Headline

Pendulum: The Great Lessons Life Has Taught Me At 59

Published

7 years ago

May 24, 2019

Editor

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, every now and then, I meet, or receive messages, from young Nigerians, in particular, and other Africans, in general, asking me to tell them the secrets of success. I often tell them there are no fast rules to being successful.

Of course, the first thing is that success can be both objective and subjective. On an objective basis, your success is measured against certain standards and yardsticks by others observing you. However, on a subjective basis, you set the standards by which you measure success, so that it is possible for you to feel that you have succeeded in life even though others are not of the same view. Conversely, you may consider yourself unsuccessful based on the parameters that you have set, but others may consider that you have done well. Ultimately, however, I believe that you alone are the one most capable of deciding how successful you have been, because it is your life that is being considered and what you cherish and aspire too may be very different from what others believe are important.

Ten year old Dele Momodu and his dad, Mr Jacob Momodu in 1970

Most times, successes are tailor-made for every individual. At 59, I have had enough time, and opportunities, to appraise my life, study my trajectory, and arrive at reasonable conclusions about certain principles that have helped guide my life. It is my firm belief, and without wishing to sound immodest, that whether on an objective or subjective basis, I can consider myself lucky to say that I have been fairly successful in life.

There is what is called accident of birth which imparts success on people by the mere good fortune of their birth to a successful person. There are not too many people in this category though. I doubt if any of us chose where, when and to whom we must be born. Many of us would have chosen first world countries, wealthy families, and so on. I found myself in simple and ordinary home in Ile-Ife. My parents were not rich, but they worked very hard to eke out their living.

The first thing I noticed about my parents, when I became fully aware of my environment, was their abilities to pray more than praying mantis. They went to church too frequently to the extent that I was sure that they must have struck a deep chord with their creator. I was brought up in the Aladura Church, an African variant of Christianity that thrived, and still thrives, on devout spirituality. There were prophesies foretold about my life that I still remember, very vividly, till this day mainly because many of them have been pinpoint accurate and true to the letter. My thesis is that to be successful, no matter your faith or religion, you must hold on steadfastly to your beliefs. Even atheists believe in the power of their brains, and for me that’s their own God.

The next important lesson for me was the power of education. My parents were anxious to send me to school even at a time my right fingers could not yet bend over my head and touch my left ear, which was how they measured whether you were matured enough, or not, to start school, in those days. I failed this traditional, but unscientific test of determining school age at a particular school, but another headmaster, Mr Isaac Olagbaju, who owned Olusanu Bookshop, next to our shop at Atiba Square, in Ile-Ife, gave me an early start in life, by admitting me to the Local Authority Primary School, on Ifewara Road. I was not only an average student, I was also quite playful, a combination which did not augur well for anyone who aims to be successful. Sometimes, I caused panic for my parents, as I wandered away exploring the art and culture of Ile-Ife, and they had to search for my whereabouts. Mercifully, there were no kidnappers in those days, at least not the terrifying kind that now assail our societies and make us quake in our boots. I wonder where innocent youth went when I consider the perilous times our children live in nowadays. Back to pleasant times past, I was usually hypnotised by those free American cowboy films shown on the Palace fields at Enuwa Square, got lost in daydreaming I was the Cisco Kid, and had to be located by my worried Mum and dragged home by the scruff of my neck.

Education was highly competitive in those days. What is known as long-legs (using privileged positions to curry favours) was not yet in vogue. I had wanted to go to some of the best and famous schools then, such as Government College Ibadan, Christ School Ado-Ekiti, Loyola College Ibadan, and others, but I was not that strong academically. I ended up at Inisa Grammar School (at the instance of my Aunt and her husband, the Adeyanjus), now in Osun State but found the atmosphere too tough. I ran back to Ife every weekend which alarmed my parents who decided to bring me back home within one month. At that young age, my spirit of adventure had started to germinate. I was not afraid to jump on a lorry and travel home unaided. Getting back to Ife presented its own challenges. I could not get admitted to any school at that time of the year, since admissions had closed. Fortunately, one private proprietor, Papa Ogunfidodo, who owned Oluorogbo High School, Ile-Ife, agreed to take me in, and I spent my first year of relative academic peace in that school.

