In his usual bluster, U.S. President Donald Trump at numerous hustings in 2024 promised to get a deal to end the fighting in Ukraine in just one day if elected president. In fact, he boasted that President Vladimir Putin wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II if he was the president.

That invasion became a major escalation of the conflict between the two countries which began in February 2014 when Putin not only annexed Crimea, but also ordered Russian paramilitaries’ war in the eastern Donbas region against Ukraine’s military. But Trump was dead wrong. More than four months after his inauguration, his self-avowed goal of securing a peace deal is dead, virtually.

The U.S. President was wrong in his characterisation of the brutal war because he misread Putin from the onset, believing that the Russo-Ukrainian War was an attempt by Putin to stop Ukraine from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO, an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states — 30 European and two North American.

Ukraine had always had relations with NATO dating back to the early 1990s following its declaration of independence on August 24, 1991. She subsequently joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council same year and the Partnership for Peace programme in 1994. Relations were further strengthened with the signing of the 1997 Charter on a Distinctive Partnership, which established the NATO-Ukraine Commission and further enhanced in 2009 with the Declaration to Complement the Charter, which reaffirmed the decision by NATO Leaders at the 2008 Bucharest Summit that Ukraine will become a member of NATO. In fact, until 2006, the Ukrainian Armed Forces worked with NATO in Iraq.

Granted, most Russian officials, including President Putin, believed it would be too risky to allow Ukraine join NATO, but that was not the reason for the invasion. Putin wilfully invaded Ukraine because he never believed it should be an independent state. The NATO spin was, therefore, a mere subterfuge, a smokescreen.

So, Trump couldn’t have stopped Putin from invading Ukraine in 2022 even if he was president because it was a premeditated action and the conditions Russia is giving for peace – Kyiv gives up big new chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army – bear that truth out.

According to a memorandum published by the Russia-owned Interfax news agency on June 2, Putin said a settlement of the war would require international recognition of Crimea and four other regions of Ukraine – Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – that Moscow is claiming as its own territory and Ukraine withdrawing its forces from all of them. Russia also restated its demands that Ukraine becomes a neutral country – ruling out membership of NATO, and ceases all military redeployments and limitations on the size of its armed forces, a halt to foreign provision of military aid, satellite communications and intelligence. Moscow is also insisting that Kyiv lifts martial law and holds presidential and parliamentary elections within 100 days, and Ukraine to abandon its demand for war reparations to be paid by Moscow.

Contrastingly, Ukraine is demanding a full 30-day ceasefire during which time peace negotiations can take place. Zelenskyy also said ahead of Monday’s meeting that Kyiv wants the release of all prisoners and the return of 400 Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia. The Russian delegation agreed to work on returning only 10, claiming that they were moved from war zones to protect them.

As if to confirm the widely held belief in Kyiv that Putin has no genuine interest in peace, despite Moscow’s participation in the US-brokered talks in Istanbul, Turkey, Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and prime minister now serving as the deputy chairman of the country’s Security Council, wrote on Telegram on Tuesday that the talks “are not meant to achieve a compromise peace based on some imaginary and unrealistic conditions invented by others, but rather to secure our swift victory and the complete destruction” of Zelenskyy’s government.

Of course, these demands are non-starters for Ukrainians, who insist that acquiescing to Russia’s conditionalities is tantamount to surrender, a point reemphasized by the Ukrainian ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Ivan Kholostenko, in an exclusive interview with TheNiche on Wednesday: “The document Russia presented during the second Istanbul meeting did not show any meaningful evolution. Despite promising the United States to bring more constructive proposals, Russia returned with the same outdated ultimatums and maximalist demands that mirror its positions from 2022. There was no flexibility, no realism, and no genuine will to move toward peace. This demonstrates how disconnected the Russian leadership remains from both the needs of the Ukrainian people and the broader international consensus.”

Accepting such terms, Kholostenko said, will “amount to surrender, legitimisation of aggression, and a green light for further expansionism.” Ukraine “has consistently made it clear that peace must be just, durable, and based on international law. Capitulation is not an option, nor would it bring lasting stability to the region or the world.”

So, the negotiations which lasted barely an hour failed; the reason why the international community must be worried. Moscow’s hope of securing swift victory and the complete destruction of Zelenskyy’s government has become forlorn. Three years into a war Putin thought would end in just two weeks, Russia has made no substantial progress. Its hitherto fabled military capabilities has been exposed as grossly overrated and ineffectual when it mattered most.

But therein lies the danger. A frustrated, deflated and highly embarrassed Russia may resort to the use of nuclear arsenal in its desperation, more so as Ukraine continues to display a strategic edge as exemplified in its attack on Russian nuclear-capable long-range bomber planes at airfields in Siberia and the far north of the country on Sunday when it launched 117 drones in an operation codenamed “Spiderweb” deep inside Russia and thousands of miles from the front lines.

Western military analysts described the strikes as audacious. And it was. When the dust settled after the drone attack on airfields stretching from Siberia in the east to Murmansk in the north, 41 Russian warplanes, about one-third of its strategic bomber fleet, were reportedly destroyed causing over $7 billion in damage.

But war is an ill wind that blows nobody any good. The Russo-Ukrainian War is no exception. It has brought about immeasurable loss of human lives, both military personnel and innocent civilians. The destruction of infrastructure and resources is staggering.

A study published on Tuesday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said almost 1.4 million troops – nearly one million Russians and close to 400,000 Ukrainians – have been killed or wounded since the war of attrition began. “No Soviet or Russian war since World War II has even come close… in terms of fatality rate,” the study said. Besides, Russia has reportedly lost nearly 11,000 tanks and almost 23,000 armoured infantry vehicles since the war began. Today, the United Nations is predicting that Ukraine’s reconstruction may cost $486 billion — roughly two and a half times her GDP.

Yet, despite these humongous losses – human and material – at the beginning of 2025, the Russian military controlled only about 18 per cent of Ukraine’s territory. All through 2024, it added only 1,500 square miles, which amounts to less than one per cent of Ukraine. Now, military experts aver that Ukraine’s ability to hold out as long as it has and launch offensive operations in Russia, as it did last Sunday, has punctured the global image of Russia’s military might.

Now, a bolstered Zelenskyy is talking tough. On Tuesday, two days after the blistering attacks on Russian airfields, he said Ukraine will neither surrender nor give in to any ultimatums, even as he affirmed that: “But we do not want to fight, we do not want to demonstrate our strength – we demonstrate it because the enemy does not want to stop.”

