Author: user user

The outgoing 13th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Kayode Adebowale, has described the institution as strong but not perfect, saying more work is needed to achieve its ambition of becoming a world-class university.

Adebowale spoke at a valedictory ceremony organised to mark the completion of his tenure at Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan, where the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr Olumuyiwa Enitan Caleb, and other stakeholders paid tributes to his leadership.

The ceremony, themed ‘Celebrating Leadership, Legacy and Service,’ attracted government officials, university administrators, union leaders, religious representatives, security agencies and community leaders.

Speaking as chairman of the occasion, Caleb commended Adebowale for preserving the university’s heritage while building what he described as a resilient and responsive institution capable of addressing emerging challenges.

He said Adebowale’s leadership aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its emphasis on strong institutions and a knowledge-driven economy.

Caleb also disclosed that the Federal Civil Service was undergoing comprehensive reforms aimed at improving efficiency, productivity, accountability and citizen-centred service delivery, adding that the university system would benefit from the reforms.

In his valedictory address, Adebowale said his administration had prioritised the welfare of members of the university community, insisting that no institution could fulfil its mission without caring for its people.

‘Leadership is a burden. Every decision carries the weight of lives and destinies. I have led by listening to the community and through consultations. I have insisted on due process, defended autonomy and governed with integrity,’ he said.

He added that the university continued to attract outstanding students and scholars, while partnerships with government agencies had helped ensure that its research addressed national needs.

However, the outgoing vice-chancellor acknowledged that funding remained a major challenge, stressing that sustained investment was necessary to provide excellent infrastructure and strengthen the institution’s global standing.

In a goodwill message, the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ibadan branch, Dr Adefemi Afolabi, represented by his vice-chairman, Dr Tayo Ajibade, commended Adebowale for his disposition towards staff welfare.

Afolabi urged the incoming 14th Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olapegba, a former ASUU executive in the university, to sustain attention to staff welfare as he prepares to take over the institution.

For millions of Nigerian workers, payday increasingly feels less like relief than a brief pause before the next financial struggle. Now, a ?70,000 monthly transport allowance for six months has sharpened the question: can a country keep adjusting minimum wages without confronting the cost of living? Christian APPOLOS reports on the unfolding crisis

The Federal Government’s announcement of a ?70,000 monthly transportation allowance for eligible public servants, payable for six months, has brought into sharp focus the widening gap between workers’ earnings and the cost of maintaining a decent standard of living.

The striking irony is difficult to ignore: the proposed monthly transport support is equivalent to Nigeria’s current national minimum wage of ?70,000. For workers already struggling to meet basic household expenses, the comparison raises a fundamental question about the adequacy of their earnings. If an entire month’s minimum wage can be matched by a temporary transport allowance, what does that say about the purchasing power of the wage itself?

Beyond the immediate relief the allowance may provide, the development has reopened a larger debate about the direction of Nigeria’s wage policy, the sustainability of periodic minimum-wage increases and whether the country should move beyond the traditional minimum-wage framework towards a living wage.

For labour and policy experts, the problem is not simply that workers earn too little. It is that wages are being negotiated and adjusted in an economy where the prices of essential goods and services continue to rise, while the public infrastructure and social services that could reduce household expenditure remain inadequate.

Their positions differ on the amount that should constitute a reasonable wage, but they converge on one central argument: Nigeria cannot achieve meaningful improvements in workers’ welfare through nominal wage increases alone. It must address the economic conditions that determine what those wages can actually buy.

Chief Emenike Ikedichi Ubani, a labour analyst and lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication, Abia State University, argues that the country’s wage history demonstrates how successive increases have struggled to keep pace with the rising cost of living.

Nigeria’s national minimum wage has moved from ?125 in 1981 to ?18,000 in 2011, ?30,000 in 2019 and ?70,000 in 2024. While each adjustment represented an increase in nominal earnings, the real value of those wages has been eroded by inflation and the rising cost of essential commodities.

According to Ubani, the problem has become more pronounced following the removal of fuel subsidy, exchange-rate fluctuations and the consequent increases in the prices of food, transportation, housing, healthcare and other necessities.