By my second year, I got admitted to the best school in Ile-Ife, St. Johns Grammar School, Oke-Atan, a Catholic mission secondary school, headed at the time, by a Canadian Principal, Reverend Father F. Cloutier. He was a strict disciplinarian, who knew practically every student by face and name, as well as our parents. I believe my life, education and circumstances improved tremendously at this stage.

My interest in Literature was aroused and ignited by our foreign teacher Mrs H. Sutton, who forced us to read voraciously and widely. I was particularly in love with African writers. A favourite novel, Weep Not, Child, by the Kenyan author, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, touched me to my bones. There was a particular passage I committed to memory like my Psalms, so much so that I recited and regurgitated it regularly. I took on the role of a character in the book, Njoroge, who knew the importance of education: “He knew that for him education would be the fulfilment of a wider and more significant vision – a vision that embraced the demand made on him, not only by his father, but also his mother, his brothers, and even the village. He saw himself destined for something big, and this made his heart glow…” This became my mantra.

Trust me, the future of any nation, or people is rooted in education, qualitative education. There is no powerful country in the world today that undervalues education. All the great advances, and accomplishments, in the world today, came, largely, through education. The technological age that we have now embraced is as a result of expansive and unfettered recourse to education. Indeed, education is a leveller. It levels the playing field. The son of the rich man can consort with the daughter of the pauper in the education space without any quarter being given. It takes you to places you never imagined or dreamt of.

And so, I struggled and soldiered on, all the way to the final year in 1976, but, the sad news, I flunked most of my important subjects and ended up with a poor Grade III, in the WAEC examination. But my poor unlettered Mum did not give up on me. I forgot to tell you that meanwhile, my Dad had died on June 14, 1973, while I was barely 13, and my Mum had to provide everything from her petty trading. My God, it was not easy. Death can ruin Empires, not to talk of poor families like mine. We had to give up our rented home in Moere quarters of Ife, and moved in with our cousins, the Oyemades, in Modakeke, who were extremely kind, gracious and generous with their love. We are eternally grateful.

My education could have suffered terminally, but for the intervention of my Sister, Feyisara, and her husband, Pa Adeniran (aka Baba BK, he taught Bible Knowledge), who took me in and rekindled my interest in education. I repeated my WAEC examination in 1977, but again, there was a problem. That was the year Nigeria witnessed the first monumental leakage of exam papers and many results were withheld for further scrutiny, mine inclusive, regardless of the fact that I was totally innocent. My Mum insisted I must register a third time, but fortunately my earlier results were released, while I sat for only English Language and English Literature, in 1978. And all my necessary credits were secured. Within that period, I couldn’t afford to stay idle, and I tried this and that, including being an errand boy at CSS Bookshop, village teacher, and Library attendant at University of Ife (now Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library) where I served under some of the greatest Librarians in Nigeria, Mr Jonathan Olusesan Dipeolu, Mr Dickson Oporopo Agidee, Prince Adedeji Adelabu and Mrs Omolara Ojo-Ade.

My next challenge was how to get admission to the university. I sat for JAMB, we were the first set of JAMBITES in 1978, I was admitted to study Yoruba, at the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Africa’s most beautiful campus. We were fortunate to have some of the greatest African literary scholars in our university at the time. They included Wole Soyinka, Kole Omotoso, Okot p’Bitek from Uganda, David Rubadiri from Malawi, Ogunwande Abimbola, Oyin Ogunba, Olasope Oyelaran, Akinwumi Isola, Karin Judith “Ajike” Barber, CBE, who though British remains an authority on Yoruba Studies, and many others. Unife, or Great Ife, whichever you preferred to call it, was a beehive of academic activities. Unife kept us busy and versatile as I took elective courses in philosophy, religious studies, Literature-in-English, Music, and other subjects.

I graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor’s Degree, Second Class Lower Division, but I was ready to conquer the world with the robust knowledge acquired at Unife. I must note, and reiterate, that studying Yoruba in school was not considered voguish or promising. I was easily dismissed as a non-starter, dullard and never-to-do-well. Even my Mum was visibly worried when she heard of a full-grown man who had journeyed all the way to university to study Yoruba. She would ask rhetorically if I was such a nitwit that the only remaining subject for me to study was Yoruba. And she often wondered aloud as to what future awaited me, if not to become the oracle-man or herbalist, particularly as we lived in Ile-Ife, the home of 401 deities. I tried hard to disabuse her mind, but I am not sure that I succeeded for a long time.

