Headline

Pendulum: Time to Go on Voluntary Sabbatical

Published

6 years ago

January 17, 2020

Eric

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, let me confess that I used to have so much hope in the possibility and viability of one indivisible Nigeria, but that pipe dream has waned drastically and seems about to burst dramatically. Please, forgive my bluntness. When a man is fast approaching 60 like me, you begin to turn from an optimist to a pessimist. What haven’t we tried, to make our country greater and better than it was in the colonial days and possibly into the 1970’s and to ensure our leaders are far more responsible and responsive, but it seems that our collective efforts have always been doomed to failure and thus we have come to the sorry pass where we can only lament that we have failed.

I have always believed that one should always be truthful to oneself. There is a Yoruba saying that two people can never be victims of lies simultaneously because “if the person being lied to does not know it, the person telling the lie knows the truth.” Such is the situation we have found ourselves in. Ironically, in our situation both the teller and the ‘tellee’, to borrow the language of lawyers, know the truth but still are determined to continue telling and living the lie!!!

Let me say it loud and clear that, I do not understand why some people appear to prefer war to peace. One thing I remind myself of on a daily basis is the inevitability of departing this sinful world someday. The Grim Reaper will come calling for each and every one of us at some appointed time and day. Nobody can cheat death. It is what happens after death that has been the source of serious debate. I do not think that it is a coincidence that whether you believe it or not, practically all religions agree on life after death. That we are heading somewhere, wherever and whenever the destined time comes. It is also the belief that once the race on earth is run, we must all answer to a higher being for our deed and misdeeds on earth. Murder, by any name called, is a cardinal sin, and it is only natural to expect that those who kill for the mere sake of it, or on the basis of some misguided notion of piety, do so at the peril of their eternal soul. So why then do the so-called believers of whatever religious persuasion behave like rabid infidels? Why do they kill in the name of ethnicity and religion? Why do they destroy the land and wreak havoc on the helpless and defenceless? Why do they savour the sight of blood as if it is vintage red wine? Why do they despise their fellow humans so much that they issue wicked threats in torrents? Why can’t we co-exist in peace and unity and live happily thereafter? Too many questions begging desperately for answers.

To say I love my dear beloved country, Nigeria, is an understatement, but I cannot say with equal degree of certainty that a country I love so passionately loves me in similar fashion. Right from my birth in 1960, a few months before our Independence, all I have known as far back as my childhood memories can capture is a state of anarchy. I remember “Operation Wet e” of the old Western Nigeria and then so soon after that for a growing child the pains and pangs of the Civil War. Since then it has been one form of internecine strife or the other based on ethnicity or religion and, sometimes, even both. No country on planet is perfect, but our headache is just too much.

I often sit down and ask, why do we have to know ourselves, and be known for this kind of things. Why can’t we have uninterrupted power supply like all normal nations and be applauded for it, especially since we have all the natural and human resources to make it happen? The answer has been rudely elusive. Nearby in Ghana, yes, I prefer to use examples of African countries, instead of Europe and America, before my very eyes, the old Gold Coast plunged into raven darkness, nicknamed ‘Dumsor’. And still, before my very eyes, ‘Dumsor’ was conquered and sentenced and banished to eternal damnation within a couple of years. But our situation of incessant power outages, crude darkness has remained unabashedly irredeemable, adamantly recalcitrant, ruthlessly repugnant and stupidly shameless. Out of curiosity, I have tried to carry out my investigations and I only came up with hundreds of reasons why we cannot have light. The more I searched for answers, the more I got confused. But eventually my suspicions got confirmed as all the myriad of reason led to just one inescapable conclusion. And my verdverdict led me in one direction, failure of leadership.

What do I mean? I must immediately stress that I have no intention of labelling, ridiculing or lampooning anyone. This is not about one person. It is something systemic and structural. So, let me now explain what I believe the problem has been and the way forward. A good leader must first believe in his country and see every citizen as a member of his own family. A leader must never see himself as being bigger and more important than others who must worship him as Lord and Saviour. A leader ought to be the servant of the people and do everything possible to serve meritoriously.

