society
Operation Tranquility: Ridding Corrupt FRSC Personnel From The Nigerian Highways
Operation Tranquility: Ridding Corrupt FRSC Personnel From The Nigerian Highways
Over the years, corruption has been a clog in the wheel of progress in Nigeria and has incessantly frustrated the realization of noble national goals, despite the enormous natural and human resources in Nigeria.
It has been described as the misuse of entrusted power or dishonest use of one’s office or position for personal gain. It is a cancerous global phenomenon, which has continued to cripple the developmental efforts of Nigeria.
Corruption in Nigeria manifests in the form of misappropriation, kickbacks, over-invoicing, bribery, embezzlement, tribalism, nepotism, money laundering, and outright looting of the treasuring, and so on.
It is an obvious fact that in Nigeria, some of the elected and appointed public office holders and top bureaucrats use their position of authority to actively engage in corrupt practices.
According to a Transparency International Report, corruption drains Nigeria of about 20 percent of its Gross Domestic Product.
Based on statistics from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, the Nigeria Police, Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO), and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) have been listed to be among the seven worst receivers of bribe in Nigeria in which 85 percent of their victims have been discouraged from seeking redress or reporting exploitation.
It is in a bid to rid corrupt road safety officials from the Nigerian Highways that the leadership of the FRSC and the ICPC mapped out a new strategy known as “Operation Tranquility”. Operation Tranquility is a joint operation that involves the ICPC, FRSC, and the Department of State Services.
It would be recalled that the FRSC Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi had in 2019 approached the ICPC Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, for collaboration to curb the unwholesome practices by Road Safety officials on the highways, particularly the extortion of motorists.
The collaborative exercise was aimed at arresting FRSC officials who extort motorists on the highways. As a result of the exercise, over 100 FRSC Officials have been arrested across the country while huge amounts of funds taken as bribes have been recovered.
It also involves bringing an end to unwholesome practices by FRSC, Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO), and Motor Vehicle Authority Agency (MVAA) towards generation in Driver’s License Centres.
With the launch of “Operation Tranquility”, the stage was set for a joint operation by ICPC, FRSC, and DSS across the nation. The first phase of the operation was in the six States of Kaduna, Rivers, Ogun, Kogi, Bauchi, and the Abia States, while Tranquility Phase 2 was conducted in Ondo, Zamfara, Yobe, and the Imo States.
Under phase four, the operation was carried out in 10 Driver’s License Centres in Lagos State. The Centres were in Coker/Aguda, University of Lagos, Ikeja, Iponri, Bariga, Ojo, Town Planning Ilupeju, Eti-Osa, Agege, and Oshodi.
For phase five of the exercise, the operation was conducted in four states namely Anambra, Cross-River, Enugu, and the Plateau States.
The exercise under phase 3 was not conducted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Joint team successfully arrested 46 FRSC officers and recovered N40,830 in Phase 1, while 26 FRSC officers were arrested in Phase 2 with N51,260 recovered.
The highest amount recovered from corrupt road safety officials was N1,063,920 under Tranquility Phase 4 and 25 road safety officers were picked up, while 33 personnel were arrested under Phase 5 with N45,870 recovered.
A breakdown of the figures showed that under phase one, four officials were arrested on 16th August 2019 in Kaduna State; five were arrested and the sum of N3,500 recovered on 16th August 2019 in Rivers State, while six officials were arrested and N500 recovered on 16th August 2019 in Ogun State.
Further breakdown of the arrest made and the amount recovered under phase one of the exercise showed that 11 FRSC officials were arrested on 16th August 2019 in Kogi State; Five FRSC officials were arrested and the sum of N4,300 recovered on the same date in Bauchi State; while 15 FRSC officials were arrested and some of N32,530 recovered in Abia State.
Under the second phase, Five officials were arrested and the sum of N1,150 recovered on 4th October 2019 in Ondo State; eight officials were arrested and about N10,530 was recovered in Zamfara State; nine officials were arrested and N11,300 recovered in Imo State; while four officials were arrested and N28,280 recovered in Yobe State;
For the fourth phase of the operation, 25 officials, VIO and Motor MVAA were arrested and the sum of N1,063,920 recovered on 20th August 2020, in Coker/Aguda, University of Lagos, Ikeja, Iponri, Bariga, Ojo, Town Planning Ilupeju, Eti-Osa, Agege, and Oshodi Driver’s License Centres.
In the same vein, five FRSC officials were arrested in Onitsha under the fifth phase of the operation while Awka had 11 arrested officials; Calabar eight; Enugu five and Jos had four FRSC officials arrested.
