Politics
Another four years of wasted presidency beckons Tunde Odesola
If Nigeria had a surname, Disaster would’ve been a fitting fit. She would’ve come to be known as Nigeria Disaster – a befitting reflection of who she truly is. Just like the US is called the United States of America and Britain goes by the family names, Great Britain and United Kingdom. Or what do you call a country without a soul; a judiciary waltzing with corruption, a scandalous legislature and a woeful executive? It’s an absolute disaster when an oilrig produces water, a soldier ant scares a soldier, and a 20-year-journey is all about motion without movement.
February 17 is my birthday. May it not turn a sad day, I pray.
February 16 is the day Nigeria would go into labour and the world would hold their breath to see the fruit of her four-year pregnancy. The baby will be an ‘abiku’, I can loudly predict. It will never be a newborn. Because the seeds that fertilized the eggs shot forth from the loins of two genetically-deformed fathers claiming the same baby. The first father, Mallam Ethnic Bigot, forcefully led the rape of Nigeria over three decades ago. The baby from that painful coitus was not only malformed, it died at infancy. Today, the mallam is an epitome of flawless inefficiency. The other father, Mallam Bureau de Change, shot into limelight in the new era. The babies he helped father on two occasions were born blind, deaf, dumb and dead. If these two principalities had fathered ‘abikus’ in the past, one would expect Nigeria to get a young and virile man to roll in the hay with her, in the hope that the product of the union would be a bouncing baby, either a boy or a girl. But with a surname that is Disaster, our dog can’t do more than eat its vomit while our pig gets the mud for a bed.
February 17 is the day after the Nigerian presidential election. I pray blood doesn’t rain down on the country in the preceding days of the election, on the D-Day and the days after. I pray February 16 won’t be a day Nigeria’s most famous scapegoat, Mr Devil, would walk the Nigerian space shopping for heads, limbs and innards. Because I know the election will never be complete without bloodshed! And the blood to be shed won’t be that of the current impotent tenants of Aso Rock or the rapacious prodigals craving a comeback after 16 years of revelry ruination. I fear as February 16 crawls on us like the tarantula, spurning its intricate web over the paralyzed eagle.
Today, I remember the late Tai Solarin, the atheist, whose baptismal name was Augustus. In 1952, as the principal of Molusi College, Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State, Solarin cancelled morning prayers and religious studies as a subject in the school. His ‘re-education’ campaign didn’t go down well with the Ijebu Igbo community, where his brother was also a reverend. After his apostasy ran into an opposition, he quit the job to establish and run, with his late co-atheist wife, Sheila, the illustrious 8,000-student capacity Mayflower School, Ikenne. Stinking and stagnant religiosity didn’t emigrate to Nigeria from Jerusalem and Arabia on the back of a camel yesterday, it was birthed in the maternity ward of culture contact that imposed colonial imperialism over an unfortunate race.
Despite her globally renowned slogans, ‘In God we trust’, and ‘God bless America’, United State’s elementary, middle and high schools don’t teach religious studies, yet the country respects God and human diversity. Nigeria, where the loudest noise pollution booms from churches and mosques – in form of worship, disdains God and humanity. I know that thousands of the students that attended Solarin’s school were the children and wards of bishops, pastors, sheikhs and imams across Nigeria. But I’m still curious to know why many Nigerian devil-is-a-liar believers sent their children to the school of the popular pagan. Was that hypocrisy, acceptant realism or tolerance?
In his New Year wish for Nigerians on January 1, 1964, Solarin said, “May your road be rough!” Solarin’s greeting, which was contained in a letter, preaches vision, hard work, determination and resilience. When Nigeria was setting out on her democratic journey 20 years ago, little did she know that she was on the road to nowhere. If someone had predicted in 1999 that the democratic dispensation, after 20 years, would produce pains instead of gains and division instead of dividends, Nigerians would’ve disagreed. Today, the country stands regrettably on the threshold of another historic election, ruing two decades of waste, unfulfilled promises and paradise lost. From the impunity, selfishness and greed of the Olusegun Obasanjo-Atiku Abubakar years to the short-lived, static Musa Yar’Adua-Goodluck Jonathan years and the legitimized corruption of the Jonathan-Namadi Sambo years, to the Muhammadu Buhari-Yemi Osinbajo know-nothing era, it is certain that all the four successive leaderships that have steered the ship of the Nigerian state since 1999 should have, at best, headed roadside shops selling padlocks, nails and hoes, and not come anywhere near the corridors of power because the masses, whom democracy seeks to promote, have been utterly dehumanized by them.
