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Tag: Tinubu

  • Just in: PDP Gov Adeleke, Davido, father visit Tinubu

    Just in: PDP Gov Adeleke, Davido, father visit Tinubu

    Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun state, his nephew, singer, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, as well as his father, Adedeji Adeleke, have visited President Bola Tinubu at his residence in Lagos.

    The Adelekes’ visit to the president came amid the report that the governor was planning to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to secure his second term in office in the forthcoming governorship election in Osun.

    Another major political crisis rocking the state is the allocation of local government.

    The federal government was accused of implementing the Supreme Court judgment to seize the state council’s allocation arbitrarily.

  • BUA tasks Bala Usman to show how Group violated concession agreement

    BUA tasks Bala Usman to show how Group violated concession agreement

    The management of BUA Group has taken the special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on policy coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman to specify the specific clause or clauses violated by the group in her decision to terminate the port concession agreement with the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA.

    Responding to Ms Usman’s claims justifying the abrogation of the concession, BUA questioned her decision to ignore court judgments on the issue and the arbitration process initiated by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

    While affirming that President Bola Tinubu has further consolidated on the due process rejected by her while NPA MD, BUA said that the present administration’s inclination to due process has further restricted the kind of arbitrariness that Ms Usman exhibited in her assertions and actions as NPA MD.

    BUA had alleged how the concession entered with the NPA was terminated by Ms Usman alleging a plot by her to further the business interest of her friend who is in competition with BUA Group.

    Further noting how the courts reversed Ms Hadiza’s termination of the concession and how President Buhari constituted a legal team to review the actions and how she further snubbed the review, BUA affirmed that the new management of the NPA reversed her actions in sustaining the sanctity of contract.

    BUA said:

    “We have taken note of recent public statements made by Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), who was sacked from office. In her comments, she accused BUA Group and our Chairman, Abdul Samad Rabiu, of breaching a concession agreement and distorting facts.

    “BUA entered into a valid long lease agreement in 2006 with the NPA to rehabilitate and operate Terminal B at Rivers Port in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Long before Ms. Usman’s appointment, BUA had begun formal engagement with the NPA to address outstanding remedial works and infrastructural deficiencies. These discussions were near conclusion when she assumed office.

    “Rather than build on that process, Ms. Usman ignored BUA’s requests and obligations under the agreement. In 2016, BUA wrote to the NPA under Article 8.4 of the lease, mandating concessionaires to report environmental and safety concerns and to seek approval for remedial works. Rather than act constructively, Ms. Usman used that letter as a pretext to issue a termination notice and summarily shut down the terminal, without providing any prior warning, consultation, or invoking the dispute resolution clause.

    “She forgot or failed to disclose in her response that the NPA, under her leadership, was itself in material breach of core obligations including, failing to hand over critical portions of the port, leaving derelict iron ore on the berths, failing to dredge or repair quay walls, and neglecting to provide mandatory security. These lapses were significant impediments to BUA’s operations and, as a result, led to disputes between the parties.

    “After the unlawful termination, BUA approached the Federal High Court, which promptly granted an injunction restraining the NPA from proceeding with termination. The NPA itself then referred the dispute to arbitration, as stipulated in Section 17.3 of the agreement, which clearly states:

    “Any dispute, controversy or claim… shall be exclusively and finally settled pursuant to the dispute resolution process prescribed in this Article.”

    Despite this, Ms. Usman, against the advice of her agency, unilaterally decommissioned the berths, thereby violating both the agreement and a court injunction. To be clear, the concession agreement granted her no such power to decommission. If she believes otherwise, we invite her to publicly cite the specific clause that authorizes this action.

    “To further compound the illegality, BUA—after providing the guarantees and indemnities requested by the NPA—was permitted to resume operations briefly. Merely three weeks later, the terminal was again shut down, this time by Ms. Usman’s instruction. This left no doubt that her actions were motivated not by due process, but by personal animosity and abuse of office.

    “BUA subsequently filed contempt proceedings and was looking at estimated losses in excess of $10 million. These proceedings were only withdrawn out of respect for national interest and following the intervention of well-meaning Nigerians within and outside the government.”

    Countering Ms Bala Usman that President Buhari was misinformed in his decision to constitute a review of her actions using the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, BUA said:

    “Ms. Usman’s claim that former President Muhammadu Buhari was “misinformed” when he reversed her actions is false, disrespectful, and disingenuous.

    “Following a meeting that our Chairman had the privilege of holding with President Buhari in 2018, he presented the matter to the President, who then directed the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation to conduct a thorough legal review and investigate the situation. The AGF invited all parties, including Ms. Usman, to several meetings. We never saw her at any of them. Nevertheless, the AGF proceeded to undertake a comprehensive review of the contract, the litigation, the arbitration clause, and all correspondence and actions by BUA and NPA. The legal advice (attached herewith) found that the termination was unlawful, the decommissioning was without any legal basis, and that BUA’s rights should be reinstated. It was on this basis that President Buhari ordered the reversal of her unlawful actions. His intervention preserved the sanctity of the contract, saved over 4,000 jobs, and BUA’s $500 million integrated investment cluster involving flour, pasta, and sugar processing facilities which were all dependent on terminal access. For this, we remain deeply grateful to former President Buhari.

    “As our Chairman said in his interview, imagine if he wasn’t privileged to have access. Nonetheless, this culture of impunity has been significantly curtailed under President Tinubu’s leadership, as many are aware they could be dismissed or imprisoned if they abuse their positions.

    POST-HADIZA: DUE PROCESS RESTORED, INVESTMENT RESUMED

    “Following Ms. Usman’s removal from office, the NPA, under new leadership, implemented the AGF’s position. In 2022, BUA was granted formal approval to resume reconstruction works. The contract was awarded to TREVI, and BUA has since invested over $65 million—entirely self-funded and with no recourse to public funds or subsidies. Work is ongoing and completion is expected in the first quarter of 2026.

