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THE past week showed how people can easily misconstrue well-intentioned actions of the government. After the presidential pardon and clemency were handed down to some Nigerians and a few foreigners, intense controversy had erupted. Indeed, some commentators and analysts have been so vocal against the clemency, particularly as it relates to drug trafficking and capital offence convicts. Following the consultation with the Council of State on Thursday, October 11, President Bola Tinubu granted some reprieve to 175 persons. The reprieve was based on the recommendations of the Presidential Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, headed by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi. Pardoned posthumously by President Tinubu were foremost nationalist Sir Herbert Macaulay; poet and soldier Major-General Mamman Vatsa; the writer and environmentalist, Ken Saro-Wiwa and his eight fellow Ogoni activists, as well as the four Ogoni leaders considered his antagonists. Also pardoned were some jailed illegal miners, public officials found guilty of corruption, remorseful drug offenders and capital offence convicts, including Maryam Sanda, who is on death row for killing her husband in 2017 in a matrimonial row. The last two categories are the most controversial. I will dwell on them shortly.

The list of beneficiaries of the presidential reprieve is long and comprehensive. The committee went as far back as what transpired during the pre-independence era. For instance, the pardon granted to Macaulay corrected the historic injustice done to him by the British Colonialists. The case of the Ogoni 4 and Ogoni 9 killings that occurred in November 1995 during the military dictatorship of late General Sani Abacha was to engender complete reconciliation in Ogoniland. This presidential gesture has been widely applauded in Ogoniland and the entire South-South geopolitical zone. Presidential Spokesman Bayo Onanuga had explained in the statement announcing the pardon that President Tinubu granted the clemency because most of the convicts had shown sufficient remorse and good conduct. Others were due to old age, acute medical conditions, acquisition of new vocational skills or enrolment in the National Open University.

It must be pointed out that the presidency fully disclosed the pardon as a matter of full disclosure and transparency. Some other governments will typically mask the complete list, knowing it would generate controversy. This open gesture signifies that the Tinubu government has nothing to hide. Contrary to the erroneous suggestions by some people, there was no ulterior or political motive to the pardon. However, whether in Nigeria or other jurisdictions where presidents have the power to exercise the prerogative of mercy, the exercise is always controversial. A similar storm was ignited during the Second Republic when President Shehu Shagari pardoned former warlord Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu for his role in the country’s 30-month civil war. Public outrage also greeted the full and unconditional pardon granted in 2013 by former President Goodluck Jonathan to his former boss and ally, the late Bayelsa governor Diepreye Alamieyesiegha, who was convicted of stealing millions of dollars.

The presidential pardon and the response it usually elicits are no different internationally, particularly in the United States. President Bill Clinton reportedly signed 140 pardons on January 20, 2001, his last day in office. This included one for his younger half-brother, Roger Clinton, who was convicted in 1985 for cocaine possession and drug trafficking. According to Newsweek, such was Roger Clinton’s notoriety that the US Secret Service codenamed him ‘Headache’ because of the constant trouble he gave President Clinton in office. Former US President Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, after he had publicly pledged not to do so. Hunter Biden was convicted between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024, of offences, including gun running. President Biden also reportedly pardoned his other relatives who were convicted of sundry offences. In his first term, President Donald Trump, in December 2020, pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of Jared Kushner, who is married to his daughter, Ivanka Trump. Jared Kushner was convicted of illegal campaign funding, tax evasion and witness tampering. All the pardons were intensely controversial.

Back home, the present clemency for some drug offenders, along with that of Maryam Sanda, has emerged as the most contentious. For instance, in his seeming desperation to nail the government over Maryam Sanda’s pardon, last Tuesday, October 14, a columnist in Leadership newspaper, Abdulrauf Aliyu, went overboard in an article centred on Sanda’s pardon. It was titled ‘The Theatre of Presidential Pardon.’ The columnist lied that the pardon was granted to Sanda before the final determination of the case, claiming that the case was still pending before the Supreme Court. He proceeded on that wrong premise and argued that the government tempered the law for mercy. Nothing can be further from the truth! This is a rather sad commentary for a columnist who should know better. The Supreme Court has since affirmed the judgment of the Appeal Court confirming Sanda’s conviction. Sanda’s pardon is well-intentioned. Apart from the reports that Sanda had shown remorse in prison, it has also emerged that her father-in-law, Alhaji Ahmed Bello Isa, the father of the late Bilyaminu Bello, sought clemency for her. Alhaji Isa has disclosed that he personally appealed to both Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Tinubu to grant her pardon so she can take care of the two children left behind by his son. He said the continued stay of her daughter-in-law or indeed her death would not bring back Bilyaminu.