The result, he argues, is that workers may receive higher figures on their payslips without experiencing a corresponding improvement in their living conditions.

This is why he considers the proposed transport allowance particularly revealing. Although the intervention may offer temporary support, he questions the logic of a situation in which the government has to provide a monthly allowance equivalent to the national minimum wage to help workers meet transportation costs.

For him, the allowance should not be mistaken for a sustainable solution to the wage crisis. He believes Nigeria should begin a more deliberate transition from minimum wage to living wage, one that reflects the actual cost of maintaining a decent standard of living.

A living wage, in his assessment, should take account of decent accommodation, nutritious food, transportation, healthcare, education, utilities and the ability of workers to save or respond to emergencies.

Ubani proposes ?200,000 monthly as a reasonable negotiating target, while emphasising that the figure should be considered alongside an independent assessment of the cost of living, productivity, inflation and the capacity of employers to pay.

His argument is that wage determination should no longer be reduced to negotiations over a figure that may quickly lose its value. Rather, it should be guided by evidence of what workers and their families need to live with dignity.

For Dr Tommy Etim Okon, former Deputy President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and former National President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), the recurring minimum-wage negotiations have become an increasingly familiar national drama.

A new wage review generates excitement and expectations among workers, but the eventual outcome frequently falls short of what they consider adequate to meet their needs.

Okon, a policy and labour expert who is also a critical stakeholder, argues that Nigeria must move beyond this cycle of periodic adjustments and confront the broader economic questions that determine whether workers can enjoy decent living conditions.

In his view, the country should be discussing a living wage within the context of holistic economic development rather than concentrating almost exclusively on the amount the government and employers can add to monthly salaries.

He argues that the debate should extend beyond the organised workforce to include informal-sector workers and other vulnerable Nigerians who have little or no bargaining power.

For him, a wage policy that focuses only on workers covered by formal employment arrangements risks excluding a large segment of the population whose livelihoods are equally affected by inflation and the rising cost of living.

Okon proposes ?300,000 as a starting point for the living-wage conversation, although he acknowledges that any wage arrangement must be considered against economic realities and the capacity of employers to sustain it.

He does not, however, regard the figure as a substitute for the structural changes required for decent and sustainable wages.

His argument is that the government must reduce the cost of living by providing essential public goods and services that workers currently struggle to afford.

Affordable mass housing, accessible healthcare, basic education, efficient public transportation and other essential services, he maintains, would reduce the financial burden on households and make workers’ earnings go further.

Rather than leaving individuals to shoulder virtually every cost of survival, the government should create conditions in which public services provide some of the support required to maintain a decent standard of living.

Okon also questions the capacity of the Nigerian economy to sustain substantially higher wages without addressing its underlying weaknesses.

He acknowledges that the government has room to streamline the cost of governance, reduce wastage and redirect public resources towards productive activities. However, he argues that the challenge is more fundamental, pointing to an economy that imports much of what it consumes and has not developed sufficient productive capacity.

In such circumstances, wage increases may provide immediate relief but could become difficult to sustain if domestic production, investment and productivity do not improve.

His position, therefore, places economic restructuring at the centre of the living-wage debate. For him, the country must build an economy capable of generating the resources required to support its workforce rather than repeatedly relying on wage adjustments to compensate for deteriorating living conditions.

Dr Edmund Onwuliri, immediate past Acting Director General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), approaches the question from the standpoint of evidence-based wage determination.

He argues that the minimum-wage debate should be guided by a proper assessment of household expenditure rather than the selection of figures without a clear understanding of what workers actually need.

In his view, the starting point should be to determine the cost of maintaining a household, taking into account food, accommodation, education, healthcare, transportation, electricity, water, clothing and other essential expenses.

He believes relevant government institutions, including the National Bureau of Statistics and appropriate ministries, should provide credible data to support such an assessment.

For instance, he suggests that the cost of feeding a family of five, paying annual rent, meeting school expenses and accessing healthcare should be calculated before negotiators arrive at a wage proposal.

