You Against Crime International (YACI) Launches With National Stakeholders’ Dialogue In Abuja

You Against Crime International (YACI) officially launched its nationwide mission to combat crime with the Abuja Stakeholders’ Dialogue 2025, held at the prestigious Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.

The landmark event convened senior representatives from Nigeria’s foremost security agencies, government institutions, academia, and professional bodies to chart a unified course in building a safer Nigeria.

In attendance were representatives from the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Police Force, Guards Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Immigration Service, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Federal Fire Service.

Also present were officials from the Federal Capital Territory Administration, the Women Affairs Secretariat, and the National Council for Arts and Culture, alongside academics from the University of Abuja and members of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria.

Delivering his keynote address, Mr. Tayo Folorunsho, Founder of YACI, underscored the urgency of collective action:

“Crime is not the burden of security agencies alone—it is the duty of every Nigerian. To win this fight, we must embrace community-driven action, innovation, and partnerships that last.”

A representative of the Department of State Services (DSS) added:

“Security cannot be achieved in isolation. Platforms like YACI create the dialogue we need to synchronize intelligence and strengthen public trust.”

Similarly, the Nigerian Police Force emphasized the role of citizen involvement:

“Our work on the frontlines must be matched by citizen awareness and engagement. YACI’s youth-focused enlightenment campaigns are exactly the kind of grassroots initiative Nigeria needs.”

From academia, a delegate of the University of Abuja reinforced the importance of knowledge and research:

“Research and knowledge-sharing are critical to tackling crime at its roots. This partnership with YACI opens doors for evidence-based solutions.”

The Dialogue also unveiled YACI’s flagship initiatives: the You Against Crime Festival and the Behind Bars Docu-Series—programs designed to drive youth engagement, inspire national conversations, and mobilize communities across the country.

The launch concluded with a unified call to action for all Nigerians. As Mr. Folorunsho noted:

“Together, we can build a safer Nigeria. Together, we stand—You Against Crime.”

You Against Crime International (YACI) is a global initiative dedicated to fostering partnerships, engaging communities, and empowering young people in the fight against crime. Through education, advocacy, and innovative programs, YACI seeks to create safer societies for all.

Ogun Visionaries Unveils Sen. Adeola Yayi’s Town Hall Meetings Logo

…Backs Tinubu’s Re-election, Sets to Hold Meetings in 20 LGs and three Senatorial Districts in Ogun

One of the leading socio-political groups earnestly yearning for Sen. Solomon Adeola’s governorship aspiration in 2027 has unveiled a town hall meeting logo to further propagate Sen. Adeola’s aspiration.

According to a press statement signed and made available to journalists on Thursday by the Director General of the Visionaries, Hon. Leye Odunjo, Senator Solomon Adeola Yayi’s Town Hall Meetings would commence in October.

He explained that in pursuit of the group’s pro-people leadership to enhance the welfare of the people of Ogun State, the Ogun Visionaries unveiled the Sen. Solomon Adeola Yayi Town Hall Meetings’ logo.

His words: “The town hall meetings are scheduled to take place in the three senatorial districts and 20 local government areas of Ogun State, with the inaugural edition set to hold in Ogun West Senatorial District in October 2025. The theme is ‘Yayi 2027: Making a Case for Ogun State’s Unity and Prosperity’.”

These meetings will draw upon the expertise of speakers and stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, including young leaders, women leaders, business owners, investment experts, opinion shapers, traditional leaders, economists, and politicians, as they convene to discuss Ogun State’s progress, unity, and prosperity.

Odunjo explained that the colors on the logo (green and orange) signify unity – the state of being united or combined into one, as of the parts of a whole. It is a graphical representation of their unity in diversity and various human and natural resources deposited in their land.

“The Ogun Visionaries, being a progressive group for change, will be supporting and mobilizing for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027. We do not doubt his pro-people leadership and policies that are setting Nigeria back on the right track; for us, it is APC top to bottom,” he said.

“It is no longer news that the people of Ogun State are calling on Senator Olamilekan Solomon Adeola Yayi to step forward and avail himself for service as the Governor of Ogun State in 2027.

Consequently, against this backdrop, the Ogun Visionaries is hosting a groundbreaking town hall meeting, where stakeholders will engage with the electorate and solicit feedback on the expectations of those entrusted with the responsibility of advancing Ogun State to the next level.

Interactively and engagingly, the town hall meetings will be organized in each local government across the three senatorial districts of Ogun State.

“The very essence of leadership is that you must have a vision – the vision to make life better for all. However, true leadership is about striving to become better in all areas of life and empowering everyone around you to become the best versions of themselves. A land so blessed needs a transformational leader. It’s time to have our dear State at the forefront of regional development, and Senator Solomon Adeola Yayi will lead,” he concluded.

Tribalism: The Oldest Wound We Refuse to Heal.

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by Saharaweeklyng.com

We speak of unity, yet divide at every election. Until we confront tribalism, Nigeria will never rise.

Nigeria is a country blessed with diversity, yet cursed by it. Over 200 million people, more than 500 ethnic groups, hundreds of languages – a mosaic that could be our greatest strength. Instead, tribalism has become our oldest, deepest and most destructive wound. It is a wound we refuse to heal and as long as it festers, the nation’s potential will remain hostage to fear, suspicion and recurring crises.