National Service was another matter entirely. I was initially posted to Bauchi State, where I was promptly and politely told there would be nothing for me to do after the camp. I took my fate with equanimity and returned to Oyo State where I reported to the NYSC Secretariat and was reposted to the Oyo State College of Arts & Science, Ile-Ife, where I taught A-level Yoruba and English Literature. At this stage, my confidence level had increased. I started taking part in politics, under the tutelage of Professor Sola Ehindero, Professor Babalola Borishade and Professor Femi Fajewonyomi (the troika). I tried to earn extra income by translating campaign leaflets into Yoruba. I began to meet, mix and mingle with some important personalities in the political landscape of Nigeria, from age 22, in 1982, and the experience would serve me for a lifetime.

I will stop here today, but you can clearly see from the foregoing that education was the bedrock on which I had built my future. This is the biggest lesson Nigerian leaders need to learn, very fast, and urgently. Not only must they educate our youths, they too must regularly seek to further educate themselves and catch up with modern trends.

Education will always be the future!

To be continued.

Headline

ADC Tells Tinubu to Resign As World Bank Reveals 139million Nigerians Live in Poverty

Published

1 day ago

July 20, 2026

Eric

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Saturday asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resign rather than seek re-election, asserting that the World Bank’s recent report showing that 139 million Nigerians live below the poverty line is his scorecard.

“The evidence of 139 million people living in poverty and 17 million at risk of starvation is President Tinubu’s scorecard,” the party said. “On account of this catastrophic failure alone, President Tinubu should be contemplating resigning from office rather than seeking re-election.”

It decried that the “catastrophic” situation was occasioned by the Tinubu administration’s policies, which it said, “have favoured money over people and statistics over survival.”

The opposition party maintained that the economic growth Mr Tinubu’s government has repeatedly boasted of as a result of its economic reforms is “meaningless” if the livelihoods of people at the grassroots have yet to improve since 2023, when he assumed office.

“Instead of changing course, the government has stubbornly stuck with its ruinous economic policies and even continues to market recklessness as courage and wickedness as ‘necessary pains.’

“However, three years down the line, it is now clear that the chicken has come home to roost,” the ADC said.

According to the party, Nigeria desperately needs a leader who truly cares about citizens’ well-being and understands that economic reforms should improve citizens’ lives, not worsen their misery.

“A president whose government is not openly feasting while asking the people to continue fasting. A government that does not wallow in profligacy while handing the people palliatives,” it added.

The party condemned the ruling APC’s social intervention programmes aimed at cushioning the effects of its economic policies, adding, “Poverty cannot be defeated through palliatives.”

The ADC pledged that if elected in 2027, it would tackle the root causes of hunger by reducing energy costs, enhancing food production, and ensuring that farmers returned to their farmlands.

It also vowed to rehabilitate the 264 abandoned dams, improve access to fertilisers and quality seeds, and invest in storage facilities.

According to the party, transportation, waste, and food prices would be reduced while creating productive jobs.

“Hunger cannot be separated from poverty, education, or healthcare. That is why an ADC government will prioritise nutrition, primary healthcare, quality basic education, and skills development because no nation can build a prosperous economy while millions of its children are hungry, out of school, or cannot read simple texts,” the party said.

Headline

‘Punishment Before Trial’: The Travails of Nasir El-Rufai

Published

2 days ago

July 19, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

For 150 days and counting, a former Governor of Kaduna State, and one time Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has remained in the custody of various security agencies including the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for alleged offences ranging from fund misappropriation, wiretapping and eavesdropping on security information among others. El-Rufai has not been found of any offence though he has spent over 150 days in custody.

The former governor’s plight was brought back to the fore weekend, when his wife, Asia Ahmad El-Rufai, made a passionate appeal to the international community to intervene over what she described as her husband’s prolonged detention and alleged denial of due process.

Mrs El-Rufai argued that the former governor’s continued incarceration amounted to “punishment before trial” and posed a threat to Nigeria’s democratic institutions. She noted that her husband has not been fairly treated even as she alleged that the former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) may have taken ill in custody, bleeding from both nose and mouth. She wondered how someone, could made to undergo such severe punishment even when he is not undergone any trial, let alone being found guilty.