If not that our surname is Disaster, the Obasanjo-Atiku administration wouldn’t have mishandled the Bakassi peninsula crisis and lost the whole of the oil-rich region to Cameroon. The administration wouldn’t have mismanaged billions of dollars on non-provided infrastructure, corruptly impeached successive senate presidents, defied court orders and criminally sought a third term. But for our surname that is Disaster, Patience Jonathan wouldn’t have forfeited N1.04bn to the government and still struts about freely today. A confirmation of our Disaster surname is the nepotistic Buhari-Osinbajo lame-duck presidency, whose perpetually ‘unaware’ arrowhead, Buhari, should have long retired from politics and be at home treating his undisclosed infirmities. Our Disaster surname is the reason why several indicted and some jailed members of the Peoples Democratic Party are shamelessly mounting podiums to campaign today. It’s the reason why Atiku said he would continue with the policies of the Obasanjo years if elected. It’s the same reason why people hail the Buhari-Osinbajo government despite obvious incompetence, underachievement and lopsided anti-corruption fight.
While Nigeria’s political class stockpiles funds, arms and ammunition for the war of February 16, 2019, a look at how election is conducted outside the country would bury our surname, Disaster, in shame. An Ilora-born Nigerian living in the US, Femi Ojewole, shares his voting experience: “Voting in the US is a pleasurable experience; you’re free to take pictures with people and the electoral officers, and the whole voting is done in about three minutes. You’re even given candies to eat after voting. No policeman in sight, no stampede and your vote is counted by the computer, which immediately shows that your vote is accepted.
“Electronic accreditation had been sent to all citizens earlier in order for them to know where to vote. Early voting, which is voting before the election day, is permitted; all you need to do is go to the courthouse nearest to you and vote. This is for those who may not be available to vote on election day or who don’t want to wait till election day.”
No gift of clairvoyance is needed to reach the following conclusions:
· Atiku will fault the outcome of the election if Buhari wins and vice versa
· Life will continue to be short and brutish under either of the two
· Politicians will defect to the winning party after the election
The above-mentioned conclusions are easy to reach because there’s no evidence to show that we’ve learnt anything from the pitfalls of our past. The docile and largely uninformed masses have not helped matters either, acquiescing to the manipulative whims of the political class.
Indeed, our road has been rough, very rough and disastrous.
(Published in The PUNCH of Monday, February 4, 2019)mail: [email protected]
Politics
Pro-Tinubu Group Demands Sack of Badaru, Other Ministers Who Lost Polling Units in Bye-Elections
Pro-Tinubu Group Demands Sack of Badaru, Other Ministers Who Lost Polling Units in Bye-Elections
The Asiwaju Network has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately disengage underperforming ministers who failed to deliver their polling units and wards during the just-concluded bye-elections.
The group also urged a cabinet reshuffle to inject fresh energy and ensure that only those who can add political and governance value remain in the Federal Executive Council.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja and signed by its president, Alhaji Musa Ibrahim Dandoka, the Asiwaju Network said the results of the elections were a litmus test that exposed the political weaknesses of some ministers entrusted with strategic national assignments.
At Babura Kofar Arewa Primary School in Jigawa State, where the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, cast his vote, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 308 votes to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC), which managed only 112.
Badaru, a former governor of Jigawa and APC chieftain, left the venue without addressing journalists after casting his vote amid heavy security presence.
Dandoka said it was troubling that, despite his high office, the Defence Minister could not secure victory in his polling unit.
He argued that such political setbacks undermine the strength of the APC and the credibility of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope government.