The objective, he explains, should be to establish the actual financial requirements of a household and use the findings as the basis for negotiations between organised labour, government and employers.

To illustrate his point, Onwuliri gives a hypothetical example in which a household requires ?1 million monthly to meet its essential needs. Negotiators could then use that assessment as a basis for determining a figure that employers and the economy can reasonably sustain. He mentions ?500,000 as a possible negotiated outcome in that illustration, not as a formal wage demand.

For him, the critical issue is that wage negotiations must be informed by measurable living costs rather than arbitrary figures or political considerations.

Onwuliri also challenges the perception that workers’ welfare should be treated merely as an expenditure burden on government and employers. He argues that adequate remuneration is an investment in productivity, efficiency and national development.

According to him, a worker who spends much of the day worrying about how to feed the family, pay transport fares or meet basic household expenses may find it difficult to give the job the attention and commitment required. Conversely, workers who enjoy reasonable financial security are more likely to be motivated, productive and committed to their responsibilities.

He, therefore, believes employers should recognise the relationship between workers’ welfare and organisational performance instead of focusing exclusively on reducing labour costs.

While acknowledging that employers must consider profitability and business sustainability, he argues that this should not become an excuse for keeping wages disconnected from the cost of living.

Onwuliri also calls for the early constitution of the minimum-wage negotiation committee to allow sufficient time for consultation, research and engagement before the next statutory review. He is particularly critical of temporary interventions such as the six-month transport allowance, arguing that transportation is only one component of workers’ financial burden.

Even if the allowance provides some relief, he says, ‘it does not address the cost of rent, food, education, healthcare, electricity and other household necessities.’

The wider implication of the three labour experts’ arguments is that Nigeria’s wage challenge cannot be resolved by treating salary increases as an isolated labour issue.

The debate must also confront the economic environment in which wages are earned and spent. For instance, a worker whose salary increases may still experience declining living standards if food prices, rent, transport fares and healthcare costs rise faster than the additional income.

This means that the value of a wage is determined not only by the amount paid but also by the purchasing power it commands.

A living-wage framework would, therefore, require a more comprehensive approach to wage determination, including regular monitoring of inflation, household expenditure and changes in the cost of essential goods and services.

It would also require a credible mechanism for protecting workers’ purchasing power between statutory wage reviews.

However, the proposals raise important questions about affordability and the capacity of employers, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, to meet substantially higher wage obligations.

For the private sector, wage increases that are not matched by improved productivity, access to finance, reliable electricity and a supportive business environment could place additional pressure on businesses, especially those already struggling with high operating costs.

This concern does not invalidate the demand for better wages. Rather, it reinforces the need for a wage policy that is connected to a broader economic strategy.

The government must address the structural conditions that make production expensive, discourage investment and limit the capacity of businesses to employ and remunerate workers adequately.

Improved electricity supply, efficient transportation networks, affordable credit, support for agriculture, accessible healthcare and investment in education and skills development would help strengthen productivity and reduce the cost of doing business.

Affordable housing and functional public transport would also reduce the proportion of workers’ earnings consumed by basic survival expenses.

There is equally a need to strengthen social protection so that workers outside formal employment are not excluded from efforts to improve living standards.

The informal economy accounts for a substantial part of Nigeria’s workforce, yet many of its workers have no guaranteed minimum earnings, organised bargaining arrangements or access to employment-related protections.

A living-wage conversation that ignores them would, therefore, remain incomplete.

Another important consideration is the relationship between wages and productivity. Although workers’ remuneration should reflect their contribution and the cost of living, productivity cannot improve sustainably when workers are unable to meet basic needs.

The three labour experts, from different perspectives, point towards the same policy contradiction: government and employers expect workers to deliver higher productivity, but the economic conditions confronting many workers make that expectation increasingly difficult to meet.

The challenge is, therefore, to create a system in which decent wages, productivity, business sustainability and economic growth reinforce one another.

