The Masses Need Food, The Elites Want More Bureaucracies

 By Owei Lakemfa

The World Bank in its May 2025 Report stated that 75.5 per cent  of rural Nigerians are engaged in deadly combats with poverty. The number in the urban areas, it said, is 41.3 per cent with an additional 13 million Nigerians, projected to slip below the poverty line by the end of the year. It also stated that 63 per cent of the entire peoples of the Giant of Africa are experiencing deprivations in various aspects of life.

The slavish Bank, which praises the Tinubu administration for allegedly taking hard decisions such as the removal of fuel subsidy and floating of the Naira, now says these measures, which have resulted in high inflation rates, are responsible for the deepening poverty. To these should be added the ever-rising electricity tariff and the prohibitive cost of fuel that have shot up transportation costs. This is to the extent that while the Constitution guarantees  Nigerians the fundamental right to movement, this is circumscribed by the high cost of transportation.

2027: The Theoretical Case For Jonathan’s Return To Power

 By Olu Fasan

The title of this intervention is hedged with the word “theoretical”. That’s because the proposition that former President Goodluck Jonathan could return to power in 2027 is patently far-fetched and improbable: therefore, although there’s logic to the proposition, it’s purely theoretical.

*Jonathan

Indeed, Jonathan’s wife, Patience, put it unequivocally when she said recently that her husband would never go back to Aso Rock, and that she would campaign vigorously for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu. The bond between the Tinubus and the Jonathans is so strong, Mrs Jonathan implied, that it would be a betrayal if her husband ran against President Tinubu in 2027. 

Benue-Plateau: Tinubu’s Last Chance

 By Ochereome Nnanna

After two years as President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu has the last chance to prove himself in the Benue and Plateau theatres of the Fulani herdsmen genocidal attacks on indigenous Nigerian communities. These terrorists drawn from domestic and foreign Fulani jihadist bandit groups were named by the Global Terror Index back in 2014 as the fourth “most murderous” terror group in the world behind ISIS, Al Shabbab and Boko Haram.

*Tinubu

But here in Nigeria, they are protected, armed and facilitated in their genocidal campaigns, which the Federal Government, the military and even the undiscerning sections of the media deceptively call “farmers-herders clashes” or “farmers-herders crisis”.

Bola Tinubu’s Two Years Of Pains And Anguish

 By Emeka Alex Duru

Nigeria was among the countries that observed Children’s Day, last Tuesday, May 27. It is largely a commemorative event celebrated annually in honour of children whose date of observance varies by country. On such occasions, speeches and pledges are made in assuring the children of their importance to society. 

*Tinubu

In this year’s edition, President Bola Tinubu advertised his administration’s commitment to safeguarding the rights and well-being of Nigerian children, declaring them as the “pride and future of our great nation”. Eating into the theme of the celebration, tagged, “Stand Up, Speak Up: Building a Bullying-Free Generation”, Tinubu said it aligns directly to the culture his administration is building, which he said entitles every child to feel safe, respected and heard, both in physical spaces and digital communities.

Bola Tinubu And His Game

 By Ikechukwu Amaechi

Today, May 29, 2025, is exactly two years since Bola Tinubu took the oath of office as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria. And it is more than enough time to assess his stewardship.

*Tinubu

Even those who said, as Professor Wole Soyinka did in 2023, that the traditional 100 days was too short a time to make such an assessment will hardly have any excuse now. For those who may have forgotten, on December 24, 2023, Soyinka paid a visit to Tinubu in his Lagos home. Asked to assess Tinubu’s performance, the Nobel Laureate claimed that three months was too short a time to assess any government.

2027 And The Tinubu Forever Choir

 By Ugoji Egbujo

Tinubu hasn’t done half of his term. But he already thinks he is entitled to a second and perhaps more terms. The obsequious lackeys he has surrounded himself won’t let him catch a moment for sober reflection,  a glimpse of reality. They seem bent on making him the Oba of Nigeria, unaccountable to no one but his whims and caprices. They are gradually conscripting the entire political class into the Tinubu bandwagon. And emboldened by the relentless flattery, Tinubu is now unfurling his disdain for democracy. 

*Tinubu

Tinubu had promised a trillion-dollar economy. He has done nothing to give the people a stable power supply and resuscitate dying industries. Rural farmers have been conveniently sidelined. The food security program, it appears, has been outsourced to India and others. The government now proudly talks about food importation like it requires some genius. Tinubu had promised surplus agbado and told the masses to reject him if he didn’t provide power in his first term. 

Bola Tinubu’s Two Years Of Deferred Hope

 By Casmir Igbokwe

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, unveiled what appears to be one of the greatest achievements of President Bola Tinubu recently. Last week, the governor was quoted to have threatened his appointees to join him in his planned defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or resign.