Wole Soyinka warned decades ago: “When you start to think in terms of tribe rather than humanity, you have abandoned reason for instinct and instinct is often deadly.” Sadly, Nigeria continues to act on instinct rather than reason.

The Roots of Tribalism.
Tribalism in Nigeria is not a natural phenomenon; it is historically manufactured. British colonial rule entrenched divisions, rewarding loyalty along ethnic lines, importing a zero-sum mindset and leaving behind a federal structure prone to favoritism. The legacy of “divide and rule” became our inheritance.

Northern indirect rule strengthened ethnic hierarchies and traditional emirates, creating power imbalances.

In the South, Christian missionary education created intellectual elites, but also intensified regional inequalities.

Resource allocation policies (from cocoa to oil) fueled perceptions of favoritism, turning economic competition into ethnic grievance.

These historical fractures are not relics; they shape daily politics, electoral choices and the violence that haunts communities today.

Tribalism in Politics: A Toxic Cycle.
Elections in Nigeria are rarely contests of ideas. They are contests of identity. Politicians appeal to tribe over competence, promising advancement for “their people” and ignoring national interest. The result:

Polarized voting: Citizens often vote not for policies but for ethnic solidarity.

Unequal development: Regions receive projects based on who governs rather than need.

Recurring crises: Post-election violence, secessionist agitations and intercommunal clashes follow predictable ethnic fault lines.

In 2015 and 2019, analysts warned that ethno-religious polarization in elections increased tensions in the North, South and Middle Belt. Yet each election cycle, the script repeats. Political elites weaponize identity, citizens oblige and the nation suffers.

The Human Cost.
Tribalism is not abstract. It kills, imprisons potential and sows distrust. Consider the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970). While multiple factors led to the war, ethnic suspicion, regional favoritism and failure to recognize shared citizenship made bloodshed inevitable. Over two million lives were lost, millions displaced and entire communities traumatized, all in the name of “protecting our people.”

In recent decades, tribalism has fueled insurgencies, banditry and local conflicts. Youths are recruited to fight not over ideas but over loyalty to ethnic or regional elites. Education and merit are secondary to origin and patronage. Tribalism, in effect, becomes a conveyor belt of inequality, violence and frustration.

Cultural Neglect and Memory Loss.
Much like the forgotten heroes, tribalism thrives in a society that forgets lessons from history. Instead of teaching that ethnic loyalty must be balanced with national unity, our schools and media often reinforce division, subtly or overtly. History textbooks are selective: one group’s narrative is celebrated, another’s minimized. National events like independence, the civil war or regional achievements are taught in isolation, reinforcing “US VERSUS THEM” rather than “WE ARE ONE.”

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Danger of a Single Story” is particularly instructive: when citizens internalize only one narrative about their own people or another, tribalism thrives. Ignorance becomes fertile soil for hate, suspicion and political exploitation.

How Tribalism Blocks Progress.
Nigeria’s development is strangled by this wound:

Economic Inefficiency: Projects are located for ethnic favoritism, not national need. Roads, schools, hospitals follow patronage lines.

Brain Drain: Talented Nigerians flee regions where they feel marginalized or unsafe.

Insecurity: Divisions make coordinated responses to terrorism, banditry and communal violence difficult.

Political Paralysis: Leaders who appeal to tribe over policy fail to build consensus on national priorities, leaving laws unimplemented and reforms stalled.

The result: we are a nation with vast potential but recurring crises, repeating cycles of failure and a public increasingly cynical about the value of citizenship.

Breaking the Cycle: Lessons from History.
Nigeria’s wound is old, but it is not unhealable. The solution requires courage, honesty and long-term commitment:

National Education Reform: Schools must teach national citizenship alongside local history. Children must know that Nigeria is bigger than tribe, that heroes came from every corner and that collective destiny matters.

Media Responsibility: Journalists and content creators must resist tribal framing and amplify stories of cross-cultural cooperation. Nollywood, radio and online platforms can shift public perception.

Political Accountability: Citizens must judge leaders by competence, integrity and national vision not ETHNICITY or RELIGION. Electoral education campaigns can help citizens demand meritocracy over loyalty.

Institutional Balance: Policies on federal allocation, appointments and security must be transparently merit-based, reducing the temptation for leaders to favor “THEIR PEOPLE.”

South Africa’s post-apartheid reconciliation and Rwanda’s post-genocide reforms provide instructive examples: deliberate civic education, memorialization and institutional reform can heal wounds even after centuries of division. Nigeria can learn from these models.

Nationalism, Not Tribalism.
Nationalism does not erase culture; it places shared citizenship above narrow loyalty. Leaders like Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti believed in a Nigeria where ethnic identity complemented, rather than compromised, national unity. We honor their vision not by celebrating tribe over nation, but by building institutions, telling balanced histories and demanding competence over favoritism.

Final Verdict: A Call to the Nation.
Tribalism is Nigeria’s oldest wound, but it is also its greatest challenge. We cannot pretend that slogans, social media hashtags, or occasional peace meetings are enough. We need systemic reform, historical literacy and civic courage.

As Wole Soyinka admonished: “Ethnic loyalty should never outweigh loyalty to justice, reason and humanity.” Until we internalize this principle, every election will reopen old wounds, every crisis will echo the past and every generation will inherit a fractured country.

Nigeria can heal, but only if citizens, leaders and institutions collectively decide to remember, respect and rise above tribe. The wound is deep, but with memory, courage and unity, it is not fatal.