And he is correct. Neither he nor Ukraine started this “war of blame.” Putin is the aggressor and this aggression started with the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. This is Putin’s war and it will stop today if the man who started the war by invading another sovereign country decides to put an end to the madness.

In case he fails to appreciate the precariousness of the situation and the futility in his aggression, his friend, the ultimate deal maker, Donald Trump, should help in nudging him to genuine truce rather than threatening that the U.S. is ready to walk away from its mediation efforts unless the two sides demonstrate progress towards a deal. That is no way to make a deal.

Days after floods devastated several communities in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State, victims at makeshift camps have continued to voice deep frustration over handling of relief efforts.

It will be recalled that the flood caused by torrential rains last Thursday led to the death of over 200 persons, with more still missing, while properties worth millions of naira were also destroyed.

Consequently, over one thousand people, including women and children now live in temporary internally displaced persons, IDPs, camps.

However, the victims’ frayed nerves got assuaged yesterday as President Bola Tinubu ordered the release of N2 billion and 20 trucks of assorted foodstuffs.

But investigation at some of the affected communities, revealed frustration and disappointment of the victims, especially over lack of adequate food supplies and poor camp conditions.

Many displaced residents lamented that although they were photographed with food items by authorities and relief personnel, they were not given the supplies.

Expressing her pain, one of the victims, Mama Isah, said: “We are 17 people in my household, but we were only given one loaf of bread and some tea. How can that be enough for even our breakfast?”

She appealed to the government to allow well-meaning individuals and organisations support them directly without interference or diversion.

Another victim, Rukaiya Usman, echoed similar concerns, criticising the quantity of food being distributed.

She said: “We are barely surviving, the food they bring is not enough for any family. We feel forgotten.”

Bad camp conditions

The victims also complained about the condition of the camps. Community volunteer, Hussaini Muhammed, described as unsuitable for human habitation.

“There are no toilet facilities, and we don’t have access to clean drinking water. People are getting sick,” he said.

Another volunteer, Ibrahim Abubakar, noted the absence of major emergency response agencies at Kpege Primary School, which serves as one of the major shelters.

On healthcare, Victoria Abubakar, confirmed that all medical assistance and supplies being given to flood victims were sourced through personal and community efforts.

“We are giving out drugs and attending to sick victims out of goodwill. None of this is coming from the government,” she said.

NSEMA admits gaps in relief operations

Reacting to the allegations, the Acting Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, NSEMA, Hussaini Ibrahim, acknowledged the gaps in the relief operations.

“The challenges we are facing are partly due to the absence of a conventional camp,” he explained, adding that the agency is currently undertaking a comprehensive data-capturing exercise to accurately identify real victims and ensure relief materials reach intended recipients.

“We are working to ensure that the right people get what they deserve. This process takes time, but we are committed to transparency and fairness,” he said.

Tinubu orders release of N2bn, 20 trucks of assorted foodstuffs

Apparently responding to the cries of the victims, President Bola Tinubu yesterday ordered the release of N2billion for the reconstruction of Mokwa town to serve as immediate resettlement of the victims.
He also directed that 20 trucks of assorted food items be released and distributed to the affected victims of the flood.

Vice President Kashim Shettima disclosed this when he led a Federal Government delegation to commiserate with the government and people of Niger State over the tragic incident.

The President also directed the ministries of Environment and Agriculture to immediately commence reconstruction of drainages in Mokwa town.

“President Tinubu has directed me to come and represent him and asked me to tell you that his heart is with you and that government will do everything possible to ameliorate your sufferings.

“On my part, I will direct the immediate release of electricity transformers on my arrival in Abuja to replace the ones damaged in Mokwa town,” the Vice President assured.

Shettima urged other arms of government to rise to the present situation, adding that they have roles to play in the governance of the state.

“The Federal Government will play its part, the state government and the local governments should also play their part to alleviate the suffering of the people,” he declared.

He said the intervention of the Federal Government is not playing politics but as normal role of intervention, and pleaded with the people to continue to live in peace with one another and be their brothers keepers, especially in this type of situation.

To achieve the task ahead, the vice president ordered the Minister of State for Agriculture Alhaji Sabi Abdullahi, to relocate to Minna and monitor the distribution of food items and construction of the drainages.

In his remarks, the Deputy Governor of the state, Comrade Yakubu Garba, thanked the Federal Government for the steps taken so far and also commended the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, and Niger State Emegerncy Management Agency, NSEMA, for the outstanding roles that they played since the disaster occurred.

He disclosed that so far, 13,354 people had been identified to be directly affected, while 4,534 individuals were displaced from their homes.

He also said 458 households were impacted, with 161 lives lost.

The deputy governor stated further that 186 people were injured, with 84 individuals still missing, 265 buildings destroyed or severely damaged and two major roads washed away.

According to him, five key bridges, including the vital Goodwill Bridge linking Mokwa to other parts of the country, collapsed.

Earlier in his remarks, the district head (Ndalile) of Mokwa, Alhaji Mohammed Aliyu Shaba, appealed for more support and prayers for the victims.

Meanwhile, the state government has directed a low key Eid-el Kabir celebration, in line with the mood in the state.

The low-key celebration, according to the government, will affect the suspension of Hawan Bar
iki, Durbar,(horse riding) and other elaborate Sallah activities across all emirates in the state.

Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Alhaji Abubakar Usman, who disclosed this in a statement, said: “This decision was taken as a mark of respect for the victims of the tragic incident and to allow for a period of mourning, prayer and reflections.’’

Motorists stranded, as Kogi sees high volume of vehicular movement

The flood, in which Mokwa bridge collapsed, has resulted in significant high traffic volume on roads in Kogi State, as trucks conveying goods to the Southern part of the country have been trapped in traffic for days.

Consequently, motorists who ply Mokwa-Jebba highway, enroute Kwara State, are now forced to use the Abuja-Lokoja-Kabba- Egbe road to link Kwara due to collapse of the bridge.

Some of the heavy duty vehicle transporters who spoke with Vanguard at Nataco Junction in Kogi, said the extent of the damage of the bridge had caused them to travel longer hours to get to their destinations, after getting out of the gridlock

One of the transporters, Muhammed Ahmed, said the bridge collapse has created a major bottleneck and delay in reaching his destination.

Vanguard also gathered that the bridge collapse has compounded the working hours of Federal Road Safety officers in Kogi State who are now made to work till midnight to control traffic to avoid gridlock in all parts of the state. Kogi Sector Commandant of the Federal Road Safety Corp, FRSC, Kumar Tsumwam, confirmed the rise in volume of vehicles on the state roads.