For organised labour, this also calls for a broader negotiating strategy. Beyond demanding higher figures, unions may need to press for transparent household-cost assessments, stronger enforcement of existing wage agreements, improved social protection and regular engagement with government on the factors driving inflation.

For the government, the responsibility extends beyond announcing wage increases or temporary allowances. It includes creating an economy in which workers can afford the necessities of life without depending on periodic emergency interventions.

The proposed ?70,000 transport allowance may offer some temporary relief to eligible public servants, but its significance goes beyond the immediate financial support. It has exposed the inadequacy of a wage structure in which the cost of one essential need can consume an amount equivalent to the national minimum wage.

Ultimately, the question confronting Nigeria is not simply whether workers should earn ?200,000, ?300,000 or another figure. It is whether the country is prepared to build an economic and social system in which wages can provide more than bare survival.

Ubani’s ?200,000 negotiating target, Okon’s ?300,000 starting point and Onwuliri’s insistence on a data-driven assessment offer different entry points into that conversation. Their positions underline the need to move away from arbitrary wage bargaining towards a framework informed by household needs, economic realities and the capacity to sustain decent employment.

Until that happens, every new minimum-wage agreement risks becoming another temporary reprieve, followed by another struggle as prices rise and purchasing power falls.

For Nigerian workers, the ultimate measure of a wage increase is not the announcement made at the negotiating table or the figure printed on a payslip. It is whether, at the end of the month, they can feed their families, pay their rent, access healthcare, educate their children and retain enough to live with dignity.

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, has said the ruling party and, by extension, the Federal Government would continue to yield public space to those protesting against a fresh mandate for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as dissenting views are essential in a democracy.

The APC National Chairman made the remarks at the weekend while receiving a pre-election fact-finding mission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by former Vice-President of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Victor Bockarie Foh.

Yilwatda noted that citizens and opposition groups must be allowed to express their views without being automatically subjected to arrest or intimidation.

He maintained that a strong ruling party should be confident enough to compete within the rules of democracy while protecting the political space for opposing views.

He said: ‘Being the largest political party does not mean that we want to suppress anybody. We want a democratic environment in which every party can organise, campaign and seek the support of Nigerians without fear.’

Yilwatda added that the APC understood the realities of democratic competition, having experienced electoral defeats in the past. He explained that the party had, on such occasions, engaged political stakeholders and pursued cooperation where common interests existed.

He cited the political realignments following the APC’s defeat in the Anambra and Osun governorship elections as an example of how electoral competition could be followed by political engagement and collaboration. He noted that such engagements had contributed to broader political alliances and cooperation in support of President Tinubu’s re-election bid.

The APC National Chairman also noted that the ruling party’s extensive and well-coordinated political organisation gives it an edge over rival political parties.

According to him, the party’s strength is rooted not merely in its electoral victories but also in its verifiable membership database, grassroots structures, elected representatives, nationwide support groups and established internal processes.

‘Our party is the largest political party in Nigeria. In terms of structure, organisation and membership, no other political party comes close to us. We are approximately three times larger than the next political party in the country,’ Yilwatda said.

He disclosed that the APC had approximately 13 million registered members spread across all local government areas in Nigeria, with detailed records of members and membership identity cards designed to facilitate verification through their National Identification Numbers (NIN) and voter identification details.

The National Chairman explained that the party’s membership database and identification system provide a strong foundation for effective grassroots engagement, mobilisation, internal coordination and electoral planning.

Prof Yilwatda highlighted the scale of the APC’s organisational network, noting that the party maintains elected and appointed executive structures from the ward level through local governments and states to the national level.

According to him, the APC has more than 261,000 executive members across its organisational hierarchy, a network he described as a major source of its political strength and nationwide reach.

He noted that the party’s structure enables it to maintain contact with its members and supporters at the grassroots while coordinating political activities and campaign strategies across the country.

The APC National Chairman also pointed to the party’s numerical strength in elected offices as evidence of its national acceptance and organisational reach.

Earlier, the head of the ECOWAS pre-election fact-finding mission, former Vice-President of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Victor Bockarie Foh, explained that the mission was undertaking a political assessment aimed at contributing to the organisation of free, fair and transparent elections in Nigeria.

