National Issues
OPINION: LET’S THINK & TALK By Atiku Abubakar, GCON.
LET’S THINK MORE ABOUT PRODUCTION THAN SHARING .
“We have natural resources, but without human capital neither Nigeria nor the Niger Delta can be like Singapore, which did not have significant natural resources to start with. But a nation without natural resources can be like Singapore if it develops its human capital, as Japan did before Singapore.
.. We must, therefore, demand good governance at all levels of our government. The immense developmental strides achieved by our First Republic leaders were achieved without oil revenues, yet we have for over forty (40) years now been behaving as though nothing can be achieved without oil revenues. We should all be thinking more about production rather than distribution or sharing. I do not know of any Country in the World that has developed just by its leaders gathering in their capital city every month to share revenues from rent.
During the 1994-95 constitutional conference some of us argued that such organs as Federal Ministries of Education, Health, Agriculture and sports were unnecessary.
We reasoned that their responsibilities should be devolved to States and Local Governments. At best the Federal Government should establish standards and regulatory bodies give grants to states that conform to them. This proposal was not adopted by the constitutional conference, so the current structure was retained.
Why should we be talking of federal roads and federal secondary schools?
Decentralization is not an invitation to the breakup of the country and national unity should not continue to be confused with unitarism and concentration of power and resources at the federal level. Of course I am aware that some of the main beneficiaries of our erstwhile regional parliamentary democracy have been hiding behind a call for restructuring to push for the breakup of the country because of their proximity to a finite natural resource and transient political power.”
…. THE MOST POWERFUL PRESIDENT IN THE WORLD.
“One of the consequences of excessive centralization and the military rule that facilitated it, is that the Nigerian President is the most powerful President in the world. This is because he could quite literally unleash all security agencies on an individual or organization, undermine the National Assembly, and turn the judiciary into an almost pro-government and conformist organ. This is not in the realm of speculation; it has been happening in this country. Indeed I drew attention to it when I was in office as Vice President and was having a political face-off with my Boss. It is not healthy for democracy and must be changed”.
TOO MUCH POWER AT THE CENTRE…..WHAT’S WRONG WITH STATE POLICE?
“I also want to recall that during the said 1994-95 Constitutional Conference,
Dr. Alex Ekwueme, GCON, the Second Republic Vice President of this federation, introduced and canvassed for the concept of geo-political zones. I was among those who opposed it because I thought that Ekwueme, coming from the defunct Republic of Biafra, wanted to break up the country again. Now I realize that I should have supported him because our current federal structure is clearly not working. Dr Ekwueme obviously saw what some us, with our civil war mindset, could not see at the time. There is indeed too much concentration of power and resources at the centre. And it is stifling our march to true greatness as a nation and threatening our unity because of all the abuses, inefficiencies, corruption and reactive tensions that it has been generating.
There is need, therefore, to review the structure of the Nigerian federation, preferably along the basis of the current six geo-political zones as regions and the states as provinces. The existing states structure may not suffice, as the states are too weak materially and politically to provide what is needed for good governance.
In the same vein, I see nothing wrong with the establishment of State Police by the states that want it, as long as it can be insulated from and is independent of the State or Regional Government. The argument that Governors will abuse State Police is rather specious. Should we abolish the Nigerian Police because it is often abuse by those in power at the federal level? Should we abolish the State treasuries because Governors abuse them? And should we also abolish Local Governments for the same reason? No. We should, as a people, struggle for and put in place institutional safeguards against abuse of power by those in power at all levels. We have a chance now to put many of those safeguards in a new constitution.”
….AND STATE FLAGS….AND STATE WAGES .
“And, as is typical with working federations around the world, state flag or anthem should not get us overly excited. Local identities and symbols are not antithetical to and do not preclude national identities. I, for one, am a proud northerner and I am a proud citizen of Nigeria. American states all have flags and anthem; yet I do not know of many countries that are more stable and united than the United States of America.
