Public Affairs Analyst

To many discerning observers of Nigeria’s humanitarian crisis, it is heartwarming that President Muhammadu Buhari deemed it fit to create a Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, headed by Hajia Sadiya Umar-Farouq.   This is a brand new ministry which is meant to provide solutions to the plight of millions of Internally Displaced Persons as well as coordinate humanitarian affairs and social development in the country. Truth be told, having a ministry in charge of the aforementioned areas is long overdue. The country, in the last 10 years, has been in the throes of insurgency in the North-East, especially in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. This insurgency has created a lot of social dislocation and millions of IDPs. According to an August 2019 report from Médecins Sans Frontières, (Doctors without Borders), “It is estimated that about 35,000 people have been killed since 2009, 1.8 million people are internally displaced, and 7.1 million peo...

Dire Situation Nigeria’s constitution in Section 14 (2) (b) says that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. On these two counts, Nigerian government, at all levels, has failed the citizen. People are now afraid of their shadows. We can no longer sleep with eyes close, even as we now live in a fortress, having to build high perimeter fence around our homes. Road travel is now a trembling exercise. Cybercrimes have made many citizens to withdraw from social media, electronic banking and e-commerce. Farming is now a dangerous exercise, not with killer herders on the prowl while government spokespersons are now adept at issuing condolences and sympathies. Heart-rending statistics What does the statistics say about Nigeria? The statistics are preposterous! On Wednesday, July 31, 2019, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon said an estimated 27,000 Nigerians died between 2009 and 2019 in the ongoing Boko Hara...

They started trickling in on the eve of the commencement of the orientation course, high in spirit, chatting excitedly about their previous school life as well as the long journey they had to Delta State NYSC permanent orientation camp at Issele-Uku. Like pilgrims to the holy land, they came from all the nooks and crannies of this great nation, from the East, West, North and South; just name the ethnic group, majority or minority, prominent and inconspicuous, the Yoruba, Tiv, Ibos, Berom, Ebira, the Hausa, Ibibio, Ishan, Bini, Efik, Kanuri and even the protesting Ogonis were all represented at the great assembly. They were in various shapes and sizes; fair and dark complexioned, tall and short, big and small, spinsters and bachelors, married and singles, pregnant women and nursing mothers, the able and the disabled, all were mobilised to serve the fatherland under the sun and in the rain, with dedication and selflessness. What a   great spectacle they made in their various at...

“Honourable Ministers-Designate, you will be responsible for the development and implementation of policies, programmes and projects in your various Ministries, Departments and Agencies in line with Government priorities. You must also ensure that Agencies under your Ministries are effective, efficient and accountable in the discharge of their responsibilities.” — President Muhammadu Buhari   on Monday, August 19, 2019 at the retreat for the ministers-designate Dear Mr President, I wish to congratulate your new ministers as they take their oath of office today. Remarkably, they are coming into office about six months after the February 23, 2019 presidential election and 84 days after your inauguration on May 29 and about a month after their names were sent to the Senate for screening and confirmation. No doubt, the competition for these exalted posts was very stiff. The new ministers are indeed lucky to have made the 43-man list out of millions of members of the All Progres...

Since Omoyele Sowore’s spearheaded the #RevolutionNow! protest of August 5, 2019, I have been a guest analyst on several radio and television programmes to discuss the import and desirability of a revolution at this point in time in Nigeria’s history. Among the media stations that have invited me over for discussion on the matter include: Arise News TV, Independent Television, Channels Television, and Nigerian Television Authority. Others include, Nigeria Info 95.1 FM and Love 104.5 FM (Crowther Radio).   I have always maintained my stance that while Nigeria needs fundamental restructuring, the nation can ill-afford an uprising or undemocratic regime change, the kind Sowore and his supporters are calling for. Why? I am of the considered view that election is the best way to institute a change of government. Embarking on violent protests in order to “bundle out” people in government can be counterproductive. A mob action breeds anarchy. There is no gainsaying that street protest...

Anti-corruption is the new catchphrase, the latest buzzword through which many individuals and civil society groups are trying to promote good governance. Many anti-corruption crusaders are being recruited on a daily basis. Oftentimes, you hear activists say “if you don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria!” Even the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari made it a battle cry in the lead up to the 2015 and 2019 general elections. It promised to revamp the economy, tackle insecurity and fight corruption to a standstill. Interestingly, not many people understand the concept of corruption. Ask many of the crusaders, they’ll tell you government officials are corrupt. They quickly point to members of the National Assembly, ministers, Heads of Departments and agencies of government and by extension civil servants. When asked about whether they are not part of the corrupt Nigerians, they are wont to dissociate themselves. Yet, in truth and indeed, they are part of the cor...

There is no gainsaying that there is a gross abuse of the local government system in Nigeria. Theoretically and constitutionally, there are supposed to be three tiers of government in the country. However, in practice, there seems to be only two functioning tiers at the federal and state levels. The 774 Local Government Areas listed in the constitution and the Local Council Development Areas established by many state governments are comatose.   They are virtually dysfunctional because of the stranglehold on them by the state governors. Section 7 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria says, “The system of local government by democratically elected local government councils is under this Constitution guaranteed”. Unfortunately, many governors have been acting in breach of this provision by dissolving democratically elected councils and inaugurating their cronies as either sole administrators or caretaker committees in charge of the local councils. Oftentimes...