“This defeat is both embarrassing and unacceptable. A minister who cannot win his polling unit cannot claim to possess the political capital required to defend the APC or promote the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda. President Tinubu must act quickly to weed out weak links in his cabinet and replace them with men and women who have proven grassroots capacity,” Dandoka stated.
The group noted that Badaru was not alone in this failure, stressing that another minister from Jigawa and one from Enugu State also lost their wards and polling units.
According to the group, these developments point to a worrying trend of disconnect between certain ministers and their political bases.
“Ministers are not merely technocrats. They are political leaders of the party in their states and zones. If they cannot hold their homes together, then they do not deserve to hold on to strategic national offices. The bye-elections have sent a clear message, and it is that some ministers have lost relevance and electoral value,” the statement reads.
The Asiwaju Network maintained that the APC’s strength lies in grassroots mobilisation, and any minister unable to inspire loyalty within his immediate constituency is a liability.
Dandoka emphasised that President Tinubu’s success in governance must be matched with political consolidation, which requires capable and electorally grounded cabinet members.
“President Tinubu has been bold with tough decisions on subsidy reforms, the economy, and security. Nigerians are beginning to see the fruits of those reforms. But he must also be bold enough to reshuffle his cabinet. A government of results cannot afford ministers who are passengers. The President needs proven drivers of the Renewed Hope vision,” Dandoka said.
The group also commended loyal APC members and supporters who defied intimidation and attempts at rigging in Jigawa and Enugu, saying their resilience was the true strength of the ruling party.
“These members stood firm when those at the top failed to inspire confidence. They turned out in their numbers to defend the APC’s relevance even when some of their supposed leaders abandoned them. These grassroots soldiers of democracy must never be taken for granted,” Dandoka added.
The Asiwaju Network further urged President Tinubu to take the bye-election results as a warning, cautioning that retaining non-performing ministers would embolden the opposition and demoralise party loyalists.
“The message from Jigawa and Enugu is clear: the APC cannot continue to reward failure. A minister who cannot secure a few streets in his ward has no business in the Federal Executive Council. Mr President must urgently rejig his cabinet or risk carrying dead weight into future electoral contests,” the coalition warned.
Reaffirming the group’s loyalty to Tinubu’s leadership, Dandoka said Nigerians expect a government that rewards competence and accountability, not excuses and political failures.
“President Tinubu has the people’s mandate. He must not allow weak ministers to drag down his vision. A decisive cabinet reshuffle now will send a strong signal that the Renewed Hope government is serious about performance, delivery, and results,” he declared.
Customs at the Crossroads: When Lawmakers Look Away and the Executive Looks Aside
By Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi
In a democracy, legislative oversight is the scalpel that cuts through deceit, inefficiency, and corruption in public institutions. It is the people’s last institutional shield against abuse of power. But what happens when that shield becomes a shelter for the very rot it is meant to expose? And what happens when the Executive arm, whose duty is to supervise its agencies, pretends not to see?
The unfolding drama between the National Assembly and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) reveals more than a policy dispute. It exposes a dangerous triangle of confusion, complicity, and economic sabotage. At stake is not only the rule of law but the survival of an economy already gasping under inflation, a weak naira, and suffocating costs of living.
The House Talks Tough
In June 2025, Nigerians saw a glimpse of legislative courage when the House of Representatives Committee thundered at Customs:
> “Nigerian Customs Service, by June 30, must not collect CISS again. You are to collect only your 4% FOB assigned by the President. Even the 7% cost of collection you currently take is illegal—it was an executive fiat of the military, not democratic law. Any attempt to continue these illegal collections will be challenged in court. The ‘I’s have it.”
The voice was firm, the ruling decisive. Nigerians expected a turning point.
But the righteous thunder of the House was quickly muffled by the Senate’s softer tone, which suggested not the enforcement of the law but a readiness to bend it.
Senate: Oversight or Escape Route?
At a Senate Customs Committee session, Senator Ade Fadahunsi admitted openly that Customs has been operating illegally since June 2023. Yet rather than demand an end to illegality, he extended a lifeline to Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi:
> “If we come back to the same source… the two houses will sit together and see to your amendment so you will not be walking on a tight rope.”