*Tinubu

Governor Eno, who won his election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is the latest big fish which the all-conquering APC’s dragnet has caught. Earlier in April, the Governor of Delta State, Mr. Sheriff Oborevwori, migrated to the ruling party with the entire leadership and stakeholders of the PDP in the state. More people had earlier defected. A triumphant Tinubu gleefully said last week that he expected more people to join the APC. Great achievement!

Ordinarily, this gale of defections should be an indication that something good is happening within the ruling party. Or that the government of the day has become a honeypot of performance, thus attracting a large number of honeybees.

Our Leaders Do Not Care!

 By Sunny Ikhioya

They did not care in the past. They do not care now, and most likely, they will never care in the future. According to Vilfredo Pareto, Italian sociologist, they “are the small number of individuals who, in each sphere of activity, have succeeded and have arrived at a higher echelon in the professional hierarchy”. 

*Tinubu and Akpabio

These ones are termed elites, which is “a class of the people who have the highest indices in their branch of activity”. They are the ones controlling our businesses, politics, and indeed every aspect of our lives. They are our perpetual rulers. Once in a while, somebody from the lower rung of the ladder finds his way upward and remains there with them, cultivating their habits and idiosyncrasies. Their interest is their self-protection first. 

That Mischievous ‘Don’t Vote, Go To Jail’ Bill!

By Ikechukwu Amaechi

Nigerian politicians are a funny lot who have perfected the inelegant art of majoring in minor things, which explains why, at a time like this when the country is at a socio-economic and political crossroads, the House of Representatives is going around chasing rats while the house – Nigeria – is on fire.

Their puerile antics reminds me of the July 13, 2000 book, This House Has Fallen: Midnight in Nigeria, by Karl Maier which chronicled the problems threatening Nigeria’s existence. “We… ignore Nigeria at our peril,” Maier, a London Independent correspondent stationed in Africa for more than a decade, admonished the world. Sadly, 25 years thence, those problems are not only still prevalent but have, indeed, become metastatic cancer.

Mr. President, The Security Challenge Is Hitting Harder!

 By Emeka Alex Duru

It was quite depressing listening to a member of the House of Representatives from Zamfara State, Aminu Jaji recount the worsening security situation in his constituency. Jaji painted a harrowing picture of attacks, mass kidnappings, and general lawlessness that have left his constituents devastated and displaced.

Over 200 of such attacks have taken place in communities across Kaura Namoda Local Government Area alone, including Dayo, Banga, Gabaki, Korea, and Madura, according to the lawmaker. In one instance, 60 people were abducted in Banga. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of 30 million naira. Out of those abducted, 10 were killed, and the fate of the remaining 50 hangs in the balance, he said. The chilling aspect of his narration was one in which a pregnant woman gave birth in captivity and her newborn twins thrown to dogs by a bandit leader. He also gave instance of a boy with epilepsy who was executed for falling in the presence of a bandit. This is bestiality at its worst.

The Fraud Called ‘Band A’ Electricity Tariff

By Ikechukwu Amaechi

No matter how anyone tries to rationalise the obtuse economic reforms of the Tinubu administration, the most searing no confidence vote in their sustainability has been passed by the president himself when the presidency announced that it was no longer sustainable for the Aso Rock Villa to continue paying the yearly N47 billion ‘Band A’ electricity tariff.

Aso Rock’s move which jolted many is coming on the heels of increasingly unreliable public power supply, even as the cost soars for both households and government institutions.

In 2024, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company which said the Presidential Villa owed a bill of N923.87 million issued a 10-day notice to Nigeria’s seat of government and 86 MDAs to pay the combined debt of N47.1 billion or risk disconnection, hence the presidency’s bid to opt out of the national grid.

Is Gov Soludo Envious Of Peter Obi?

By Ugoji Egbujo

President Tinubu was in Anambra. The timing of the visit was ominous. Anambra governorship elections are due in November. Southern first-term governors from opposition parties are defecting in droves to Tinubu’s party. Soludo didn’t defect but a defection might have been more hygienic. Soludo showcased his projects and swore allegiance to Tinubu. Soludo was within his right to twerk for Tinubu, but did he have to spit on  Peter Obi to magnify and enchant the president? 

*Soludo and Obi

The first line of Soludo’s speech was reeked with pettiness. He said that the last time a  President visited the state was in 2021 to commission the Premier Breweries which he called a private brewery project. That Soludo’s preferred hook was puerile.  Some might say it should be seen as political banter. But did Soludo need to introduce that famed line of bigotry peddled by Tinubu’s men in this welcome address to the president to the home of Peter Obi, Tinubu’s arch-rival? 

Soludo: Professors Sans Commonsense

By Steve Osuji

Nigerian professors are giving a bad name to the academia. We grew up to revere people who wear the tag 'professor' as very special kinds.

And as we went through the university, the power and aura of professors on our campuses didn't wane. Indeed, we cherished being under their tutelage.

