Category: Nigerian Tribune

Prompt engineering is the process of formulating instructions to produce an answer or outputs from a generative artificial intelligence. ‘Prompt’ is a natural language text that directs AI on what to do. It could be a command, query, providing a context or just a statement.

The main aim of prompt engineering is to be able to optimise outputs; being precise, ensures that the generated AI output aligns with the goal or desired result. An hallmark of a prompt engineer is to be able to bring the best out of different generative AI models. For instance, Open AI’s GPT-3 and GPT-4 are different from Google Gemini. Hence, they require different styles to get what you want.

As a prompt engineer, expected to design, test and refine prompt to bring out the best performance from generative AI models, you must be able to understand and familiarise yourself with the capacities and differences of artificial intelligence models including their limitations.

Skills you need as a prompt engineer

Technological companies hire prompt engineers to improve machine translation and to also introduce content. These are the skills that can help you secure a job:

1. Data structures and algorithms

You need to have the knowledge of how data structures and algorithms help in optimising prompts including understanding the mechanisms of generative AI systems.

2. Interpret technical concepts

One of the exceptional qualities you can possess is to be able to interpret technical concepts in a very relative way that even non technical professionals would understand.

3. Large language models

You must understand how Large Language Models (LLM) work in order to create effective prompts and optimised AI outputs. Their capabilities and limitations are also important.

4. Communication skills

Communication skills are very vital. You should be able to communicate in clear and precise language instructions to AI models.

5. Programming languages

Proficiency in programming languages such as python is key for understanding and designing AI solutions and automating workflows.

The elders of my place caution that the sacrificial akara should not be given to an emèrè child to share. When you ask why, they respond that she will merely make her kindred spirits the sole beneficiaries. And when that happens, the elders further caution, the tragedy (ultimate death) which the sacrifice is designed to avert will eventually happen.

Having shared this traditional caution, I would like to turn to my own childhood experiences. Growing up in the hinterland can be fun. In my part of Yorubaland, we have special children called emèrè. They are mostly females. Emèrè are not abíkú, which the Igbo call ogbanje. The difference here is that while a typical abiku dies and returns to the same parents as many times as he or she can muster before he or she is overpowered, an emèrè remains a pain in the neck of her parents through frequent and indeterminable illnesses. The illnesses don’t kill her but merely drain the resources of her parents.

Powerful children, Yoruba metaphysics says that emèrè are husbands of witches (emèrè ni oko ajé) because they are stronger and more ‘wicked’! Emèrè children are treated specially, most times, with utmost attention. They are fragile in looks and conduct. They are also particularly spoilt in the real sense of the Yoruba concept of àkébajé. Parents offer sacrifices to appease them to stay here on earth. Our belief is that emèrè children have their kindred spirits waiting for them by the gates of heaven. If an emèrè eventually dies, it is believed that a replacement might not come easily. Everything is therefore done to prevent such a tragic end.

So, to keep them alive with their suffering parents, sacrifices, known in the local dialect as osè, are offered. The sacrificial items, mostly small edibles ranging from groundnuts to sugarcane, ekuru (white moi moi) to akara, are prepared and offered to children who are in the same age bracket as the emèrè. After the preliminary prayers, the emèrè is asked to share the items with the ever-joyous children who sing traditional praise chants for her.

But there is a strange practice in the sharing of the sacrificial edibles. While all the other items are given to the ‘celebrant’ to share, the akara is never given to her. The explanation for this exception is illustrated in the saying that nobody gives the sacrificial akara for the emèrè to share; otherwise, she will simply give it to her kindred spirits to pave the way for her journey to the great beyond (A kìí fún emèrè ní àkàrà osè pín kí ò má baà pín fún egbé è láti pa ònà orun mó).

In our elementary Government classes from Form Three to Form Five of those days, the then Miss Folake Afolabi, and Messrs Abayomi Oduntan and Vice Principal Ojo repeatedly listed what they called ‘The Presidential Powers of an Executive President.’ We were taught that an Executive President is both the Head of State and Head of Government, a fountain of honour; he declares a state of emergency; assents to and vetoes bills; declares wars and signs treaties; and has the prerogative of mercy, among almost twenty of such powers.

