WE returned to Abuja on Saturday after a three-day working tour of Enugu and Ebonyi States as members of the National Communication Team, led by Alhaji Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation. During the visit, we engaged with the governors and key officials of both states, held town hall meetings with citizens, and delivered messages from President Bola Tinubu, highlighting his achievements and commitment to lifting Nigerians out of poverty, particularly through the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme. We also inspected a range of federal and state projects, both completed and ongoing. Our first key takeaway was…
Author: Bayo Onanuga
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IMAGINE a Rivers State where President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hesitated to declare a state of emergency. The political standoff between the State Assembly and Governor Siminalayi Fubara could have continued and degenerated into violence. Impeachment threats might have spurred attacks on lawmakers by the governor’s supporters, while militants in the creeks—primed to sabotage critical oil infrastructure—could have plunged Nigeria’s oil production back to pre-2023 lows. Sensational reporting of the crisis by journalists and opportunistic litigation would have inflamed tensions further, paralysing governance and risking lives. Schools and hospitals would shutter; investors would flee. We can only imagine the human and…
ALTHOUGH the Tinubu Administration’s midterm is five months away, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu can proudly reflect on his administration’s journey over the last 19 months. After initial turbulence, the government concluded 2024 stronger than 2023, as many policies began yielding significant results that even the most ardent detractors could not ignore. Under President Tinubu’s leadership, NNPC Limited has fixed two of the four state-owned oil refineries, achieving what many had cynically regarded as improbable. The administration’s efforts have led to a rise in crude oil production, with an expected inflow of more dollars into the Federation Account and remarkable accretion…
RECENT reports from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) have become a focal point of criticism and scepticism, especially by the political opposition and perpetual doubters of any positive report about our country. In its Q2 labour survey report, the NBS says the unemployment rate fell from 5.3 % in Q1 to 4.3% in Q2. Compared to the unemployment rate of 5.3% in Q4 2022, the report shows some progress, as it also indicates lower level of youth unemployment. The NBS also reported that GDP growth in the third quarter rose to 3.46% year-on-year in real terms, higher than the…
THE National Council of State, a diverse body comprising former presidents, heads of government, chief justices of the federation, state governors, the secretary of the federal government, the attorney-general of the federation and the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, held its first meeting under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday, 13 August. This diverse composition underscores the council’s advisory role in shaping the nation’s policies and decisions, ensuring a broad spectrum of perspectives are considered. At its last meeting 18 months ago, the council was briefed by the INEC Chairman and the Inspector General of Police on the preparations…
THE Supreme Court judgement on July 11, granting financial autonomy to the 774 local councils and recognising them as the third tier of Nigeria’s governance architecture, was truly historic. It was perhaps the most remarkable judgement ever delivered by the apex court in recent times, as it used its power to interpret the law to give a different meaning to Section 162 of the Constitution. Since 1999, governors have used this section to withhold and tamper with the funds federally allocated to the councils, using a joint account that has proven to be a honeypot of abuse. Last Thursday, the…
ONE year after being in the saddle, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be the first person to admit that the ride has been bumpy. He is also the first to say he is unfazed by the turbulence as he remains focused on the marathon of the next three years. The past year has been months of baby steps, months of laying the foundations for the next three years of canter. As Nigeria’s 16th President, Tinubu, during his campaign for the office, said he would make difficult decisions and that running the country would not be business as usual. From day…
I WOKE up Tuesday to read some hair-raising headlines about kidnapping and killings in our country. “Over 17,000 Nigerians abducted under Buhari and Tinubu”, screamed one newspaper that described the incidents an epidemic. Another newspaper wrote ”2,423 people killed, 1,872 kidnapped in eight months of Tinubu”. There was yet another scary headline, that will truly scare any outsider away from my state of Ogun. It says “From Rising industrial hub to den of cultists, criminals.” The impressionistic outsider will, at first blush, think every inch of Ogun is under the siege of cultists and criminals. Of course, this sweeping generalisation…
THE Nigerian economy is looking good in some sectors. This is not a harebrained assessment, despite the high inflation and the unstable exchange rate of the Naira. Those who doubt this don’t need to look far, for a reality check. The economic boom is happening at the Nigerian Exchange, where stockholders are not only recording unprecedented capital gains, but are poised to earn equally unprecedented dividends on their investments. The prosperity promised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the campaign is becoming a reality, for millions of Nigerian investors, among whom will be the 6.6 million Nigerian shareholders of MTN,…
THE removal of fuel subsidy and the move to merge foreign exchange rates, two headline reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration since late May, triggered problems such as high fuel prices and the depreciation of the Naira, two monstrosities which combined to cause a general spike in costs of services and goods. Today, many Nigerians complain of a rise in the cost of living. According to the latest NBS report, Nigeria’s inflation, which rose to 26.7 percent in September, again rose to 28.2% in November from 27.33% in October. Food Inflation remains untamed, rising from 31.52% in October to 32.84%…