He said they started noticing high influx of vehicles from Gegu point of the state four days ago.

“We noticed the influx of heavy articulated vehicles since four days, specifically last Saturday. For now, our men are on the road up till midnight, controlling traffic. If we don’t do that, the tendency for blockage is very high.

‘’We are now running shifts on the road, so we can have our officers at designated points on the road.”
The officer said their fear was further heightened by the forthcoming Sallah celebration, which increased further the number of vehicles on the highways.

“By Thursday when movement for Sallah festival will commence, it may become uncontrollable. Normally, during festive periods, there is always heavy vehicular movements, now imagine when that is combined with the already tense situation of the heavy traffic, occasioned by the Mokwa bridge collapse,’’ the sector commandant said.

Risk managers demand review of disaster framework, early warning systems

Meanwhile, risk managers have called for an urgent review of existing disaster framework and early warning systems in Nigeria, following the devastating flood in Mokwa town.

The President/Chairman of Governing Board of Risk Managers Society of Nigeria, RIMSON, Dr. Abbas G. Idriss, advised the Niger State Government to develop evacuation routes, shelter locations and resource management system, among other comprehensive emergency response plans that will ensure quick and effective action during floods.

He also advocated the enforcement of zoning laws and land use policies to discourage construction in flood-prone areas, as well as improving community engagement in flood preparedness, response training, and awareness campaigns.

“There urgent need for evaluation of existing early warning systems, their effectiveness, evacuation plans and structural remedies, especially review of construction designs for flood prone areas,’’ Idriss said.
Other critical interventions highlighted include “the urgent review of town planning and strict enforcement of violations; the urgent need to ensure disaster management agencies at the national, state and local governments are manned by qualified risk management professionals; and the urgent need to upskill and equip all existing disaster management personnel for greater efficiency.”

RIMSON also advocated creation of the Office of Risk Management of the Federation to coordinate and monitor all risk management efforts across the geopolitical zones as a national security issue.
It also recommended the “urgent need for incorporation of disaster awareness and education into the national educational curriculum and the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, scheme; and regular national simulation of disaster readiness and response.”

While it stressed the need for an urgent review of budgetary allocations for disaster prevention and relief for survivors, RIMSON called on the lawmakers and the civic groups to monitor the deployment of funds for disaster management.

[Vanguard]

The news last week that the Federal Government is seemingly finalising plans to put the Digital Switchover (DSO) on an accelerator that can immediately take it to about 10 million people, was very elevating and, for me, it marks a good turn for the Tinubu administration.

The story, which has been in gestation but only broke last week, is the fruit of a relationship between the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and NigComSat which have both agreed to deploy their available capacity and resources to resolve the DSO impasse.

The NBC which is the nation’s broadcast regulator is the arrowhead of DSO implementation in Nigeria (migration from analogue to digital television broadcasting), while NigComSat is charged with providing satellite capacity for the nation and beyond, and has a satellite, NigComSat – 1R in the geostationary orbit. However, the story of DSO in Nigeria has not been very inspiring, resulting in the nation missing the ITU implementation targets twice. Before this development, the process was in hibernation, giving the impression that Nigeria cannot even implement a simple process.  Simple?

For us, everything is nearly like rocket science. But details of information released May 29, 2025, by both organisations are very uplifting and can stir any soul. Titled, NBC and NigComSat Unveil Nigeria’s Satellite-Driven Digital Switchover: “The Big Picture,” it says, “In a bold move to redefine Nigeria’s digital future, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd (NigComSat) have launched The Big Picture – a revolutionary upgrade to the country’s Digital Switchover (DSO) strategy.”

Highlights of The Big Picture include: Satellite Over Terrestrial – no towers, NigComSat-1R to beam Direct-to-Home signals across Nigeria instantly; Immediate Access – Over 10 million Nigerian households with satellite-ready TVs or DVB-S2 set-top boxes can access 100+ Free-to-Air television channels; Hybrid Smart Boxes, which combine satellite channels with streaming apps; and Content for All – 40 percent of all channels slots are reserved for independent and regional producers.

The proposition fascinates to no end. It means that a nation whose entertainment sector is booming across the world, will have more of her contents on digital TV. It means more job for Nollywood and an auspicious opportunity to saloon it’s abundant talents; it means ordinary folks can have access to digital contents; and it also means more channels for Nigerians to ventilate their spleen on the state of the nation sans freedom of speech.

But every story has a flipside and this is needed for the understanding of the unfolding picture in the broadcast industry. The broadcast channels in the country are run on frequencies allocated to broadcast operators by the NBC. It was so in other parts of the world, although the story has gradually changed as a majority have completed their switchover.

It is often said that frequencies are a scarce resource which are managed from the global platform of the ITU. Since both TV and Telecommunications can use the same frequencies, and frequencies are a scarce resource, mind you, the thinking of the ITU in 2006, was for broadcast channels to move operations to digital platforms that could accommodate as many channels as imagination can guess. The movement will free up their frequencies for telecom operations; this will impact on broadband service deployment and cost of service acquisition.

While about nine countries in Africa, including Mauritius, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have completed the switchover, the process in Nigeria has been so convoluted and too woollen to pass a transparency test. That was until last week; or is it?

An industry source told this writer that the satellite option is very attractive and should be encouraged. Afterall, Morocco did it by taking about 90 percent of their switchover through satellite while the remaining 10 percent was terrestrial, perhaps because of their terrain. The source suggested that Nigeria can also adopt the hybrid approach of terrestrial deployment in the core cities while using satellite in remote areas, more because of pervasive insecurity than mountainous terrains. The satellite option may escalate the process of harvesting the digital dividends.

But another source which is more in the hardware area in the switchover ecosystem, pointed out that the protocol of the switchover is based on Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and not Direct-to-Home (DTH) which has existed in Nigeria since the coming of M-Net, and then Multichoice before being joined by Startimes. DTT relies on towers/masts unlike DTH which is space inclined.

The source observed that the proposition which looks beautiful doesn’t seem to accommodate previous history of the process and the stakeholders involved in it.

Let’s interrupt the above thought. For the DSO to take off in Nigeria, the NBC licensed ITS and Pinnacle as signal carriers for broadcasters, while a number of companies were also licensed to manufacture set-top boxes (STBs) that will convert digital signals for the use of anologue television. The STB prevents analogue TV sets from being junked!

