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Subsidy Removal: Kill Corruption, Not Nigerians, Bakare Tells Tinubu

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Subsidy Removal: Kill Corruption, Not Nigerians, Bakare Tells Tinubu

 

 

Senior Pastor of the Citadel Global Community Church, formerly known as the Latter Rain Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, yesterday, declared that he was not against the removal of the fuel subsidy but the corruption in the system.

 

 

 

While he noted that fuel subsidy removal and its harsh economic impact was taking a toll on Nigerians, Bakare urged President Bola Tinubu to kill corruption and not Nigerians.

 

 

The fiery televangelist also tasked Tinubu to “mount a genuine fight against corruption, rise above vendetta, foster reconciliation, and give every Nigerian a reason to believe in a united country.

 

Subsidy Removal: Kill Corruption, Not Nigerians, Bakare Tells Tinubu

The cleric, who spoke on the State of the Nation broadcast, theme ‘’Vice, virtue and time: The three things that shall never stand still’’, held at the church auditorium, located on Kuditat Abiola way, Ikeja in Lagos, also faulted the proposed military intervention in the Niger Republic by ECOWAS.

 

 

Speaking on the harsh economy in the country, he said: “What is further clear concerning our domestic challenges is that by imposing hardship on Nigerians without going after those corrupt individuals, corporations and government officials, who have plundered Nigeria over the years in the name of subsidy, the president has picked the wrong fight.

‘’In his Monday, July 31, 2023, address to the nation, the president stated that the vast sum of money which ‘would have been better spent on public transportation, healthcare, schools, housing and even national security…was being funnelled into the deep pockets and lavish bank accounts of a select group of individuals.

“The president further stated that the subsidy removal policy was to stop the squandering of monies on smugglers and fraudsters.
“This compels us to ask the following salient questions: Who are these select groups of individuals into whose deep pockets our national treasury has been funnelled?
‘’Who are these smugglers and fraudsters that have been defrauding our nation in the name of subsidy?

“Who are these nameless characters that have fed fat at the expense of the poor? Or are they all sacred cows?

‘’Mr President, if you are truly on the side of the poor, if you are serious about the welfare of the people, if you truly want the poor to breathe, as you once said, then kill corruption, not Nigerians.

“Fellow citizens, the rallying cry by which the Save Nigeria Group, SNG, galvanised Nigerians in January 2012 at Gani Fawehinmi Pack, Ojota was ‘kill corruption, not Nigerians’

This was our cry when we made it evident that our fight was not against the removal of fuel subsidy but the corruption in the system. This was our fight when, amid the threats to my life and family, right there at Ojota and live on national and international television, I called out by name those individuals and corporate entities who had allegedly ravaged our nation.

“Mr President, given the complexity of the Nigerian economy, we are not thoroughly convinced that your palliatives will be sufficient to cushion the effect of your policies on the Nigerian citizen.

‘’What we do know, however, is that on May 29, 2023, you swore an oath to ‘be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

“Mr President, while we admit that, as of today, our nation has transitioned from an administration that came to power on the supposed wings of integrity and anti-corruption to one that cannot be described as such, the fact remains that you are today the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with enormous powers to fight against corruption in its hydra-headed forms.

“Even if the allegations against you are valid, you can still have a road to Damascus experience and decide today to stand on the side of probity and bring to book the vested interests that have built their wealth on the ruins of our nation.

‘’You can decide today to take the burden of reforms off the Nigerian people and go after the corporations and individuals who have plundered our nation. You can decide today to stand with the poor and take the fight to the plunderers.

‘’Mr President, even though you have announced some palliatives, let me remind you that palliatives cannot address the root cause of the problem.

“Therefore, we demand that you address the root cause of the problem. Take the yoke off the neck of the poor, go after the looters, recover the loot, and retool it to the benefit of Nigerians. In simple terms, Mr President, kill corruption, not Nigerians.”

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Decentralizing Policing in Nigeria: The Urgent Case for State-Controlled Law Enforcement

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Decentralizing Policing in Nigeria: The Urgent Case for State-Controlled Law Enforcement By George Omagbemi Sylvester | For Sahara Weekly NG

Decentralizing Policing in Nigeria: The Urgent Case for State-Controlled Law Enforcement

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | For Sahara Weekly NG

For decades, Nigeria has endured the consequences of an overstretched, inefficient and highly politicized central policing system. The result? Catastrophic. Rising insecurity, emboldened terrorists, banditry and unchecked violence have ravaged nearly every corner of the country. From the blood-soaked fields of Zamfara to the kidnapping corridors of the South-East and the cult-infested creeks of the Niger Delta, the evidence is irrefutable: centralized policing has failed Nigerians.