Foh said the mission’s work would be guided by systematic observation, verification and the collection of reliable data rather than assumptions or arbitrary conclusions.

‘Our monitoring is scientific, and our decisions on issues are based on scientific observation. We verify information before making any pronouncement, and we use a robust application system to collect data. Our reports are therefore not arbitrary,’ he said.

He explained that the mission was engaging relevant political stakeholders to obtain information and perspectives that would assist its assessment of Nigeria’s electoral environment ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Foh commended Prof Yilwatda for his detailed presentation, noting that the information provided had offered the mission valuable insight into the APC’s organisational structure, membership, internal processes and preparations for the forthcoming elections.

He expressed confidence that the engagement would contribute meaningfully to the mission’s understanding of the political landscape and the conditions under which the elections would be conducted.

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified that it has no objection to the candidacy of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano, Abdulsalam Gwarzo, saying his absence from the updated list of candidates is due to a subsisting court order.

A senior official of the commission disclosed that Gwarzo had been cleared by INEC, but his name could not be published pending the final determination of an ex parte order issued by the Federal High Court in Kano on October 27.

The official explained that the court had directed the commission not to publish the names of candidates presented by the NDC until the matter was determined.

‘I thought I told you he had been cleared, subject only to the final outcome of an ex parte order by a Federal High Court in Kano on October 27 that we should not download the name of any candidate for NDC,’ the official said.

The clarification followed concerns over the continued omission of Gwarzo and his running mate, Rabiu Mustapha, from INEC’s updated list of governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the 2027 elections.

In the updated list, the commission indicated ‘Court Order’ against the NDC’s governorship and deputy governorship positions in Kano State.

Gwarzo’s omission had raised questions about the status of his candidacy,

particularly after INEC announced that it had reviewed petitions arising from the omission of some candidates from its initial list published on October 10.

On Thursday, the commission upheld 66 petitions and rejected 64 others relating to governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates across the country.

Among those whose candidacies were cleared was former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, whose name was subsequently included in the list as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Gombe State.

However, INEC’s latest clarification indicates that Gwarzo’s absence from the updated list should not be interpreted as a rejection of his candidacy, but rather as compliance with the subsisting court order.

The publication of the NDC’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates in Kano will therefore depend on the final determination of the court proceedings.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) senatorial candidate for Benue South, Dr. David Adejo Abraham Olofu, has unveiled a 12-point legislative agenda anchored on People, Power, Prosperity and Progress (PPPP), promising a new direction for the district if elected to the Senate in 2027.

Olofu unveiled the agenda at the weekend during the flag-off of the ADC zonal campaign in Oju Local Government Area of Benue State.

Addressing party leaders and supporters, he said the 2027 election presented an opportunity to redefine political representation and accelerate development across the nine local government areas in the senatorial district.

The former Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning said his proposed legislative blueprint was informed by his experience in public service and interventions in education, healthcare and economic empowerment.

To demonstrate his commitment to the welfare of his constituents, Olofu highlighted three major intervention programmes through which he said he had committed millions of naira to supporting vulnerable residents and young entrepreneurs.

Under the Apa Legacy Sustainability Initiative (ALSI), he said more than 300 students from the nine local government areas had benefited from an annual scholarship scheme of ?100,000 per beneficiary.

The programme, which began in 2024, has attracted ?30 million in funding over three years.

He also disclosed that he committed ?10 million in November 2025 to St. Helen’s Specialist Hospital, Otukpo, to offset the medical bills of pregnant women from Benue South, irrespective of their religious, political or ethnic backgrounds.

Similarly, through his Wealth and Empowerment in Benue South (WEBS) initiative, Olofu said beneficiaries had received grants of ?200,000 each, with ?10 million earmarked annually for five years. He added that rural women, particularly widows, and small-scale entrepreneurs had also benefited from the scheme.

The ADC candidate further disclosed that he had introduced an investment-based empowerment programme through which more than 200 constituents were reportedly supported with credits to acquire 50 units each of Dangote Refinery shares. He described the initiative as an effort to promote asset ownership and long-term wealth creation.