In a statement she signed herself, released his social media handles to mark what she described as the 150th day of El-Rufai’s detention, El-Rufai’s wife called on foreign governments, multilateral and multinational organisations and international human rights groups to closely monitor the legal proceedings involving her husband.

She acknowledged not speaking as a political actor but as a wife and mother seeking fairness for a member of her family.

The woman was of the opinion that the period of her husband’s incarceration without trial, has taken a significant emotional and physical toll on the former governor, members of his family and close associates.

“On the 150th day of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s detention, I ask readers outside Nigeria to pause over what that number means. One hundred and fifty days is not a legal phrase.

“It is five months of missed meals, missed prayers, missed proper mourning of his deceased mother, missed family conversations, interrupted medical care and moments we can never recover,” she said.

Acknowledging that her husband had been a controversial figure during his more than two decades in public service, as well as how rule of law and democracy should play out, she observed that “My husband is no stranger to controversy or public scrutiny. He has been praised, criticised, loved and opposed. That is democracy.

“But what is happening to him today is not democracy, and it is not accountability. It is punishment before trial,” she said.

Continuing and reflecting on the origin of the travails of her husband, Mrs El-Rufai traced his confrontation with the law to when am attempt was first made to arrest him at the airport on his way back from Egypt. The embarrassing situation at the airport culminated in his appearance for questioning, and ever since he has been allowed except when he was momentarily permitted to go and bury his dead mother.

She said, “There was the sudden invitation, his voluntary appearance before the authorities, and the promise of bail that existed on paper but not in freedom.

“There was the night he was moved between locations without warning and without the dignity of allowing his family to know where he was being taken,” she stated.

Asia also alleged that the former governor became seriously ill while in custody and experienced bleeding from his nose and mouth.

She claimed that officials were reluctant to provide him with adequate medical attention or allow his family to deliver his prescribed medication.

“I still remember the helplessness of hearing that he had fallen gravely ill in custody, bleeding from his nose and mouth, while those responsible for his welfare were reluctant to provide the care any person deserves.

“I remember the anxiety of trying to get his medication to him and wondering whether officials would accept it,” she said.

According to her, the detention had inflicted emotional distress on the family, which continued to wait for the legal process to take its course.

“These are not abstract violations. They are the moments that chip away at a family’s resolve and hope,” she added.

While not requesting that her husband be placed above the law, or escape investigation as a public officer, she insisted that such investigations must be conducted transparently, and in accordance with constitutional safeguards.

“If the state believes it has evidence, let it be presented before an impartial court, openly and fairly.

“But justice cannot be selective. It cannot be pursued through overlapping charges, repeated detention, impossible bail conditions and public humiliation designed to persuade the nation of guilt before a judge has heard the case,” she said.

She accused the government of the day of orchestrating the gory details of the situation, including stringent bail conditions to deprive her husband of freedom, even as the election approaches, stressing that Nigeria was drifting from legitimate accountability towards “lawfare,” which she described as the deployment of legal institutions and judicial procedures as political weapons. She believes that El-Rufai’s problems are the consequence of his disagreement with President Bola Tinubu, and his eventual decanting from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The concern is not whether former officials may be investigated; they can and should be.

“The concern is whether the law is being applied neutrally or deployed against those who have fallen out of political favour,” she said.

“His political rupture with President Bola Tinubu’s ruling All Progressives Congress and his refusal to surrender his independent voice should not make him a target for indefinite punishment or detention disguised as prosecution,” she said.

“The legal architecture”, she continued, “surrounding him is bewildering even to trained observers: multiple charges in different courts, overlapping allegations, shifting statutory theories and duplicated claims arising from the same alleged events.

“If one application for bail is made and the conditions are met, another accusation can be filed the next day. If one judge must consider freedom, another process can be used to delay it,” she alleged, querying why such procedures was allowed to turn the judicial process into a form of punishment before conviction.

In March 2026, the ICPC arraigned El-Rufai, alongside one Joel Adoga, before Honourable Justice A.I. Aikawa of the Federal High Court, Kaduna Division, on a 10-count charge bordering on abuse of office, money laundering and fraud.

According to the charge sheet marked FHC/KD/73/2026, the former governor was accused of unlawfully receiving multiple sums of money in naira and foreign currencies while serving as a public officer.