The suspects were granted administrative bail and further investigation activities are on-going. Others are undergoing administrative disciplinary procedures while some are being prosecuted in Federal High Courts across the Country.
The FRSC had in August 2020 constituted the Federal Road Safety Corps Disciplinary Panel to investigate corps personnel who were involved in infractions or played key roles in disruption of the FRSC/ICPC/DSS Joint Monitoring exercise (Tranquility IV) conducted at the Driver’s Licence Centres.
The ICPC officials, who led the various monitoring teams, served as principal witnesses during the investigation. The ICPC is pressing charges against the FRSC officers in a resolve to check petty and grand corruption in the country.
According to ICPC, all the suspects were arrested during a joint operation, code-named: “Operation Tranquility V”, comprising officers of ICPC, DSS, and FRSC.
The ICPC has expressed its determination to sustain the operation to rid the Nigerian highways of government officials who extort money from road-users.
Under the leadership of Owasanoye, the ICPC has embraced a paradigm shift, consciously promoting strategic partnership with relevant stakeholders to strengthen public enlightenment efforts in discouraging corruption and corrupt tendencies. Working with key government agencies, the ICPC has evolved a National Ethics and Integrity Policy designed to prevent corruption while enforcing ethical codes.
Owasanoye captures the dynamics of the war against corruption when he said, “Enforcement is important but where corruption is systemic, you need a combination of factors because when it is systemic, everything is affected.
“We need a combination of enforcement and prevention because if you don’t prevent it, corruption weakens the capacity of the state. A lot of prevention methods have been introduced under President Muhammadu Buhari, using technology trying to stop the money from going away.”
Owasanoye said the campaign against corruption this time will engage every stratum of the society. “We will ensure citizen-by-in. If the leadership continues to make an effort to stop corruption and the people disagree, you will be swimming up the creek without a paddle because it will be very challenging for you; you need the people’s consent and support to succeed,” he argued.
The ICPC boss said his agency is not re-inventing the wheel but leveraging existing platforms, laws, and institutions.
“There are things that the Government wants to do for the people but are made impossible because of the conduct of the people, so we feel that the people have a great role to play and the first is that it is already in the Constitution that is governing us.
“Let’s bring out all those values of dignity, patriotism, cooperation, and hard work of integrity, and then we need to design a communication strategy around it because it is one to have a good policy and another thing to communicate it.
“We are also mindful of traditional institutions, religious platforms, ethnic, congregation, and congregation that people trust and believe in; they need to be part of it,” he explained
Ramadan: Adron Homes Felicitates Muslims, Preaches Hope and Unity
Adron Homes & Properties Limited has congratulated Muslim faithful on the commencement of the holy month of Ramadan, urging Nigerians to embrace the virtues of sacrifice, discipline, and compassion that define the season.
In a statement made available to journalists, the company described Ramadan as a period of deep reflection, spiritual renewal, and strengthened devotion to faith and humanity.
According to the management, the holy month represents values that align with the organisation’s commitment to integrity, resilience, and community development.
“Ramadan is a time that teaches patience, generosity, and selflessness. As our Muslim customers and partners begin the fast, we pray that their sacrifices are accepted and that the season brings peace, joy, and renewed hope to their homes and the nation at large,” the statement read.
The firm reaffirmed its dedication to providing affordable and accessible housing solutions to Nigerians, noting that building homes goes beyond structures to creating environments where families can thrive.
Adron Homes further urged citizens to use the period to pray for national unity, economic stability, and sustainable growth.
It wished all Muslim faithful a spiritually fulfilling Ramadan.
Ramadan Mubarak.
society
Underfunding National Security: Envelope Budgeting Fails Nigeria’s Defence By George Omagbemi Sylvester
Underfunding National Security: Envelope Budgeting Fails Nigeria’s Defence
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by saharaweeklyng.com
“Fiscal Rigidity in a Time of Crisis: Lawmakers Say Fixed Budget Ceilings Are Crippling Nigeria’s Fight Against Insurgency, Banditry, and Organized Crime.”
Nigeria’s legislature has issued a stark warning: the envelope budgeting system; a fiscal model that caps spending for ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) is inadequate to meet the country’s escalating security challenges. Lawmakers and budget analysts argue that rigid fiscal ceilings are undermining the nation’s ability to confront insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, separatist violence, oil theft and maritime insecurity.
The warning emerged during the 2026 budget defence session for the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) at the National Assembly in Abuja. Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (APC‑Kebbi North), chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, decried the envelope system, noting that security agencies “have been subject to the vagaries of the envelope system rather than to genuine needs and requirements.” The committee highlighted non-release or partial release of capital funds from previous budgets, which has hindered procurement, intelligence and operational capacity.