Also, the convicted drug offenders have spent time in jail. Some of them have even enrolled in the Open University or learned a new trade. It would be unfair to argue that former drug trafficking offenders who have shown remorse and turned a new leaf do not deserve mercy or forgiveness. Clemency for them, in my view, does not mean the war against drug trafficking has been compromised. The law remains that anyone indulging in illicit drugs will have a date with the law. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) under General Buba Marwa (rtd) is doing a yeoman’s job trying to ensure drug traffickers are brought to book and the country is free of hard drugs and their menace. Instructively, the AGF and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, whose committee recommended the pardon, has affirmed that the list is still subject to review.

None of the pardoned inmates has been released. He said the process is undergoing the final administrative review to satisfy the required legal and procedural standards before the release instruments are signed and issued. The list of those pardoned has to be gazetted by the government. Until that is done, there is still ample room for review. President Tinubu will not be averse to any required review

The President was moved by compassion and his legendary kind-heartedness in approving the pardon. There is no evidence that he has an offspring, blood relation, or known associate on the pardon or clemency list. The opposition politicians, who have also been very strident in criticising President Tinubu over the pardon, will continue to do so even when confronted with the fundamental justification for the action. However, those who benefited from the pardon and their families will continue to appreciate the President’s humane gesture.

The Commuters across Federal Capital Territory on Monday were left stranded as a result of heavy barricades mounted by combined security operatives at strategic points causing traffic snarl.

The blockade is to restrict movement following the planned protest being spearheaded by Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, and other activists demanding the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

Many workers in the capital city from Keffi-Nyanya axis returned to their homes in anger after waiting for several hours and unable to access their workplaces because of the gridlock stretching from AYA to Mararaba in Karu local government in Nassarawa.

Combined security operatives of Nigerian Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Road Safety Corps and soldiers barricaded the Keffi-Nyanya expressway at different points making it difficult for free flow of traffic.

Checks by Nigerian Tribune revealed that the barricades were mounted at Nyanya-Mararaba boundary checkpoint and Kugbo military checkpoint.

Similar frustrating experiences were reported at Bwari, Dutse and parts of Kubwa and the Airport road as commuters spent hours in traffic jam while many of them were unable to access the city centre.

Many residents of FCT feared that the protest could spark violence just like what happened during ENDSARS protest and advised their loved ones to stay indoors.

A civil servant working at the Federal Secretariat, Josiah Odu, told Nigerian Tribune at the Mararaba-Nyanya checkpoint that he would return home for the gridlock to subside before going to work later.

He wondered why security agencies would have to block all roads into the capital city for a peaceful protest to demand release of Nnamdi Kanu.

As early as 7 a.m. on Monday, security operatives comprising police and military officers took over the protest grounds.

In a viral video, Sowore could be seen running for his life alongside other protesters.

The protesters had intended to march to Aso Rock Villa to demand the release of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

The security operatives fired tear gas canisters at the protesters, including Sowore.

The protest was planned to take off from the Transcorp Hilton area and other parts of the Federal Capital Territory, but the police moved in early, firing multiple rounds of tear gas to disperse participants and passers-by.

The operatives, who had cordoned off the hotel and adjoining streets, began firing tear gas even before protesters arrived in large numbers.

Nigeria and China have reaffirmed their shared commitment to advancing women’s empowerment and gender equality through strengthened policy cooperation, with both nations pledging to align their initiatives with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

At the China Women’s Film Festival held in Abuja, government representatives and diplomats from both countries underscored the importance of cultural diplomacy and policy collaboration as tools for driving inclusive growth and sustainable development.

Minister of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, Zhou Hongyou, said China’s long-standing dedication to women’s empowerment is deeply rooted in its national policies, noting that gender equality remains a key metric in the country’s economic and social planning.