    THE REAL DANGER: INVESTOR CONFIDENCE AND RULE OF LAW

    “We must state clearly that this matter goes beyond BUA. Had Ms. Usman’s actions been allowed to stand, it would have sent a disastrous signal that contracts in Nigeria are worthless, court orders are optional, and public institutions or individuals can act unilaterally without consequence. We must never return to that era. Nigeria’s reform success today is rooted in respecting contracts, due process, and investor confidence—principles being restored under President Tinubu’s administration, under which BUA has committed over $1 billion in new investments across energy, food processing, manufacturing, infrastructure and social interventions.

    “We wish to emphasise that Ms. Usman is entitled to her opinions, irrespective of how distorted they may be. However, she is not entitled to distort the facts or rewrite history. We do not seek a public spat and would like her to concentrate on fulfilling her duties in her new role under the strong leadership of President Tinubu. We therefore simply restate the facts that Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman had no authority to decommission Terminal B unilaterally. She also acted in defiance of a court injunction and contractual procedure and her actions caused significant economic loss of over USD10 million, reputational risk to BUA, and investor concern for Nigeria.

    “Our core message remains the same: public office should be viewed as a position of trust rather than a platform for personal biases. Those granted public power need to resist the temptation to let prejudice, ego, and vendetta influence their actions.

    Challenging her to come forward with any evidence on how BUA contravened the concession agreement, the group said:

    “If Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman believes she acted lawfully, we challenge her to cite the specific clause or clauses that guided her unlawful actions. If not, let the facts remain where they belong — in the public record.”

  • Why I turned down offer to work for Tinubu – Amaechi

    Why I turned down offer to work for Tinubu – Amaechi

    Ex- Governor of Rivers State and two-time Minister of Transport, Rotimi Ameachi, has finally disclosed that he rejected offer to work for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because he was convinced that he could not lead Nigeria.

    The two term minister revealed this during a public lecture to celebrate his 60th birthday, he said, “I met President Tinubu in Yola and I told him I will not work for you and I will not vote for you.

    “I told him like that. People have been saying I do not work for All People’s Congress (APC) or Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that is because I was convinced that there was an issue of capacity.”

    The public lecture held in Abuja with the theme “Weaponization of Poverty” had in attendance Emir of Kano Sule Lamido Sanusi, Prof Wole Soyinka, Former Governor of Kaduna State Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of Bayelsa State Sierake Dickson, Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, several traditional rulers, and several others

    Amaechi, in his remarks, noted that Nigeria is where it is today because many Nigerians have been voting on a religious and ethnic basis.

    “Let me tell you, no Nigerian leader cares for the poor, because they know that Nigerians can do nothing to them once they are in power. When Nigerians protested, the President announced an increase in the price of fuel because they know you cannot do anything,” Amaechi said.

    He further reflected that he is more concerned about moving the country forward and respecting people with requisite knowledge.

    “Nigerian leaders and elites are not the problem of Nigeria; the problem of Nigeria is the followers. We say Nigeria is a capitalist country, but capitalists are those who invest in production, however, Nigeria does not produce anything, we just want to feast on the revenue gotten from crude oil.

    “I was ashamed of one of my appointees when I was the Minister of Transport. I appointed her to improve and turnaround things around, unfortunately, she was more interested in speaking Hausa/Fulani to the President.”

    He added that an ordinary northerner who is a Muslim has no problem with the ordinary southerner who is a Christian.

    “It is when they come to elections, they will tell you. Now you have a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Let the Muslim-Muslim market come out now. It’s time. We are all hungry. All of us are. If you are not hungry, I am,” he added.

  • Nigerians to Tinubu: Shrinking civic space threatening democracy

    Nigerians to Tinubu: Shrinking civic space threatening democracy

    As Nigeria marks 26 years of uninterrupted democracy since the transition from military rule, citizens and activists have continued to raise the alarm over shrinking civic space and its negative impact on democratic governance.

    Concerns over the clampdown on dissenting voices, protests, and protesters, among others, during President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s two years were raised during a radio programme, ‘PUBLIC CONSCIENCE,’ produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development, PRIMORG, on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Ajeole Enamarie, the Programme Officer for Security and Human Rights at Global Rights Nigeria, assessed the state of the civic space in the country and said the situation has gone beyond fear and is now an urgent problem needing a solution.

    Enamarie accused the government of making concerted efforts to stop people from exercising their civic freedom and, in so doing, subjecting democracy to attack. He called on the president to use his position to protect the civic space and citizens from further attacks and harm.

    She identified weak institutions, state capture, and uninformed security operatives as some of the main factors giving rise to Nigeria’s shrinking civic space, adding that it is almost impossible for citizens to withstand repression when the government deliberately orchestrates it.

    “The fears and concerns of Nigeria’s shrinking space is not just a fear, it’s an urgent concern. Over the last two years, we have seen deliberate efforts to stifle dissenting voices. You even hear rhetorics by some political elites coming online to say social media is demonic and all that. You have media journalists who have been abducted or forced disappearances of journalists and human rights defenders.

    “Democracy is actually under attack in Nigeria. But when we have violent elections and violent responses to people’s complaints, can you then say that we’re practicing democracy? Because democracy should be the government of the people, by the people, meaning that in a democratic space, the people should be able to exercise their voice and rights to express their dissent to existing policies. When citizens cannot express their dissent, there’s an attack on even democracy itself.

    “You have bills being pushed that are targeted at shrinking people’s voices on public issues. So yes, over the past two years, there have been direct and concerted efforts to shrink the civic space in Nigeria.”

    On what the Tinubu government can do, Enamarie said, “Under section 14 of the Constitution, security and welfare is the duty of the government, and the president is the chief security officer of Nigeria as a CSO if security agents are not acting right either hold them accountable or change strategies as where it is fit. Someone is not doing what you’ve instructed properly, you either remove him, penalize him, or hold them accountable, and accountability goes down to the body language of the president”.