Investors were encouraged to come into the industry. While Pinnacle, for instance, paid over N600m for a carrier license (don’t ask me how much ITS, which is linked to NTA paid, just like NITEL and GSM license – they always don’t pay), the STB manufacturers shelled out N50m each to become pioneer players in the switchover process.

Quite some money have gone into the process. The Nigerian government, in demonstration of good faith, may have put in about N50bn while the other players – Pinnacle, ITS and the STB manufacturers,  may also have invested another N20bn in equipment or platform installations and manufacturing, according to industry sources. There are hundreds of thousands of STBs in warehouses across the country. The other day, a voice called this writer from up north to complain that his investment in the distribution of STBs has ruined his life! The past cannot just be interred and papered over with the fantasy of beautiful ideas.

Back to the story, there are complaints from different stakeholders in the ecosystem  that they have hardly had any interaction with their regulator or even the other party involved in The Big Picture.

There are always stakeholders in an ecosystem. I will want to observe that the stakeholders in the DSO process are: the government, regulator, industry – broadcasters, signal carriers, STB manufacturers, and the viewers which have been aptly identified in The Big Picture as households, with 10 million projected in the first instance. There is an addition – NigComSat! To be frank, the households are powerless in the process until the big boys have sorted out themselves.

I will want to suggest here that the regulator should play more with the stakeholders because a regulator without stakeholders is like a general without troops or a king without chiefs or people. The stakeholders must be embedded in the dreams of the regulator.

A former regulator (there are so many of them because there was churn in leadership at a time) suggested that to avoid a disconnect and unnecessary acrimonies in the DSO process, the regulator may need to properly engage the STB manufacturers in ccnversation to determine their technology capacity, financial exposure and even the amount of goods they have in their warehouses, in order to find an intervention that can assuage all parties.

“It is important that they are taken into consideration because they have made sizeable investments,” the source counselled.

Charles Ebuebu, Director-General of the NBC says: “We’re not just digitizing TV. We’re redefining access, storytelling and how Nigerians connect.”

That sounds like  good music that can titillate any ear. However, here is my final observation. NBC is a regulator and cannot be involved in the day-to-day running of a broadcast platform. NigComSat is a satellite service provider that should be more into transponder leasing, among other services. NigComSat is not a last mile service provider. It’s attempts to do last mile services in the past created a lot of disaffections in ancillary sectors. Just like a guy carrying an elephant on his head and attempting to sell cricket meat!

Who will run The Big Picture platform? The razzle-dazzle idea may deserve more intentionality by the promoters and more scrutiny by relevant stakeholders, because it is quite easy for investment in broadcasting, including entertainment, to go kaput. History does not lie.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that imposes a full travel ban on nationals of 12 countries.

Persons from seven other countries have been handed partial travel restrictions to the United States.

The 12 countries include Afghanistan, Chad, Congo, Yemen, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Sudan, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Equatorial Guinea.

There will be heightened restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

The order was signed Wednesday night.

Trump said the ban is in the interest of national security and cited an attack in Colorado on Sunday.

However, the order also says the secretary of state may grant exemptions on a “case-by-case” basis.

“I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people,” Trump said.

“We will not let what happened in Europe happen to America.

“Very simply, we cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States.

“We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm.”

Many of the countries have ongoing conflicts.

Others were on the list because their governments do not give access to criminal records, Trump noted.

The order also says some of the countries have been put on the list because of difficulties US officials have had deporting citizens from those countries back home.

The travel ban, which will come into effect on June 9, mirrors a similar order by Trump during his first term in 2017, which barred nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.

Trump also signed an executive order suspending the entry of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in programmes at Harvard.

The proclamation temporarily blocks US entry of non-immigrants seeking to study at the Ivy League.

The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Harvard of “radicalism”, “antisemitism” and a “persistence with” diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes.

[TheCable]

In a nation where hardly a single day passes without tragedy, it can be overwhelming for public officials to respond to all the bad news. From a vehicular accident claiming no fewer than 22 athletes returning from a national sports festival to almost 200 fatalities and dozens of others believed to have been swept away by devastating floods, it has been a period of mourning in Nigeria. Even at that, the official silence to the trending video of how CSP Baba Ali Muhammad was brutally murdered by street urchins is very telling on the value we place on the life of those we expect to protect us. 

Before I proceed, let me state that crime fighting is a risky enterprise all over the world. For instance, according to the website of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), 47 law enforcement officers were murdered in the first eight months of last year. “Firearms were used in 76.6 percent of the felonious deaths occurring in 2024. Among officers killed with firearms, four are confirmed to have been wearing body armour,” the FBI report reveals. “The leading circumstances surrounding the officers’ felonious deaths were related to investigative/enforcement (16), unprovoked attacks (8), and ambushes (entrapment/premeditation) (6).”

However, what is different in the case of Nigeria is the growing rate at which criminals are targeting our law enforcement officers for extermination without fear. Not to mention the way we treat our policemen—alive or dead. That is not the case elsewhere. In March this year, President Donald Trump called for a mandatory death penalty for anyone convicted of killing an American law enforcement officer. After signing an executive order that would make the death penalty mandatory in such cases, Trump called on Congress to ensure it becomes a permanent law. He also honoured the widow of NYPD Officer, Jonathan Diller, who was shot during a traffic stop in March 2023. Meanwhile, I am yet to see a presidential response to the mob killing of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for Rano in Kano State.

I once referenced the response by Vivek Tulja, a satellite communication expert, to a question on why criminals, including members of the Mafia, avoid killing policemen unless they are cornered. “If you happen to kill a cop, you are best off using the last bullet in your magazine on yourself,” Tulja concluded. That appears not be the case in Nigeria given how the Rano DPO was executed in a most brutal manner by a mob not even afraid to record their own bestial action.

In recent days, I have had revealing exchanges with Mr Tunji Alapini, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, regarding this tragedy. “That an officer of the law left his home for the office and ended up being gruesomely murdered in a ‘sane’ society is beyond imagination,” said Alapini who admitted shedding tears after watching the gory video. “I am not in full picture of the incident that made those criminals believe they have a right to take the life of an officer on legitimate duty, but from the aftermath of the Police Interim Investigation report, the mob massacred the DPO because a suspect allegedly died in the cell at his station.”

While advocating that the culprits (most of whom have been arrested by the police) be made to bear “the full consequences of their action,” Alapini also expressed concern about the lack of outrage from critical stakeholders in our country on the tragic incident. “While the Police cried out about what happened to the unfortunate officer, there was a deafening silence from the Governor of Kano State, traditional rulers, National Assembly members etc. It is almost as if the lives of our police and military personnel don’t matter. And that is both concerning and saddening.”