On the prerogative of mercy, we were told that an Executive President has the right to pardon a convict on death row. And once pardoned, such a beneficiary can no longer be held in relation to the offence(s) that led to his or her conviction.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu exercised his prerogative of mercy power last week and set free 147 ex-convicts. The controversy that greeted that act is one that will not abate in a hurry. In all the comments for and against the action by the President, everyone, including the President’s political enemies, agreed that Tinubu’s action was, and is, within the ambit of the law. The Constitution allows him to extend pardon to any manner of convicts, and his action cannot be subjected to any judicial review. Good enough.

However, the grey area in the review of the President’s exercise of his prerogative of mercy has to do with the morality that informed the choices of some of the ex-convicts President Tinubu set free. Majority of the people who frowned at the list of the beneficiaries of the President’s kindness argued, and very correctly too, that the huge percentage the President allocated to convicts of drug-related offences speaks volumes of the President’s disposition to the fight against narcotics in the nation.

The argument here is that of the 147 convicts President Tinubu pardoned, 60 of them are those who were convicted and sentenced to various terms of imprisonment for dealing in hard drugs. A simple arithmetic puts that figure at 40.8 percent of the total number of 147 beneficiaries! Many, justifiably, concluded that if not for anything, Mr. President should have exercised discretion in freeing those drug lords.

Reviewing the arguments for and against this latest action of President Tinubu, I drew inspiration from the words of wisdom by our elders as quoted above-that one should not give the sacrificial akara osè to an emèrè to share. Of the ‘Executive Powers of an Executive President’ those good teachers of yore taught us, the one that looks more like an akara osè (sacrificial akara) is the prerogative of mercy. In the hands of an emèrè president, who causes the people pain and agony, draining their meagre resources by the minute, that power can be easily abused. The morality of 60 drug offenders benefiting from the list of 147 pardoned ex-convicts flies in the face of decency!

Colleen Shogan, a former Senior Executive at the Library of Congress, U.S. Senate, on December 2, 2022, wrote The History of the Pardon Power: Executive Unilateralism in the Constitution. In the article, which was published by The White House Historical Association under the Rubenstein Center Scholarship, she said that when the exercise of the clemency power is not used discretionally, the one who wields the power suffers public opprobrium. Hear her:

‘Gerald Ford’s 1974 pardon of Richard Nixon was arguably the most famous exercise of executive clemency in American history. After Ford’s pardon of Nixon, his approval rating fell over twenty points in the ensuing days. Many political analysts conclude that Ford never recovered from the pardon, thus severely damaging his chances to win election to the White House in 1976.’ She added that Ford’s explanation-that he granted the pardon as an act of mercy to Nixon and for the broader purpose of restoring domestic tranquillity in the nation after Watergate-could not salvage the situation.

Imo Udofa, Professor of Law, University of Uyo, reinforces Shogan’s arguments. In his The Abuse of Presidential Power of Pardon and the Need for Restraints, published in the Beijing Law Review, Vol. 19, No. 2, June 2018, Udofa argues that ‘The power of pardon is virtually unfettered and unchecked by formal constraints in most jurisdictions, thereby rendering it susceptible to abuse.’

Udofa further states that ‘The recent exercise of presidential power of pardon by the current American President, Donald Trump, by granting pardon to Joe Arpaio (a former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, who was found guilty in July 2017 of criminal contempt for defying a judge’s order against prolonging traffic patrols targeting immigrants) has rekindled the discussion on the uses and abuses of the pardon power.. It has been argued that Arpaio should have been allowed to serve his punishment, and the presidential pardon amounted to a presidential endorsement of the criminal contempt for which Arpaio was punished.’

In Nigeria, the teacher of law says the case of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s pardon of Chief D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha, former Governor of Bayelsa State, convicted of several corruption charges, remains the most controversial exercise of presidential pardon power in the country.

He posits further that while ‘The power to grant pardon is of ancient origin and recognised today in almost every nation.. However, in recent times, the pardon power has been abused as political and other extraneous factors tend to determine its application. It has also been seen as capricious and inaccessible by ordinary people. The usefulness of the power has seriously been dented by lack of control and checks in most jurisdictions, including Nigeria.’

‘Sacred’ as prerogative of mercy is, Udofa says its application should be alongside ‘checks and guiding principles.’ I add here: with utmost discretion!

The U.S., for instance, punishes tax evasion and drug-related offences severely. On drugs, the U.S. would go to any length to get the culprit to book. That was why, against international conventions, the administration of President George H. W. Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in an operation code-named Operation Just Cause and had President Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno (February 11, 1934 – May 29, 2017), simply Noriega, kidnapped on January 3, 1990, on the accusation of dealing in hard drugs.