    Enamarie reacting on the 2025 National Day of Mourning, which is held every 28 May, an initiative launched over half a decade ago to pay tribute to victims of attacks and demand the government restore security in the country, revealed that Global Rights report of mass atrocities in Nigeria in 2024 increased by 21 percent.

    She emphasized that Global Rights verified that “at least 5,353 killings and 5,171 abductions of Nigerians, which both represent a 21 percent rise in the previous year, warning that the government must take critical steps to prevent the numbers from burgeoning.

    “Speaking about Mass Atrocities, in 2024, we had at least 5,353 people killed. When compared to 2023, it increased by 21 percent, and then the abductions were 5,171 people abducted across Nigeria. That number showed us a 94% increase compared to 2023, and these numbers are expected to increase if nothing is done to secure Nigeria as it is,” Enamarie warned.

    On his part, an indigene of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and a member of the Labour Party, Solomon Danjuma Garda, stated that the shrinking civic in Nigeria is real and unfortunate, accusing the Nigeria Police Force of attacking peaceful protests by natives of the FCT in the past, dispersing them with tear gas.

    Garda called on President Tinubu to live by example and show seriousness in safeguarding Nigeria’s civic space by ensuring security agents who attack peaceful civic engagements are brought to book having been a beneficiary of the civic space before now.

    He cautioned that situations where peaceful protests are quelled by security agents and protesters killed continuously for standing up for their rights is a recipe for chaos and could make citizens arm themselves against attacks in the future.

    “it is unfortunate that the civic space has been hijacked. As an Original Inhabitant of Abuja and then to share experiences of how we’ve been disengaged, molested, beaten up, and even killed. When people protest, they demand that the government speak to them.

    “Just recently, an original inhabitant was shot at the National Assembly. I was at the scene of the protest. We went peacefully with placards, and they (police) came to us with guns. They shot us with tear gas canisters at a close range and not in the air but directly at us. One person died from it. You can see that the civic space is being polluted.

    “But we’ve seen cases where people kill civilians, and they go scot-free just to add up to what we see. So, it’s wrong when we have leaders, especially our executive arm of government, and a lot of things are going bad, and they are not frowning at it.”

    Garda advised Tinubu on the shrinking civic space: “If this administration is serious about the renewed hope like their Mantra or Agenda, they need to live by example because things are getting worse every day.

    “Living by example is them being accountable to Nigerians who invested trust in them to lead. Nigerians are not happy. You can hear from the mouths of the youths out there who are finding ways to leave this country.”

    Listeners to the radio programme also registered their concern over the shrinking civic in Nigeria and the challenges it portends to Nigeria’s 26 years old stable democracy.

    Cyril Okonkwo from Abuja: “I feel bad. This situation provokes me. Nigerians are being pushed to the wall, some day they will burst. I advise the government to thread with caution. How will the elections thrive when they have hijacked all the institutions? Nigerians are now so afraid. Nigerians will have to come out without fear.

    Yemi from Maitaima, Abuja: “As it is right now, we are running a military government in a civilian pretext. I can’t wait to forsake this country for Amsterdam. There is no hope for peaceful elections in this country.

    Audu from Nasarawa: “Voting in Nigeria, we know it is not the people we are voting for that they are announcing. That is why people don’t like to vote. The last election was highly participatory, but what came out of it? Nothing stops us from voting if they can eschew corruption from the process.

    Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio program by PRIMORG that draws the government’s and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.
    The program runs in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation.

  • 2nd Anniversary: Under Tinubu, Nigeria is on the cusp of greatness again, says Omo-Agege

    2nd Anniversary: Under Tinubu, Nigeria is on the cusp of greatness again, says Omo-Agege

    Deputy President in the 9th Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has applauded the turn around of the country carried out by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu since he came into office two years ago.

    In a message to mark the mid-term of his Presidency, the former deputy president of the Senate said Nigeria is on the cusp of return to prosperity and becoming the investment haven and destination it once was.

    His message he signed personally reads:

    “It is with exhilarating spirit and optimism that today we celebrate the mid-term point of the administration of His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s President who took office this day two years ago.

    “Two years ago, our country was on a cliffhanger, burdened by a debilitating debt overhang, crippling and bogus fuel subsidy claims and insurgency that had made daily living a nightmare.

    “It is two years since President Tinubu came on the saddle and it has been a great turn around for our country and our people. Our dear President picked up the gauntlet and took the tough decisions that have charted a new trajectory that is bringing Nigeria on the cusp of greatness again. He has cleaned up the Augean stable and more.

    “I heartily congratulate His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the transformation he has brought to the polity and economy. It may seem challenging, but it is just what the doctor needed to revive his patient. The international community and Western economies have applauded the reforms the President introduced and have responded accordingly with investors finding our country the investment haven and destination it used to be.

    “I also congratulate every Nigerian on the change in fortune for our country. I firmly believe that this government is on the right track and we will arrive at the destination where our country will return to greatness.

    “Once again, I urge everyone to rally round the President to complete the process. There is still work to be done and he needs time to accomplish what he has started for the common good of all Nigerians.”

    The full text:

    *2ND ANNIVERSARY: PRESIDENT TINUBU SETS NIGERIA ON THE CUSP OF GREATNESS*

    It is with exhilarating spirit and optimism that today we celebrate the mid-term point of the administration of His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s President who took office this day two years ago.

    Two years ago, our country was on a cliffhanger, burdened by a debilitating debt overhang, crippling and bogus fuel subsidy claims and insurgency that had made daily living a nightmare.

    It is two years since President Tinubu came on the saddle and it has been a great turn around for our country and our people. Our dear President picked up the gauntlet and took the tough decisions that have charted a new trajectory that is bringing Nigeria on the cusp of greatness again. He has cleaned up the Augean stable and more.

    I heartily congratulate His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the transformation he has brought to the polity and economy. It may seem challenging, but it is just what the doctor needed to revive his patient. The international community and Western economies have applauded the reforms the President introduced and have responded accordingly with investors finding our country the investment haven and destination it used to be.