I share Alapini’s sentiment. As the principal custodian of peace, order and security in a constitutional democracy, no institution is arguably more important than the police. But so abused is this law enforcement authority in Nigeria that both the government and society seem not to care about their personnel. Yet, given the strategic relationship between the well-being of the police and the security of citizens, we neglect this critical institution to our own peril. 

I have in the past recounted the October 2011 statement by a police officer’s wife at the Obalende barracks in Lagos which revealed the indignities to which their families had been exposed. It may be worth repeating at a time like this. “We have been suffering in silence. These barracks are like a refugee camp. We have no toilet facilities, no pipe-borne water and no electricity, and we are now being threatened by floods and reptiles,” the woman told the visiting Police Affairs Minister, Caleb Olubolade. “We live a little above animals. We are like sub-human beings here. This is a place of death; the mosquitoes here don’t surrender to insecticides…”

How do we expect the personnel of a Police force whose families live like ‘sub-human beings’ to perform optimally? Yes, I have written several columns on the excesses of the police, but we should also be fair. If the life of a divisional police officer could be taken by a mob in such a gruesome manner and authorities in Nigeria move on as if nothing happened, what justification do we have to hold them accountable when they misbehave?

Alapini suggests that the Rano Police station be named after the deceased CSP. I agree. But I also hope those in authorities can understand that the manner in whichthe life of the Rano DPO was taken is a direct assault on social order and a grave threat to the foundation of any functioning society. And there must be severe consequences, if only to serve as a deterrence to others that when you kill a policeman in Nigeria, you are digging your own grave. It must never happen again!

Health of the President
Last Thursday, former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Deputy Governor in charge of economic policy, Kingsley Obiora, sent me an interesting message, followed by two lengthy posts. First, the message: “I asked two AI-powered search engines to comment on ‘Power, Politics and Death’ by Olusegun Adeniyi and ‘Original Sin’ by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson and see if there are any similarities. Below are the responses from Elon Musk’s Grok and Sam Altman’s ChatGPT.”

The first forwarded post by Kingsley was the response he received from Grok. “To address the query, I’ll compare the behaviors of key actors in Power, Politics and Death by Olusegun Adeniyi and Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, focusing on their actions, motivations, and the consequences as depicted in the books.” Both works, according to Grok, “delve into political intrigue, leadership challenges, and the handling of crises, offering a lens to examine how key figures navigate power, secrecy, and public perception.” 

In both books, Grok continues, “key actors exhibited hubris by overestimating their ability to control outcomes and denying the reality of their leader’s incapacitation. This led to catastrophic political consequences—Nigeria’s constitutional crisis and the U.S. Democrats’ electoral defeat.” But Grok also admits that while there are striking similarities, contexts differ in the two countries: “Nigeria’s political system in Power, Politics and Death was marked by weaker institutions, allowing personalities to dominate over constitutional norms. In contrast, Original Sin operates in the U.S.’s more structured democratic system, where the cover-up faced greater scrutiny due to media and electoral pressures.” On the outcomes, “Yar’Adua’s death resolved the crisis by forcing a transition to Jonathan, whereas Biden’s withdrawal led to Kamala Harris’s candidacy, which still failed to prevent Trump’s victory, highlighting different stakes and timelines.”

After a lengthy disquisition of various aspects of the two books, Grok concluded: “The key actors in both Power, Politics and Death and Original Sin exhibit remarkably similar behaviors: concealing their leader’s health issues, prioritizing loyalty over public interest, manipulating political processes, displaying hubris, and being influenced by family dynamics. These actions reflect a universal tendency among political elites to cling to power, even at the cost of transparency and democratic integrity. In both cases, the consequences were severe—a constitutional crisis in Nigeria and an electoral disaster for U.S. Democrats—underscoring the dangers of such behaviors in leadership.”

The second post was what ChatGPT had to say on both books, which is remarkably similar. “Power, Politics and Death by Olusegun Adeniyi and Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, though centered on different political landscapes—Nigeria and the United States respectively—both delve into the inner workings of presidential administrations during times of crisis. A comparative analysis reveals notable similarities in the behaviors of key actors in these narratives,” ChatGPT wrote.After also comparing different aspects of the books, ChatGPT concluded: “In summary, both books shed light on the complexities of political leadership during health crises, emphasizing how inner circles can influence decisions, manipulate information, and impact national stability. The parallels between the two administrations underscore the universal challenges of governance, transparency, and the human elements that shape political narratives.”

Reading through the posts by Grok and ChatGBT, I marveled at the incredible power of AI and the future of the knowledge industry. But the message from Kingsley also prompted me to get the book, ‘Original Sin (President Biden’s Decline, It’s Coverup, and his disastrous choice to run again’ which I read on the long flight from Boston to San Francisco enroute Dallas last Saturday. The Biden book has, of course, elicited several reactions. Even the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, waded in. “I think anybody looking again at the videos and photo evidence of Joe Biden with … a little bit of common sense can see that this was a clear coverup,” Leavitt responded to a question on revelations from the book. “And Jill Biden was certainly complicit in that coverup.”

I agree that both books are similar in subject. But they diverge on thrust. The Biden book is about shielding an incumbent presidentseeking a second term from the eyes of a public whose confidence is likely to be shaken by greater knowledge of his physical and mental state. In a way, it is also about protecting the institution of the US presidency from perceptions that could imperil orderly transition. In the case ofYar’Adua, it is about sustaining a power incumbency during a crisis necessitated by ill health. In both books, what comes out clearly is the uncharted territory of how to deal with presidential health confidence in an accountable manner without exposing the principal to public ridicule.

Perhaps because I was a participant observer in the narrative contained in the Yar’Adua book, I have sympathy for Mrs Jill Biden and MessrsMike Donilon, Steve Ricchetti, Bruce Reed and Hunter Biden—members of what was described by the authors as the ‘Politburo’—the Nigerian version of the ‘Cabal’. From my own experience, the assumption that people around a leader with health challenges are there only to preserve their own power and privileges is not necessarily true. Some may simply be helpless after weighing several factors on a problem over which they have no control.

While this is an issue for another day, the ultimate lesson—which is evident in both ‘Original Sin’ and ‘Power, Politics and Death’—is the challenge that comes with the illness of a national leader. For those close to such a leader and the country over which he presides.