But what do we have in Nigeria? Leaders who live on Cloud 10 and behave like Overlords, Emperors and maximum Rulers. As broke as it is claimed that our country is, it has never reflected on our leaders and their families, particularly whilst they still occupy that vaunted position of leadership. They live larger than life, as if that’s all there is to life. So, in short, our first problem is wanton profligacy. If we can reduce the atrocious spending on useless enjoyment, Nigeria will have more money for capital developments. It is embarrassing for us to squander, waste and fritter away our resources and still have the temerity to borrow money for sinful pleasure and undisguised decadence.

Another feature of our gross indiscipline and lack of leadership is the nature and state of our civil service, which is too unwieldy, in any event. And the workers from top to bottom are not usually employed, appointed or promoted on merit but by special arrangements. It is more about who you know than what you know. So, I believe nothing will improve until we learn to do things appropriately and follow proper procedures. We cannot continue to wallow in the wake of mediocrity, ineptitude and incompetence on the altar of championing parochialism and bigotry. Federal character, which has been the tool used to supplant excellence with inferiority should never be an invitation to incompetent people to partake in a so-called national cake. It should serve as an opportunity to provide an outlet for the millions of talents that litter every part of Nigeria to be drafted into nation building.

As a way of reducing our problems, Nigerian leaders should have pity and mercy on the country by reducing their acquisitive tendencies, in all ramifications. Government needs to save money on all fronts for Nigeria to survive these perilous times. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo did well in this area by paying off our debts, at least he managed to get some of it forgiven. However, what little benefit was derived from this venture, the carpetbaggers have since turned on its head and returned us to those inglorious days when our debts were a yoke on us with the result that our debts have hit the roofs again. One of the attractions of a Buhari presidency was the belief that he would be extremely frugal and prudent, managing our resources to such an extent that we would constantly have a budget surplus and live well within our means, but this expectation has since gone up in smoke!

What is noticeable today is a flamboyant Presidency that seems to have lost its moral authority in controlling the poverty ravaging the land, which has led to a horde of impoverished Nigerians furious not just with their leaders, but angry with their country. Whether they agree or not, Nigerians have never suffered this much, and I can see much more coming ahead unless a miracle happens and those running our affairs change their style of governance to something much more creative, imaginative and progressive. Government all over, must realise that they need to do good for the people. Democracy properly practised would be the beginning of the long road to salvation for our country. It would make for the accountability and selflessness which we are so sorely lacking now.

Some of us have been telling this government the truth, but it seems they prefer to listen to the liars who tell them all is well. All is not well, please, let’s stop deceiving ourselves and call a spade a spade. One day, when this government expires, like it must, no matter how long it stays in power, Nigerians would be shocked to hear what ssome of the people claiming to love Buhari today will say about and against him. We have seen and heard it all before. Leopards do not change their spots no matter what cloaks you may try to cover them with. It is then that President Buhari would understand and appreciate the chicanery of vipers in human skin.

I have stopped worrying about the usual groans about our abysmal state of underdevelopment and infrastructural decay. My hope and belief are that one day, we will get things right, even though it would need a minor miracle to accomplish that. So, we are used to all the failings in our socio-economic existence and we have proffered our individual solutions. However, I have a major worry. It is the virtual collapse of our democratic institutions, one after the other. They came for the Local Government officials and we pretended not to see or know, and we moved on. They attacked the National and State legislators, we shrugged our shoulders and simply moved further on. They lunged at the Judiciary, finding their soft underbelly, we hailed the stormtroopers and screamed “crucify them, they are thieves,” and we moved along. Now, they have come for the Governors and my friends in the legal profession have taught and lectured me that anything is possible in law, so Emeka Ihedioha has no remedy.

In short, there is no patriotism any more in the land. Injustice and unfairness reigns supreme. There is nothing like the rule of law. Nobody even pays lip service to that anymore. No-one is willing to raise a voice to challenge what is a debilitating attack on our very core and soul because it seems that we do not believe in the Nigerian project again. All manner of ill-will and ill-wind appears to be buffeting and ravaging our nation. It is just as if a cyclone of the worst of human traits has suddenly afflicted our country. Corruption has refused to be tamed. Integrity has long since gone out of the window. Justice is no longer a word to be found in our lexicon. Those who were beating the sectional drums and who we derided and treated with scorn are now in the ascendancy. Everybody now seems to want to follow their primordial instincts rather than joins hands to collectively forge a great and united Nigeria.