    I also congratulate every Nigerian on the change in fortune for our country. I firmly believe that this government is on the right track and we will arrive at the destination where our country will return to greatness.

    Once again, I urge everyone to rally round the President to complete the process. There is still work to be done and he needs time to accomplish what he has started for the common good of all Nigerians.

  • Tinubu intervenes, grants 14-day grace to defaulters over FCT ground rent

    Tinubu intervenes, grants 14-day grace to defaulters over FCT ground rent

    President Bola Tinubu has given defaulters of ground rent in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) a 14-day grace period to pay outstanding ground rent and associated penalties.

    Mr Chijoke Nwankwoeze, Director of Land, FCTA, disclosed this at a news conference in Abuja on Monday.

    Nwankwoeze explained that Tinubu’s intervention followed the vigorous enforcement of the takeover of 4,794 revoked properties in the FCT by the Administration.

    The revoked properties owe the FCTA more than N6 billion in unpaid ground rent, with arrears ranging from 10 to 43 years.

    Following the enforcement, which began on Monday, the FCTA sealed several properties including the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, Access Bank, and Federal Internal Revenue Service offices, all located in Wuse Zone 5.

    Also sealed were the Chinese Cultural Centre, Ibro Hotel, Total Energy Petrol Station, Mamuda Group Warehouse, and the premises of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, also in Wuse.

    The director said that properties owned by government institutions, corporate organisations, and individuals were affected, demonstrating the FCT Administration’s commitment to carrying out its duties without fear or favour.

    Following Tinubu’s directive, holders of the affected properties now have 14 days to pay the outstanding ground rents along with penalties.

    Nwankwoeze explained that defaulters in the Central Area must pay a penalty of N5 million in addition to their ground rent arrears.

    “Those in Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse II, and Guzape districts will pay N3 million, while defaulters in Wuse I, Garki I, and Garki II will pay N2 million as penalties alongside their owed rents.”

    He further urged individuals who purchased properties but had not yet registered their ownership by obtaining the mandatory Minister’s Consent and registering their Deeds of Assignment to do so within 14 days.

    Affected property owners were advised to visit the FCT Department of Land Administration to complete registration by obtaining the required Minister’s Consent.

    Nwankwoeze also announced that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike had given a similar 14-day grace period for all property holders to pay their Right of Occupancy or Certificate of Occupancy bills, warning that failure to do so might result in revocation.

    “Going forward, the minister has advised all property owners in the FCT to ensure timely payment of all necessary bills and charges.

    “This will enable the government to continue carrying out vital developmental projects for the benefit of the people,” he said.

  • Can the President collude with the NASS to dupe Nigerians? – By Godwin Etakibuebu

    Can the President collude with the NASS to dupe Nigerians? – By Godwin Etakibuebu

    My dearly most cherished President Bola Tinubu, I beg of you to consider above question, with absolute sincerity, and try your very best in responding to it, please. 

    Your response, in whichever way, shall remain one befitting legacy you shall be leaving behind for posterity, knowing fully that, just like every other mortal, you have a limited space of occupation on this side of the divide. Very soon, and again, just like every other human being – this author inclusive, you shall be translating from mortality to immortality. 

    And by the time we are gone, posterity shall arise to evaluate what we did while we occupied the space allocated to us by our Creator on earth. That would be when our Daniels shall be brought to judgement. 

    The question above is based on finding of BudgIT, while critically looking at the 2025, Budget, currently being implemented by the Federal Government – meaning your government, Mr President. What BudgIT discovered, while on the forensic examination of the Budget is not only alarming but a death sentence on Nigerians. 

    The Budget Proposal you submitted to the National Assembly, and which was critically scrutinised by the NNSS [so it ought to be] before it became a Bill, which your Honourable-Self later signed into Law, was Padded with 11, 122 budget projects, amounting to the whopping Sum of N9.93 trillion Naira. 

    Mr President, you owe Nigerians absolute responsibility to explain what happened with this 2025 Budget, as it relates to these deadly Padding, which are not going to serve interest of Nigerians but few individuals in the Executive and the NASS. The Sword of Damocles is vicariously hanging on you on this matter, for two major reasons.

    One, you and your Executive Arm of Government drew the Budget Proposals before submitting same to the National Assembly – this is your Constitutional responsibility, of  course.

    Two, when the National Assembly finished its work of scrutinising, assessing and evaluating the Budget Proposal, it then passed it as a Bill – fit to become Law, only by your assent. It makes you the Alfa and Omega of the whole process. That raises the validity of the question of this essay’s caption. 

    Did the Budget Proposal you sent to the NASS had these 11, 122 budget projects, amounting to N9.93 trillion in it? If it did not, how come that you did not see this huge and monumental Padding, on the return of the Budget to you, before you signed it into Law?

    You owe the Nigerian People adequate explanations, of both [your] actions and inactions on this matter. But let me help you a little further, by explaining what BudgIT stands for, and presenting to you the source and details of the demonic scamming of the Nigerian People, please.

    What is BudgIT

    BudgIT is a Nigerian civic-tech organization focused on promoting transparency and accountability in government spending and budget implementation. It uses technology to make government budgets and public finances accessible and understandable to citizens. BudgIT also works to improve citizen engagement, advocate for fiscal reforms, and monitor government projects.

    The totally regrettable revelation of the story as presented by the Leadership Newspaper.

    Padding: NASS, BudgIT disagree over N6.93trn projects in Budget 2025

    Budget 2025

    ..How NASS inserted 11, 122 projects budget — BudgIT

    ..2025 Appropriation Bill interrogated, passed based on the exact amount presented – Senate

    …NASS has powers to amend budget — Reps

    ABUJA — The National Assembly and a civic organisation, BudgIT, yesterday disagreed over insertion of 11,122 projects worth N6.93 trillion into the 2025 budget.

    BudgIT had alleged that the lawmakers padded the Appropriation Bill with the projects it described as not in alignment with the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021–2025) and other national priorities.