The Ghost of June 12

‘Combining the techniques of a diarist, reporter and commentator, Olusegun Adeniyi reports the events as they unfolded under the late General Sani Abacha, he allows the actors of that drama to speak in their own words, he constructs the narrative in a chronological sequence and guides us to the climactic and sudden end of the Abacha misadventure. He provides strong entertainment in recording the statements of those willing agents of dictatorship who handed over the initiative to Abacha, but who ironically today are occupying positions of authority as democrats. The author mentions their names directly and confronts us with the fickleness of the human mind and the dangers of the personal factor in Nigerian politics…the characters in his account are either villains or charlatans, democrats or political mercenaries, men of principles or hired thugs. Without calling anyone names, he allows their deeds to place a judgment of history upon their heads…’

The foregoing, written by Dr Reuben Abati, is from the Foreword to ‘The Last 100 Days of Abacha’, first published in August 2005, but now part of the coming book, ‘The Ghost of June 12’. Meanwhile, I have received several messages on whether there will be a public presentation of the book. There will not be any such formal ceremony. But the book will be available for readers across the country from Monday, June 16. For pre-order, those interested should contact www.rhbooks.com.ng or Call/WhatsApp: +2349092158968; +2348028287089.

• You can follow me on my X (formerly Twitter) handle, @Olusegunverdict and on www.olusegunadeniyi.com   

But for the huge respect that I have for the organisers of this programme, I would have declined the invitation of the Nigerian Bar Association to be a panelist in this Summit. The Administration of Criminal Justice Act is 10 years. Even though the ACJA has been adopted and enacted into law by all the states of the Federation, the provisions of the law that have challenged illegal arrest and detention of criminal suspects have been ignored by the ruling class with the connivance of Nigerian lawyers.

While the rich people in the society have the resources to hire and pay senior lawyers to prevent unlawful arrest and detention, poor people are routinely arrested and detained without trial. Hence the human rights community and other stakeholders successfully campaigned for inclusion of section 34 in the ACJA. As we shall show anon, the provision has been observed in breach by the Government.

COMPULSORY VISITATION TO DETENTION FACILITIES BY MAGISTRATES AND JUDGES

Section 34 (1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 provides that the Chief Magistrate, or where there is no Chief Magistrate within the police division, any Magistrate designated by the Chief Judge for that purpose, shall, at least every month, conduct an inspection of police stations or other places of detention within his territorial jurisdiction other than the prison.

(2) During a visit, the Magistrate may:

(a) call for, and inspect, the record of arrests;

(b) direct the arraignment of a suspect;

(c) where bail has been refused, grant bail to any suspect where appropriate if the offence for which the suspect is held is within the jurisdiction of the Magistrate.

(3) An officer in charge of a police station or official in charge of an agency authorised to make an arrest shall make available to the visiting Chief Magistrate or designated Magistrate exercising his powers under subsection (1) of this section:

(a) the full record of arrest and record of bail;

(b) applications and decisions on bail made within the period; and

(c) any other facility the Magistrate requires to exercise his powers under that subsection.

(4) With respect to other Federal Government agencies authorised to make an arrests, the High Court having jurisdiction shall visit such detention facilities for the purpose provided in this section.

(5) Where there is default by an officer in charge of a police station or official in-charge of an agency authorised to make arrest to comply with the provisions of subsection (3) of this section, the default shall be treated as a misconduct and shall be dealt with in accordance with the relevant Police Regulation under the Police Act, or pursuant to any other disciplinary procedure prescribed by any provision regulating the conduct of the officer or official of the agency.

From the foregoing, it is crystal clear that visiting Chief Magistrates and Judges are empowered to order the release of detainees, or grant them bail or direct that they be arraigned in court. But since the Act was enacted in May 2015, Chief Magistrates and Judges have failed to enforce the provisions of section 34 of ACJA by visiting all police stations and other detention facilities at least once a month.

CAMPAIGN FOR ENFORCEMENT OF SECTION 34 OF ACJA

Sometime in May 2018, the human rights community drew the attention of the then Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chair of the National Judicial Council, Justice Walter Onnoghen to the refusal of Chief Magistrates and Judges to comply with section 34 of ACJA. About a month later, a the Chief Justice directed the Chief Judge of every state of the nation, including the FCT to direct Chief Magistrates, and, where there is no Chief Magistrate within the police division, designate any Magistrate for that purpose, to, at least, every month, conduct an inspection of Police Stations or other places of detention within his territorial jurisdiction other than prison in line with the provisions of the ACJA. 

His Lordship further directed the Chief Judges to put in place appropriate mechanisms to ensure compliance with the above provisions of the ACJA. But in spite of the clear provisions of the ACJA and Police Establishment Act, Chief Magistrates and Judges have failed to conduct monthly visits to police stations and other detention facilities in the country.

 Hence, the incessant arrest, detention and torture of poor citizens by the Police and other security agencies have since become the order of the day. The Nigerian Bar Association has not helped matters as the Human Rights Committtes in its 130 branches have failed to ensure that Chief Magistrates and Judges conduct visits to police stations and other detention facilities. I must not fail to commend a former Chairman of the Ikorodu Branch of the NBA, Mr. Bayo Akinlade for ensuring that visits are conducted by Magistrates in many states of the Federation.

Instead of appropriating funds for the provision of logistics for the monthly inspection of all detention facilities, the National Assembly decided to reproduce section 34 of ACJA in section 70 of the Police Establishment Act, 2020. It is public knowledge that the over 11,000 valued at about N7 trillion inserted in the 2025 Appropriation Act did not include the building of well equipped police stations in the country.

 To prevent further detention of suspects without legal justification, it is pertinent to examine the provisions of the law on other rights of suspects and detainees. By the combined effect of section 3(3) ACJA and section 6(2)(c) of the ACJA, suspects who lack the means to engage lawyers to defend them are entitled to free legal representation as the officers in every police station are mandatorily required to request the Legal Aid Council to assign lawyers to represent such indigent suspects. Since police officers are not aware of the miranda rights of criminal suspects the Inspector-General of Police should activate section 10 of ACJA without delay.

HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYERS IN POLICE STATIONS

Section 66(3) of the Police Act stipulates that there shall be assigned to every police division at least one police officer: (a) who is qualified to practise as legal practitioner in accordance with the Legal Practitioners Act; (b) whose responsibility is to promote human rights compliance by officers of the division.