But should Adeniyi be handed a loose rope while Nigeria’s economy hangs by a thread?
Instead of accountability, the Senate Customs Committee floated adjustments that would make life easier for Customs. The nation was given hints about fraudulent insurance and freight data, but instead of sanctions, what we saw was a search for escape routes. This is not oversight—it is overlook.
Smuggling and Excuses
The Senate Committee also lamented cross-border smuggling—Nigerian goods like cement flooding Cotonou, Togo, and Ghana at cheaper prices than in Nigeria. Senator Fadahunsi blamed the Central Bank’s 2% value deposit for encouraging the practice.
But where are the Senate’s enforcement actions—compliance checks, stiffer sanctions, cross-border coordination? None. The result is predictable: smugglers prosper, reserves bleed, and ordinary Nigerians pay more for less.
A Bloated Customs Budget
The Service’s 2024 capital allocation ballooned to ₦1.1 trillion from ₦706 billion. Instead of channeling these resources into modern trade systems, Customs is expanding empires of frivolity—such as proposing a new university despite already having training facilities in Gwagwalada and Ikeja that could easily be upgraded.
Oversight is not an afterthought; it is the legislature’s constitutional duty. To see waste and illegality and yet propose amendments that would legalise them is to turn oversight into overlook.
Customs has about 16,000 staff, yet many remain poorly trained. Rather than prioritise capacity building, the Service is busy building staff estates in odd locations. How does Modakeke—an inland town with no border post—end up with massive Customs housing projects, while strategic border towns like Badagry, Idiroko, and Saki remain neglected? Is Bashir Adeniyi Comptroller-General of Customs—or Minister of Housing?
The 4% FOB Levy: A Policy Blunder
The central controversy is the Federal Government’s plan to replace existing port charges with a new 4% Free-On-Board (FOB) levy on imports.
Nigeria is an import-dependent nation. This levy will instantly hike the costs of cars, spare parts, machinery, and raw materials—crippling industries and punishing consumers.
Already, the consequences are biting:
A 2006 Toyota Corolla now costs between ₦6–9 million.
Clearing agents who once paid ₦215,000 for license renewal must now cough out ₦4 million.
New freight forwarder licenses have jumped from ₦600,000 to ₦10 million.
Customs claims the revenue is needed for its modernisation programme, anchored on a software platform called B’Odogwu. But stakeholders describe this so-called “Odogwu” as epileptic—if not comatose. Why commit trillions to a ghost programme that will be obsolete by January 2026, when the Nigerian Revenue Service is set to take over Customs collections?
Industry Raises the Alarm
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has warned that the levy will worsen inflation, disrupt supply chains, and hurt productivity.
Lucky Amiwero, President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, calls the levy “economically dangerous.” His reasoning is straightforward:
The 4% FOB levy is much higher than the 1% CISS it replaces.
Peer countries like Ghana maintain just 1%.
The new levy will fuel inflation, raise the landed costs of goods, and destabilise the naira.
He also revealed that the Customs Modernisation Act, which introduced the levy, was passed without Senate scrutiny or meaningful stakeholder consultation. He estimates that the levy could add ₦3–4 trillion annually to freight costs—burdens that will be transferred directly to consumers.
Who Is Behind the “Odogwu” Masquerade?
The haste to enforce this levy, despite its looming redundancy, raises disturbing questions. Who benefits from the “Odogwu” project draining trillions? Why the rush, when NRS will take over collections in a few months?
This masquerade must be unmasked.
The Price Nigerians Pay
For ordinary Nigerians, this policy translates into one thing: higher prices. Cars, manufactured goods, and spare parts are spiraling beyond reach. A nation struggling with inflation, unemployment, and a weak currency cannot afford such reckless experiments.
So, while the Senate looks away, the Executive cannot look aside.
The Executive Cannot Escape Blame.
It is easy to focus on the failings of the legislature. But we must not forget: the Customs Service is an agency of the Federal Ministry of Finance, under the direct supervision of the Honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun.