    But both arms of the National Assembly, the Senate and the House of Representatives, reacted swiftly yesterday, dismissing allegations that they padded the budget.

    They also reaffirmed their powers to amend the budget, as enshrined by the 1999 constitution.

    However, BudgiT, which promotes and monitors public finance, said in a statement yesterday that by inserting the projects, which the executive did not envisage, legislators have taken what began as isolated irregularities over the years, to a deeply entrenched culture of exploitation and abuse, with the budget process now turned into a playground for self-serving political interests, led by top-ranking members of the national legislature.

    BudgIT said 238 projects valued above N5 billion each, with a cumulative value of N2.29 trillion, were inserted with little or no justification.

    Similarly, 984 projects worth N1.71 trillion and 1,119 projects within the range of N500 million to N1 billion, totalling N641.38 billion, were indiscriminately inserted, raising questions about their relevance and alignment with national priorities.

    These insertions, according to BudgiT, appeared tailored to satisfy narrow political interests and personal gains rather than the citizens’ interests.

    Giving further details of how the padding was done, BudgIT stated: “A closer look shows that 3,573 projects worth N653.19 billion are assigned directly to federal constituencies and 1,972 projects worth N444.04 billion to senatorial districts.

    ‘’Categorically, some of the most glaring anomalies include 1,477 street light projects worth N393.29 billion; 538 boreholes totalling N114.53 billion; 2,122 ICT projects valued at N505.79 billion; and N6.74 billion earmarked for ‘empowerment of traditional rulers.

    ‘N1.72trn projects tucked into Agric Ministry’s budget’

    “Shockingly, 39% of all insertions, 4,371 projects worth N1.72 trillion, were forced into the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget, inflating its capital allocation from N242.5 billion to N1.95 trillion.

    ‘’The Ministries of Science and Technology, and Budget and Economic Planning also saw bloated allocations of N994.98 billion and N1.1 trillion, respectively, from insertions alone.

    “Even more concerning is the targeted misuse of agencies such as the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (Lagos) and the Federal Cooperative College, Oji River, as dumping grounds for politically motivated projects.

    ‘’These agencies lack the technical capacity to execute such projects, leading to rampant under-performance and waste. For example, the Federal Cooperative College, Oji River, a training institution, was saddled with N3 billion for utility vehicles to support farmers and distribution agents; N1.5 billion for rural electrification in Rivers State; and N1 billion for solar streetlights in Enugu State.

    ‘’These are examples of agencies operating outside their mandates, managing projects unrelated to their statutory functions, and adding zero value to national development.

    “Despite these findings, the Presidency has remained conspicuously silent. Recall that in the third and fourth quarters of 2024, BudgIT launched the ‘The Budget is a Mess’ campaign to bring these issues to light.

    ‘’We submitted formal letters outlining our findings to the Presidency, the Budget Office, and the National Assembly. While these letters were acknowledged, no response was received from any of the institutions, and not a single institution has taken responsibility for the anomalies.

    ‘’Even more concerning is the silence from the Presidency, silence which, in the face of overwhelming evidence, amounts to complicity.”

    Commenting on the findings, Gabriel Okeowo, BudgIT’s Country Director, stressed the urgent need to restore integrity to Nigeria’s budgeting process, highlighting how unchecked project insertions by the National Assembly had derailed the purpose of national planning, weakened public trust and diverted resources away from critical development priorities.

    Okeowo said: “The insertion of over 11,000 projects worth N6.93 trillion into the 2025 budget by the National Assembly is not just alarming, it is an assault on fiscal responsibility. This trend, increasingly normalised, undermines the purpose of national budgeting, distorts development priorities and redirects scarce resources into the hands of political elites.

    ‘’Nigeria cannot afford to run a government of projects without purpose. We urgently need transparency, constitutional clarity, and a return to evidence-based planning that puts citizens, not politics, at the centre of the budget.

    “In light of the foregoing, we call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to exercise stronger executive leadership and reform the budgeting process to ensure alignment with the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021–2025) and other national priorities.

    ‘’We urge the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to seek a constitutional interpretation from the Supreme Court regarding the extent of the National Assembly’s appropriation powers, particularly its authority to unilaterally introduce new capital projects without executive concurrence.

    ‘’We hope that the anti-corruption agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, will also take action to track these projects and ensure Nigeria gets value for money.

    “We also call on citizens, the media, civil society organisations, and the development community to speak out and demand reform.

    ‘’This is not merely about financial mismanagement, it is a matter of justice, equity and the future of accountable governance in Nigeria. The 2025 budget must serve the interests of the Nigerian people, not a privileged few.’’

    Below is what the Senate said about this huge Scam

    2025 Appropriation Bill interrogated, passed based on exact amount presented — Senate

    Dismissing the allegations yesterday, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South), said the 2025 Appropriation Bill was presented by the executive, interrogated and passed, based on the exact amount presented.

    While advising those he described as ubiquitous but ludicrous political ball-boys to engage in patriotic and truthful endeavours, Adaramodu said: “The dark angels of falsehood and public discord are only interested in stirring disaffection against the National assembly.

    “For a long time, there has been a lull in their sordid trade of irreverent propaganda, hence a resort to the latest spurious allegation of budget padding.’’

    This comment from the Nigerian Senate is nothing but Balderdash.

    Below is what the House of Representative said about the Scam

    NASS has powers to amend budget —Reps

    On his part, Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on National Planning and Economic Development, Clement Jimbo, dismissed insinuations that the National Assembly padded the 2025 national budget, describing such claims as “completely false” and rooted in “ignorance” of the legislature’s constitutional responsibilities.

    Speaking in an interview with Vanguard, Jimbo reaffirmed the National Assembly’s legal authority to review, amend, and approve the national budget, emphasising that the legislature is not a rubber stamp for executive proposals.

    He said: “The National Assembly is the arm of government the constitution has empowered to make laws. There is no other arm of government that is saddled with that responsibility.

    ‘’We make the law, including the budget. The budget the Presidency sends to the National Assembly is called an estimate; it is not yet law until we pass it.”