A law lecturer, Sylvester Udemezue Esq has said that "Lawyers employed and posted to police stations across the country, pursuant to Section 66 (3) of the Np Act, 2020, are not put there to join regular investigations or to carry guns or to police join patrol teams or check-points or the operations section or to undertake other traditional work of the police, but solely to supervise and promote human rights observance by police officers serving in the police station. Thus, implementing Section 66 (3) is a special-purpose project aimed at promoting respect for human rights suspects and detainees, in line with international best practices and prevailing 21st-century benchmarks."

ILLEGALITY OF EX PARTE ORDER TO REMAND SUSPECTS

Section 293 of the ACJA empowers a Magistrate to order the remand of a suspect for a renewable period of 14 days. This provision should be reviewed as it has been grossly abused by detaining authorities and Magistrates. Since section 35(1) of the Comstituyion guarantees the fundamemtal right to personal liberty, the detention of a suspect on the basis of an ex parte applivation is illegal. It is suggested that section 293 of ACJA should be amended to provide for motion on notice for the detention of any suspect.

CONCCLUSION

No doubt, the provisions of section 34 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and Nigeria Police Act, 2020 have confirmed the policy of the Federal Government to ensure that the fundamental right of every citizen to personal liberty is not infringed upon or abridged by law enforcement officers contrary to the procedure permitted by law. It is now left for the Judiciary to activate and implement the provisions of the law in order to end the incessant arrest and prolonged detention of the Nigerian people without any further delay.

We are of the strong view that if all detention facilities in the country are henceforth regularly inspected by Judges and Chief Magistrates as stipulated by the law, the people of Nigeria will no longer be subjected to illegal arrest and detention by the Police and other security agencies. If ACJA had been made to work since 2015, there would have been no #endsars protests in 2020. We are therefore compelled to call on Judges and Chief Magistrates to carry out their duties under section 34 of ACJA and section 70 of the Police Establishment Act.

However, to achieve the objective of the law we appeal to the respective Chief Judges to supervise the Visiting Judges and Chief Magistrates in the discharge of their statutory duties. Where there is no Chief Magistrate within the police division, the Chief Judge should designate a Magistrate for the purpose in accordance with section 70 (1) of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020.

Finally, we call on the members of the Human Rights Community including the human rights committees of the Nigerian Bar Association to assign their accredited representatives to accompany Judges and Chief Magistrates during the monthly inspection of police stations and other detention facilities in Nigeria.

(Being the Address delivered at the 1st NBA Western Zone Human Rights Summit on June 3, 2025 at Ibadan, Oyo State)  

The attention of Anambra State Government has been drawn to a malicious and deliberately fabricated online publication and social media comments making spurious claims that the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, consulted a native doctor regarding his reelection prospects. The State Government hereby debunks the allegations as totally false. 

For the interest of the general public, the video clip being maliciously circulated and misrepresented, as evidence of native doctor consultation, was taken during a recent official government meeting with Anambra-based content creators. The session, facilitated by the Special Senior Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Mazi Ejimofor Opara, was organised to strengthen the partnership between the State Government and the creative industry as part of Governor Soludo’s commitment in encouraging and supporting Anambra’s creative economy.

During the interactive session, content creators were encouraged to showcase their talents, ask questions, and share their concerns about the creative industry in the state. As part of the presentations, one of the content creators performed a native doctor skit, a common comic genre in Nigerian entertainment, to demonstrate their creative abilities to the Governor and other officials present. This was purely an entertainment performance by a content creator, not a consultation session. 

The State Government thus found it deeply disappointing that critics and political opponents would stoop so low as to deliberately fabricate malicious narratives from an innocent entertainment performance and spread misinformation to mislead the public. 

Rather than engage in frivolous consultations, Governor Soludo has consistently demonstrated his commitment to developing Anambra’s creative economy through investment plans as part of the state’s economic diversification strategy. The recently commissioned SOLUTION FUN CITY project is part of such investment plans.  

The State Government also clarified that Governor Soludo does not need consultations with any native doctor to win reelection, as he relies solely on the support of Ndi Anambra based on his impressive performance and focus on delivering the SOLUTION AGENDA by transforming Anambra State into a livable and prosperous homeland.

Therefore, the Anambra State Government calls on Ndi Anambra, media channels and social media users to disregard the misinformation concerning the circulated video clip. The public is also urged to always verify information before sharing or amplifying content and reject malicious stories sponsored to mislead the public. 

As always, Governor Soludo remains committed to the development of Anambra State and will not be deterred by the antics of desperate political opponents who have chosen the path of falsehood over constructive engagement.

Signed:

Christian Aburime

Press Secretary to the Governor

The Point of Sale (POS) system has, without question, revolutionized financial transactions across Nigeria, particularly in rural and underserved communities. With limited access to formal banking structures, POS agents have filled a crucial gap, empowering everyday citizens with ease of access to deposits, withdrawals, and transfers.

However, this innovation is now being misused in ways that threaten our national security, financial system, and judicial integrity. Recently, I was approached by a respected Judge of the High Court in the Eastern Region of Nigeria, who expressed grave concern about the alarming rate at which POS machines are being exploited by criminals, particularly kidnappers and fraud syndicates. According to His Lordship, several cases involving untraceable financial transactions running into tens of millions of naira have come before his court. In most of these cases, the inability to trace the flow of funds or the identities of POS operators and beneficiaries has frustrated litigants, prosecutors, and even the court itself.

It was this judge’s concern, and his earnest suggestion, that prompted me to author this article as a means of sensitizing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), policymakers, and security agencies about the urgent need to regulate this increasingly abused financial ecosystem.

The convenience of POS transactions is now being weaponized. In one harrowing incident, the family of a kidnapped victim was forced to pay over ₦90 million in ransom via POS transactions, yet the criminal trail vanished into thin air. Without proper checks and balances, these machines have become unregulated financial conduits, operating outside the reach of law enforcement or traceability frameworks.

A particular and even more disturbing dimension is the unchecked withdrawal of money transferred to POS account holders, often without requiring any form of identification from the ultimate beneficiaries of these funds. The Hon. Judge recounted multiple cases where funds were disbursed by POS agents to individuals, sometimes acting under false identities without any verifiable documentation. In the event of a crime, both the origin of the funds and the identity of the receiver become impossible to establish. This, in effect, renders the justice system impotent.

There is no doubt that the current legal and regulatory environment is grossly ill-equipped to address this emerging threat. Many POS agents are not properly vetted, often operating without clear identification, fixed business address, or adherence to Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols. There is also no existing law that holds POS agents accountable for failing to obtain documentation from recipients of disbursed funds.

