society
We Must Not Let Others Write Our History – Emir Sanusi II’s Bold Call for National Reawakening
We Must Not Let Others Write Our History – Emir Sanusi II’s Bold Call for National Reawakening.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com
“Until Nigerians reclaim their narrative, they will remain spectators in their own story.”
When the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, His Highness Muhammadu Sanusi II, speaks, the nation listens. Known for his fearless intellect and unflinching truth-telling, Emir Sanusi’s recent admonition (“We must not let others write our history”) is more than a passing remark; it is a thunderous call for national self-determination, intellectual revival and historical justice.
For too long, Nigeria’s story has been written by outsiders; colonial powers, foreign journalists and even local elites who inherited colonial mindsets. The tragedy is not merely that our history has been misrepresented; it is that Nigerians themselves have become detached from their own narrative. From the glorification of colonial conquest to the distortion of pre-colonial civilization, our IDENTITY has been SHAPED, EDITED and DEFINED by those who neither share our pain nor understand our potential.
Emir Sanusi’s words pierce the conscience of a generation that has forgotten that history is not just about the past, it is the foundation of a nation’s soul. As the late Chinua Achebe once wrote, “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” Nigeria has too often been the hunted (economically, politically and culturally) while others have written our story to suit their agendas.
The Colonial Distortion of African Legacy.
The colonial era did not merely conquer African lands; it conquered African minds. British colonial education portrayed Africa as a continent without civilization before Europe’s arrival, a land waiting for salvation. YET, HISTORY PROVES OTHERWISE. Long before British boots touched our soil, the Nok civilization had already produced remarkable art and metallurgy; the Benin Empire had established sophisticated governance and diplomacy; and the Kanem-Bornu Empire had engaged in trans-Saharan trade centuries before Europe knew Africa existed.
Though, the British colonial curriculum erased these truths. Instead, Nigerian children were taught about the “GLORY OF THE EMPIRE,” the “BENEVOLENCE” of colonial masters and the “CIVILIZING MISSION” that brought light to a supposedly dark continent. The consequence is a psychological dependency that still lingers today; a mental subjugation that makes many Nigerians value foreign validation over local achievement.
As the Kenyan scholar Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o powerfully observed, “The domination of a people’s language and history is the domination of their entire being.” Nigeria’s current predicament (from its confused national identity to its policy dependence on Western institutions) is a direct result of surrendering control of its historical narrative.
History Suppressed, Identity Lost.
The abolition of History as a compulsory subject in Nigerian schools in 2009 was one of the most destructive decisions ever made in our educational system. For a decade, generations of young Nigerians grew up without structured knowledge of who they are, how their nation came to be and what sacrifices built it. It took until 2019 for History to be reintroduced, a decision long overdue but still insufficient.
Sanusi’s warning reminds us that nations that forget their past lose control of their future. Japan, after World War II, rewrote its own narrative not by denying its past mistakes but by defining its postwar destiny through self-reflection and cultural pride. China, too, refused to let foreign historians dictate its identity; instead, it taught its people to see history as the blueprint of destiny.
Why then should Nigeria (the giant of Africa, home to over 200 million people and one of the most culturally diverse nations on Earth) continue to depend on foreign voices to interpret its history?
A Narrative Hijacked by the Powerful.
Today, even within Nigeria, history is being rewritten by the powerful to sanitize failure and glorify mediocrity. The heroes of truth are silenced, while the architects of national decay are celebrated as “STATESMEN.” Our children grow up knowing more about European explorers than about Nigerian patriots like Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Herbert Macaulay, Chief Arthur Prest or the great Ahmadu Bello.
The manipulation of history is not accidental; it is political. When leaders erase the memory of injustice, they erase accountability. When a society forgets where it came from, it cannot know where it is going. As Professor Wole Soyinka once warned, “The greatest threat to freedom is the erasure of memory.”
