Politics
EDO2020 AND THE DIVISIVE POLITICS OF GODWIN OBASEKI CUM ESAN AGENDA
Politics worldwide has been a game of interests. Power bloc makes negotiations to protect their collective interests under various nomenclatures ranging from pressure groups to tribal groups and in some cases national and international interest lobby groups depending on the level at which the politics is being played. Howbeit, the way one goes about political negotiations in a wider spectrum is quite different from when the politics is within a small family that shares the same bloodline. A family that is so interconnected whereby what affects one has a way of rubbing off on the rest, will definitely play its politics with so much caution as to maintain the peace and unity of the family.
As commonsensical as it might seem, it is quite sad that Governor Godwin Obaseki in a desperate attempt to retain power at all cost is ready not only to divide the united Edo family but to pull it down. This has become very obvious with his continuous use of the Esan Agenda and his delusory moves.
It is generally believed that it is public office holders who have failed in their given tasks who are prone to using tribal, religious and regional colourations to whip sentiments and garner sympathy that he or she hopes will translate to electoral dividends. There are little or no qualms about the negative consequences of the mobilization such primordial sentiments for narrow and aggrandized benefits. This is clearly the case with Governor Godwin Obaseki as he has been consistently busy jumping from one tribal agenda to another, trying very poorly to garner votes based on sympathy. This is the very same OBASEKI who before now had boasted that he had done marvellously well as the administrator of the state and was demanding an automatic return ticket which to him he clearly deserves.
The man demanding an automatic return ticket started off with the ‘Benin Agenda’, calling every Benin man against his re-election an anti-Benin. When that did not fly, he shifted to Edo Central, with the now infamous ‘Esan Agenda’, promising to handover the governorship to that Senatorial district. It is quite unfortunate that a leader that was elected to govern the entire state is today sowing seeds of disunity. By the way, to think that a man whose path to Osadebey Avenue nearly four years ago was negotiated and paved for him by his benefactor and immediate predecessor is now claiming to have the know-how and ability to “parcel out political positions”.
It is sheer deception, mockery and bad apprenticeship display. This is sheer straw-clinging politics.
For the sake of those who for political and selfish interests are publicizing the said agenda, I will not waste God’s precious time engaging you as you have your inalienable right to take a stand in a democracy. After all, that is the beauty of democracy; the minority will have their say, while the majority will have their way. But for those who are genuinely ignorant of the political intrigues and how negotiations work in a state with so much tribal diversities and different political power blocs like ours, I will try as much as possible to make the debate succinct and explicit for easy understanding.
Permit me to start with this short story.
A man who has a reputation of never keeping his promise was busy preparing food with wet firewood. The wet wood was giving him a tough time and those who previously joined him to prepare the food had abandoned him due to his greed and reputation for never giving others their portion after the food was ready. In a frantic effort to get the food ready without the help of his previous partners, he begged another person to join him with the promise that when the food is ready, he will give him a sizable portion. After the new partner agreed to join him in preparing the new meal, the new partner discovered that there were some leftovers from the previous meal. Though very small, the new partner then asked to be given a piece from the old leftover while the preparation for this new meal was ongoing. And then the man started telling stories of how that old meal was inconsequential and that the new partner should be patient and continue the work for the chunk of what was to come. Would it be wise for that partner to trust someone who has a reputation for reneging on his promises?
The story above clearly depicts the noxious baneful plans of Governor Godwin Obaseki towards the good people of Esan land. The man who is promising to give Edo Central his support in the 2024 governorship elections did not consider them worthy enough for the position of Chief of Staff when the position was vacant in the course of the ongoing political tussle. The man who at the peak of his dominance as the Governor of the state could not make Edo Central the speaker of a united and complete state House of Assembly is today promising to give what he has no control over.
