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Group Seeks Peaceful election in Ekiti, Cautions Stakeholders on Violence

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A non partosan socio-economic group in Ekiti, The Pacers, has called on the political stakeholders in Ekiti to desist from any act that can cause mayhem and disturbance of public peace in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state.

This is against the backdrop of bloodshed and shooting that occurred on Friday at the welcome rally for the APC candidate in the election, Kayode Fayemi, where a former House of Representatives member, Opeyemi Bamidele and other party faithfuls were allegedly shot.

According to a statement by the Information Officer of the group, Femi Alao, “All stakeholders involved in the Ekiti governorship election should not leave any stone unturned in ensuring a peaceful electoral process. We should not forget our political experience in the past, so it is very important at this point to call on everyone to be careful of their utterances and actions not to instigate public disorder, commotion and unnecessary chaos. As at today, Ekiti is enjoying relative peace, it will be very unfortunate to take the state back to years of turmoil in the name of election.” He stated.

The Pacers is a nongovernmental and non partisan group founded in 2003, it consists of young Ekiti professionals with the core objective of contributing its quota towards socio-economic development of the state.

 

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Sex-for-Grades Scandal: Over 50 Nigerian Lecturers Indicted in Four-Year Wave of Sexual Misconduct

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Sex-for-Grades Scandal: Over 50 Nigerian Lecturers Indicted in Four-Year Wave of Sexual Misconduct

Sex-for-Grades Scandal: Over 50 Nigerian Lecturers Indicted in Four-Year Wave of Sexual Misconduct

“The existing mechanisms are often bureaucratic, and students fear repercussions. Without trusted and effective channels, victims feel isolated.”
— Mr. Onoja Baba, Kogi State Polytechnic

ABUJA — Over 50 lecturers across Nigerian public tertiary institutions have been indicted for sexual misconduct between April 2021 and April 2025, in what experts are calling an alarming, systemic crisis of exploitation within the country’s academic institutions.

The wave of cases—many involving coercion, harassment, and abuse of academic power—has resulted in dismissals, suspensions, and ongoing disciplinary proceedings across federal and state universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

A Nationwide Pattern of Abuse

The most recent case occurred on April 24, 2025, when the Governing Council of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, dismissed Dr. Usman Aliyu after an internal disciplinary panel found him guilty of sexually harassing a married postgraduate student, Mrs. Kamila Aliyu.

Mrs. Aliyu had filed a petition in 2024 alleging academic coercion and threats. The institution acted following recommendations from its Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee.

Ten days earlier, on April 14, the Lagos State University of Science and Technology dismissed three lecturers—Nurudeen Hassan, Kareem Arigbabu, and Olayinka Uthman—following multiple sexual harassment complaints and deliberations by its Governing Council.

A Crisis Decades in the Making

A 2018 survey by the World Bank’s Women, Business, and the Law project revealed that 70% of Nigerian female graduates experienced sexual harassment during their studies—primarily from lecturers and classmates.

In 2021, the Nigerian Senate passed a bill imposing up to 21 years imprisonment for educators found guilty of sexual exploitation. However, the bill has yet to be signed into law, limiting the ability of institutions to enforce lasting legal consequences.

Dismissals and Investigations: A Timeline

Sexual misconduct cases reported between 2021 and 2025 span nearly every region of Nigeria:

  • Federal University, Lokoja dismissed four lecturers in November 2024 and suspended another in May 2024.

  • University of Nigeria, Nsukka suspended Mr. Mfonobong Udoudom, later arrested by police after a viral video showed him allegedly harassing a female student.

  • Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife dismissed three lecturers in 2021 and probed a professor in 2022, bringing its tally to four.

  • University of Abuja confirmed the dismissal of four lecturers—two each in 2022 and 2023—for sexual misconduct.

  • In August 2023, the University of Calabar suspended its Dean of Law, Prof. Cyril Ndifon, after multiple harassment allegations.

  • In 2023, the ICPC arraigned Dr. Balogun Olaniran of Tai Solarin University of Education for allegedly demanding sex to alter exam results.

Additional institutions affected include:

  • Federal University, Oye-Ekiti

  • University of Lagos

  • University of Port Harcourt

  • Abia State University

  • Ambrose Alli University

  • Ignatius Ajuru University

  • Kwara State University

  • Rivers State Polytechnic

  • Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi

  • Kogi State Polytechnic

Fear, Silence, and Systemic Barriers

Despite these actions, many cases remain unreported. Victims often fear retaliation, social stigma, or academic sabotage.

“The fear of losing grades, scholarships, or credibility forces students into silence,” said a female undergraduate who requested anonymity.

Mr. Onoja Baba, a lecturer at Kogi State Polytechnic, has proposed a “Digital Anonymous Feedback System” to allow students to report harassment safely and without fear.

“It’s time we rethink our reporting and accountability structures,” Baba said. “Without transparency and trust, institutional change will remain cosmetic.”

What Needs to Change?