Sanusi’s intervention is thus a moral call to action, to resist the ongoing historical amnesia that allows corruption, tribalism and manipulation to thrive. It is a reminder that every Nigerian must become a CUSTODIAN of TRUTH, not a CONSUMER of PROPAGANDA.
Owning Our Story in the Digital Age.
In an era of social media and global information warfare, the control of narrative has become more critical than ever. Western media still portrays Africa as a continent of chaos, disease and corruption, conveniently ignoring its innovation, resilience and culture. The recent rise of platforms like TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) has given young Nigerians a chance to reclaim the narrative and to tell their own stories in their own voices.
However, this newfound freedom comes with responsibility. Misinformation, false history and tribal bias now threaten to replace colonial distortion with domestic distortion. As Sanusi implied, rewriting our history must not be about replacing one falsehood with another; it must be about truth.
Dr. Reuben Abati, a respected journalist and scholar, once noted, “The problem with Nigeria is not the absence of history, but the abundance of manipulated history.” It is time to cleanse our national memory through accurate documentation, honest teaching and transparent storytelling.
Reclaiming the Nigerian Narrative.
The task of rewriting Nigeria’s story belongs not only to HISTORIANS but to EVERY CITIZEN. From the CLASSROOM to the NEWSROOM, from the PULPIT to the PARLIAMENT, Nigerians must begin to assert their voices. Universities must prioritize indigenous scholarship. Filmmakers must tell stories that celebrate local heroes. Media houses must resist foreign framing. And government must institutionalize the preservation of historical archives before they are lost forever.
As the historian Toyin Falola wrote, “History is the architecture of identity. When you lose it, you lose your foundation.” Nigeria’s foundation today is shaky because the country has allowed its history to be fragmented, rewritten by the conqueror, reshaped by the corrupt and ignored by the youth.
Sanusi’s call is not merely academic; it is existential. If we do not tell our own story, others will and they will not tell it kindly.
Towards a New Narrative: The Future Belongs to Those Who Remember.
The time has come for Nigerians to rise and reclaim ownership of their narrative. Our story is not one of ENDLESS FAILURE, but of RESILIENCE; not one of POVERTY, but of PROMISE. It is the story of a people who built civilizations before Europe emerged from darkness; of artists, warriors, kings and visionaries who defined destiny long before colonial boundaries existed.
As the eminent Ghanaian historian Dr. Molefi Kete Asante asserted, “History is not the past. It is the map of the future.” The map of Nigeria’s future will remain unclear until we redraw it ourselves with honesty, courage and pride.
Emir Sanusi II has once again spoken truth to power. His message is simple but profound: NO FOREIGNER, NO POLITICIAN and NO PROPAGANDIST should be allowed to write Nigeria’s history. That responsibility belongs to Nigerians, to scholars, teachers, writers and every citizen who believes that truth not distortion, must guide our journey as a nation.
society
NIGERIA PIONEERS PLASTIC-TO-DIESEL TECHNOLOGY AS ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY HOSTS GROUNDBREAKING DEMONSTRATION IN ABUJA
NIGERIA PIONEERS PLASTIC-TO-DIESEL TECHNOLOGY AS ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY HOSTS GROUNDBREAKING DEMONSTRATION IN ABUJA
Revolutionary Innovation Set to Transform Waste Management and Energy Production Under the Renewed Hope Agenda
The Federal Ministry of Environment, in strategic partnership with Premium Blue Economy Innovation and Investment Ltd, is set to showcase Nigeria’s breakthrough in waste-to-energy technology with the first-ever technical demonstration of plastic-to-Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD) conversion in the country.
The landmark event will take place on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Ministry’s Conference Hall, Green Building, Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja. It represents a major milestone in Nigeria’s clean energy transition and circular economy development drive.