How can we continue to watch so helplessly and, now, so hopelessly? I must confess that I’m tired and have decided to take a sabbatical from the politics of Nigeria and Nigerian politicians. I’m not convinced majority of our people are ready for their own liberation and redemption. They have become used to suffering, abuse and degradation. I believe Nigerians have now conditioned their body and soul to receive the merciless battering that they are getting from soulless persons professing to run our various governments nationwide, and we are now in a state of sombre stupor and forlorn somnambulism. Don’t they say “a man who’s down fears no fall…”

Let’s start writing about other topics and places. Is there really anything better to do in this season of anomy? God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria…

Headline

Opposition Parties Reject 2026 Electoral Act, Demand Fresh Amendment

Published

9 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Eric

Opposition political parties have rejected the 2026 Electoral Act recently passed by the National Assembly, which President Bola Tinubu swiftly signed into law.

The parties called on the National Assembly to immediately begin a fresh amendment process to remove what they described as “all obnoxious provisions” in the law.

Their position was made known at a press briefing themed “Urgent Call to Save Nigeria’s Democracy,” held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja on Thursday.

In a communiqué read by the Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Ahmed Ajuji, the opposition leaders stated:

“We demand that the National Assembly immediately commence a fresh amendment to the Electoral Act 2026, to remove all obnoxious provisions and ensure that the Act reflects only the will and aspiration of Nigerians for free, fair, transparent and credible electoral process in our country. Nothing short of this will be acceptable to Nigerians.”

Some of the opposition leaders present in at the event include former Senate President David Mark; former Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi; and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, all from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ahmed Ajuji, and other prominent members of the NNPP, notably Buba Galadima, were also in attendance.

The coalition said the amended law, signed by Bola Tinubu, contains “anti-democratic” clauses, which they argue may weaken electoral transparency and public confidence in the voting system.

At the centre of the opposition’s concerns is the amendment to Section 60(3), which allows presiding officers to rely on manual transmission of election results where there is communication failure.

According to the coalition, the provision weakens the mandatory electronic transmission of results and could create loopholes for manipulation.

They argued that Nigeria’s electoral technology infrastructure is sufficient to support nationwide electronic transmission, citing previous assurances by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The parties also rejected the amendment to Section 84, which restricts political parties to direct primaries and consensus methods for candidate selection.

They described the change as an unconstitutional intrusion into the internal affairs of parties, insisting that indirect primaries remain a legitimate democratic option.

The opposition cited alleged irregularities in the recent Federal Capital Territory local government elections as evidence of what they described as a broader pattern of electoral compromise.

They characterised the polls as a “complete fraud” and said the outcome has deepened their lack of confidence in the ability of the electoral system to deliver credible elections in 2027.

The coalition also condemned reported attacks on leaders of the African Democratic Congress in Edo State, describing the incidents as a serious threat to democratic participation and political tolerance.

They warned that increasing violence against opposition figures could destabilise the political environment if not urgently addressed.

In their joint statement, the opposition parties pledged to pursue “every constitutional means” to challenge the Electoral Act 2026 and safeguard voters’ rights.

“We will not be intimidated,” the leaders said, urging civil society organisations and citizens to support efforts aimed at protecting Nigeria’s democratic system.

On February 18, 2026, President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act (Amendment) 2026 into law following its passage by the National Assembly. The Act introduced several reforms, including statutory recognition of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and revised election timelines.

However, opposition figures such as Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have also called for further amendments, particularly over the manual transmission fallback clause, which critics say leaves room for manipulation.

The president said the law will strengthen democracy and prevent voter disenfranchisement.

Tinubu defended manual collation of results, questioned Nigeria’s readiness for full real-time electronic transmission, and warned against technical glitches and hacking.

The Electoral Act sparked intense debate in the National Assembly over how election results should be transmitted ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Civil society groups under the “Occupy NASS” campaign demanded real-time transmission to curb manipulation.