It is also absurd to say that all parts of the country should have a uniform wage structure for workers. Our states and regions have different revenue endowments and varying costs of living. And it is misguided for labour leaders to think that uniform wage structure across the country is in the best interest of workers. Employers, including state governments and agencies, that have the capacity to pay more should be able to do so. That can spur competition for the best talent, which may indeed raise overall wage levels (and standard of living) in the country.
Minimum wage standards should, therefore, be established by state/regional governments”.
THE LAST HOPE OF THE COMMON PERSON .
“Our judiciary is bloated, and increasingly conformist and pro-establishment. Yet justice is always delayed. In the US, which has a larger population and land mass, we find that the judiciary, while not bloated, delivers justice faster. I would like to see a more activist judiciary at all levels-local, regional and federal-one that actually does justice rather than hide behind technicalities to do injustice. I would like to see a judiciary that is able to live up to its billing as the last hope of the common person”
TWO POLITICAL PARTIES, PERIOD.
“I have long been an advocate of a two-party system because of our class, ethnic, religious and regional fault lines. My recommendation for legislative amendment in that regard is for the National Assembly to pass a law stating that there shall be two political parties in Nigeria, full stop. It does not have to decree their ideology their ideologies or platforms. This, in my view, will produce two political parties that will cut across our various divides, and be viable alternatives capable of forming government after elections.
Ruling parties all over the world never want strong opposition parties and in contexts such as ours are capable of undermining efforts by opposition parties to coalesce into a single formidable alternative party”.
National Issues
Gbenga Daniel Seeks End to Immunity for Governors, Calls for Constitutional Amendment
Senator Gbenga Daniel, representing Ogun East Senatorial District, has raised concerns over the misuse of constitutional immunity by state governors and their deputies, calling for an urgent amendment to the relevant section of Nigeria’s constitution.
Speaking on Political Paradigm, a Channels Television programme aired on Tuesday, the former governor of Ogun State (2003–2011) argued that Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution, which shields sitting governors and their deputies from both civil and criminal prosecution, has been widely abused.
Section 308 of the Nigerian Constitution grants immunity to the President, Vice President, governors, and deputy governors while in office, effectively barring legal proceedings against them throughout their tenure. However, Daniel insisted that this provision has been misused to avoid scrutiny and justice.
The senator’s remarks have stirred renewed debate about constitutional reform and accountability in public office, especially at a time when governance and transparency remain major concerns in Nigeria’s democratic journey.
Daniel’s call adds to the voices of other stakeholders who have advocated for a more accountable leadership structure and a constitution that upholds justice irrespective of office held.
As of press time, there has been no official response from the Nigerian Governors’ Forum regarding Senator Daniel’s comments.
TEXT OF THE BROADCAST BY PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES, DECLARING STATE OF EMERGENCY IN RIVERS STATE ON TUESDAY 18 MARCH 2025
Fellow Nigerians, I feel greatly disturbed at the turn we have come to regarding the political crisis in Rivers State. Like many of you, I have watched with concern the development with the hope that the parties involved would allow good sense to prevail at the soonest, but all that hope burned out without any solution to the crisis.
With the crisis persisting, there is no way democratic governance, which we have all fought and worked for over the years, can thrive in a way that will redound to the benefit of the good people of the state. The state has been at a standstill since the crisis started, with the good people of the state not being able to have access to the dividends of democracy.
Also, it is public knowledge that the Governor of Rivers State for unjustifiable reasons, demolished the House of Assembly of the state as far back as 13th December 2023 and has, up until now, fourteen (14) months after, not rebuilt same. I have made personal interventions between the contending parties for a peaceful resolution of the crisis, but my efforts have been largely ignored by the parties to the crisis. I am also aware that many well-meaning Nigerians, Leaders of thought and Patriotic groups have also intervened at various times with the best of intentions to resolve the matter, but all their efforts were also to no avail. Still, I thank them.