Transforming Waste into Wealth
Mr. Olushola Gegele, CEO of Premium Blue Economy Innovation and Investment Limited, underscored the project’s alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stating:
> “The plastic-to-diesel project represents a new frontier in sustainable development — where waste becomes wealth, innovation drives clean energy, and environmental stewardship fuels economic empowerment.”
The demonstration will feature advanced pyrolysis and refining technologies that convert plastic waste into clean, ultra-low sulphur diesel suitable for industrial operations, marine engines, and backup generators.
A Triple Win: Environmental, Economic, and Social Impact
The initiative promises comprehensive benefits across environmental, economic, and social dimensions. It will help reduce plastic accumulation in landfills and waterways, lower methane and toxin emissions, and address Nigeria’s mounting plastic pollution challenge.
By producing low-emission diesel alternatives, the project also supports Nigeria’s clean fuel policies and reduces dependency on imported petroleum products. Additionally, it will create sustainable income opportunities through waste collection, sorting, and processing, particularly benefiting local communities and youth entrepreneurs engaged in recycling and green technology operations.
The clean diesel output will serve key sectors such as cement, steel, mining, and marine transport, supporting their transition toward reduced carbon footprints.
Gegele described the collaboration as establishing “a national blueprint for regenerative industrialization,” adding:
> “Our goal is to help Nigeria transition from waste management to resource management. Every bottle, bag, and plastic residue is potential fuel, income, and innovation waiting to happen.”
Toward a Greener, Energy-Secure Future
The demonstration marks the beginning of plans to establish modular plastic-to-diesel hubs across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. These hubs will enhance localized energy security and inspire a new generation of green entrepreneurs.
This pioneering initiative reinforces Nigeria’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework and is expected to attract green financing for waste-to-energy enterprises, positioning the nation as a regional leader in sustainable industrial innovation.
The Federal Ministry of Environment extends an open invitation to public and private institutions, investors, researchers, and policy experts to attend the technical session and explore collaboration opportunities for nationwide scaling of this innovation.
—
This initiative underscores Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability, clean energy transition, and innovation-driven development under the Renewed Hope Agenda — setting a precedent for Africa’s green industrial revolution.
Aare Adetola EmmanuelKing, Honoured with TMnews Leadership Award
It was a night of honour and gratitude at the 12th Annual TMnews Summit and Awards 2025, where Aare Adetola EmmanuelKing, Chairman and Group Managing Director of Adron Group, received a prestigious Award of Recognition for his exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to empowering Nigerians through affordable housing and community development.
The event, themed “Securing the Future: A Collaborative Approach to Community Safety,” brought together top government officials, security chiefs, corporate leaders, and humanitarian advocates to engage in constructive dialogue on national security, community partnership, and sustainable development.
In his message of appreciation, Aare EmmanuelKing expressed heartfelt gratitude to TMnews Magazine for the recognition, describing it as a humbling honour that reinforces his commitment to nation-building through affordable housing, community empowerment, and corporate social responsibility.
“I am deeply honoured by this recognition from TMnews. It is a testament to the collective effort of the Adron Group family, whose passion and dedication continue to drive our mission of making quality housing accessible to all Nigerians. This award is not just for me, it is for every hardworking Nigerian who believes in the dream of a better, safer, and more prosperous nation,” Aare EmmanuelKing stated.
He further commended the organisers of the summit for their consistency in promoting dialogue and collaboration among key stakeholders in governance, business, and community development, adding that such platforms are essential to building a secure and progressive society.
The Publisher and CEO of TMnews Magazine, Temidayo Babalola, lauded Aare EmmanuelKing for his visionary leadership and transformative role in Nigeria’s real estate sector, describing him as a beacon of innovation and a passionate advocate for sustainable community growth.
The summit also featured the TMnews Humanitarian Awards, where 24 distinguished individuals and organisations were celebrated for their exceptional service to humanity, corporate responsibility, and community impact.
Borrowed Into Bankruptcy: How Nigeria’s Debt Spiral Under the APC Is Scaring Away Investors.