Education rights advocates, student groups, and civil society organizations are calling for:

  • Immediate presidential assent to the 2021 sexual harassment bill

  • Establishment of independent sexual misconduct panels in all institutions

  • Digital whistleblowing systems and victim support desks

  • Public naming of convicted offenders to deter future violations

The wave of dismissals may indicate a shift toward accountability, but critics say true justice must go beyond administrative action. As Nigeria grapples with this long-standing crisis, victims and activists continue to demand justice, protection, and reform—not just punishment, but prevention.

Until then, students remain at risk—and the classroom, meant to be a sanctuary of learning, continues to harbor predators.

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Praying While Nigeria Burns: How Religious Cowardice Has Replaced National Responsibility

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Praying While Nigeria Burns: How Religious Cowardice Has Replaced National Responsibility

By George Omagbemi Sylvester

In a country where churches and mosques line every street corner, where vigils echo louder than town hall meetings and where men of God are treated like royalty, Nigeria in 2025 is still groaning under the weight of insecurity. From banditry in the North-West, terrorism in the North-East, secessionist unrest in the South-East and rampant kidnapping across the South, Nigerians continue to live under siege. Yet, rather than confronting the root of this evil, too many of our religious leaders are asking citizens to “pray harder.”

If prayer alone could guarantee security, we would not need the police, the military, intelligence services or national security councils. We would simply replace the Ministry of Defence with a Ministry of Intercession. Unfortunately, this is not heaven, it is a country under attack and prayer is not a national security policy.

The Dangerous Illusion of Prayer as a Policy

The recent calls from Nigerian clerics urging citizens to “seek God’s intervention” against rising insecurity are not just misguided, they are dangerously irresponsible. It represents a national culture of escapism, one that tries to outsource responsibility to divine forces rather than holding government accountable or proposing concrete solutions.

As the saying goes, “God has no hands but ours.” Even the Bible itself warns against blind faith without action. James 2:17 declares: “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” In Islam, the Hadith encourages believers to “tie your camel first, then put your trust in Allah.” So why are Nigeria’s men of God promoting helplessness?

Nigeria’s Grim Security Reality
According to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2024, Nigeria remains one of the top 10 countries most impacted by terrorism, trailing only behind countries like Afghanistan and Syria. Boko Haram, ISWAP, Fulani herdsmen and bandits have killed over 80,000 Nigerians since 2011. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) reported that over 5,000 Nigerians were killed or kidnapped between January and October 2024 alone.

President Bola Tinubu’s administration has repeatedly promised security reform, but the streets tell a different story. Communities in Zamfara, Niger and Borno continue to pay “taxes” to bandits. Schools are shut down in large swathes of the North for fear of abductions. In the South-East, military checkpoints have turned into extortion points while criminals hide under political agitation.

Yet, despite these glaring facts, instead of storming government houses with demands for justice and reform, our spiritual leaders are organizing “national days of prayer.”

Spiritual Cowardice in Robes and Collars
Many of Nigeria’s revered pastors and imams have simply chosen the path of least resistance. Rather than speak truth to power like the prophets of old like Elijah who confronted kings or Imam Ibn Taymiyyah who defied tyrants, they’ve become chaplains of the corrupt elite. Their pulpits are now platforms for praise-singing those in power, not calling them to accountability.

When was the last time you heard a popular megachurch pastor directly criticize Nigeria’s defense budget mismanagement? Or an influential imam demand police reform beyond platitudes? What we hear instead are sermons about “spiritual warfare” against “evil forces in high places” a euphemism that conveniently keeps them from naming names.

As Martin Luther King Jr. rightly said, “A time comes when silence is betrayal.” Nigeria’s religious leaders are betraying their flocks by cloaking cowardice in the garment of faith.

The Economics of Prayer-Based Leadership

Part of the reason religious leaders lean so heavily on prayer is because insecurity is good for business. The more afraid people are, the more likely they are to run to churches and mosques for solace. It creates a dependency loop, terror feeds fear, fear drives faith and faith fills offering baskets.

Nigeria’s religious industry is worth billions. Churches and mosques build estates, own private jets and have media empires. In many parts of Nigeria, clerics wield more power than governors. But what do they use that influence for? Is it to demand security architecture reform? No. It is to tell you that you were kidnapped because your “spiritual hedge was down.”

There is a difference between spiritual leadership and religious profiteering. The latter thrives in chaos.

What Real Leaders Do

History provides us with examples of faith leaders who were not afraid to fight for justice. Archbishop Desmond Tutu in apartheid South Africa used the church as a base for resistance, not resignation. Malcolm X spoke against oppression from the mosque, not merely prayed it away. In Nigeria, the likes of Archbishop Anthony Olubunmi Okogie and Sheikh Gumi (in his earlier years) stood for justice not silence.

The role of the clergy should be prophetic not passive. Nigeria does not need intercessors who romanticize passivity; we need warrior-priests who will take bold stands and tell the government, “Your failure is unholy.”

Security Is a Civic Duty, Not a Spiritual Event

The Nigerian government budgets billions for defense. In the 2024 national budget, over N3.25 trillion (about $2 billion) was allocated to security, yet insecurity remains a constant. The issue is not prayer; it is poor governance, corruption, lack of intelligence coordination and under-equipped forces.

