Public Affairs Analyst

  On September 22 and 23, 2022, the National Assembly in collaboration with the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung held a capacity-building workshop for members of the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-corruption. The theme of the workshop was “Corruption as a threat to security in Nigeria.” In attendance were military and other security top brass and federal lawmakers. I was privileged to be one of the few resource persons.   I presented a paper titled “The Electoral Process in Nigeria in the Face of Insecurity and Corruption: Solving the Problem of Dirty Money in Politics.” I decided to expatiate on this position again given the fact that Nigeria is at the threshold of conducting her seventh general elections in this Fourth Republic and, coincidentally, formal campaigns for national elections holding on Saturday, February 25, 2023, start today. It will last for five months. There is no gainsaying the fact that ...

  When I see what science and technology have turned the world into, I marvel. What has moved man from the state of nature, the primitiveness and crude way of life are simply innovations brought about by science. Each time I’m travelling by air, I request a window seat at the check-in counter. The reason being that it enables me to watch happening outside the plane even as we’re air-bound. I have never ceased to wonder how the human mind can conceive and produce such a contraption that can fly despite the heavy weight of the aircraft. When I stand up to go to the restroom on the plane, it seems like I am walking in the air. It’s not only aircraft that amazes me. Everything that science and technology have made possible does. When I pass through the body scanner at airport or hotels; when I sit in my home and watch television or put on my air conditioner or radio using remote control; when I’m in a television studio and a button-like microphone is put on me and my voice is amplifi...

  “I wish to reiterate here that the core costs of our electoral activities, including the acquisition of sensitive and non-sensitive materials for all elections, remain the sovereign responsibility of Federal Government of Nigeria. Nevertheless, the Commission appreciates the support of international development partners to enhance training and capacity building of officials; stakeholder engagement for peaceful election; production and dissemination of messages for voter education and sensitisation; enhancing the active and meaningful participation of all segments of society in the electoral process with particular reference to women, youth, Persons with Disability and Internally Displaced Persons; and, finally, election conflict mitigation, management and resolution” – Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on Monday, September 12, 2022 at the launch of the EU-SDGN Phase II According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, The International Day of ...

  It’s about three weeks to the official commencement of political campaign ahead of the seventh general elections taking place on February 25 and March 11, 2023. By September 28, 2022 campaign by presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives candidates will start in earnest and for the first time will last for 150 days, which is five months, according to S.94 (1) of the Electoral Act 2022. It is noteworthy that hitherto campaigns are held for 90 days.   I have read the press statement recently issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission as well as plan by supporters of a presidential candidate, who are abroad, to raise millions of dollars for him and the controversies this has generated. I will ventilate my view on that in a bit. As the saying goes, ignorance of the law is not an excuse. Before the August 28, 2022 press statement of INEC, I have in a two-part article published in this column on March 16 and 23, 2022 titled, How Electoral Act 2022 impacts...

  If there’s one area of governance that history will be kind to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), it’s in his initiative to fight drug abuse. Though National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, better known as NDLEA, has been in existence for over 30 years having been established by Decree No. 48 of December 29, 1989, the impact of the organisation hasn’t been felt as it has been in the last 20 months since Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.) was appointed as the chairman of the anti-narcotics agency. United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime says the illicit drug problem can be divided into three categories: first, those illicit drugs that are either produced or processed from natural plant products such as opium poppy: opium, morphine and heroin; secondly, synthetically produced illicit drugs, such as amphetamine; and thirdly, psychoactive pharmaceutical drugs that become illicit as a result of being diverted from licit uses or purposes. There’s no well-informe...

  That Nigeria’s economy is in bad shape is not in doubt. The entire global economy is either in recession or close to it. In every election across many democracies, the economy ranks high on the ‘to do’ list of candidates vying for elective offices, especially the presidency. I sincerely pity whoever will take over from the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in 2023. There will be no honeymoon for the next president as the situation in the country is very dire. It is almost a certainty that the incoming government at federal and sub-national levels will meet not only empty treasuries but a gargantuan debt profile. According to the June 9, 2022 edition of Nairametrics, the quarterly public debt portfolio report released by the Debt Management Office in June 2022 shows that “Nigeria’s total debt stock rose to N41.6 trillion in the first quarter of 2022, representing a N2.05 trillion increase compared to N39.56 trillion recorded as of December last year.” On August ...

  IT has often been said that if Nigeria does not kill corruption, corruption will definitely kill Nigeria. Time and again the media regale us with stories of mindboggling malpractices and sharp practices among which is mismanagement of resources. The latest is that which took place at the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund where payment vouchers of over N17 billion have allegedly been destroyed by termites and rain. The revelation was made on Monday, August 15, 2022 during the probe being conducted by the Senate Public Accounts Committee headed by Senator Matthew Urhoghide (Edo-South). The committee began its probe following a query by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation in its 2018 audit report. 50 different queries bordering on the alleged misappropriation of funds were reportedly raised against the agency. During his appearance before the Senate committee probing the agency, NSITF’s managing director, Michael Akabogu, was quoted as saying, “The container wher...