In the Senate, lawmakers clashed during consideration of Clause 60, which allows manual transmission of results if electronic transmission fails.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (ADC, Abia South) demanded a formal vote to remove the proviso permitting manual transmission, arguing against weakening real-time electronic reporting.

The move led to a heated exchange on the floor, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio initially suggesting the demand had been withdrawn.

After procedural disputes and a brief confrontation among senators, a division was conducted. Fifteen opposition senators voted against retaining the manual transmission proviso, while 55 supported it, allowing the clause to stand.

Earlier proceedings had briefly stalled during clause-by-clause review, prompting consultations and a closed-door session.

In the House of Representatives, a similar disagreement came up over a motion to rescind an earlier decision that mandated compulsory real-time electronic transmission of results to IReV.

Although the “nays” were louder during a voice vote, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas ruled in favour of rescinding the decision, triggering protests and an executive session.

Headline

AFP: How Tinubu’s Govt Paid Boko Haram ‘Huge’ Ransom, Released Two Terrorists for Kidnapped Saint Mary’s Pupils

Published

3 days ago

February 24, 2026

Eric

The Nigerian government paid Boko Haram militants a “huge” ransom of millions of dollars to free up to 230 children and staff the jihadists abducted from a Catholic school in November, an AFP investigation revealed Monday.

Two Boko Haram commanders were also freed as part of the deal, which goes against the country’s own law banning payments to kidnappers. The money was delivered by helicopter to Boko Haram’s Gwoza stronghold in northeastern Borno state on the border with Cameroon, intelligence sources told AFP.

The decision to pay the militants is likely to irritate US President Donald Trump, who ordered air strikes on jihadists in northern Nigeria on Christmas Day and has been sent military trainers to help support Nigerian forces.

Nigerian government officials deny any ransom was paid to the armed gang that snatched close to 300 schoolchildren and staff from St. Mary’s boarding school in Papiri in central Niger state on November 21. At least 50 later managed to escape their captors.

Boko Haram has not been previously linked to the kidnapping, but sources told AFP one of its most feared commanders was behind the mass abduction: the notorious jihadist known as Sadiku.

He infamously held up a train from the capital in 2022 and netted hefty ransoms for the release of government officials and other well-off passengers.

Boko Haram, which has waged a bloody insurgency since 2009, is strongest in northeast Nigeria.

But a cell in central Niger state operates under Sadiku’s leadership. The St. Mary’s pupils and staff were freed after two weeks of negotiations led by Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, with the government insisting no ransom was paid. Nigeria’s State Security Service flatly denied paying any money, saying “government agents don’t pay ransoms”.

However, four intelligence sources familiar with the talks told AFP the government paid a “huge” ransom to get the pupils back. One source put it at 40 million naira per head – around $7 million in total.

Another put the figure lower at two billion naira overall. The money was delivered by chopper to Ali Ngulde, a Boko Haram commander in the northeast, three sources told AFP.

Due to the lack of communications cover in the remote area, Ngulde had to cross into Cameroon to confirm delivery of the ransom before the first group of 100 children were released.

Nigeria has long been plagued by mass abductions, with criminals and jihadist groups sometimes working together to extort millions from hostages’ families, and authorities seemingly powerless to stop them.

Source: Africanews

Headline

Unlawful Invasion: El-Rufai Drags ICPC, IGP, Others to Court, Demands N1bn Damages

Published

4 days ago

February 23, 2026

Eric

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has slammed a ₦1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for what he claimed was an unlawful invasion of his Abuja residence.

El-Rufai, in a suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, also listed the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court of the FCT, Abuja Magisterial District; Inspector-General of Police, and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as 2nd to 4th respondents respectively.

According to the suit filed through his lawyers, led by Oluwole Iyamu, El-Rufai prayed the court to declare that the search warrant issued on February 4 by the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court of the FCT (2nd respondent), authorising the search and seizure at his residence as invalid, null and void.

Security operatives had stormed and searched the former Governor’s residence in the ongoing investigations against him.

However, he argued in the case marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, that the search was in violation of Section 37 of the Constitution, and urged the court to declare that the search warrant was “null and void for lack of particularity, material drafting errors, ambiguity in execution parameters, overbreadth, and absence of probable cause thereby constituting an unlawful and unreasonable search.”