In the heart of Nigeria’s economic engine room, a quiet but consequential war is being fought, a war not of guns or politics, but of control. On one side stands the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), the formidable labour body representing thousands of oil and gas workers. On the other side is the Dangote Group, led by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, whose 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery is poised to redefine, or perhaps dominate, Nigeria’s petroleum landscape.

This is no ordinary industrial dispute. It is a struggle over the soul of Nigeria’s energy economy, over the balance between private capital and public interest, and the preservation of workers’ rights in a sector too vital to be monopolised.

NUPENG’s Stand: Rights are non-negotiable. At the heart of the standoff lies the alleged refusal of the Dangote Refinery to recognise unionism among its workforce. NUPENG accuses the company of blocking union activities, intimidating potential members, and breaching Nigeria’s labour laws that guarantee the right to freedom of association.

Union officials claim that efforts to register refinery workers and tanker drivers under NUPENG have been frustrated. Workers reportedly face subtle threats for aligning with labour movements, while management insists that union membership ‘is a personal choice.’

Recall that one of Nigeria’s foremost lawyers, Femi Falana, SAN, once said that any company or employer who denies workers this freedom is acting outside the law and against the democratic spirit of the nation

For NUPENG, anything that contradicts this position is untenable. Under Nigeria’s Trade Union Act (Cap T14, LFN 2004), all junior workers in an organisation are automatically deemed members of the appropriate trade union unless they opt out in writing. Section 40 of the Constitution further guarantees workers the right to freely associate.

NUPENG’s President, Prince Williams Akporeha, has vowed that the union will not fold its arms while a new corporate empire attempts to roll back decades of hard-won workers’ rights.

The Bigger Fear is that this is monopoly in the making. Beyond the question of union rights lies a larger fear, the growing concentration of power in Nigeria’s oil sector. With its massive refining capacity, expansive logistics network, and over 4,000 CNG-powered tankers, the Dangote Group now controls almost every link in the petroleum value chain: refining, storage, distribution, and retail.

NUPENG warns that this structure represents the embryo of a private monopoly. The union fears that if unchecked, Dangote could replicate his dominance in cement and sugar industries where competition has virtually disappeared and prices remain high despite earlier promises of affordability.

‘We cannot allow a repeat of the cement story in oil,-Afolabi Olawale, NUPENG General Secretary. Dangote dismisses such fears as unfounded, arguing that over 30 other refinery licences have been issued by government, and that his refinery is meant to complement, not dominate, the market.

Yet the optics tell a different story. The refinery’s scale and vertical integration have already created a structural imbalance that smaller marketers and tanker owners fear they cannot survive.

Echoes from cement and sugar industries are cautionary tales. This is not unfamiliar territory for Nigerians. When Dangote Cement rose to prominence in the early 2000s, it was celebrated for reducing import dependence. But as competitors faded, the market narrowed and prices climbed.

The same story played out in the sugar industry, where government import restrictions designed to encourage local production instead entrenched Dangote’s dominance, leaving smaller producers struggling.

The lesson, according to NUPENG, is clear: Monopoly, whether public or private, always comes at a cost. Today, the risk is that Nigeria’s newly deregulated oil sector could be quietly reconsolidated under one private empire.

Current Effects: Labour Unrest and Market Anxiety. The standoff has already triggered shockwaves across the industry. In early September 2025, NUPENG threatened a nationwide strike, accusing the Dangote Refinery of ‘anti-labour practices.’ The move, backed by PENGASSAN, raised fears of fuel scarcity and price instability.

The DSS and the Federal Ministry of Labour intervened, brokering a temporary truce. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed, guaranteeing workers the right to unionise within a given period.

Yet many within the labour movement doubt the sincerity of Dangote’s concession, seeing it as a temporary appeasement to buy time until his market dominance is irreversible.

Meanwhile, smaller marketers report restricted access to supply, delayed allocations, and rising logistics costs symptoms, they say, of an emerging one-gate control over Nigeria’s oil economy.

Legal and Constitutional Stakes. At stake are not just workers’ rights or business interests, but the rule of law itself. If the Dangote Group continues to limit union activity or dominate market access, it risks violating Nigeria’s trade, competition, and labour laws.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA, 2019) prohibit monopolistic practices that ‘prevent, restrict, or distort competition.’ Any conduct that ‘amounts to abuse of a dominant position’ can attract penalties, including forced divestment or fines.

No nation deregulates only to replace a public monopoly with a private one.To do so would betray the very philosophy of a free and fair market economy.

An Appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu: See Beyond the Immediate It is within this context that I join NUPENG and all advocates of economic justice in calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to act decisively.

The Tinubu administration has championed market reforms, including fuel subsidy removal and downstream liberalisation. Yet those reforms must not pave the way for private monopolisation disguised as efficiency.

The Federal Government must; Enforce competition laws under FCCPC and NMDPRA frameworks; Protect small and medium marketers from exclusionary practices; Ensure full recognition of NUPENG’s union rights at the Dangote Refinery as well as Diversify refinery licensing and crude access, preventing any single entity from controlling the entire value chain. ‘No economy thrives when one man becomes the market.’-NUPENG

President Tinubu must look beyond the excitement of a local refinery and see the long-term danger of allowing a single titan to dictate prices, access, and opportunity.

The Future: What Is at Stake If left unchecked, Dangote’s dominance could rewrite Nigeria’s economic DNA shifting the nation from public monopoly to private empire.

Workers could lose their bargaining power, smaller firms could collapse, and government itself might one day negotiate not with an industry, but with an individual.

If fairness and competition prevail, Nigeria’s deregulated market will thrive. But if silence and complicity endure, the nation may soon find itself in a refined version of economic feudalism, where the refinery becomes the new fortress of power.

The Last Wall Standing

NUPENG’s battle with Dangote seems not just a union struggle; it is a national test of will.

Can Nigeria build a capitalist economy that is competitive yet compassionate, dynamic yet democratic? In an era where power increasingly resides in private hands, NUPENG stands battered but unyielding as the last wall between monopoly capital and the Nigerian worker. I called on the government must choose: Between an open market that empowers millions or a private monopoly that serves a few; between workers’ dignity- or corporate dominance; between a refinery for the nation or a nation at the mercy of one refinery. History, as always, will remember who stood where.

The Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, has called for improved nutrition and economic empowerment through poultry farming as Oyo State joined the rest of the world to mark the 2025 World Egg Day.

Oba Owoade, made the call while playing host to the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Oyo State Branch, at his palace.

This year’s celebration has the theme: ‘The Mighty Egg: Packed with Natural Nutrition’.

Oba Owoade highlighted the health and economic importance of egg consumption, urging residents to make it a regular part of their diet.

He said: ‘Today, we are flagging off the celebration and my prayer is that it will be a hitch-free event that brings more growth to our poultry farmers.

‘I implore the public to consume more eggs because they are very good for the body. Eggs nourish both children and adults, helping us grow well and stay healthy.’

The monarch also described poultry farming as a vital source of livelihood and economic growth, calling it a gift of nature that sustains life and supports livelihoods.

‘Egg is another good source of income. By engaging in poultry business, people can create jobs and sustain their families. Let us embrace egg production and let the world know that Oyo is celebrating the egg and the value,’ he said.

Oba Owoade, commended members of PAN Oyo for their resilience and innovation despite the challenges confronting the poultry industry.

He pledged royal support for the association and called for stronger collaboration to boost production and promote local consumption.

In his keynote address, the Chairman of PAN Oyo State, Pastor Oyekunle Omidokun, reaffirmed the association’s commitment to innovation and cooperative growth in the sector.

He also unveiled a new premium egg brand, EggXotic, designed to improve quality assurance, market access, and consumer confidence in Oyo State’s poultry products.

‘EggXotic is more than a brand; it is a promise, a promise that Oyo State eggs will be safe, nutritious, and globally competitive,’ Omidokun said.

‘Through this initiative, we are building consumer trust, supporting certified farms, and positioning Oyo as the poultry capital of Nigeria.’

He appealed to the government for targeted interventions in feed production, access to affordable credit, and youth empowerment to sustain poultry farming across the state.

‘Our farmers are resilient, but they need structured programmes for feed production, soft loans to stay afloat, and youth-focused incentives to make poultry farming attractive again,’ he added.

After the palace ceremony, the PAN Oyo delegation visited the Oba Adeyemi Primary Health Care Centre, Oyo, where they distributed eggs to staff as part of an awareness campaign on egg nutrition.

Speaking during the visit, the PHC Coordinator, Mrs. Oladeji Gbenjo Abosede, commended the association’s effort, describing the outreach as thoughtful and impactful.

‘This visit, is timely, many people don’t realise that eating eggs regularly can prevent malnutrition, especially among children and pregnant women. We appreciate PAN Oyo for bringing not just eggs, but awareness that can save lives,’ She said.