Unveiling his 12-point agenda, Olofu identified education, healthcare, agriculture, enterprise development, digital skills, infrastructure, local government autonomy, security, equitable resource allocation and institutional accountability as key priorities.

He promised to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) education, facilitate the establishment of science laboratories at local government headquarters, build public libraries and expand scholarship, bursary and mentorship opportunities for students.

To address youth unemployment, he proposed the establishment of ICT hubs and digital skills centres to equip young people with competencies in software development, data management and online business.

Olofu said his experience as Benue State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning between 2015 and 2023, Chairman of the Forum of State Commissioners for Finance and Senior Technical Adviser on Fiscal Policy to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum would strengthen his capacity to attract development projects and ensure the implementation of approved interventions.

As part of his proposed accountability framework, he announced plans to establish two non-partisan institutions: the Benue South Peoples Assembly (BSPA), to aggregate community needs and monitor projects, and the Benue South People’s Council, comprising traditional rulers, professionals, women, youths, religious and socio-cultural groups.

Olofu, who described his decision to join the ADC as a choice for a new political direction, cautioned that changing political parties alone could not transform people’s lives without quality leadership and measurable results.

He appealed for unity among the nine local government areas, saying no community should be left behind in the quest for development.

He also promised regular consultations with constituents, public reports on his legislative activities and budget implementation, as well as greater citizen participation in monitoring constituency projects.

‘Representation is service, not ownership,’ he declared.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Campaign Advisory Council, John Ngbede, praised the large turnout at the campaign flag-off and expressed confidence in Olofu’s capacity to provide effective representation for the district.

Ngbede described the candidate as an experienced public administrator with the capacity and track record to deliver meaningful development. He urged voters across the nine local government areas to support all ADC candidates in the 2027 elections.

The ADC State Chairman, Chief Samson Okwu, also thanked supporters for their turnout, describing it as evidence of the party’s growing political strength in the senatorial district.

Okwu, a former three-term member of the House of Representatives representing Oju/Obi Federal Constituency, expressed confidence that the ADC would defeat its political opponents in the forthcoming elections.

In his remarks, the ADC governorship candidate in Benue State, Hon. Heman Hembe, urged voters to reject the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the party’s government of inflicting hardship on Nigerians.

Hembe also criticised Governor Hyacinth Alia over what he described as the state government’s failure to deliver commensurate development despite substantial allocations from the Federation Account.

He called on Benue voters to support the ADC in 2027, promising a different approach to governance.

Similarly, the Director-General of the Olofu Campaign Organisation, Chief Chris Adaba Abah, urged the people of Benue South to support all ADC candidates in the 2027 elections.

ISAAC SHOBAYO, North-Central Bureau Chief, speaks with Dr Bitrus Pogu, National President of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), about the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) readiness for the next general elections, the nation’s economic hardship, insecurity, federal allocation to states, and other national issues. Excerpts:

What is your assessment of INEC’s preparedness for the upcoming elections?

At the moment, INEC has its hands full but is still not fully prepared for the elections because, given that there are still issues to be addressed with regard to the voters’ register, etc., it means INEC still has some work to do. We just pray that before the elections hold, INEC will be fully prepared to attend to and address all issues to ensure that there is a credible, transparent and good election that Nigerians will have confidence in.So, for now, I think, with regard to INEC, that’s what I can say.

But with the back-and-forth concerning the candidates, where some are said to be eligible to run while others are not, what implications does this have for the forthcoming elections?

We believe INEC should be able to address these issues before the elections. That shouldn’t be a big issue. We’ve had issues like this in the past, and they have been addressed. We believe that this time around, INEC will do the same. If games are being played, we believe Nigerians are smart enough, and they will make objective assessments of the candidates and vote for those they believe deserve to be voted into office. So, I believe those issues will be addressed very soon.

The chairman of the electoral commission is from the Middle Belt, and the task of conducting elections is enormous. What advice do you have for him at this critical stage of this national assignment?