Prayer is a private discipline; security is a public responsibility. No amount of fasting can stop a bandit with an AK-47. What stops him is law enforcement, intelligence and effective prosecution. Those who keep shifting the burden to God are enabling the failure of man.

As Thomas Jefferson once said, “God helps those who help themselves.”

What Must Change?

Religious Accountability: Men of God must be held to account for what they preach. Those who perpetuate fear instead of faith, and compliance instead of courage, should be challenged publicly.

Civic Education: Citizens must be taught that while prayer is valuable for personal peace, it is no substitute for civic engagement. Nigerians must demand results from security agencies, lawmakers and local leaders.

Security Reform: The Nigerian government must invest in not just military hardware but in intelligence, rapid response units, community policing and forensic investigation capabilities.

Courageous Clergy: Nigeria needs a new generation of fearless clerics, imams and pastors who will occupy not just prayer grounds, but protest grounds.

Demystify Religious Authority: Nigerians must stop giving religious leaders uncritical reverence. Ask questions. Demand clarity. Challenge false narratives.

Final note
Nigeria’s insecurity crisis is not just the failure of government; it is the silence of the pulpit. While prayer is noble, when used to mask cowardice, it becomes spiritual malpractice. The nation is bleeding. Children are being kidnapped. Farmers are being slaughtered. Soldiers are dying. And instead of resistance, we get prayer requests?

If Jesus overturned tables in the temple to cleanse corruption, what excuse do today’s religious leaders have for shaking hands with tyrants and thieves? If Prophet Muhammad led his followers to battle for justice, why are Nigerian imams calling for passivity?

A praying nation is a powerful thing. But a nation that prays without action is doomed to die with folded hands.

Praying While Nigeria Burns: How Religious Cowardice Has Replaced National Responsibility
By George Omagbemi Sylvester

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TY Buratai literary Initiative distributes books to school in Kaduna

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TY Buratai literary Initiative distributes books to school in Kaduna From Noah Ebije, Kaduna

TY Buratai literary Initiative distributes books to school in Kaduna

From Noah Ebije, Kaduna

The TY Buratai Literary Initiative (TYLI) founded by the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. General Tukur Yusufu Buratai (retd) has distributed 40 assorted books to Girau International School in Kaduna.

According to chairman of TYLI, Dr. Liz Ben-Iheanacho, there are five boxes containing 40 assorted books each to be distributed to five schools across the country for the 2025 programme.

She said Girau school was the first to receive the box for book placement in schools this year

Speaking to newsmen at the occasion, Iheanacho assured that the foundation will continue to engage Nigerian youths through literacy and literary advocacy.

“We are making impact, one reader one time, transforming literary fortunes six winners at a time and with clarity and focus, will continue to work towards a more literate Nigeria as the vehicle for social transformation.

“The Foundation is an educational outreach and community give-back service initiative that has mandate to contribute to a more literate Nigeria through book placements which ensure quality, age appropriate leisure reading materials for youths.

“It also exist to incubate literary potentials through the TYBLI Young Adult Literature Prize. During its maiden outing in 2024, the foundation kept faith with its mandate by placing book box in 3 schools: Nasarawa state and FCT.

“It also expanded the number of literary awards available in Nigeria, birthed the number of winners of a single literary prize in Nigeria”. She said

Earlier in his welcome address, the Director of Girau International School, Rear Admiral Abdul Adamu Biu (Retd) stated that, “At Girau International School (GIS), our curriculum is a blend of Nigeria and British curriculum. We also boast of experienced teachers, secure learning environment and unique Eco-Friendly structures as well as modern learning facilities conforming to the objectives of Basic Education.

“The choice of a blended curriculum is to enhance learning outcomes that exposes learners to a wider range of deliverables that include skill acquisition, technology, practical life experiences and hands-on-learning programs for children of all ages. At GIS, we give attention to excellent handwriting skill, reading and spelling proficiency as well as mental mathematical accuracy.

“We also train our learners on public speaking, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT). Teacher training and development is also an ongoing process in a sustained manner to ensure teachers are in tune with new trend and technological advancement in the educational sector.

“Learning is a world of fun and adventure at GIS. That’s why we are dedicated to developing early readers while focusing on comprehensive educational development. In this regards, we dedicate reading time where we employ phonics, fluency, vocabulary development and key reading strategies to enhance comprehension.

“This speaks to the ‘Book Placement Project’ by the TY Buratai Literary Initiative (TYBLI) as we are witnessing today. The ‘Book Placement Project’ can be summed up to be Literary appreciation which is a process of actively reading, understanding, and critically evaluating work of literature, considering its various elements, including theme, style, language, and overall impact.

“Therefore, by accepting the ‘Book Placement Project’, GIS will ensure that both subjective engagement and objective analysis will be utilized to ultimately deepen understanding and enjoyment of the text to be read by our learners.

“GIS is here instituting two categories of awards to support the ‘Book Placement Project’ initiative. The awards will be ‘The Most Number of Books Read’ and the ‘Best Reviewers’. The first to third positions in each categories will be awarded accordingly”.

TY Buratai literary Initiative distributes books to school in Kaduna
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna

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