Other dignitaries present include: Dr. Adigun Olufemi, Tewogbade Bukola, Pastor Lawal Bayo, and Feyisetan Samson, Ayooluwa Okediji, Founder/CEO of AgroInfoTech Africa who also doubles as one of the technical assistant of PAN, officials of Doorcas Africa, among others.

Similar celebrations were held simultaneously across the 10 zones of Oyo State, highlighting the nutritional, economic, and social value of eggs in strengthening food security and improving rural livelihoods.

The Department of State Services (DSS) has warned the public against engaging with a dismissed officer, identified as Victor Onyedikachi Godwin, who has allegedly been using the agency’s name to defraud unsuspecting individuals.

According to a statement from the agency late Sunday, the former staff member has been involved in fraudulent activities, misrepresenting himself as a serving officer of the DSS to extort money from members of the public.

The Service clarified that Godwin no longer works with the organisation and urged citizens to avoid any form of dealings with him.

The DSS also advised individuals seeking information or assistance to contact the agency directly through its official phone line or email address to prevent falling victim to impersonation or fraud.

The statement reads, ‘DISCLAIMER VICTOR ONYEDIKACHI GODWIN

‘The Department of State Services (DSS) hereby alerts members of the public of the activities of one Victor Onyedikachi Godwin, a dismissed staff. He is reportedly engaging in unscrupulous activities, including using the name of the Service to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

‘Members of the public are therefore advised to desist from any dealings with him. For requests, enquiries or complaints the Service can be reached on 09088373515 or via email: dsspr@dss.gov.ng.’

Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has officially dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mbah announced his defection on Tuesday during a state-wide broadcast to the people of Enugu State.

He explained that his decision to join the ruling party was driven by the need to connect the South-East region, particularly Enugu, to the central government.

The governor praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, noting that the state has enjoyed massive support and developmental attention under his leadership.

Mbah did not leave the PDP alone, as members of the State House of Assembly, local government chairmen, councillors, and other political stakeholders also joined him in the APC.

‘Today, after a long reflection, we have made the decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party and join the All Progressives Congress.’

He added, ‘Today, I stand before you to announce a break from the past and to share a decision that will shape the road ahead. This concerns our values, how we organize ourselves politically and how we secure the future of our project and our people.

‘Leadership sometimes demands painful decisions in the service of higher principles and goals. And there comes a time when everyone must make a bold choice to determine their destiny.’

Dr. Rotimi Olulana is a former governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Lagos State. In this interview with BOLA BADMUS and JEPHTHAH BAREYEI, he speaks on Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary, the gains and losses recorded in the journey to nationhood. He also speaks on the two years of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, declaring that the country can still attain its potential with the right leadership. Excerpts:

Nigeria just marked its 65th independence anniversary on October 1. Looking at the journey so far, how pleased are you with the journey so far?

To me, I will say thank you to the Lord because I believe that it is by the grace of God that we are all alive today. Fortunately, enough, the 1st of October 1960 was my birthday, so when you are talking to me about Nigeria’s Independence, you are talking to the child of independence. So, it is through the grace of God that I am alive today to witness the 65th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence, and I believe that every Nigerian, no matter what level you find yourself, should be happy to witness this day. Then, I would like to say that it is true that we have gone through a lot of trauma, that is, ups and downs of leadership system – different leadership of the country – however, I believe Rome wasn’t built in a day, I believe it is a gradual step, some will come and put all their efforts to make it work. If you look back, you will see that we have a series of military governments before the advent of civilian government. The military government that we have experienced right from 1960, we had one that was led by General Aguiyi Ironsi. After Ironsi, we had some crises that brought in General Yakubu Gowon at the end General Yakubu Gowon. We had the civil war when General Gowon came in, and we were able to enjoy some kind of peace. After that, we had other series of governments like the one led by General Murtala Muhammed, which was quite brief, you know, but the few months he spent in power, I think every Nigerian appreciated what he was doing.