‘China has always believed that empowering women means empowering society,’ Zhou said. ‘Over the years, we have worked tirelessly to create equal opportunities in education and employment, ensuring that women are not only seen but heard, not only included but leading change in every sector.’

He added that China’s integration of women’s development goals into its five-year national plans has made gender equality a measurable part of national progress.

‘China has woven women’s development goals into its five-year plan for economic and social development, using the status of women as a key indicator for evaluating national growth,’ he said.

Zhou announced that the upcoming Global Women’s Summit will further align international efforts with the UN 2030 Agenda, focusing on policies that empower women as agents of sustainable progress.

‘This year’s summit will promote gender equality and women’s development, advancing the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,’ he added.

Honourable Gabriel Saleh Zock, Chairman of the House Committee on Culture and Creative Economy, commended China’s sustained partnership with Nigeria, describing it as a practical example of how cultural cooperation can reinforce gender policy and inclusion.

‘I commend the Embassy of China and the China Cultural Centre in Nigeria for their consistency in promoting cultural diplomacy,’ Zock said. ‘This partnership strengthens our creative and policy exchange, and it reflects our shared belief that women’s empowerment is central to national and global development.’

He revealed that the National Assembly is taking legislative steps to institutionalise women’s participation in governance.

‘We are currently working on constitutional amendments to reserve 30% of seats for women in governance. Our goal is to ensure that women take their rightful place in decision-making at all levels,’ he stated.

Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of the Minister of Women Affairs, H.E. Iman Suleman-Ibrahim, Ms. Rukkayah said the festival aligns with global advocacy for gender equality and the renewed commitment to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

‘This festival holds special significance as it coincides with global reflections on the Beijing Declaration-a framework that continues to shape three decades of advocacy for women’s rights and empowerment,’ she said.

She linked Nigeria’s current policy efforts to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, emphasising that women’s empowerment remains central to the administration’s social and economic reforms.

‘Under the Renewed Hope Social Impact Intervention Programme, the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs is driving transformative policies that strengthen families, empower women economically, and promote welfare for vulnerable groups,’ she explained.

Rukkayah noted that China’s experience in leveraging culture and technology for women’s development offers a valuable model for Nigeria.

‘Deepening collaboration with China holds immense potential for advancing women-led innovation, creative industries, and entrepreneurship,’ she added.

Mr Habib Hashim Habib, who represented the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy, H.E. Hannatu Musa Musawa, said the film festival reflects how creative policy initiatives can support international cooperation and gender inclusion.

‘This festival is a vital cultural bridge between Nigeria and China,’ he said. ‘It celebrates women’s strength, creativity, and resilience, while reinforcing policy collaboration between both nations.’

He reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to deepen cooperation with China on cultural and gender development policies.

‘Nigeria remains firmly committed to working with China to promote cultural creativity, gender inclusion, and mutual understanding, ensuring that policy, art, and culture continue to drive unity, empowerment, and shared prosperity,’ he said.

Nigeria’s currency outside the banking system declined to N4.45 trillion in August 2025 from N4.49 trillion in July, according to the latest report by Financial Derivatives Company (FDC) Limited. The data, presented by FDC Managing Director, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, at the firm’s September breakfast meeting held at the Lagos Business School (LBS), indicates a modest but notable shift of cash holdings back into the formal financial system.

Rewane noted that while cash outside banks fell, quasi money – which includes savings and time deposits – rose to N80.21 trillion from N77.5 trillion within the same period. The development, he said, signals growing confidence in Nigeria’s financial institutions and the effectiveness of ongoing monetary tightening by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Analysts interpret the decline as an encouraging sign of renewed trust in the banking sector. More Nigerians appear to be depositing their funds into banks, strengthening financial intermediation and making the money base accessible for productive use.

The implications of this trend are far-reaching. First, it supports financial inclusion by drawing more citizens into the formal banking system, allowing the CBN to better monitor and regulate money supply. Secondly, it boosts economic growth potential by increasing funds available for lending and investment.

Thirdly, with less cash circulating outside the system, inflationary pressures could ease, helping to stabilize consumer prices. Additionally, a higher proportion of money within the banking system enables the CBN to implement monetary policies more effectively.