George Omagbemi Sylvester | SaharaWeeklyNG.com
Debt-shackled Nigeria now pays in fear, while investors flee the drowning ship.
Nigeria stands today not as a rising economy but as a nation drowning in debt and the warning lights flashing are not faint. The eminent legal icon, Afe Babalola SAN, pulled no punches when he declared that the country’s worsening debt profile is undermining investor confidence and that our banks are complaining that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) can no longer honour government promissory notes.
In blunt terms: we borrowed, we did little that shows value and now we are paying dearly. This is not mere theory, but the harsh reality confronting Nigeria as borrowing has become a substitute for sound economic policy and productive investment. The result, investors are watching, waiting and many are leaving. The so-called “PROGRESS” under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has turned into a spectacle of empty coffers, ballooning liabilities and vanishing credibility.
1. A growing mountain of debt:
According to the very same Babalola, Nigeria’s total public debt currently stands at around ₦152.4 trillion (US $99.7 billion) a figure he described as testimony to our status today as a “BIG DEBTOR COUNTRY.”
Independent data reinforce this staggering trend and as of March 31 2025, Nigeria’s public debt was roughly ₦149.39 trillion (≈US$97.24 billion) with domestic debt accounting for about 52.72% and external debt around 47.28%.
Other analysts forecast the total debt could surge to ₦187.79 trillion by the end of 2025 according to the BUDGIT FOUNDATION. This is not static debt at a comfortable level, but an explosive borrowing, with debt-to-GDP ratios rising, debt-service burdens growing and the capacity for repayment shrinking.
2. Investor confidence in retreat:
Why do investors care? Because enormous sovereign borrowing sends chilling signals. The government is diverting capital away from GROWTH-ENHANCING investment into debt servicing.
Risk premiums rise. Lenders demand higher rates. Firms face crowding out.
The banking sector is bearing the strain, when the sovereign borrows from banks, those banks may lack the ability to lend to the private sector. In fact, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cautioned that Nigeria’s reliance on domestic debt and oil are exposing it to financial stability risks. It warned that “interest payments in Nigeria have risen to above 30 % of government revenues, crowding out the private sector and limiting fiscal flexibility.”
Kristalina Georgieva, IMF Managing Director, put it plainly: “very high levels of debt suffocate economies.”
And Babalola’s observation is telling “most business companies from other countries do not want to invest in this debtor country.” By borrowing recklessly, Nigeria has sent a loud message to investors “We may not be able to fulfil our obligations.”
3. The looting & LACK-OF-DELIVERY narrative:
Borrowing in itself is not a sin; if it is used productively. But here’s the rub, what is on display to show for the massive borrowings under the APC government? The litany is familiar, oil-price dependency, subsidy burdens, recurrent expenditures rather than capital projects, STATE-GOVERNMENT borrowings to pay salaries.
An open letter to the Guardian warned:
“Many governors have borrowed massively to fund recurrent expenditures such as salaries. This culture of reckless borrowing without a clear repayment strategy has further worsened Nigeria’s economic vulnerabilities.”
That is the message; debt without transformation. Yielding little in terms of infrastructure for growth, jobs or sustainable revenue. And when the standard of living falls while debt rises, the population knows, the money was not used well or was not used at all. The APC-era borrowing spree now looks less like investment and more like a mortgaging of Nigeria’s future with nothing obvious to show.
4. Banking sector under pressure:
It is no coincidence that Babalola mentioned complaints from banks that the CBN is unable to honour government promissory notes. This reflects the “BANK-SOVEREIGN NEXUS” risk flagged by the IMF, where governments lean heavily on domestic banking systems to finance deficits, increasing systemic risk. When banks balance sheets are laden with sovereign debt instead of lending to entrepreneurs, small businesses shrink, job creation falters and the economy slows. Nigeria is already showing signs of this CROWDING-OUT effect, yet the borrowing continues.