    Jimbo stressed that the legislature has the constitutional powers to modify the budget proposals sent by the executive, including additions and subtractions, to reflect the aspirations of Nigerians.

    “If what the executive sends to us is not in tandem with the aspirations of Nigerians, we can change it. Make no mistakes about that. We have the power to change it, amend it, subtract and add. That power is the exclusive right of the National Assembly,” he stated.

    Citing an example, Jimbo, who pointed to a recent disagreement over tax legislation, said: “The executive proposed that VAT be increased by 2.5%. We said no, let it remain at 7.5%. The way we treated that is the same way we handle the national budget.”

    He expressed strong disapproval of recent reports suggesting that lawmakers arbitrarily padded the budget, calling such narratives misleading and factually incorrect.

    The lawmaker added: “I completely disagree with them (BudgiT). It is completely based on ignorance.

    ‘’The executive cannot send a budget of N50 billion, and we just approve N50 billion. It is practically impossible. If we did that, we would be reducing ourselves to mere rubber stamps.”

    He also offered insight into the legislative budget process, noting that the estimates were reviewed by nearly 200 specialised committees in the House of Representatives, each interfacing with corresponding government ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs.

    “This is what is called budget defence. If agencies cannot justify their budget proposals, based on previous performance, the National Assembly has the power to slash what they’re asking for. Equally, we have the power to increase the budget for agencies that have been underfunded,’’ he said.

    While debunking claims that individual lawmakers could unilaterally divert funds to favoured regions or interests, Jimbo said: “No one senator or House member can sit down and say the budget of a particular region should be channelled to favour anybody. It’s false.

    ‘’I have participated in the 2023 supplementary budget, 2024, and now the 2025 budget, I have never seen such a thing.”

    He reiterated that the recent report alleging budget padding by the National Assembly is “false, to the extent of irresponsibility,” and called for greater public understanding of the legislative process.

    “This is not a difficult thing for Nigerians to know, and even for those pushing these narratives to understand. What they are saying is completely false,’’ the lawmaker said. 

    This comment from the Honourable House of Representative is complete Balderdash.

    Mr President, as I draw the curtain on this exercise, permit me to place on record that l have done my very least good in helping you. But it is entirely your vicarious responsibility to uphold and defend your integrity, which is highly at stake now, on this subject matter.

    I salute you most respectfully.

  • The Abiola-Tinubu-Aregbesola triumvirate in politics – By Owei Lakemfa

    The Abiola-Tinubu-Aregbesola triumvirate in politics – By Owei Lakemfa

    Nigeria, this Thursday, May 29, 2025,  marks its 26th anniversary ending brutal military rule, and embarking on the road to democracy.  I am reminded, on this occasion, of three political figures who contributed to this situation.

    President  Bola  Ahmed Tinubu emerged into  national consciousness in 1992  when he was elected the Senator representing the Lagos West Constituency.  The following year when the June 12 presidential election, won by Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, was annulled by the Babangida junta, he became one of the major advocates of de-annulment.  He was like Abiola, a good social  mixer  and seemed to have friends in high places. Also, when shortly after the Abacha coup and the head of the junta needed to meet Abiola for secret discussions, they each had a witness: Abacha had General Oladipo Diya  who was his  Deputy, while Abiola had Tinubu. Abiola and Tinubu were populists and shared Abiola’s  political agenda: “Hope ’93, Farewell To Poverty: How to make Nigeria a better place for all.”

    When six years later, he ran for gubernatorial election in Lagos State, Tinubu seemed to have dusted up that manifesto. At his inauguration as Governor, he promised  Lagosians  a better life and assured them of “a good economic programme that will eradicate poverty and provide employment for the jobless…” Equally, Rauf  Aregbesola, when, in 2007, he ran for the gubernatorial election in Osun State,  unfolded a similar programme.  His  Six-Point Agenda promised to promote functional education, banish poverty, banish unemployment, restore healthy living, banish hunger and, enhance communal peace and progress.

    When the Abacha regime cracked  down on pro-democracy activists, Tinubu went into exile in 1994 and returned in 1998 after the dictator’s death. Abiola had died in detention under controversial circumstances on July 7, 1998. On his return from exile, Tinubu ran for the gubernatorial election of Lagos State  in January 1999 and won. The Director  of his campaign team, the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Campaign Organisation, BATCO,    was Aregbesola. The latter had ran for the House of Representatives in 1992 while  Tinubu ran  for Senate in the same Lagos West area. Tinubu had won  while Aregbesola lost, but that campaign  had brought them together.  When in 2003, Tinubu ran for re-election, Aregbesola was, again, the Director of his campaign team that ensured victory.

    After Tinubu’s  1999 victory as governor,  his team penned down Aregbesola as Senior Special Adviser  to the Lagos State House of Assembly. But when  the list of the  new cabinet  in the state was announced on radio, Aregbesola was amongst the commissioners named.  Apparently, Tinubu had put  his foot down, insisting that the former should be in his new cabinet.  Aregbesola was named Commissioner for Works  and Infrastructure.  He spent eight years during which the salutary work of the Ministry in executing huge  road construction  and building  massive public works,  was one of the undeniable achievements of the Tinubu administration. This partly  led to the contested claims that: “Tinubu built Lagos”.

    Aregbesola’s  demonstrable competence, knowledge and commitment were so  visible in his first four years as Commissioner, that Governor Bisi Akande  of Osun State approached Tinubu to allow Aregesola become his running mate in his 2003 bid for re- election.  Aregbesola did not want to cut short his  service in Lagos State and, clearly, Tinubu  still needed the services of the latter, not just in his cabinet but also for his re-election for a second term. Besides, Tinubu’s    re-election promised to be quite tough because he had openly  confronted the dictatorial tendencies of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    For instance, following  clashes between the police and a militant ethnic group,  the Oodua People’s Congress, OPC,    Obasanjo    on January 13, 2000, wrote Tinubu a letter threatening to impose emergency rule on Lagos State. Obasanjo told Tinubu: “When either by utterance, action or indeed inaction, a Chief Executive shows a loss of control in the maintenance of law and order in his state, it becomes incumbent on the Federal Government to take appropriate action to arrest the situation, usually in the form of the imposition of a State of Emergency.   “Mr. Governor, I regret that I have not seen any action on your part in the recent past to suggest that you are in control of the security situation in Lagos State. On the contrary there is evidence of increasing disorder, loss of lives and property and a general sense of fear among the citizens of Lagos State. This is an intolerable situation.”