On February 28, 2025, the supreme court, in a judgment in respect of about eight consolidated appeals concerning the political crisis in Rivers State, based on several grave unconstitutional acts and disregard of rule of law that have been committed by the Governor of Rivers State as shown by the evidence before it pronounced in very clear terms:
“a government cannot be said to exist without one of the three arms that make up the government of a state under the 1999 Constitution as amended. In this case the head of the executive arm of the government has chosen to collapse the legislature to enable him to govern without the legislature as a despot. As it is there is no government in Rivers State.”
The above pronouncement came after a catalogue of judicial findings of constitutional breaches against the Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Going Forward in their judgment, and having found and held that 27 members of the House who had allegedly defected
“are still valid members of Rivers State House of Assembly and cannot be prevented from participating in the proceedings of that House by the 8th Respondent (that is, the Governor) in cohorts with four members”
The Supreme Court then made some orders to restore the state to immediate constitutional democracy. These orders include the immediate passing of an Appropriation Bill by the Rivers State House of Assembly which up till now has not been facilitated.
Some militants had threatened fire and brimstone against their perceived enemy of the governor who has up till now NOT disowned them.
Apart from that both the House and the governor have not been able to work together.
Both of them do not realise that they are in office to work together for the peace and good governance of the state.
The latest security reports made available to me show that between yesterday and today there have been disturbing incidents of vandalization of pipelines by some militant without the governor taking any action to curtail them. I have, of course given stern order to the security agencies to ensure safety of lives of the good people of Rivers State and the oil pipelines.
With all these and many more, no good and responsible President will standby and allow the grave situation to continue without taking remedial steps prescribed by the Constitution to address the situation in the state, which no doubt requires extraordinary measures to restore good governance, peace, order and security.
In the circumstance, having soberly reflected on and evaluated the political situation in Rivers State and the Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State having failed to make a request to me as President to issue this proclamation as required by section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, it has become inevitably compelling for me to invoke the provision of section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with effect from today, 18th March, 2025 and I so do.
By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months.
In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State. For the avoidance of doubt, this declaration does not affect the judicial arm of Rivers State, which shall continue to function in accordance with their constitutional mandate.
The Administrator will not make any new laws. He will, however, be free to formulate regulations as may be found necessary to do his job, but such regulations will need to be considered and approved by the Federal Executive Council and promulgated by the President for the state.
This declaration has been published in the Federal Gazette, a copy of which has been forwarded to the National Assembly in accordance with the Constitution. It is my fervent hope that this inevitable intervention will help to restore peace and order in Rivers State by awakening all the contenders to the constitutional imperatives binding on all political players in Rivers State in particular and Nigeria as a whole.
Long live a united, peaceful, secure and democratic Rivers State in particular and the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a whole.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has emphasized the need for the recruitment of intelligent graduates into its ranks, stating that crime-fighting requires intellect and strategic thinking.
DSS Director, Oluwatosin Ajayi, made this known on Wednesday while delivering a lecture at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State.
The lecture, titled “The Roles of the DSS in Security, Peacekeeping, and National Integration,” highlighted the agency’s crucial role in safeguarding the nation and the necessity of strengthening intelligence institutions.
Ajayi, represented by DSS Deputy Director Patrick Ikenweiwe, stressed that the country’s best minds should be drafted into the DSS to address the growing security challenges.
“If I have my way, the best graduates in the country should be compelled to join the DSS and serve the nation in tackling security threats,” Ikenweiwe stated.
Drawing a comparison to Israel’s academic system, he noted: “In Israel, students who score above 70 marks in their university entrance exam are automatically placed in the university. Tell me, how would a ‘Dundee’ (dullard) be able to counter a criminal gang made up of first-class brains? Intelligence is key to fighting crime.”
He further advocated for collaboration with academic institutions to identify top-performing students who could be recruited into the intelligence service.
The DSS official also outlined several threats to national security, including sabotage, subversion, and espionage, urging a comprehensive approach to national security that includes intelligence-driven solutions and a well-trained workforce.