5. Structural weaknesses amplified by debt:
Debt is not just a fiscal issue, it is STRUCTURAL. Nigeria remains overly dependent on oil revenues, which are volatile by nature. The IMF warns that this dependence combined with rising domestic debt poses a major threat to stability.
When revenues fluctuate and debt obligations remain fixed (or grow), liquidity crises loom. The loss of investor trust is amplified when MACRO-FUNDAMENTALS. are weak. In short, when you borrow because your economy cannot raise revenue, you dig the pit deeper.
6. Clear quotes to underscore the danger:
Afe Babalola “Our banks are complaining that the Central Bank is not honouring PROMISSORY NOTES, the federal government is in debt and cannot pay the Central Bank.”
IMF Director Abebe Aemro Selassie “We are now sitting in a situation where there are significant vulnerabilities, particularly in those countries where public debt is high and interest rates are high.” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva; “Very high levels of debt suffocate economies.”
These authoritative voices ring loud alarms and none are optimistic about Nigeria’s trajectory without urgent correction.
7. The hypocrisy of “progress” under APC:
Let us not mince words, the APC government promised prosperity. Instead, it has delivered indebtedness. Massive borrowing but little transparency. Fiscal responsibility but rampant deficit. Infrastructure promises but recurring expenditures. And now, the cost is being borne by ordinary Nigerians through inflation, declining public services, higher taxes, fewer jobs and the risk of being sold out in debt reschedules or bail-outs.
If the loans were honest, productive and accountable, perhaps the story would differ. But when you borrow and the harvest does not show up, you leave future generations to carry the burden.
8. What must be done—NO MORE ILLUSIONS:
a. Immediate debt-management discipline: Nigeria must stop borrowing for recurrent expenditures and ensure that any new loans are for growth-yielding investment.
b. Transparency & oversight: The National Assembly, Debt Management Office (DMO) and civil society must demand full account of how every borrowed naira was used. As analysts write: “over 80 % of government revenue is now allocated to servicing debts, leaving minimal funds for essential services.”
c. Economic diversification and revenue generation: Nigeria cannot continue chasing oil spikes. Non-oil sectors must be mobilised, tax bases broadened, and waste eliminated.
d. Protect the banking sector, free the private sector: Avoid feedback loops where sovereign borrowing starves the bank-loan channel to private business.
e. Investor-friendly reforms not just borrowed rhetoric: Restore confidence by honouring obligations (promissory notes, matured bonds), stabilising macro-economics and giving visible returns on borrowed capital.
9. Reality Check: A warning we cannot ignore:
The message from Afe Babalola is unambiguous, Nigeria is a debtor nation first, an investment destination second. The fact that “business companies from other countries do not want to invest in this debtor country” is a condemnation, not a prediction.
When a country borrows without visible returns, it mortgaging its sovereignty, weakening its CREDIT-STANDING and resigning its youth to unfulfilled promise. The APC may have the majority, but even the majority cannot hide the mounting liabilities. This is not partisanship (it is accountability. This is not panic) it is reality.
If nothing changes, we will not borrow our way to greatness. Instead, we will borrow ourselves into irrelevance.
The time to act was yesterday. If Nigeria fails to reform its debt habits now, the reckoning will come tomorrow, with far greater cost. And investors already see the warning signs. It is the government’s turn to act.
Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com
Author: George Omagbemi Sylvester
-
Politics4 months agoNigeria Is Not His Estate: Wike’s 2,000‑Hectare Scandal Must Shake Us Awake
-
society7 months agoBroken Promises and Broken Backs: The ₦70,000 Minimum Wage Law and the Betrayal of Nigerian Workers
-
society5 months agoOGUN INVESTS OVER ₦2.25 BILLION TO BOOST AQUACULTURE
-
celebrity radar - gossips5 months agoFrom ₦200 to ₦2 Million: Davido’s Barber Reveals Jaw-Dropping Haircut Fee