I encountered a few in my journey through those rarefied corridors of learning. Who would forget in a hurry, Professors Alfred Opubor, Ebun Clark, Alaba Ogunsanwo, Onuora Nwuneli, among others, in the University of Lagos of the 1980s and early 90s. 

But today in Nigeria, everything seems upside down; including the university system and the professors therein.

If a professor is not being goaled for sexually harassing his students - in a most idiotic tango - he's being jailed for helping a rogue politician rig election. 

One cannot understand how our university system crashed so low to the point that professors, even vice chancellors, are co-opted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), into a tacky and highly malleable electoral system. 

Mr. President, Rein In Your Son, Seyi

 By Dan Onwukwe

Have you pondered why presidential offsprings sometimes behave in such bizarre and irascible manner that bring embarrassment to the first family? Mr Seyi Tinubu, a pampered grown adult and son of President Bola Tinubu, has had some run-ins with some people since his father became Nigerian president almost two years ago. The controversies he has attracted have hugged the headlines. If this bizarre behaviour is not normal, you may ask, why? Does the President feel hurt watching his son each time his son’s conduct makes the headlines? 

*Bola Tinubu and his son, Seyi

If the President does, why hasn’t he deemed it necessary to rein him in as he did early in his administration when Seyi reportedly barged in, without invitation, at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in the Presidential Villa? This is what the President said on that day: “I have noticed the undue access of people sneaking in and out of this Council, including my son, Seyi, sitting behind the cubicle. That’s not acceptable”. The president instructed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume to take note of his order.

Human Rights And Freedom In Nigeria Under Tinubu

By Kenneth Okonkwo

Gasiokwu defined human rights as claims made on society by individuals and groups which claims have found expression in objective law either at national levels and international levels, and serve as the standard for measuring the conditions of human existence below which no human being should enjoy.

*Tinubu
They are rights held by individuals simply because they are part of the human species. They are rights shared equally by everyone regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, nationality and economic background. They are rights inbuilt by God in human beings and discernable by human reason and man-made laws must conform to these natural law rights of human beings.

Unending Collapses Of The National Grid

 By Adekunle Adekoya

On Wednesday, the national power grid managed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, collapsed for the 11th time in 2024, leaving the country in complete blackout. Some people said that it wasn’t the 11th but the 12th time, on the average, a collapse of once a month.

Data from the National System Operator, NSO, showed that as of 2pm that day, none of Nigeria’s 26 power plants was on the grid.

Atiku’s Presidential Ambition Has Long Expired

 By Mike Ikhariale

Barely 20 months into the present ad­ministration that is yet to find its feet in terms of purposeful gover­nance, some people who routinely profit from the nation’s political misfortune are already talking mischievously about 2027!

*Atiku 
The premature cacophony apparent­ly started with some disgruntled northern federal legislators who have naively played themselves out of some powerful select-cau­cuses that surreptitiously run the National Assembly and are now seeking attention by resorting to the hackneyed regional politi­cal blackmailing cards that have unfairly served them materially for years but all at the expense of their own people.

Hunger: Nigeria Is Starving Its Own People; That’s Iniquitous!

 By Olu Fasan

Recently, the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, published the results of the General Household Survey Panel, which showed that 63.8 per cent of households face severe food insecurity and are skipping meals, some for a whole day.

Nigeria is not in war or ravaged by famine, so why should two-thirds of the population be in the throes of hunger and starvation? How can one explain the savagery of hunger that has reduced many Nigerians to scavenging for food? Well, here’s the harsh truth: the Nigerian state is starving the Nigerian people through deliberate policy choices.

Obasanjo’s Moment Of Epiphany

 By Promise Adiele

I met Olusegun Obasanjo for the first time in his Abeokuta home in 2017. I had gone to interview him with Prof. Hope Eghagha as part of the research materials we needed for a national project. After three hours of robust engagement on various topics about Nigeria, I no longer had any illusions about Obasanjo’s sagacity, intellect, and sometimes exaggerations which exonerated him of all culpabilities, creating an infallible image of a being.

*Obasanjo 

To say that Obasanjo is intelligent is to put it mildly. He recounted historical events with an uncanny exactitude and subtle arrogance that belies his position as a no-nonsense former leader of the most populous black country in the world. One can profitably argue that few people know or understand Nigeria more than Olusegun Obasanjo.

IMF’s Doublespeak’ll Make Tinubu’s Hardship Worse

 By Adekunle Adekoya

During the work week ending today, that infamous Bretton Woods institution, the International Monetary Fund, IMF, was in doublespeak regarding the economy of many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly mentioned countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, and my dear country ( I have no other!), Nigeria. 

*Tinubu

Urging Nigeria and the other countries to rethink implementation strategies of the reforms embarked on, the IMF, in its latest Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa report, noted that the countries involved in deep reforms, including Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia and Kenya, may now be experiencing what it called ‘adjustment fatigue’, while some are facing civil resistance.