If not for selfish interest and purposeful self-delusion, does it make sense to any logical mind that a single individual can promise an elected position? Will, he shut the people out from voting in the elections that will follow? Or is Emperor Godwin Obaseki planning to kill and maim every dissenting voice before 2024 in order to impose his candidate? That is assuming you believe the lie that he is considering keeping his promise as he cannot feign ignorance of the reason for the seeming support his deputy has given him thus far. It is an open secret, except for Obaseki and a microscopic few, who for glaring reasons would feign ignorance of the machinations of Philip Shaibu towards succeeding his principal. Perhaps, Philip Shaibu has retraced his ancestral lineage to Uromi. Then and only then would the Esan Agenda as proposed by them make any sense.
History is not destiny, but history has a way of repeating itself. Let us quickly run through memory lane and acquaint ourselves with what happened in the past when some selected few felt they had the powers to make decisions for the majority. In early years of the fourth republic, when the Peoples’ Democratic Party held sway both in the state and at Federal level, they boasted about their rotation agreement, without recourse to the consent of the masses in the matter. What happened the other time they imposed a candidate who was not only unpopular but also from a party that has performed woefully in the previous administration? The people came out en masse and voted for another candidate in a new and unpopular party and even went all out to defend the victory at the electoral tribunal. Has that lesson been forgotten so soon that the same political party wants to take the good people of Edo Central back to opposition politics?
Since he has failed to have a clear entrance to the region, Governor Godwin Obaseki is now trying to split the unity of the people by dragging the respected Uromi monarch into his political travails. The good people of Uromi and Esan land in general are not enemies of progress and therefore cannot be bamboozled by the tantrums of division thrown by the embattled governor and his sinking political expedition.
Edo state, in general, is one big family and we don’t need anyone to remind us of the rotation of the seat of governance as it is an unwritten rule. At the appropriate time, the masses will rally around a reputable son from Esan land with massive public appeal and robust goodwill and elect such a candidate as the Governor of the state.
As it stands today, we cannot support a Judas after watching him betray his political benefactors and supporters only to run to another party and suddenly becomes friends with persons and a political party that has scored his government below average. Let’s be clear, it is the performance of Governor Obaseki that is at the heart of this election. His new party, the PDP has spoken that he is a colossal failure as captured by the Edo State Government Performance Report the, former opposition party released.
Of course, lazy minds will be quick to jump on the previous electioneering of the APC against its current candidate, POI as enough campaign to hand over re-election victory to the incumbent Governor. Seriously? What was evident was that the APC and its immediate past Governor were good at electoral marketing – the rule is to make your candidate appealing and the opponent unattractive. Discerning minds should actually be interested in interrogating how the elected Governor has fared as per all the things he promised during the 2016 electioneering campaign. Yes, his current party, the PDP helped us, Governor Obaseki failed woefully.
We cannot forget in a hurry a wise saying in Esan land, which by literary interpretation means: “the cane used to flog the first wife is waiting to be used on the second wife. It is only a matter of time”.
The good people of Edo Central should, therefore, tread with caution and not allow ourselves to be used by someone who has built for himself a reputation of ingratitude. Whoever chooses to support Governor Obaseki from Esan land is doing so in an expression of his/her own fundamental human rights and not a collective decision of the sons and daughters of Esan land both at home and in the diaspora.
AKAHOME Osebhayobe writes from Irrua on behalf of EDO CENTRAL CONSERVATIVE FORUM (ECCF)
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.
ADC Condemns Intimidation Campaign Against Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola
The African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ogun State Chapter, strongly condemns the ongoing intimidation and smear campaign targeted at our party leader and Interim National Secretary, *Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola*, by opposition forces in the South West region.
It is unacceptable and undemocratic that as he exercises his constitutional and political right to campaign across the region, elements of the opposition resort to harassment and attacks instead of engaging in issue based politics. Such actions are a direct assault on democracy, free expression, and the spirit of fair political competition.
The ADC calls on security agencies and all relevant authorities to guarantee the safety and freedom of movement for Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and all our party leaders nationwide. Democracy thrives on inclusivity, tolerance, and fairness not intimidation.
We urge our members and supporters to remain steadfast and law-abiding, as the ADC will continue to pursue its vision of a just, democratic, and prosperous Nigeria.
*Signed:*
Honourable Muhammed MJG GKAF
*Publicity Secretary, ADC National Media Frontiers, Ogun State*
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