The advice would be for him to be steadfast, firm and, I mean, exercise due diligence in everything that he does so that he will have a clean, commendable scorecard when he leaves, because nobody stays permanently in such an office. So, Middle Belters are known to be credible in the things they do, and we expect him to show credibility and execute the big job that is before him so that he can be counted and judged fairly by generations to come.

The Middle Belt Forum took a firm stance in the most recent election, held in 2023. This time, everyone is looking up to the Middle Belt, expecting it to say something. So, what is the Middle Belt’s stance on the 2027 elections?

We are going to have a stakeholders’ meeting where such a decision will be taken, and, of course, we are going to work alongside our friends down south. I mean Afenifere, Ohanaeze and PANDEF. However, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) will meet at the appropriate time and come up with a joint position on the upcoming election. One thing that is certain is that, while our support will not be for a northern candidate, it will be for a southern candidate because, at least, we have decided, and properly so, that the presidency should remain in the South for now. It can only change in 2031, so, for the sake of fairness and justice, power must remain in the South for the next four years. So, when we have our stakeholders’ meeting, the person we are going to support will be known. But for now, it is certainly going to be a southern candidate.

Looking at Mr President’s performance over the last three years, there is widespread public concern about the country’s hardships. How would you evaluate Mr President’s performance over the last three years, especially since he is running for re-election?

There are lots of areas where we can say he is lacking in his performance. There are some areas, too, where we can say, yes, he performed credibly. For example, some of his ministers, irrespective of all the accusations, I can give a thumbs-up to Wike because the transformation in the FCT has never been this good. The Minister of Works is doing a very good job across the country, and some others. The majority of the others are below average or so.However, we know that the governors are getting more in terms of federal allocations, irrespective of the devaluation, commensurate with what was available in the past, especially during Buhari’s regime. They are getting much more. But the majority of the governors are not showing anything that we can rate as adding value to what is happening at the centre. So, I think the judgment of the Federal Government will not be complete without considering what the states are getting, given that the resources are being shared accordingly. The President has not failed in that regard. That is, giving them their money as and when due.

In terms of security, we still have lots of problems, and we can equally say that detractors are partly responsible, given that we have a system where people don’t care what they do to get into power. So, with all that, we can say that Nigerians, having known what is happening immediately around them, the pressures, especially those caused by the high price of fuel, that is, energy, and all that, would make rational judgments, considering all those parameters, including comparing him with those who are trying to come in to see whether those people would perform better. That’s what I can say on this issue.

Based on the scenarios you’ve painted, people all over the country are crying that he’s not doing enough to address the country’s hardships. The palliative rollouts are insufficient to address the issue. What are your thoughts about this?

I don’t believe in palliatives in the first place. What I believe in is creating an economic environment that will allow people to have a better life. You know, for example, the devaluation has hurt the economy so much. Unfortunately, there are external powers that affect that.Otherwise, we thank God. God has given us lots of rain, and we have been able to produce food. The only thing is that farmers are paying for it because, you know, foreign food has flooded the market, and the value of their produce has dropped. Given the fact that inputs like fertiliser, among others, remain very high, in that regard, the policy has to change for things to be better.

One of the problems that is still bothering Nigeria, particularly in the Middle Belt, is insecurity. Given that people are dying every day, do you believe Mr President has done enough to address this situation? What is the solution, in your opinion as a Middle Belter?

Those concerned have to be bold enough to address the issue from its roots. If some big shot is known to be sponsoring something, that big shot should be kicked out without consideration of whatever position he occupies. So, now we should also look at it critically: who are those responsible? The security agencies and government have to be bold enough to get to the root of the matter and pick up those responsible without any bias or sentiment. For example, about three or four days ago, one cleric who preaches peace in Katsina, by the name of Masusuka, was killed for preaching peace. So, people behind such atrocities should be dealt with without reservation as to whether they have religious or status connections. That’s what we would advise Mr President to do. Certainly, the government alone cannot do the job. But what the government can do is to be decisive against any person or culprit who is found to be sponsoring these things. These boys in the bushes don’t have the capacity to survive if their source of sponsorship is cut off.