Nigeria faces a multi‑front security crisis: persistent insurgency in the North‑East, banditry and kidnappings across the North‑West and North‑Central, separatist tensions in the South‑East, and piracy affecting Niger Delta oil production. Despite declarations of a national security emergency by President Bola Tinubu, lawmakers point to a “disconnect” between rhetoric and the actual fiscal support for agencies tasked with enforcement.
Experts warn that security operations demand flexibility and rapid resource allocation. Dr. Amina Bello, a public finance specialist, said: “A static budget in a dynamic threat environment is like sending firefighters with water jugs to a forest fire. You need flexibility, not fixed ceilings, to adapt to unforeseen developments.”
The Permanent Secretary of Special Services at ONSA, Mohammed Sanusi, detailed operational consequences: irregular overhead releases, unfulfilled capital appropriations, and constrained foreign service funds. These fiscal constraints have weakened intelligence and covert units, hampering surveillance, cyber‑security, counter‑terrorism and intelligence sharing.
Delayed capital releases have stalled critical projects, including infrastructure upgrades and surveillance systems. Professor Kolawole Adeyemi, a governance expert, emphasized that “budgeting for security must allow for rapid reallocation in response to threats that move faster than political cycles. Envelope budgeting lacks this essential flexibility.”
While the National Assembly advocates fiscal discipline, lawmakers stress that security funding requires strategic responsiveness. Speaker Abbas Ibrahim underscored that security deserves “prominent and sustained attention” in the 2026 budget, balancing oversight with operational needs.
In response, the Senate committee plans to pursue reforms, including collaboration with the executive to restructure funding, explore supplementary budgets and ensure predictable and sufficient resources for security agencies. Experts warn that without reform, criminal networks will exploit these gaps, eroding public trust.
As one policy analyst summarized: “A nation declares a security emergency; but if its budget does not follow with real resources and oversight, the emergency remains rhetorical.” Nigeria’s debate over envelope budgeting is more than an accounting dispute; it is a contest over the nation’s security priorities and its commitment to safeguarding citizens.
Rev. Mother Kehinde Osoba (Eritosin) Celebrates as She Marks Her Birthday
Today, the world and the body of Christ rise in celebration of a rare vessel of honour, Rev. Mother Kehinde Osoba, fondly known as Eritosin, as she marks her birthday.
Born a special child with a divine mark of grace, Rev. Mother Eritosin’s journey in God’s vineyard spans several decades of steadfast service, spiritual depth, and undeniable impact. Those who know her closely describe her as a prophetess with a heart of gold — a woman whose calling is not worn as a title, but lived daily through compassion, discipline, humility, and unwavering faith.
From her early days in ministry, she has touched lives across communities, offering spiritual guidance, prophetic insight, and motherly counsel. Many testify that through her prayers and teachings, they encountered God in a deeply personal and transformative way. Near and far, her influence continues to echo — not only within church walls, but in homes, families, and destinies reshaped through her mentorship.
A mother in every sense of the word, Rev. Mother Kehinde Osoba embodies nurture and correction in equal measure. As a grandmother, she remains energetic in purpose — accommodating the wayward, embracing the rejected, and holding firmly to the belief that no soul is beyond redemption. Her life’s mission has remained consistent: to lead many to Christ and guide them into the light of a new beginning.
Deeply rooted within the C&S Unification, she stands tall as a spiritual pillar in the Cherubim and Seraphim Church globally. Her dedication to holiness, unity, and prophetic service has earned her widespread respect as a spiritual matriarch whose voice carries both authority and humility.
As she celebrates another year today, tributes continue to pour in from spiritual sons and daughters, church leaders, and admirers who see in her a living reflection of grace in action.
Prayer for Rev. Mother Kehinde Osoba (Eritosin)
May the Almighty God, who called you from birth and anointed you for His service, continually strengthen you with divine health and renewed vigour.
May your oil never run dry, and may your prophetic mantle grow heavier with greater glory.
May the lives you have nurtured rise to call you blessed.
May your latter years be greater than the former, filled with peace, honour, and the visible rewards of your labour in God’s vineyard.
May heaven continually back your prayers, and may your light shine brighter across nations.
Happy Birthday to a true Mother in Israel — Rev. Mother Kehinde Osoba (Eritosin).
More years.
More anointing.
More impact.
If you want this adapted for a newspaper page, church bulletin, Facebook post, or birthday flyer, just tell me the format and tone.
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