Specifically, the Commission alleged that El-Rufai, in September 2020 and January 2023, received the sum of N289,826,998.12 on each occasion as severance allowance, far exceeding the legally entitled sum of N20,013,245.00, being 300 percent of his annual basic salary.

The ICPC charge further revealed that between 2016 and 2023, the former governor allegedly took control of various sums in United States Dollars through his domiciliary account with Guaranty Trust Bank. These include $320,800 allegedly paid in tranches by Joel Adoga, as well as other deposits amounting to $155,800, $305,300, and several smaller sums from different individuals, all reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

Joel Adoga was also accused of conspiring with the former governor in July 2019 to disguise the origin of $10,000 deposited into the said account.

One of the counts reads that both defendants, in July 2019 at Wuse, Abuja, allegedly conspired to disguise the origin of $10,000 paid into the former governor’s domiciliary account, knowing or reasonably ought to have known that the funds formed part of the proceeds of unlawful activity, contrary to and punishable under relevant provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

When the charges were read, both defendants pleaded not guilty to all counts, but they were ordered to be remanded in ICPC custody.

The ICPC further violated the court-ordered access to the former governor, saying that the order did not override the agency’s internal security rules.

In May 2026, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja granted El-Rufai N100 million bail in the trial over the alleged unlawful interception of the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. However, he was re-arrested right at the court premises by the DSS, prompting the family to raise alarm.

EL-RUFAI’S STRINGENT BAIL CONDITIONS

Much as the embattled former Kaduna governor was granted bail, the conditions have appeared too stringent and tough to meet, the situation that prompted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) among many other concerned Nigerians to react.

In its immediate reaction, the ADC accused the Federal Government of turning El-Rufai into a political prisoner, describing his ordeal as “political persecution dressed up as prosecution.”

El-Rufai’s family also condemned the re-arrest.

El-Rufai’s second wife, Hasiat, who addressed journalists outside the DSS facility, said the family was traumatised by the development and lived daily under the shadow of threats and surveillance.

“We now live in constant fear. Every day we get a threat — DSS is coming to raid your house, ICPC is coming to raid your house, police are coming to raid your house. You are being followed. Our phones are tapped,” she said.

As part of the bail conditions, the trial judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered the defendant to produce a surety who must be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 17.

According to the court, the surety must not only be resident in either Maitama or Asokoro highbrow districts of Abuja, but must also deposit the original Certificate of Occupancy of a landed property not valued below the bail sum.

It held that the surety must also provide evidence of receipt of salary for at least three months, with an authenticated letter from the manager of a bank within the jurisdiction of the court.

It added that a verification letter from the surety’s immediate department must be submitted alongside a tax clearance certificate covering the last six months.

The defendant was further mandated to surrender his valid international passports and directed not to travel out of the country without permission.

Justice Abdulmalik ordered the defendant to report to the headquarters of the Department of State Services, DSS, every last Friday of the month by 10 a.m. to sign an attendance register, pending the determination of the case. The former governor was also directed to submit a letter of attestation from the Chairman of the Kaduna Traditional Council.

The trial judge warned that failure to comply with any of the conditions would lead to an automatic revocation of the bail.

Expressing its position on the travails of the former governor, the ADC, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said “What is happening to Mallam El-Rufai confirms beyond all doubt that this detention is no longer about justice, it is about politics.

“It also confirms our fears that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is deploying the instruments of state power to keep one of the leading opposition figures out of circulation. This is political persecution dressed up as prosecution.”

ADC also drew comparisons between El-Rufai’s case and those involving former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, and former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, both facing separate corruption allegations.

“When placed beside other high-profile cases, the contrast becomes stark and shameful. Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi State, has been accused in an alleged N80.2 billion money laundering case.

‘’Ifeanyi Okowa, former governor of Delta State, was arrested over the alleged diversion of N1.3 trillion in derivation funds. But today, they are walking around free, singing President Tinubu’s campaign song,” the ADC statement noted.

However, unconfirmed feelers reaching The Boss have it that El-Rufai’s incarceration has a lot to do with keeping him away from the face politics till after the 2027 General elections. The truth, or otherwise behind the postulation remains to be seen. Nigerians have to wait till the former governor’s next appearance in court by September 2026, to determine the direction of his freedom.