However, challenges remain. Nigeria’s vast informal economy still relies heavily on cash transactions, limiting the full impact of this development. Experts also stress the need for continued efforts to strengthen public trust and improve access to banking services, especially in rural and underserved areas.

Meanwhile, broad money supply (M2) reversed its earlier decline, rising to N119.52 trillion in August from N117.4 trillion in June. Although money supply continues to grow in absolute terms, the rate of expansion has slowed – falling from 15.8% to 11.5% in August. FDC projects that growth could ease further to 10.4% in September as monetary policy restrictions tighten.

Overall, the decline in currency outside banks underscores a positive shift in public confidence and signals greater stability for Nigeria’s financial system.

Nigeria’s foreign exchange market recorded a major boost in 2025, with average monthly turnover rising to $8.6 billion, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The development signals renewed investor confidence and relief for the naira, which has faced years of pressure from foreign exchange shortages and speculative activities.

The Deputy Governor of the CBN in charge of Economic Policy, Mohammed Sani Abdullahi, disclosed this on Wednesday at an investors’ forum held on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington D.C., where he outlined impressive growth in FX turnover reforms designed to improve liquidity, boost transparency, and strengthen Nigeria’s external buffers.

‘Over the last two years, we have placed strong emphasis on improving foreign exchange inflows into the economy, and as a result, we’ve seen a significant jump,’ Abdullahi said.

He explained that the official FX window has become more liquid following the introduction of an order-based quotation system, improved diaspora remittance flows, and the clearance of FX backlogs and outstanding obligations that had constrained market confidence.

‘There’s been a significant increase in the average monthly turnover to $8.6 billion in 2025, compared to $5.5 billion in the previous year,’ he added.

‘Today, the CBN is a net buyer in the market, supplying less than one percent of total turnover.’

The deputy governor noted that the CBN has been rebuilding external reserves to strengthen the country’s resilience against global economic shocks.

He described the evolving FX market as ‘an active and ethical marketplace,’ where transactions are conducted with greater transparency.

In a related development, Abdullahi announced ongoing collaboration between the CBN, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the National Pension Commission (PenCom) to reform the secondary market. The objective, he said, is to create more investable instruments, deepen participation, and promote ethical standards among market players.

He emphasized that Nigeria now has ‘deeper, more functional, and transparent financial markets’ capable of supporting sustainable economic growth.

Financial analysts say the improved FX turnover, coupled with reduced CBN intervention, could further stabilize the naira, attract foreign portfolio inflows, and strengthen investor confidence – setting the stage for stronger macroeconomic outlook for 2026.

Oyo State House of Assembly has expressed concern over the deteriorating condition of local government secretariats across the state’s 33 councils, calling on the state government to take immediate action to rehabilitate the facilities.

The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Hon. Akintunde Olajide (Lagelu), Chairman of the House Committee on Local Government, Chieftaincy Matters and State Honours, and co-sponsored by Speaker Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin (Ibarapa East), House Leader Hon. Sanjo Adedoyin (Ogbomoso South), Hon. Olusola Owolabi (Ibadan North II), and Hon. Peter Ojedokun (Ibarapa Central).

Hon. Olajide lamented that many of the secretariats are structurally weak and unfit for modern administrative use, posing serious risks to workers and residents. He warned that the poor state of infrastructure has hindered effective service delivery, weakened public confidence in government institutions, and exposed staff to occupational hazards.

He emphasized that rehabilitating and upgrading the secretariats would restore efficiency, accountability, and inclusiveness in local governance, aligning with Governor Seyi Makinde’s sustainable development agenda.

The Assembly urged the Oyo State Government, through the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, to conduct a comprehensive assessment of all secretariats for urgent rehabilitation.

Lawmakers also recommended Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributions from contractors and private sector players to support the effort.

The House further called on the Executive to prioritize budgetary allocations for the modernisation and equipping of local government secretariats to meet current administrative standards.

