WAZOBIA: Nigeria’s Hardly Separable Tripod Stand Since 1914; It’s Time To Rotate Presidency Among 6 Geo-Political Zones In 2027

Dear High Chief Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), I bring you calvary greetings from the land of Lincoln. I want to first of all commend your continued sincerity of purpose for a united, peaceful, and prosperous Nigeria.

But with all due respect sir, let me reaffirm that since 1914, when the British colonialists led by Lord Frederick Lugard, amalgamated the Northern and Southern Protectorates, Nigeria has always stood on a Tripod called WAZOBIA (Yoruba, Hausa/Fulani, and Igbo). In fact, it is the alleged domination of these three major ethnic nationalities that brought about the doctrine of necessity called the Six Geo-political Zones proposed by Chief Alex Ekwueme, et al., at the 1994/1995 Constitutional Conference chaired by the late Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte and empaneled by General Sanni Abacha.

Prior to, and during this period under review, there were legitimate claims and concerns from ethnic minorities across the old Eastern region, the old Northern region, as well as the old Western region that they were being dominated, marginalized, oppressed, and strangulated by the abovementioned three major ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.

So, to solve this hydra-headed problem capable of imploding Nigeria, via a doctrine of necessity, General Sanni Abacha in 1996, partitioned Nigeria into six geo-political zones, namely: North Central, North East, North West, South East, South South, and South West.

The minorities in the old Northern region were majorly zoned into the North Central. This is even as the minorities in the old Eastern region and old Western region were respectively zoned into the South South (a cardinal point unknown to history).

As one of the ardent students of contemporary Nigerian history and politics, permit me to affirm that pertitioning Nigeria into six geo-political zones is the best bet at guaranteeing justice, equity, fairness, national unity, national cohesion, national peace, and commandeering national loyalty in a country like Nigeria with over 385 ethnic nationalities and over 500 languages.

Going forward into 2027, to make Nigeria work, all that is needed has been proferred by Chief Alex Ekwueme during the 1994/1995 Constitutional Conference. Let’s rotate the presidency among the six geo-political zones for a single term of five or six years. This is in line with the spirit and letters of Section 14(3) of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Of all the frontline Presidential candidates for the 2027 all-important elections, only His Excellency Atiku Abubakar- @atiku espouses and religiously supports this equitable zoning arrangement. The North/South zoning arrangement has been a scam all along. It has not been able to restore national unity, national peace, and commandeer national loyalty among Nigerians from across the six geo-political zones for their beloved country.

It is therefore, self-evident and conspicuous like the North Star that when power goes North, the more populated North West hijacks it and runs away with it. And when power comes South, the more populated South West using its mainstream media and propaganda prowess, hijacks it and runs away with it. This malady has continued unabated since 1999 to the chagrin of the marginalized North East, South East, and North Central.

As an emerging political scientist and investigative journalist, I affirm that at this auspicious moment in Nigeria’s chequered history, the country now urgently needs an experienced reformer with the political will and balls of steel like Waziri Adamawa; the Zege Mule u Tiv; and the Ogo wu chi onye 1 of Igboland, to get the failing country out of the woods.

Your (Okutepa’s) proposition to downplay the fact that Nigeria is standing on a Tripod called WAZOBIA can be described as an academic exercise tantamount to futility. Nigeria will always stand on a Tripod. All that is needed is for the 1999 Constitution to be amended to make it an impeachable offence for the Nigerian President to abuse his powers and going contrary against the spirit and letters of Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

Muhammadu Buhari did it and was not punished with impeachment proceedings from the rubber-stamp Senate Presidency of Ahmed Lawan. Bola Tinubu continued from where Buhari stopped and has not been punished with impeachment proceedings from the rubber-stamp Senate Presidency of Godswill Akpabio.

By and large, I reckon with you in toto, that Nigeria’s problem is not in the 1999 Constitution nor in the law, but in the blatant disregard and disrespect for law and order. Gift the American Constitution to these current crop of rogue politicians in Nigeria, they will still plunge Nigeria into the unfathomable chaos like they have done today.

Going into 2027 all-important presidential election billed for Saturday, January 16, 2027, let me conclude by saying that since 2015, having tried and tested two successive regimes of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, it’s time to try and test the main opposition African Democratic Congress, ADC, whose charge is led by His Excellency Atiku Abubakar.

May the Nigerian State and the Nigerian people succeed in 2027!

Ikenna Asomba is a political scientist and journalist. He writes from the State of Illinois, United States.

The Abyss of Silence: Why We All Failed the Oyo Abductees

​By Femi Oyewale

​The haunting cadence of W.B. Yeats’ The Second Coming, quoted so often by the late Chinua Achebe, has ceased to be mere poetry. It has become a grim, real-time mirror reflecting our national existence: “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.”

​In a nation that boasts some of the brightest minds globally, a land steeped in the communal sanctity of “it takes a village to raise a child,” we have descended into an unthinkable abyss. Daredevil criminals have reached into the heart of Oyo State, snatched our children—the very architects of our future—and vanished. Yet, as the sun rises and sets, from the gilded halls of the Presidency to the dusty corners of the local street, we remain paralyzed, tethered to a collective ignorance that is as chilling as it is shameful.