And following that, we had General Obasanjo’s government. Obasanjo’s government tried to put things right but to me, as much as I can see what really happened during this period of years, I can tell you that Gowon’s government was able to do a lot of things that one can physically see today, just like I can also say categorically that the Ibrahim Babangida’s government which came later equally tried its best. I can say categorically that they have all tried. I can say that the government of General Yakubu Gowon, General Murtala Muhammed, which later metamorphosed to Obasanjo’s regime, offered good leadership to the country. Then we had another civilian government at the time that was led by Alhaji Shehu Shagari; his government equally tried to do a lot of programmes, most especially his Green Revolution, and so on. But I think the governments that have come, they’ve all tried one way or the other to put things right, but I want to say congratulations to the then government of Western Nigeria because that is the government that one can say had done perfectly well and one can physically see those projects on ground till today, and I am referring to then government of Western Region headed by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. With the few years he has spent in power up till today, no one can doubt his integrity. He was a very sound leader and a man who had the ambition of becoming the president of the country, but was not able to get there. I say congratulations to his then government because we can see what Chief Awolowo did when he was in charge of the leadership of the Western Region. So, to me, I believe that everything that has a beginning will always have an end.

In specific terms, what would you regard as the gains, the benefits, since Nigeria gained independence from the British government?

Well, I can say that educationally, we have been able to move forward, because it is the foundation, and that is why I am referring to the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s government in the then Western Region. He was the one who introduced free, qualitative education, and that was part of what I enjoyed because I remember I benefited from the primary education, which was introduced by Chief Awolowo. Remember also that during the Second Republic, the same thing was also introduced in the states controlled by the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), led by Chief Awolowo. And that’s why the Western Region, whether in the 1950s or the 70’s under the leadership of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, had been able to have sound, qualitative, free education, and that is one of the benefits which I and several others had been part and parcel of. And it is a gain that today we can say that when we look at the educational advancement of the nation, the Western Region carries the flag; it is an achievement.

Ibrahim Babangida would have been the number one president in Nigeria today, but he collapsed his entire sweat through the nullification of the June 12 election. He would have been the best president ever produced in Nigeria, as far as I am concerned, because I remember vividly how he ran that government and what was going on in the country. We were able to see things happen economically, physically, infrastructure-wise, and the establishment of different institutions of learning. Go back to records, Ibrahim Babangida was the best, but the nullification of the June 22 election won by the Late MKO Abiola became his administration’s albatross, and that is why he became the worst leader ever produced because he refused to announce Abiola the winner of the best election that ever took place in the country. But I think recently we can all see the outcome because he had been able to come out and tell the whole world that Abiola was the winner of that election. Unfortunately, there is no justice in our land.

At Independence, every Nigerian was full of hope that Nigeria was going to be better with their leaders being in control instead of the colonialists. They expected a lot of developments and a lot of things that would happen so that Nigerians would become a transformed country, but have we achieved much 65 years after?

What I can say in that respect is that we have not been able to make a solid achievement that we are supposed to make, but that is not the wrongdoing of Nigerian leadership, no!

So, who do we blame for that?

The colonial masters who brought the so-called Independence are the real people, not only Nigerians. What they have done is totally against the development of every country in Africa because they programmed it. They made sure that people who were educated, well-enlightened, were not allowed to take over leadership of the country; it’s all about all their operational systems. They have their eyes on our resources, and that is the bottom line. They are far interested in how to rake our resources from us; they are not interested in the development of our country in any form, they are after those who can listen to them and carry out their own plans. These are the people they allowed to get to the leadership positions in the country.

Should we still blame the colonialists 65 years after, and is what you described still going on now?

Indirectly, can I tell you? Indirectly, it is still going on. If you look at France, it colonized some countries, such as Niger, and so on. You can see what those countries are doing now. The young people who came up in those countries, even though they were not elected, discovered that these colonial masters had no good plan for their countries, and this is why they disagreed totally to allow them (colonial masters) to be in control of their resources anymore. So, if in Nigeria, if tomorrow we can be able to do the same thing, I can assure you that there will be a tremendous achievement if we have honest leadership, people who are dedicated to the progress of Nigeria. The colonial masters, with their evil machinations, have put their plans and programmes into process, which they are following diligently because what they are after is what they can rake from our countries in Africa. So, the white people do not have an interest in the development of your Individual countries in Africa.

But they achieved some infrastructural development in Nigeria before independence in 1960?

They were able to put up leadership that had no standard education to diligently follow the progress and development of the land. They put their puppets, that is what they succeeded in doing against Nigeria, and we are all witnesses. Today, really, I don’t want to go deep into that because it might look as if it is a tribal statement. But no, we all know the truth, we know what is happening, we understand the system. They believed that they should give power to the group that would ensure their plans and programmes would continue to manifest in every system or whatever system of government, whether military or civilian, so that was what they did to us.