In mid-19th-century Ibadan, military expeditions under Balogun Ibikunle were so successful in slave-catching that by 1859, the city was gripped in the apprehension that it had harvested more slaves than it could control. Professor Bolanle Awe, citing missionary Hinderer’s Half-Yearly Report of Ibadan Station for that year, wrote that the oracle of Oke Badan had to intervene with a decree that Ibadan should desist from going to war for some time because there were ‘too many strange people in the town.’

People choke on their own success. If you doubt this, read Awe’s ‘Ajele System: A Study of Ibadan Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century’, published in December 1964. Power that eats with ten fingers, that feeds on endless acquisition will, sooner or later, find itself choking on its own gluttony.

At about the same period Ibadan trembled over the spectre of a slave insurrection, similar fears were roiling the American South. In May, 1939, distinguished professor of history, Harvey Wish (4 September, 1909 – 7 March, 1968), published his ‘The Slave Insurrection Panic of 1856’. In 1856, according to Wish, Stewart and Montgomery counties in Tennessee were gripped by panic. The combined slave population in those places stood at about 12,000 against 19,000 whites, but in many localities, the enslaved outnumbered their masters. In the iron districts along the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, eight to ten thousand slaves laboured in mines and furnaces under a handful of overseers. A house stuffed with captives soon loses peace especially when the enslaved start demanding rights. The fear that the captives in those American communities might rise became as real as the chains that bound them.

The twin anxieties of Ibadan and Tennessee of the 1850s should speak to today’s All Progressives Congress (APC), which seems to have embarked on its own form of political slave-raiding expeditions, capturing opposition governors, lawmakers, and chieftains in a frenzy of conquest. History teaches that those who live by conquest often reel in pains of indigestion. Ask Afonja of Ilorin. The slaves he encouraged to defect into his army proved his nemesis.

There is that Nigerian comedian who combs his bald head. He is there online feasting on APC’s defection binge. The jester’s conclusion is that by 2027, Nigeria’s epic contest will be between APC and APC, a scenario he says will burst the belly of the overfed. There is a limit to how much the human stomach can hold before it rebels against its own greed. All manner of gluttony, including the political, have their limits and dangers. What Tennessee feared in 1856 did, indeed, happen in some places. Read Harvey Wish.

The Yoruba have sweet street slangs. You’ve heard of curing madness with madness (‘wèrè l’a fi nwo wèrè’). You’ve not heard of ‘ko were, ko were.’ Packing all sorts into all sorts; orísirísi. The Yoruba word ‘were’ means madness or the mad themselves. In some contexts ‘were’ also means idiocy/idiot; stupid/stupidity. ‘Ko were, ko were’ is what my village friends call men who go for anything in a skirt. It is also what the rapacious do with their molue: Forty-nine sitting, ninety-nine standing. The bus is ‘fully full’, yet, the driver and conductor still yell to the street to hop in: ‘Wolé! Enter! No change!’ It is never enough until some cranial vessels yield to bursting.

Shakespeare’s Angelo says in ‘Measure for Measure’ that ‘we must not make a scarecrow of the law, setting it up to fear the birds of prey.’ We do that here. All our laws are scared and afraid of power. People break the law and dare the law to say something.

A tributary is a smaller river or stream that flows into a larger river or lake. River Oba is a tributary of the Osun River; it flows into it. The law says you can divorce River Oba, if you like, but you cannot give Oba’s child to Osun, your new husband. The powerful can snatch the wife of the weak, but he cannot snatch the child of the weak. Our constitution expressly forbids lawmakers from hopping from bed to bed, party to party, doing what common prostitutes do. Section 68(1)(g) of the constitution bars senators and Reps from contracting the syphilis of defection. Section 109(1)(g) prescribes the same taboo for lawmakers at the state level. Those two sections say if you insist on courting leprosy, you must be prepared to live in a leper colony, alone.

Our constitution says that a legislator who strays from the banner that bore him to victory must surrender his seat.

That law is dead here even when the exception to the rule is not present. The exception, the law says, is that defection is allowed only when there is a division within the legislator’s party or the party has merged with another. There is no division, there is no merger, yet lawmakers after lawmakers have changed parties like pants without consequences.

When is a democracy dead? It is dead when opposition sells itself to power. It is dead when law is dead, or whenever it is helpless; when rule of men replaces the rule of law; when government of men overthrows government of laws. Rule of men is a personal rule; it is what sits on the throne in an unaccountable society; a society in the mouth of dogs.