Despite its glaring dysfunction, the idea of devolving police powers to state governments remains one of Nigeria’s most controversial debates. Detractors argue that state police may be abused by governors as political thugs, but that’s a distraction from the real question: Do states in Nigeria currently have the financial and structural capacity to run police forces that are accountable, professional and effective; not as political weapons but as agents of justice and peace?

Central Policing: A Colonial Relic Turned Burden

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF), with about 370,000 officers serving over 220 million people, has one of the worst police-to-citizen ratios in the world. According to United Nations standards, a functional ratio is 1 officer to every 450 citizens. Nigeria languishes at roughly 1:600, and that’s before factoring in the lopsided deployment of personnel.

Shockingly, more than 40% of officers are assigned to VIP protection (guarding politicians, their families and business elites) while ordinary Nigerians are left defenceless against armed robbers, kidnappers and insurgents.

This structure is not accidental; it is a colonial legacy. As Professor Jibrin Ibrahim of the Centre for Democracy and Development aptly puts it:

“The Nigerian police are not trained to serve the people. They are trained to protect the state from the people.”

That mindset still dominates. The NPF remains a blunt, top-down instrument of coercion, not community safety. From the excesses of SARS to police complicity during elections, the central police system has consistently shown that it is out of touch and out of control.

The Case for State Policing: Security Must Be Local


Nigeria is a federation on paper but a unitary dictatorship in practice, especially regarding policing. With over 250 ethnic groups, multiple languages and complex regional dynamics, a one-size-fits-all federal police force cannot address the security needs of all states.

Countries like the United States, India, Canada and Germany, all federal in structure, operate decentralized policing models. In the U.S., over 90% of law enforcement is handled by state, county or municipal agencies and not Washington, D.C.

Nigeria has already seen states respond to security failures by creating regional outfits: Amotekun (South-West), Ebube Agu (South-East), Hisbah (North) and others. These are clear expressions of popular no-confidence votes in the federal police. But these outfits remain legally weak and operationally constrained without constitutional backing.

What Nigeria needs now is not just more vigilante groups but a legal and constitutional framework that allows states to form and manage professional, community-embedded police services.

Can States Afford State Police? The Numbers Don’t Lie


One of the most common arguments against state policing is financial incapacity. This argument is misleading and frankly, LAZY.

According to BudgIT and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS):

Lagos State generates over ₦400 billion annually in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) which is more than some African countries.

Rivers, Ogun, Delta and Kaduna States each generate over ₦50 billion annually.

25 states generate more than ₦10 billion annually.

So why do we say they “cannot afford” state policing? The issue isn’t capacity, it’s priority and accountability.

If states can build multi-billion-naira airports, mega flyovers and luxurious government houses, surely they can fund training, equipment and welfare for 5,000 to 10,000 well-trained state officers.

In 2024, the federal government allocated over ₦1.3 trillion to police and security services. Yet, most rural communities remain vulnerable. A fraction of that, used efficiently by states, can yield better results. Moreover, states could seek matching grants or partnerships with private and international donors to strengthen their security apparatus.

The Fear of Abuse: A Convenient Excuse
A major objection to state policing is the potential for abuse by state governors. But let’s be clear: the federal police are not immune to abuse. SARS was a federal outfit, yet it became synonymous with torture, extrajudicial killings and robbery.

During the 2023 general elections, federal police were accused of colluding with political parties to suppress opposition and disenfranchise voters. In Lagos, Rivers and Kano, shocking videos of police inaction and collaboration with thugs circulated widely.

The abuse argument is not an argument against decentralization; it is an argument for institutional reform.

A properly crafted State Police Act must include:

Independent oversight commissions

Auditable budgets and public transparency

Cross-border collaboration to prevent jurisdictional loopholes

Community-based recruitment

Strict human rights and use-of-force protocols

National benchmarks for training and ethics

The Federal Government’s role should evolve into providing technical support, forensic labs and inter-state crime coordination not micromanaging state security from Abuja.

Political Bottlenecks: The Elephant in the Room

Decentralizing Policing in Nigeria: The Urgent Case for State-Controlled Law Enforcement
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | For Sahara Weekly NG
Why, despite mounting evidence, has Nigeria failed to implement state policing?

Politics.

Centralized policing is a political weapon. Whoever controls the federal police controls elections, opposition suppression and even media narratives. That is why the ruling class is reluctant to devolve power.

In 2021, the National Assembly blocked key constitutional amendments that would have allowed states to establish their own police forces. Why? Because the party in power benefits from centralized force.