    Tinubu had responded, blaming the Obasanjo administration for the insecurity.  The latter, he wrote, ran a Police which was  “undermanned, ill-equipped, poorly motivated and demoralised”.  He advised it to either live up to its responsibilities or “allow for the necessary constitutional amendment to allow the states to bear their own cross”. Also, Tinubu had rejected the overt directives of Yoruba leaders that the six states in Western Nigeria, including Lagos State, should back the 2003 re-election bid  of President Obasanjo. The states had been  run by the opposition Alliance for Democracy, AD.  Clearly, the Presidency was displeased by Tinubu’s opposition and he knew he had an uphill task in his hands. So, Akande’s  request that Aregbesola became  his running mate in Osun State could not be met.

    As it turned out,  in the South-West, only Tinubu was returned in the gubernatorial election as his  five other colleagues, fell to the onslaught of  Obasanjo’s    Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.   Once he became the Governor of  Osun State, Aregbesola    displayed    the spirit  of Tinubu’s  relatively outstanding performance in Lagos. When at the expiration of his tenure in Osun State, he returned to Lagos, his  GRA Ikeja home was called “Second Bourdillion” in reference to his closeness to Tinubu who lived on Bourdillion Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.  It was an indication that some saw Aregbesola as Tinubu’s deputy in politics, at least in  the politics of  South-Western Nigeria.

    Tinubu was carrying on the populist vision of Abiola and Aregbesola was helping to realise that vision. But politically, the three politicians had some divergent positions. Abiola  was a populist of the Right, Tinubu was Centre Right,  while Aregbesola  was Left.  Abiola was very close to the military top brass.  Tinubu did not wholly embrace military rule but worked closely with Abiola for the birth  of the Abacha  military regime. In contrast,  Aregbesola distanced himself from the military. Given his role in the 1978 student uprising against military rule, he disliked the latter.  He,  like many in the Left, viewed the military  as political usurpers. So, while Abiola and Tinubu might have had some confidence that the military would agree to disengage and willingly return to the barracks, Aregbesola thought the Generals had a hidden agenda. All three have played  major roles in the contemporary politics of the country.

  • Tinubu, God’s gift to Nigeria – Arthur Eze

    Tinubu, God’s gift to Nigeria – Arthur Eze

    Prince Arthur Eze, the Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Oranto Petroleum, has described President Bola Tinubu as “God’s gift to Nigeria” and praised his leadership style, reform-driven governance, and commitment to national unity.

    In an upcoming State House documentary marking President Tinubu’s second anniversary in office, Eze said Tinubu exemplified the bold, God-ordained leadership Nigeria needed at this moment in history, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President’s spokesman, said in a statement on Sunday.

    “God doesn’t make mistakes. That man, Tinubu, was created for a purpose. God gave him the power to change lives.

    “Tinubu has no enemies. He is a unifier. He speaks with humility and honesty; that’s why we admire him,” said Eze.

    Reflecting on his experience during the Nigerian civil war and his deep roots in the Southeast, Eze noted that Tinubu had demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to inclusivity and development in the region.

    “What Tinubu has done for the Southeast, nobody else has.

    “He gave us the Minister of Works, the Minister of Science and Technology, and the Southeast Development Commission. This is an opportunity for the Igbo to unite with the rest of Nigeria,” he stated.

    On the Renewed Hope Agenda, the 76-year-old business leader expressed confidence that President Tinubu had fulfilled his promises.

    He noted that the President assumed office at a time of economic fragility and political uncertainty but had shown the wisdom and resolve required to steer the nation toward progress.

    “God has given him the wisdom to change Nigeria for the good of the present and future generations,” Eze said.

    He urged Nigerians to support the President for stability, growth and future prosperity.

    “He’s not a man of division – whether Christian or Muslim, he respects all. All he asks is that we pray to God and work together,” Eze added.

    The Southeast leader concluded with a prayer for the President: “May God guide Nigeria and President Tinubu. He gave him this power and will help him complete the job.”

  • A referendum on nothing – By Chidi Amuta

    A referendum on nothing – By Chidi Amuta

    The APC as the ruling party has developed a rather curious sense of comedy. It is in a way futuristic and steps ahead of the country over which it rules. From the utterances of its chief priests and prime pontiffs, it has already held the next presidential elections a  clear two years ahead of 2027. It has even declared the results well in advance. In that futuristic comedy, it has declared incumbent president Mr. Bola Tinubu as the winner. The crowd has already gathered at Eagle Square for a grand inauguration. For the APC, the president has already been reelected for a second term.

    From the length and breadth of the country, partisan hawks  and jesters have been busy in the last fortnight with gloating over a foregone Tinubu re-election. National and State party executives led the pack in declaring Tinubu the sole candidate of the party for 2027. Major party faithful all around the country have followed suit. Strategically, they have carefully arranged themselves around geopolitical zones mostly in order of demographic gravity. The more populous zones like the North West have naturally led the pack.

    The futuristic electoral tsunami has been fuelled by the recent and ongoing deluge of mass defections from other parties into the APC. Those defecting in droves need the reassurance of an assured foregone victory in order to jostle for vantage positions in their new party.  These defections have helped fuel the illusion that Nigeria is about to degenerate into a one party state.  In the euphoria f the moment, the Nigerian state presided over by Mr. Tinubu has forgotten that political parties constitute the building block of a viable multi party democracy. It ought ot be in the best interest of an enlightened government that the party system remains vibrant and viable. But in this place, the false impression of politics as warfare has tended to blind the APC and its leadership into a conquest mode.