Before the 1966 coup, from your statement, the Western Region was moving ahead, based on the type of system that was in place then. Now, as of today, things are not working right, and people are actually calling for the reintroduction of the parliamentary system. Is that the way out for Nigeria, and how do you think we can achieve that?

Well, I am not part of those who believe that a system of government is our problem; the system of government is not our problem. Our problem is dishonesty, selfishness, which bedeviled the hearts of those who have access to leadership of the country; that is our problem. It is not the system, yeah! If you are determined to be a committed leader to the progress of your society, or whatever level of leadership you find yourself, if you determined to be honest, if you determined to be dedicated to the progress and success of your society, nobody can push you around, you will follow the trend of the kind of leadership that can give the best to your society. But if you follow the trend that you met on the ground, which is, get there and have your master, whom you are reporting to, then they give you the guide on how to go about it. So when you have about N10 billion to spend as a local government chairman, then in that N10 billion, it may mean that you have to go and give N6billion to the man who put you in that seat. This is because most of the people you are seeing today who find themselves in the position of governorship or whatever level of government were sponsored by one political leader here and there, through godfatherism. Before you know what is happening, what is left in your kitty out of N10billion is N2billion or N1.5billion, and you will have to take your own share, and that is why there is nothing left for society to develop the community, because you have little to spend.

So, what you are saying is that this lack of development has nothing to do with the presidential system of government or the parliamentary system of government?

It has nothing to do with all that; it is all about leadership, that is, the person in the seat of power. If we have a good president, assuming Chief Awolowo emerged as one or someone in that class, the country would be better run.

Chairman, House of Representatives’ Ad-hoc Committee on Economic, Regulatory, and Security Implications of Cryptocurrency Adoption and Point-of-Sale (POS) Operations in Nigeria, Hon. Olufemi Bamisile, on Monday, described the N500 million to N1 billion capital requirement set by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for Virtual Assets Service Providers (VASPs) as outrageous and prohibitive.

Bamisile, who made the observation in Abuja during the technical meeting organised for key regulatory and security agencies, noted that while regulation of the cryptocurrency sector is essential, the current capital threshold could stifle innovation, discourage legitimate investors, and exclude emerging entrepreneurs, particularly young Nigerians, who hold the potential to drive economic growth and Nigeria’s digital transformation.

The lawmaker, therefore, urged SEC authorities to review the capital requirement with a view to making it more accessible and inclusive.

During the session, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) informed the stakeholders that all confiscated virtual and digital assets linked to criminal activities are currently in its custody.

The Commission disclosed that it maintains dedicated digital wallets across its zonal offices for the safekeeping of such assets.

To this end, Bamisile directed the Commission to provide comprehensive records of all digital asset confiscations to support its ongoing legislative review and policy recommendations.

Bamisile reaffirmed the Committee’s commitment to developing a regulatory framework that balances innovation with oversight, safeguards the financial system, and promotes transparency, youth inclusion, and national security in Nigeria’s digital economy.

The Committee, however, expressed displeasure over the failure of several key institutions, including the Office of the National Security Adviser, Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian Communications Commission, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, to honour its invitation to the meeting.

Bamisile also urged all the agencies to take seriously the economic and security implications of the rapidly evolving digital finance sector.

The Egg Sellers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (ESDAN) has debunked the claim of a consistent hike in the price of the produce by some poultry farmers.

The President of ESDAN, Mrs Olaide Graham, debunked the allegations while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Lagos.

Graham noted that the association’s aim centred on making eggs available to the average Nigerian.

She stressed that the association would not be complicit in the hike of the produce.

‘We sell a crate of egg as low as N5,500 presently and no one can buy any other sort of protein and get 30 pieces, whether fish or meat, at N5,500, eggs are still the cheapest form of protein.

‘And you know we need protein to survive. Eggs are still available for all and sundry despite the price increment.

‘That is why we term this accusation of hiking egg prices by poultry farmers as a blatant lie, we distributors are not to be blamed for the increments in the price of eggs.

‘In commemoration of this year’s World Egg Day, we distributed some aids to widows, the elderly and the less privileged in the society.

‘We are celebrating the World Egg Day in grand style this year. Our theme for the year is: ‘The Mighty Egg’, reiterating the importance of eggs,’ she said.

Graham disclosed attempts by her associate to synergise with the poultry farmers in order to stabilise the price of eggs, all to no avail.

‘We are an organisation that came on board to synergise with the Poultry Association of Nigeria, but they refuse to synergise with us.