In the suit dated and filed February 20 by Iyamu, ex-governor, who is currently under detention, sought seven reliefs.

He prayed the court to declare that the invasion and search of his residence at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, on Feb. 19 at about 2pm and executed by agents of ICPC and I-G, “under the aforesaid invalid warrant, amounts to a gross violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights to dignity of the human person, personal liberty, fair hearing, and privacy under Sections 34, 35, 36, and 37 of the Constitution.”

He urged the court to declare that “any evidence obtained pursuant to the aforesaid invalid warrant and unlawful search is inadmissible in any proceedings against the applicant, as it was procured in breach of constitutional safeguards.”

El-Rufai, therefore, sought an order of injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from further relying on, using, or tendering any evidence or items seized during the unlawful search in any investigation, prosecution, or proceedings involving him.

“An order directing the Ist and 3rd respondents (ICPC and I-G) to forthwith return all items seized from the applicant’s premises during the unlawful search, together with a detailed inventory thereof.

“An order awarding the sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) as general, exemplary, and aggravated damages against the respondents jointly and severally for the violations of the applicant’s fundamental rights, including trespass, unlawful seizure, and the resultant psychological trauma, humiliation, distress, infringement of privacy, and reputational harm.”

The breakdown of the ₦1 billion in damages includes “a N300 million as compensatory damages for psychological trauma, emotional distress, and loss of personal security;

“A ₦400 million as exemplary damages to deter future misconduct by law enforcement agencies and vindicate the applicant’s rights.

“A ₦300 million as aggravated damages for the malicious, high-handed and oppressive nature of the respondents’ actions, including the use of a patently defective warrant procured through misleading representations.”

He equally sought ₦100 million as the cost of filing the suit, including legal fees and associated expenses.

Iyamu argued that the search warrant was fundamentally defective, lacking specificity in the description of items to be seized, containing material typographical errors, ambiguous execution terms, overbroad directives, and no verifiable probable cause.

He added that the warrant violated Sections 143-148 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015; Section 36 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC) Act, 2000, and constitutional protections against arbitrary intrusions and several other constitutional provisions.

“Section 146 stipulates that the warrant must be in the prescribed form, free from defects that could mislead, but the document is riddled with errors in the address, date, and district designation;

“Section 147 allows direction to specified persons, but the warrant’s indiscriminate addressing to “all officers is overbroad and unaccountable.

“Section 148 permits execution at reasonable times, but the contradictory language creates ambiguity, undermining procedural clarity,” he submitted.

Iyamu stated that the execution of the invalid warrant on Feb. 19 resulted in an unlawful invasion of his client’s premises, constituting violations of the rights to dignity (Section 34), personal liberty (Section 35), fair hearing (Section 36), and privacy (Section 37) of the Constitution.

He further argued that the search was conducted without legal justification and in a manner that inflicted humiliation and distress.

“Evidence obtained without a valid warrant is unlawful and inadmissible, as established in judicial precedents such as C.O.P. v. Omoh (1969) NCLR 137, where the court ruled that evidence procured through improper means contravenes fundamental rights and must be excluded,” he said.

In the affidavit in support of the application, Mohammed Shaba, a Principal Secretary to the former governor, averred that on Feb. 19 at about 2p.m., officers from the ICPC and Nigeria Police Force invaded the residence under a purported search warrant issued on or about Feb. 4.

According to him, the said warrant is invalid due to its lack of specificity, errors, and other defects as outlined in the grounds of this application.

He said the “search warrant did not specify the properties or items being searched for.”

Shaba stated that the officers failed to submit themselves for search as provided by the law before proceeding with the search.

“That the Magistrate did not specify the magisterial district wherein he sits.

“That during the invasion, the officers searched the applicant’s premises without lawful authority, seized personal items including documents and electronic devices, and caused the applicant undue humiliation, psychological trauma, and distress.

“Now shown to me and marked as ‘EXHIBIT B’ Is the list of the items carted away.

“That no items seized have been returned, and the respondents continue to rely on the unlawful evidence.

“That the applicant suffered violations of his constitutional rights as a result, and this application is brought in good faith to enforce same,” Shaba said.

Source: Naijanews.com