If Customs is breaking the law, wasting resources, or implementing anti-people policies, the buck stops at the Executive’s table. The Minister of Finance is Chairman of the Customs Board. To fold his hands while the Service operates in illegality is to abdicate responsibility.
History gives us a model. In 1999, the Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman, was specifically assigned to supervise Customs and report directly to the President. Meanwhile, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala focused on broader fiscal and economic policies. That division of responsibility improved accountability. Today, the absence of such an arrangement is feeding impunity.
President Tinubu and his Finance Minister must act decisively. Oversight without executive will is a dead letter.
A Call to Accountability
The truth is stark:
Customs has been operating illegally since June 2023 to the Senate’s own confession.
The 4% FOB levy will deepen inflation and worsen economic hardship.
The Ministry of Finance bears ultimate responsibility for Customs’ conduct.
Until importing and consuming, Nigerians demand accountability—of the Comptroller-General, the Senate, and above all, the Finance Ministry—this bleeding will continue.
Nigerians deserve better. They deserve a Customs Service that serves the nation, not a privileged few. They deserve a House that enforces its resolutions, not one that grandstands. They deserve a Senate that upholds the law, not one that bends it. And above all, they deserve an Executive that does not look aside while illegality thrives under its ministry.
Only public pressure can end this indulgence. If Nigerians keep silent, we will keep paying the price—in higher costs, weaker currency, and a sabotaged economy.
Citizens’ Charge: Silence is Not an Option
Fellow Nigerians, the Customs crisis is not a drama for the pages of newspapers—it is a burden on our pockets, our businesses, and our children’s future. Every illegal levy is a tax on the poor. Every abandoned oversight is an open invitation to corruption. Every silence from the Executive is an approval of impunity.
We cannot afford to fold our arms. Democracy gives us the power of voice, the duty of vigilance, and the right to demand accountability. Let us demand that:
The Senate and House of Representatives stop playing good cop, bad cop, and enforce the law without compromise.
The Ministry of Finance takes full responsibility for the Customs Service, supervising it in the interest of Nigerians, not vested interests.
The President intervenes now, before the Service crosses the dangerous line of turning illegality into policy.
History will not forgive a people who suffered in silence when their economy was bled by recklessness. Silence is complicity. The time to speak, to write, to petition, to protest, and to demand is now.
Customs must serve Nigeria—not sabotage it.
Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder. He’s also the President of Voice of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table. BoT Chairman, Project Victory Call Initiative, AKA PVC Naija. He is a strategic Communicator and the CEO, Masterbuilder Communications.
Email:[email protected]
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Aare Adetola Emmanuel King Congratulates Hon. Adesola Ayoola-Elegbeji on Election Victory
The Chairman/CEO of Adron Group, Sir Aare Adetola Emmanuel King KOF, has congratulated Hon. Adesola Ayoola-Elegbeji on her resounding victory in the just-concluded by-election for the Remo Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives.
In a goodwill message issued by him, he described the victory as “a historic moment for the Remo people, coming at a time when the constituency yearns for a leader with vision, courage, and genuine commitment to service.”
He noted that the outcome of the election was an attestation to the trust and confidence reposed in Hon. Ayoola-Elegbeji by the people, adding that her sterling qualities, integrity, accessibility, and compassion for the grassroots had endeared her to the electorate.
“The overwhelming support you garnered at the polls is proof that you are the right voice at the right time to carry the aspirations of Remo to the national stage,” he stated.
While acknowledging that the by-election followed the painful demise of the late Hon. Adewunmi Oriyomi Onanuga (Ijaya), Aare Adetola Emmanuel King said Hon. Ayoola-Elegbeji’s emergence symbolizes the continuity of purposeful representation. He expressed confidence that she would not only sustain the legacy of her predecessor but also surpass it with new energy, innovative ideas, and progressive leadership.
The Adron Group Chairman further prayed for divine wisdom, strength, and compassion for the Member-Elect as she assumes office, expressing confidence that her tenure will usher in meaningful development, economic empowerment, and greater opportunities for the people of Remo Federal Constituency.
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