    The myth of a foregone Tinubu succession victory is the second chapter in the APC’s carefully choreographed 2027 strategy. The first was to hoodwink the entire nation into ignoring the myriad social and economic  crises of the moment and  shift focus to the contest for 2027 presidential election. The gsmbit has largely succeeded. Every politicians is now fixated on the 2027 race. The political elite including the opposition have largely fallen for this deception. Instead of keeping Tinubu and the APC with strict accountability for the mandate given them in 2023, nearly everyone is busy speculating about the outcome of the 2027 presidential election. What happened to the epidemic of hunger all over the land? Why is no serious solution being sought to the resurgence of the Boko Haram scourge? Why are our myriad graduating kids not finding work? Why has every hospital become more of a morgue? Silence. Even more silence at state and national levels.

    It is as if there will be no life before 2027. The masses are not amused. But what they are seeing is both shocking and bemusing. Yet it is real in digitsl colour. People who contested to make our lives better just two years ago have abandoned us mid stream to  be swallowed by the ogres of want and poverty.

    It is also as though the presidency is the only consequential political office in the land. Even state governors in rival parties who have been sitting around doing little or nothing these many months are busy threatening their electoral grassroots that they are about to join the APC. This is happening even in the most unlikely places.

    The other day when President Tinubu went visiting with Governor Soludo of Anambra state, he was rewarded with a promise that Anambra has endorsed him for re-election in 2027. This is coming from a governor in a state where Labour Party’s  Peter Obi does not need to campaign to win the majority vote. In tandem, Tinubu’s Works Minister, Dave Umahi, has cajoled Governor Alex Otti and Peter Obi on the need for the South East political elite to join the national Marionette  chorus on the Tinubu mass endorsement.

    Purely from a narrow APC perspective then, the 2027 presidential election contest is looking more like an impending referendum. It promises to be a referendum first on Tinubu’s overall job approval rating as president of Nigeria. Nigerians would be called out to approve or disapprove of his leadership record on a scale that measures him against previous Nigerian leaders. It does not matter that the man’s basic qualification for the job remains cloudy. It does not matter that no one recalls any memeorable speech he has made as president. It does not even matter that he has initiated no clearly articulated policy on anything. Let alone come across as enlightened, informed or conversant with any aspect of national life. Yes, the man is an astute politician, adept at power mongering and playing. Is that what the impending referendum will be all about?

    It may be a referendum on the economy in which Nigerians are invited by INEC to approve or disapprove of Tinubu’s handling of the economy. Matters like the dying exchange rate, the tanking purchasing power  of the Naira, the raging inflation, the sky high food prices  may feature as referendum items.  On the scale of social service, Nigerians would be invited by the APC and INEC to approve or disapprove of the disappearing healthcare system, the declining educational system, the roofless classrooms, the universities turned cult covens and ritual murder centres and cybercrime hubs. The Tinubu /APC referendum will invite us all to endorse a nation in darkness. Not to talk of the intractable insecurity as evidenced by the return of Boko Haram, the spread of ISWAP and the increasing helplessness of our military. A formidable military force that took only two years to end the Nigerian civil war has spent over 12 years without containing a roving band of hungry gunmen and zealots!

    Fortunately, Nigeria is far from a one-party democracy in spite of its tattered party system. The seasonal migration into the APC does not confer on the APC the status of a monopoly of partisanship. Nor does the overall population of the APC in any way confer on the party a demographic majority of Nigeria’s voting population. On the contrary, the main body of Nigerians who detest the APC and its policies far overwhelm the party’s noisy chest beating.  Nor can the mass migration into the APC confer on Mr. Tinubu the charisma and esteem which he hardly possesses. The man is merely tolerated as a systemic throwup, not loved by even his immediate home base. Leadership endorsement through a referendum-like election is only possible when the leader commands a groundswell of popular approval and personal electricity. I cannot see it anywhere in Tinubu’s Nigeria.

    This is not to under estimate the capacity of Mr. Tinubu and his ethnocentric minions to manipulate the political process and blackmail the political elite into making the next election look like an intra -party referendum. Mr. Tinubu is reputed to sit on a nearly limitless  trove of cash resources both  from prior undertakings and deals and from the current incumbency. His capacity to deploy these resources to political effect has never been in doubt. And for as long as money and what it can buy remains the determining factor in Nigerian politics, it would be childish to write off Mr. Tinubu.

    More seriously, Tinubu has so far demonstrated a huge appetite for authoritarian flirtations. He rules more like an emperor   than an elected president in a republican democracy. He holds his key ministers to no known standards of accountability. He has repeatedly failed to restrain members of his family from acting like royalty. From his Lagos days till the present, he brooks little dissent. He humours and rewards loyalists to his personal cause.

    Under Tinubu, authoritarian streaks have emerged. Journalists are being arrested and detained randomly. Known opponents of government and outspoken critics are routinely invited for  interrogation by the police, the DSS and the EFCC. Mr. Pat Utomi has been sued by the DSS for the laughable crime of sitting in his bedroom to declare the formation of a shadow government under a presidential system, not a Westminster parliamentary system.  Something that should have qualified for an after dinner laughing session is being weaponized by the state to serve an authoritarian end.

    The illusion in the APC that the entire party could be cornered into a loud ovation for a sole Tinubu candidate for the 2027 ticket is straight from the playbooks of classic African dictators. The more one listens to the spokespersons of the APC, they echo the rhetoric of Mobutu, Nguema, Eyadema, Biya , Mugabe and even a bit of Kagame. It is all too familiar in a continent replete with sit tight dictators.

    Perhaps the more urgent task facing the APC is that of transforming into a modern political party under a more enlightened  leadership. A political party led by the Ghanduje’s of this world belong in the museum of African politics and would always be an insult to the forward-looking outlook of Nigeria’s vibrant population.