Aristotle wrote that ‘It is more proper that law should govern than any one of the citizens.’ American professor of Law, Paul Gowder, in the winter of 2018 wrote ‘Resisting the Rule of Men’. Gowder contrasts ‘the rule of men’ to ‘the rule of law.’ He says ‘I will say that we have ‘the rule of men’ or ‘personal rule’ when those who wield the power of the state are not obliged to give reasons to those over whom that power is being wielded-from the standpoint of the ruled, the rulers may simply act on their brute desires.’ Is that not what politicians do when, with impunity, they cross the road and dash their husbands’ children to their more powerful, wealthy lover across the street? Yet, they say this is a democracy.

‘Democracy-What Is It?’ Theodore M. Hart in a 1948 edition of The Georgia Review asked as he threw the question at a class of veterans. He got 32 answers. The last of the answers, he says, is the ‘farthest thing from a definition that could well be imagined.’ This is it: ‘The right to defy a ruler, the right to believe in the right, the right to read the truth, the right to speak the truth, the sky free of destruction, the water free of danger, the trees, the earth, the house I live in, my friends and relatives, the school I go to, the church I attend – that’s Democracy.’ It is a mouthful. Before that definition, there have been shorter ones that we won’t like to teach our kids here. One of them says ‘Democracy’ is ‘that no man should have more power than another.’ Another says it is ‘a government in which the source of authority (political) must be and remain in the people and not in the ruler.’ The opposite holds sway here. Ruling party politicians are the law; it is into their maximum ocean that all rivers must empty their waters.

Politicians, governors and lawmakers of all tendencies are massing into one party, the ruling party, like the forces of Julius Caesar whose feet are already in the Rubicon. There is also the perception that the judiciary is collapsing (or has collapsed) its structures into the ruling party.

It is futile as it is dangerous, self-destructive and self-destructing to seek to have a Kabiyesi presidency, a democracy without opposition. French philosopher, Montesquieu, in his Esprit des Lois, published in I748, wrote: ‘There would be an end of everything if one man or one body, whether of princes, nobles, or people exercised these three powers: that of making the laws, of executing the public resolutions, and of judging the cases of individuals.’

William Shakespeare in ‘Measure for Measure’ warns that possessing great power tempts one toward tyranny.

Shakespeare’s character, Isabella, tells power-drunk Angelo, deputy to the Duke of Vienna:

‘O! it is excellent

To have a giant’s strength; but it is tyrannous

To use it like a giant.’

Now, what is the value and essence of a presidential power that cannot crush, enslave or imprison governors? Where is the value?

In George Orwell’s novel, ‘1984’ we are shown that the party’s omnipotence is not freedom but imprisonment. The story teller asks humanity to accept that the pursuit of total power, total control over thought, over history, and reality, traps power and the power wielder in perpetual manipulation.

But power is powerful; it never listens to reason. Ikem Osodi, Chinua Achebe’s radical character says in ‘Anthills of the Savannah’ that ‘The prime failure of rulers is to forget that they are human.’ Are rulers really human? In Yoruba history and belief, they are ‘alase’ (executive) deputy of the gods. Before Achebe there was Lord Acton who famously said that ‘Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.’ Someone said power, when unrestrained, imprisons its possessor in illusion.

It is not the fault of power that it extends and distends and stretches itself thin. It is because the world seductively craves the king’s dominance. So, let us not blame power; we should blame the people as they query the worth of freedom that bears no food. Because literature is life, it is there in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s ‘The Brothers Karamazov’. There, we read in The Grand Inquisitor’s monologue, a story within a story: ‘For who can rule men if not he who holds their conscience and their bread in his hands?’ The Inquisitor informs the Lord that humanity had ‘taken the sword of Caesar, and in taking it, of course, have rejected Thee and followed him.’ They will always follow Caesar because he alone has bread to distribute from north to south.

The devil is not a liar; if he is a liar, he won’t say the truth. And what is the truth? It is in the Inquisitor’s mouth, it is that seeing freedom and bread walking together is inconceivable; that no science will give the people bread ‘so long as they remain free.’ Governors, senators, Reps – all have surrendered to the bread and butter of power. Automatic tickets, automatic victory at the polls, cheap victory over the people. What power is saying in silence is said loudly by Dostoevsky’s Inquisitor: ‘In the end, they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, ‘Make us your slaves, but feed us.”