‘The poultry farmers want to be producing and be selling at the same time. In this country, we have freedom of association, and we have other people selling eggs that are not in this organisation.

‘So, that is why we want to synergise with the farmers and once we agree, we know that we have agreed and then we will be able to know who is disrupting the flow of sales.

‘The farmers have refused to see things from our point of view because they have been enjoying the monopoly. Maybe that is why they are accusing us.

‘People come to their farm, whether they bring influenza or not and they just enjoy it. The funniest thing is that they will sell the same price to those of us who are major distributors and retailers,’ Graham said.

She said that it was impossible to eradicate middlemen, if the poultry sector wants to thrive.

‘We heard that they want to eradicate middlemen, these middlemen that they want to eradicate, they are the ones pushing the eggs sector forward.

‘Farmers will not sell to us without collecting money from us. And when we take it from them, we sell it on credit to the retailers.

‘We are the one at the losing end because we have to sell the produce or they get spoilt because they are perishable, so most times we just sell off.

‘And we know the market better than the farmers and they say they want to eradicate the middlemen.

‘Maybe some of the farmers will stop the poultry business because we are the ones doing major work in the sector,’ she said.

The poultry farmers have consistently blamed the hike of the produce on the greed of middlemen in the sector, who exploit the price for more gain.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to repositioning the country’s education system to meet the demands of the digital economy and align with global best practices.

He gave this assurance in Lagos during the official launch of the Digitalisation of Public Schools Initiative and the flag-off of the distribution of interactive smartboards at Queen’s College, Lagos, on Friday.

No fewer than 800 of the digital boards have already been distributed to some public schools across the country.

The scheme will cover both federal government colleges and state-owned secondary schools, even as the smartboard distribution exercise is part of a long-term plan.

According to the minister, the Digitalisation of Public Schools scheme aims to ensure that every child, regardless of background, has access to quality and technology-enabled learning.

Alausa stated that the introduction of smartboards would gradually phase out traditional chalkboards, which promote one-directional teaching and learning across public schools in the country.

He said the shift would make teaching and learning more dynamic, interactive, and technology-driven, allowing students to engage and explore more effectively.

The minister pointed out that the smartboards would enable teachers to integrate multimedia, digital textbooks, and real-time interaction into their lessons, while learners would go beyond listening to touching, exploring, and engaging.

The initiative seeks to strengthen the country’s basic education system, empower teachers with innovative instructional tools, and improve learning outcomes.

To foster innovation, the minister also announced plans to establish Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) as well as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres nationwide.

He said this step would be taken in partnership with various state governments and the Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN) to build capacity for STEMM educators, promote inquiry-based learning, and expand teacher digital literacy and EdTech training to make classrooms smarter and teachers more effective.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba, underscored the significance of the initiative, describing it as a clear demonstration of the government’s resolve to bring technology directly into the classroom.

She observed that with smartboards, teachers would be able to integrate multimedia content, simulations, and real-time feedback during lessons, while pupils could interact more actively.

She noted that this reflects the evolution of education in today’s technology-driven economy, where education is no longer a mere process of instruction but an experience of discovery.

According to her, through digital tools such as smartboards, tablets, and online content, learners will have access to quality learning opportunities that meet global standards.

Garba, however, called on stakeholders-especially corporate organisations and individuals-to support the project, stressing that the government alone cannot achieve the vision of bringing digital learning to all public schools.

She noted that UBEC also has other plans to strengthen the country’s basic education system, identifying digital capacity building for teachers and the development of localised digital learning content as key priorities.

Speaking on the initiative, the Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Jamiu Alli-Balogun, described it as a significant milestone in the government’s quest to bridge the digital divide by ensuring that every child, regardless of socio-economic background, has access to digital tools for quality education.

He noted that Lagos State prioritises digital learning as well as technical and vocational education, as embedded in the T.H.E.M.E.S Plus Agenda of the current administration.

He said the state government believes that every child has the right to acquire the necessary skills to become more creative, inventive, and solution-oriented as they grow into adulthood.

He added that the introduction of interactive smartboards in public schools would revolutionise the way teachers teach and students learn, making lessons more effective and engaging, and learners more inquisitive and interactive.

The step, he said, will help the country achieve its goal of producing well-rounded and globally competitive citizens.

Alli-Balogun commended UBEC for its efforts in promoting basic education across the country and also lauded development partners for their collaboration in supporting the agency’s initiatives.

He urged the intended users of the smartboards to make good use of the tools.