This loophole is what allows criminals to channel massive funds through POS terminals, unrecorded, unmonitored, and untraceable.

To safeguard our justice system and national financial integrity, decisive and urgent regulatory actions are needed:

1. Immediate CBN Intervention:

The Central Bank of Nigeria must urgently issue and enforce strict regulations mandating registration, licensing, and operational procedures for all POS operators. This should include mandatory transaction limits, geo-tagging of POS devices, real-time monitoring, and compliance checks.

2. BVN/NIN Linkage for POS Operators:

Every POS terminal and the bank accounts linked to them must be associated with the operator’s BVN and NIN. This will provide a direct line of accountability and aid law enforcement in tracing suspicious activity.

3. Identification Before Withdrawal of Transferred Funds:

A critical regulatory provision must now mandate that any individual seeking to withdraw transferred funds through a POS terminal must present verifiable identification, such as a NIN slip, Voter’s Card, Driver’s License, or International Passport. POS agents must retain a copy (digital or photocopied) of this identification along with a photograph of the individual, to be made available upon lawful request by law enforcement.

4. Accountability of POS Operators for Disbursed Funds:

POS operators who fail to obtain and retain this verifiable identity documentation must be held criminally and civilly liable for aiding and abetting the crime committed by either the transferor or the beneficiary. This will ensure stricter compliance and deter the indiscriminate release of funds to anonymous individuals.

Furthermore, POS agents should be prohibited from receiving funds into their personal or business accounts on behalf of customers unless the end-user is physically present and has complied with mandatory KYC requirements. This will close the backdoor currently used by criminal networks to move illicit funds.

5. Integration with Security Infrastructure:

Law enforcement agencies (EFCC, DSS, Police) and the Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) must be empowered with secure access to a centralized POS transaction database. This integration will allow early detection of abnormal patterns, suspicious transactions, and help in preempting criminal activity.

6. Geo-Fencing and AI Surveillance:

The CBN and fintech stakeholders must deploy AI-backed monitoring and geo-fencing technologies to track the usage of POS machines, especially in locations known for recurring criminal activity. High-volume agents in rural areas should receive heightened regulatory scrutiny.

7. Public Education and Community Vigilance:

The public must be educated on the proper and safe use of POS services. Communities should be sensitized to demand identification when engaging in POS-based financial transfers and to report suspicious agents or transactions to appropriate authorities.

A Wake-Up Call to Policy Makers

The situation we face today is unsustainable. We must not wait until the criminal misuse of POS becomes a full-blown national emergency. The Hon. Judge’s courtroom experiences reflect a painful reality: our justice system is paralyzed where there is no verifiable data trail. The law cannot function in the absence of proof, and neither can justice be served in a system that enables criminal anonymity.

This is, therefore, a direct and urgent call to the CBN, the National Assembly, financial institutions, the Financial Intelligence Unit, and indeed all well-meaning Nigerians: Let us close this gaping hole in our financial and security architecture. Let us restore integrity, transparency, and accountability to one of the most widely used and increasingly abused financial systems in Nigeria today.

Dr. Monday O. Ubani, SAN

Legal Practitioner and Public Affairs Analyst

A former Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, has said that he has no plans to facilitate the defection of Governor Hyacinth Alia from the All Progressives Congress, APC to the People Democratic Party, PDP.

In a statement he signed on Wednesday, Maku said his participation in the recent Good Governance Tour of development projects in Benue State was completely apolitical.

As DAILY POST earlier reported, Governor Alia sparked fresh defection rumours following reports that he had engaged Maku, a member of the PDP, into his media team.

The move was interpreted in political circles as a calculated signal of realignment.

However, the former minister dismissed the speculations as false, saying it was only a sincere, non-partisan initiative.

“The Good Governance Tour is a professional effort designed to shift the focus of political leaders – across all parties and at all levels – away from endless political quarrels towards the urgent need for development and service delivery, particularly to the grassroots,” Maku said in the statement.

He explained that the concept is not new, adding that it began during his time as Minister of Information, when he initiated the National Good Governance Tour as a non-partisan platform for assessing and showcasing development efforts of incumbent leaders across the country.

“Prof Jerry Gana also undertook a nationwide media tour during his time as the Minister of information and National Orientation,” he added.

“At that time, it became clear that our political space was dominated by power tussles and not enough attention was being paid by political actors and the media to the real needs of the people.

“The tour helped many leaders to refocus on their core mandate, which was service to the people.

“As sitting Minister then, I led journalists to states governed by different political parties, and the feedback was very encouraging. Several state Governors confessed that the tour prompted them to take their development agenda more seriously.

“Since leaving office, I have remained concerned about the continued lack of priority attention to governance.

“It was in response to this troubling trend that I reached out to like-minded professionals, including Dr. Mike Omeri, former DG of the National Orientation Agency, to revive the good governance tour as a tool for civic accountability and public engagement.

“We have approached political leaders across party lines, requesting permission to assess and showcase their projects and policies. A number of them have responded positively. The Governor of Benue State, Rev (Dr) Hyacinth Alia happened to be the first to officially invite us to tour his state.

“The Governance Tour of Benue was conducted transparently and broadcast across multiple media platforms. It included a lively town hall where citizens directly engaged the government, asked tough questions, and received honest answers on development and security efforts.

“We have since received a wave of positive feedback from citizens across Nigeria, many of whom are urging us to bring the good governance tour to their own states. The widespread enthusiasm underscores the importance of what we are doing.

“Let me be clear: No part of our mission to Benue State involved persuading Governor Alia to switch political parties. That narrative is absolute fiction. Those who know him understand that he is not driven by desperation for 2027, but by a burning desire to serve.

“We are far more interested in promoting development initiatives and concrete service delivery by our leaders than in the endless cycle of political scheming and bitter power games.”

[DailyPost]

The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) has dismissed reports claiming it has 10,000 job openings, describing the information as false and misleading.

In a statement released on Tuesday and signed by the Commission’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Taiwo Hassan, the FCSC clarified that only 2,130 vacancies were available under its recently concluded online recruitment exercise, which ended on March 17.

“The attention of the Federal Civil Service Commission has been drawn to a publication circulating on conventional and online media, which stated that the Commission’s available vacancies were 10,000. This is not true,” the statement read.

It also announced that the shortlisting process had been completed, and candidates selected for the next stage—the Computer-Based Test (CBT)—would be notified through various media platforms and its official website: www.fedcivilservice.gov.ng.

[TheNation]