There are strong indications that the top military personnel might be secretly planning with some other aggrieved politicians to overthrow this government following the incessant killing of innocent Nigerians everyday.

Recently, Nigerians including this writer read it online that Army has arrested 16 soldiers over the allegation of planning to overthrow the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The Director of Defence information, Tukur Gusau has debunked the news story of planning to topple the government of the said President Tinubu as false, and it should be taken with a pinch of salt.

We all know that many rumours are false, some can be based on partial truth. For me, presidency should implement mass surveillance on its top military personnel to prevent future coup in Nigeria. The question to ask is this: Do we really need military coup in Nigeria now? I will say NO.

I want to say this without mincing words that anyone among the Nigerian top military personnel who is secretly planning or thinking of taking us back by staging a coup in Nigeria to topple this government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be caught red- handed and charged with treason. Another question to ask is this: Can a coup rumour turn out to be true? Yes. This is the reason why the presidency should begin to monitor its high-ranking military personnel and some other aggrieved politicians. Nigerians are publicly complaining of hunger and insecurity to the presidency on a daily basis, but no positive response till date. If an average Nigerian writes an article out of anger and hunger to express his feelings to the government that doesn’t care about his welfare, the authorities will threaten the said Nigerian with arrest and prosecution.

The Nigerian Army should continue with its fight against bandits, kidnappers and other criminals terrorizing this nation. Any soldier who wishes to rule us is expected to go and retire and join politics. Nigeria is not a Burkina Faso where Military personnel can easily take over government.

President Bola Tinubu should emulate former president Olusegun Obasanjo by retiring some Military Generals who may think of planning to overthrow his government. This coup rumour is expected to serve as a serious warning to President Tinubu to change his tactics with Nigerians. The comments made by Nigerians as regards this ongoing coup rumour online are not favourable to the Federal Government of Nigeria. I took my time to read all the comments made by Nigerians online and I was not happy when some were calling for coup. Let’s speak against military coup in Nigeria.

Mumin writes from Ibadan. He can be reached via jimomumin@yahoo.com.

Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State on Sunday flagged off the first dry run of the 2025 Calabar Carnival, marking the official commencement of activities for the 20th anniversary of Africa’s biggest street party.

Speaking at Millennium Park in Calabar, the governor described this year’s edition as a milestone celebration of culture, unity, and creativity, symbolising two decades of sustained excellence and global attraction.

‘I feel very excited and so glad that this coincidence has happened,’ Otu said. ‘Like the Bible says, all things work together for good for those who trust in the Lord. God knew why He made it so that today we are not only celebrating reconciliation and unity but also marking the 20th anniversary of the Calabar Carnival.’

The governor extended a warm invitation to tourists and fun seekers from across the world, assuring that the 2025 edition would be one of the most vibrant and colourful in the history of the festival.

‘I am welcoming the whole world to come to Calabar and enjoy this great party with us,’ he said. ‘If you do not come, you will miss too much. The theme this year, ‘Traces of Time’, captures our journey through culture, creativity, and transformation. You will see your heritage beautifully displayed right here in Calabar – the home of culture and heritage.’

Governor Otu commended the organisers, band leaders, and stakeholders in the state’s creative sector for their resilience and commitment to sustaining the Carnival Calabar brand over the years.

‘We have the biggest street party right here in Calabar,’ the governor emphasised. ‘Let the world know that the Season of Sweetness is not just about governance; it is also about joy, culture, and unity. Everyone must come and participate.’

The event drew a large crowd of dignitaries, including members of the National Assembly, representatives of other state governments, traditional rulers, captains of industry, and members of the diaspora community, all adorned in colourful costumes to show their support.

The 2025 edition of the Calabar Carnival, themed ‘Traces of Time’, will feature a series of dry runs, rehearsals, and cultural parades leading up to the grand finale in December.

The first dry run also served as a route test for the main event, which will feature the state’s major carnival bands alongside emerging cultural troupes and performers.