently advocated the increase in the budget for defence, citing underfunding as the excuse for the poor performance of the military and security services at large. There is no doubt that security demands extensive financing. But we must interrogate the utilisation of the trillions of naira allocated in the past 13 years. The defence budget has grown year after year, yet insurgents, terrorists, and bandits continue to establish themselves and undermine the sanctity of life and Nigeria’s corporate existence.

Between 2011 and 2023, Nigeria budgeted N14.204 trillion for security and defence. This figure is exclusive of supplementary approvals through the years including the controversial withdrawal of $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account in 2018. Security Votes to State governments have exceeded N3 trillion and have remained unjustified as no state has been able to rise above the menace of insecurity. Insurgents daily taunt the Nigerian security forces through audacious attacks. They expose the vulnerabilities of our armed forces with attacks on multiple fronts across all regions of the country. Their weapons have become more sophisticated through the years, while members of the Nigerian military lament about inadequacies of personnel and equipment.

Our security challenges appear to have become a bottomless pit for our depleting national resources. In July 2023, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoheed Lagbaja assured Nigerians that the Nigerian Army has sufficient equipment to tackle insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, and other crimes. However, in December 2023, whilst appearing before the Senate Committee on Defence, made a call for more funding again “to nip in the bud, incessant cases of insecurity in the country”.

The IGP, Kayode Egbetokun echoed these sentiments while addressing the House of Representatives in November 2023. The Minister of Defence, Alhaji Abubakar, made a similar call in December 2023.

This raises questions about the appropriation of the billions and trillions deployed over the years.

Allocations to defence and security, which includes the military, police, intelligence services, Civil Defence and paramilitary services, have increased by 932.9% from 2011 (N348 billion) to 2024 (N3.25 trillion).

Succeeding governments have prioritised defence and security in the annual national budgets. However, we must go beyond throwing money at the security challenges and match this prodigious funding with corresponding structures that ensure accountability.

With the absence of accountability or improvements in the security conditions of the country, it would appear that a special ATM economy has evolved for the benefit of security elites and accomplices in the executive and legislative arms, at both the federal and state levels of government.

Criminals have become more impudent in their enterprise with the possession of advanced weapons and alleged collusion with security agencies. The Plateau state massacre was preceded by a note of warning to the communities that were attacked. The availability of this free intelligence made no difference and security agencies were absent in an attack that was reported to have lasted over 12 hours. Members of their community made efforts to reach security agencies via the call numbers provided without success, raising concerns about the complicity of the security forces with the attackers.

The country has been in distress in the past week over the killing of Nabeeha (18) and Folorunsho (13) after several families were kidnapped from their homes in Abuja, the seat of government. The oldest children of these families were killed after the kidnappers were informed that the ransoms were incomplete and the ransom amounts for the other victims were subsequently increased. The audacity of the abductors is both infuriating and baffling. Their actions openly challenge the Nigerian security agencies as either incompetent or complicit.

Criminals at different levels have not failed to fulfil their threats to harm Nigerians, while the Nigerian leadership and armed forces seem constrained in their ability to protect Nigerians. Kidnappers name their ransoms and increase them with confidence whilst watching Nigerians scamper around to raise the ransom amount for their latest victims.

The security forces seem bereft of ideas, competence, and courage to apprehend these malefactors, keep Nigerians safe, and restore sanity.

Rather, many have also become a threat to Nigerians through brutality, oppression, disregard, and sabotage that has led to the avoidable deaths of our soldiers and the destruction of military resources.

Mr President, again I ask, who is in charge?

In response to the request of Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police, the security and defence budget for 2024 reflects a marked increase from N2.98 trillion in 2023 to N3.25 trillion, a 9% increase. With the deteriorating insecurity despite enormous funding in the past years, Mr President must take charge and deploy the coercive powers of his office to demand accountability for every naira allocated to the security sector. President Tinubu must, as a matter of urgency, address the claims of corruption, collusion, and disenchantment within the armed forces.

We must depart from a budget performance report that only highlights percentages of allocated amounts spent. Security budget utilisation must be closely scrutinised on an ongoing basis by the Senate Committee on Defence and the National Security Adviser, with non-sensitive portions shared with the public.

A country embroiled in bloodshed, ethnic disputes, kidnappings, and crime on many fronts must implement heavy scrutiny of every amount allocated to the Ministry of Defence and the Nigerian Armed Forces.

We must begin to see the fulfilment of line items included in these budgets year after year.

Our intelligence services must be robust, earnest, and deftly integrated with other actors in the security sector.

Years of extensive financing must reflect in the continuous modernisation of our security architecture and services. Security Services must leverage innovation in the industry, deploying software and hardware technology that improves administrative and operational efficiency.

We also need to ensure increased police presence in suburbs, city centres and outskirts of cities that are prone to security breaches. There are no public records of additional recruits to military personnel, with available records showing a static figure of 223,000 members since 2018. It is critical to boost the manpower of our security agencies.

The above recommendations are familiar to the government and security operatives. However, we must go beyond knowledge to action.

In the same vein, the debate for the decentralisation of security architecture must reach a pragmatic conclusion and proceed to implement a framework that solves local crimes and security issues with local attention from the affected state governments.

The welfare of all servicemen, from the paramilitary to the police and soldiers on the frontlines must receive the utmost attention. Reassurances of improvements to welfare by successive Service Chiefs, IGP, and the government have only been followed by further deterioration of living barracks and remuneration. If we are serious about restoring discipline to the ranks and resolving security challenges, policies for the well-being of the officers and their families, serving and retired, must be rightly implemented.

We are in a state of emergency. In line with the words of General T.Y Danjuma in 2018, the Governors in the middle belt are also calling for the armament of citizens to protect themselves. The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant Lagbaja raised objections to this advice, stating that it would lead to anarchy.

The COAS must be aware that we are already teetering on the edge of anarchy. Nigeria has become a country where no citizen can boast of being safe, while its top government officials and most wealthy grapple for the privileged protection of security agents. We are not unaware that members of the elite brigade of guards were attacked in July 2022. That brazen attack demonstrated that insurgents will stop at nothing to achieve their enterprise. It shows that no one is safe and that the protection of one is the protection of all.

As the news of the Nabeeha and Folorunsho killings swirled in the media, Nigerians did not react by calling on the government or security agencies to apprehend the abductors and rescue the victims. Nigerians turned to themselves to raise the funds required for their release.

It would be ill-advised for the President and the service chiefs to ignore the underlying message that there is a dire lack of confidence in the government and security forces to protect the citizens. The dreaded anarchy is only moments away and no one will be safe if it happens.

Mr President, we have gone beyond being “troubled” and “disheartened” by the deaths of citizens across the country.

It is in our collective interest that you awaken to the reality that Nigeria is on the brink of failure.

You must rise to the occasion of the office you tenaciously secured and enact your command of the armed forces to benefit the Nigerian populace.

The world cannot contain Nigeria if we fall apart.

I wish Mr President and Nigeria great success.

Frank Nweke II, a former member of Nigeria’s Federal Cabinet (2003-2007) and Director General of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (2009 -2014) is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Lagos Business School.