There is glaring evidence that some leaders in the North are not up and doing towards addressing insecurity…

(Cuts in) That is true. Some of this insecurity is associated with a lot of issues that can be addressed. We know Boko Haram came in as a religious group, and as a religious group, they feel that their, you know, form of religion has to be adhered to; otherwise, any other person should be dealt with. Then we have lots of facets. Some economic opportunists also came in to take advantage, and then we have others who want to, you know, dispossess others of their territorial lands, etc. All these things are combined, but it started with a religious ideology, and it has expanded to all these other facets without reservation. Unless this thing is addressed at that level, it will not disappear. So, irrespective of whether it is this government or any other government, the leader has to have the courage to be able to deal with whoever it is, irrespective of whether he is a former president, a leader of a religious group or whoever. That is the way this thing can be addressed, not by just fighting those boys in the villages and the bushes.

Mining is currently linked to terrorism, banditry and other crimes, particularly in the North of the country. The majority of the locations are gradually becoming terrorist hotspots. What is the way out of this?

There must be a policy, either to say that all mines should be government-owned or supervised by the government, or, if people are licensed, let there be some regulatory measures to ensure that proper procedures are followed. Illegal mining should be abolished and stopped, and that way we can address issues with regard to, let’s say, violence associated with mineral resources. I told you earlier that a religious group started Boko Haram, and they believe that they have the right to impose their ideology on everybody. That is one. Two, all these things, including the Boko Haram insurgency, started because our constitution allowed for Sharia to be practised. That is the 1999 Constitution. Previous constitutions did not do that.

Whether they amend the constitution or not, it remains what it is. So, we have to go to the roots. So, when we have addressed that one, then we can address all the other things, including the economic terrorism associated with mining. We need a constitution which addresses all the issues of Nigerians rather than one that has a sectional bias. Because there is already a war between Sharia and constitutional democracy, that has to be addressed.So, there are lots of issues that have to be addressed before we come to such sundry issues like mining, associated terrorism, et cetera.

If you look at it, petroleum is also a mineral resource and is being regulated. Why is it difficult for mining to be regulated by the Federal Government, at least to minimise this act of terrorism?

There is no reason why it should not be addressed. I believe it is because the government in office has not, across the board, that is, even before now, paid real attention to addressing it. Otherwise, it is possible to address any issue if the government is really determined to do so. So, we are calling on Mr President to now look seriously at mining, as that is a cause of economic terrorism, to ensure that it’s well regulated so that that facet can be taken off the consideration when we are trying to address terrorism.

With the increase in federal funding for states, people are beginning to complain that not enough is being done at the state level. The State Assemblies, which are supposed to function as checks and balances, do not. How do we ensure development at the state level?

They should be exposed. All the resources that are being given to state governors are known, and people should be told clearly to take decisions based on performance. A report by the European Union on the performance of governors depicted that many of them perform dismally. It is now left for the press to do their job. Let every state have the freedom to vote in or out those people whom they feel have not performed.I think that is the only way forward. And when governors know that they can be voted out easily if they don’t perform, people will sit up.

Elections in Nigeria frequently cause disunity and division on all fronts. What is your advice in this regard?

It’s true. People are divided. It’s true also that some factors, especially insecurity, have created a lot of division: division in the North between the Hausa and the Fulani; the Middle Belt thinking of not being properly secured and, of course, there are some people who feel even Nigeria is not addressing their issues.But I believe I have not lost hope in Nigeria, and I believe that, yes, the President, at least for one thing, I can say that this is one of the most decisive persons I have seen. He can take a decision, and it will be implemented with that kind of authority which he has and his type of behaviour. If he should have a second opportunity, I would want him to be assertive to ensure that what Nigerians expect of him is given to them, and to ensure that he can stand by the Constitution and enforce whatever is there to be enforced to make Nigeria work. Because, really, we have not yet become a nation, and there is a need for a strong president to come in, be able to show us the way and forge a nation out of us.