The Theatre of Performative Outrage

​We have become a nation of “noises.” We trade blame with surgical precision—the Presidency points to the state, the state points to the security architecture, and the populace directs its vitriol toward the political elite. We have seen the press releases, the hashtags, the fleeting television appearances, and the hollow promises of “concerted efforts.”

​But let us be painfully honest: these are not efforts; they are performances. There is not even a whisper of a “near-success syndrome.” While we debate and defend our preferred political affiliations, our children are sleeping under the cold, unforgiving stars of a forest floor. They are subjected to the kind of trauma that shatters souls long before it breaks bodies. They are waiting for a rescue that we are too divided to coordinate.

​The Mirror of Empathy

​Let us strip away the facade of civic detachment. I challenge every father in this country: if that abducted child were your only son, would you be content with a tweet? To every mother: if that child were the fruit of your old age, would you accept a press statement as enough?

​To our governors, our senators, and our political titans: if these children were the heirs to your empires, would the current pace of “investigation” satisfy you? To our billionaires, our security chiefs, and our local traditional warriors, those who claim the mantle of protectors, what if these children were born of your own loins?

​The silence that would follow that personal connection is the same silence currently haunting the homes of these victims. We have allowed the abstraction of “national crisis” to desensitize us to the visceral reality of a child’s terror.

​Beyond the “One-Man” Savior Complex

​We have developed a dangerous habit of outsourcing our conscience. We wait for the radical activist, the viral influencer, or the singular loud voice to carry the burden of the nation. We expect a solitary figure like VDM or a lone firebrand like Sowore to move mountains that require the combined weight of a movement.

​But no singular individual can replace the collective pulse of a people. Their rescue is not a one-man job; it is a fundamental test of our humanity.

​The Path to Reclamation

​We are currently a house divided by party lines, religious silos, and ethnic prejudices. Yet, we have seen that we possess a dormant capacity for unity. When the Super Eagles take to the pitch, our differences vanish. We become one heartbeat, one voice, one nation. Why is it that a game can unify us, but the abduction of our children leaves us fractured?

​We do not need more talk. We do not need more inquiries that lead to no arrests. We need to acknowledge a hard truth: we have failed. We have failed the children, we have failed their teachers, and we have failed ourselves.

​No stranger knows our terrain better than we do. No satellite imagery can replace the intelligence of a community that refuses to be silent. It is our land. These are our children.

​The systemic rot has metastasized to the point where “efforts” no longer count. Only results matter. The time for performative sorrow is over; the time for a unified, uncompromising demand for their return is now. If we do not rise, if we do not act with the singular intensity of a people reclaiming their future, then let the history books record that when our children were taken, Nigeria chose its politics over its people.

​We must rescue them. Not tomorrow. Not after the next meeting. Now.

Femi Oyewale is the publisher of Sahara Online and President of NASRE who
writes on national affairs, security, and social development.
​

Police Officers Detained as Family Property Dispute Sparks Demolition Controversy in Lagos

By Ifeoma Ikem

A property dispute within the Omotayo-Ojo family has taken a dramatic turn following a controversial demolition exercise at a residential building in Ikosi-Ketu, Lagos State, which reportedly left tenants displaced and led to the detention of some police officers allegedly involved in the operation.

The property, located at 23B Loveall Street, Ikosi-Ketu, has been the subject of a prolonged ownership tussle since the death of its owner, Chief Oludola Omotayo Ojo, the Babaalaje of Imesi-Ile, Osun State, in 2019.
Residents said tension erupted when a group of individuals, accompanied by security operatives, stormed the premises and commenced demolition activities.

According to eyewitnesses, portions of the building were pulled down while tenants rushed to salvage their belongings from affected apartments.

The residents alleged that windows, doors and roofing sheets were damaged during the exercise, exposing parts of the building to the elements and causing significant losses to occupants.

At the centre of the dispute is Mrs Mojisola Omotayo Ojo Alolagbe, who claimed that the property was allocated to her by her late father during his lifetime as a source of financial support.

She alleged that some family members had persistently challenged her ownership claim despite ongoing legal proceedings relating to the administration of the deceased’s estate.
Alolagbe further claimed that the latest incident was part of a series of attempts to wrest control of the property, citing previous cases of alleged vandalism and partial demolition in November 2025, January 2026 and February 2026.

The situation escalated further when reports emerged that police officers allegedly involved in the demolition were later apprehended and conveyed in a Black Maria vehicle over questions surrounding the legality of their participation in the operation.

Sources familiar with the matter said those behind the demolition had initially claimed to be acting on approval from the Lagos State Ministry of Lands. However, the authenticity and extent of such approval could not be independently verified as of the time of filing this report.

The development has generated concern among residents and community members, who questioned the involvement of security personnel in what they described as a civil matter.

Some tenants, who said they had recently renewed their tenancy agreements, lamented the destruction of their property and appealed to the authorities for protection and possible compensation.

They also called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the demolition, insisting that the rights of all parties involved should be protected.
Stakeholders have urged the Lagos State Government, security agencies and the judiciary to intervene and ensure that the dispute is resolved through lawful means to prevent further escalation.

The controversy has continued to draw public attention, raising concerns over property rights, estate administration and the role of law enforcement agencies in civil disputes.