As Wole Soyinka warned:

“There’s no way we can continue along this unitarist line. It’s a logical contradiction. You can’t continue with this crude, centralist mindset and expect safety.”

State governors (especially in the South) must form a united front to lobby for this constitutional change. This will require sacrificing political capital, building coalitions across party lines and directly engaging the Nigerian public.

A National Crossroads: Reform or Ruin
Insecurity in Nigeria is no longer an abstract debate, it is an existential crisis. Farmers are abandoning fields. Children cannot go to school. Businesses are closing. Millions live under the daily threat of violence, extortion and death.

We must not allow political cowardice or elite selfishness to deny Nigerians the right to safety.

A decentralized police system is not a luxury; it is a necessity for national survival. Every state should have the constitutional authority, financial framework and legal support to secure its people.

It is time to break free from colonial chains and build a policing system that reflects our federal reality, respects our diversity and protects every Nigerian; rich, middle-class or poor, north, east or south, Muslim, Christian or Pagans.

The time for half-measures has passed.
The time to decentralize is now.

Decentralizing Policing in Nigeria: The Urgent Case for State-Controlled Law Enforcement
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | For Sahara Weekly NG

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Boko Haram: Olowu Reiterates Call to Support Nigerian Army

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Boko Haram: Olowu Reiterates Call to Support Nigerian Army

Olowu of Kuta, HRM Oba Dr Hammed Makama Oyelude, CON, Tegbosun iii, has reiterated the call on Nigerians to support the Nigerian Army in the face of daunting security challenges and emerging new trend.

According to the statement issued by his media office in Kuta at the weekend, Oba Makama said the invasion of the country by various militias and mercenary has posed another threat to the national security.

Oba Makama, therefore, urged all and sundry, especially traditional rulers, to ensure that their domains are safe and secured from these hydra headed terrorists.

“As we all know that the Nigerian Army is responsible for the promotion and securing of our territorial integrity which is the symbol of our sovereignty, we must all rally round them to ensure they succeed in this onerous task.”

Waxing philosophical, Oba Makama said ” to keep Nigeria as a one is a task that must be achieved” failure of which it will remain an ill wind that blows nobody any good.

“It’s unthinkable that Pakistan nationals will be caught training the Boko Haram insurgency on how to attack the symbol of our sovereignty which is the Nigerian Army.

“They’ve also gone ahead to acquire weapons such as UAV ( drones) and latest military hardware to confront our army. We must ensure that all hands are on deck to defeat this deadly ‘monster’ before it’s too late,” the monarch added.

Kabiesi commend the COAS, Lt General Oluyede for prioritising troops welfare and leading from the front.

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Tayo Folorunsho Launches Universal Varsity TV Auditions to Discover Rising Student Stars in Abuja

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Tayo Folorunsho Launches Universal Varsity TV Auditions to Discover Rising Student Stars in Abuja

In a bold stride for youth-driven edutainment in Nigeria, media entrepreneur and education advocate Tayo Folorunsho has launched a groundbreaking talent audition at the University of Abuja. This initiative, aimed at discovering aspiring actors and content creators, is part of a larger project—the upcoming Campus Life Series—set to air on his newly licensed channel, Universal Varsity Television (UVT).

With an enthusiastic turnout of talented students, the audition kicked off what promises to be a transformative campus-focused web series. The Campus Life Series will weave together drama, education, and social commentary, offering an authentic portrayal of student experiences across Nigerian universities.

“We’ve seen incredible talent during the auditions,” said Folorunsho, founder and CEO of UVT. “These students will form the core cast of Campus Life Series, which will air on our new station.”

More than just entertainment, the series is designed as a platform to spotlight the real-life challenges, triumphs, and social issues faced by Nigerian students.

“This isn’t just about acting—it’s about impact,” Folorunsho explained. “We’re using storytelling to reflect campus realities, highlight systemic issues, and give young creatives a meaningful platform to express themselves.

 

Redefining Media and Education in Nigeria

Folorunsho’s vision is being hailed as a visionary fusion of advocacy and entertainment. By merging storytelling with student empowerment, he is cultivating a new wave of creators who are not only telling their stories but shaping national conversations.

Tayo Folorunsho Launches Universal Varsity TV Auditions to Discover Rising Student Stars in Abuja

The Campus Life Series is set to address pressing issues such as inadequate infrastructure, student welfare, academic pressure, and campus politics. Beyond the screen, the project offers hands-on media production experience, helping students build relevant skills that could propel them into careers in the creative industry.

With Universal Varsity Television, Tayo Folorunsho is not just launching a channel—he is launching a movement. One that champions youth voices, celebrates campus life, and redefines what it means to educate and entertain in Nigeria.

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