Headline

Mary Habila’s Death: Tinubu Has Failed Comprehensively, Disgracefully – Atiku

Published

5 days ago

July 16, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

A former Vice President, and Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has lashed out at the administration of President Bola Tinubu over its prolonged silence on the death of a medical practitioner, Mary Habila, who died at the residence of the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi.

Atiku condemned the inability of the Tinubu-led government from making any pronouncements or instituting any form of probe to unravel the cause of death since the sad incident occurred on June 27, 2026, saying the administration has failed comprehensively and disgracefully.

Atiku’s remarks are contained in a statement he released on his social platforms endorsed with his regular AA.

While not casting any blame on any particular person or entity, Atiku maintained that condolences are not enough,but must be accompanied by thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of the 26 years old medical practitioner in her prime.

The former Vice President therefore called for a “credible, independent, and transparent investigation” to establish the truth, noting that “it is the refusal of the Federal Government to guarantee such an investigation that constitutes the scandal before us”.

The statement in full:

I have followed with deep sorrow and mounting concern the reports surrounding the death of Miss Mary Habila, a 26-year-old Nigerian from Nok, Southern Kaduna, who died on June 27, 2026, within the private residence of the Honourable Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, in Uburu, Ebonyi State.

First, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Habila family. No family should have to mourn a daughter taken in the prime of her life while also fighting simply to learn the truth of how she died.

But condolences are not enough. Nigerians deserve answers, and it is on this score that the Tinubu administration has failed, comprehensively and disgracefully.

Consider the facts that are not in dispute. A young woman died in the residence of a serving Federal Minister. For nearly two weeks, neither the Minister, nor the police, nor any arm of government said a word to the Nigerian people. It took the courage of Sahara Reporters to bring this death into public view. Three weeks after her death, no autopsy has been performed. No cause of death has been established. The investigation remains domiciled in the very state where the Minister served two terms as Governor and where his influence is beyond question.

And through all of this, silence from the Presidency. Silence from the Federal Executive Council. Silence from the Inspector-General of Police. Silence from the National Assembly. Not one word. Not one directive. Not one gesture to assure Nigerians that the life of Mary Habila matters to this government.

Instead, the Minister has been permitted to manage the narrative of a death that occurred under his own roof: issuing statements through his personal aides, deploying his private lawyers to correspond with the police, and continuing his official duties as though nothing has happened, while civil society groups, youth organisations, and the family’s own community cry out for an independent inquiry.

Let me be clear: I make no pronouncement on anyone’s guilt or innocence. That is precisely the point. Only a credible, independent, and transparent investigation can establish the truth, and it is the refusal of the Federal Government to guarantee such an investigation that constitutes the scandal before us.

A government’s first duty is the protection of life. Where a life is lost in circumstances touching a high official of state, the burden on government to act transparently is at its heaviest.

President Tinubu’s administration has instead treated this tragedy as an inconvenience to be waited out. If the death of a young Nigerian woman in a Minister’s residence cannot stir this government to act, then Nigerians must ask: whose life, exactly, does this government value?

I therefore demand the following: One, President Bola Tinubu must direct the Honourable Minister of Works to step aside immediately, pending the conclusion of investigations. This is not a punishment; it is the minimum standard of public accountability in any serious democracy. No official under this cloud should preside over a federal ministry as though it were business as usual.

Two, the Inspector-General of Police must immediately transfer the investigation from the Ebonyi State Command to Force Headquarters, with the involvement of independent forensic experts. No investigation conducted in the shadow of the Minister’s home-state influence can command public confidence.

Three, a full, independent, and internationally credible autopsy must be conducted without further delay, with the findings made public. The stalemate over the post-mortem, three weeks after this young woman’s death is an indictment of every institution involved.

Four, the family of Mary Habila must be protected from any pressure, inducement, or intimidation, and must be guaranteed unfettered access to the facts of their daughter’s death.

The measure of a nation is how it responds when the powerful are touched by tragedy and the powerless demand truth. Mary Habila was somebody’s daughter, somebody’s sister, a young professional with her life ahead of her. She was a Nigerian. Her death must not be reduced to a footnote of political convenience.

Nigeria will work again, but only when the life of every Nigerian counts, and when no one, however highly placed, stands beyond the reach of accountability.

May the soul of Mary Habila rest in peace. May her family find justice. -AA