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The Federal Government has taken a major step towards ending preventable blindness across te country.

It has signed a new national eye-care Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Peek Vision, a global eye-health technology organisation.

The partnership is aimed at transforming how millions of Nigerians with vision impairment are identified, tracked, and connected to care.

The agreement, signed in Abuja on Tuesday, is expected to address longstanding gaps in access to eye care, especially in rural and underserved communities, where many people live with avoidable blindness but are never screened or linked to treatment.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Adekunle Salako, who endorsed it on behalf of the Federal Government, said the partnership would significantly expand Nigeria’s capacity to reach people at the last mile.

The minister noted that the country has a history of innovative eye-care programmes, recalling the popular JigiBola initiative of the early 1990s in Lagos State, which provided glasses to thousands of residents.

He said the new digital platform introduced through the MoU builds on that legacy by enabling health workers to identify people who need help and connect them directly to services.

Emphasising that misinformation and fear prevent many patients from seeking care early, the Ministry expressed optimism that the partnership will help solve this challenge by improving communication, screening, and referral systems nationwide.

Salako explained that the agreement aligns with the government’s Renewable Health Connect initiative, which focuses on school-based screening, cataract services, and the provision of corrective lenses.

He said the ministry was committed to driving full implementation, adding that the programme would ensure that technology reaches communities that have historically been left behind.

Speaking after the signing of the MoU, the Founder and CEO of Peek Vision, Prof. Andrew Bastawrous, said the initiative was driven by the urgent need to reach millions of Nigerians who live with avoidable vision loss but lack access to treatment.

Most people with vision loss, particularly those in rural areas with low income, don’t know that they can be treated, don’t know where to go to get treatment, if they are aware, and can’t access those services, he said.

The partnership, the CEO said, brings together the ministry and leading international NGOs, including Sightsavers, CBM, and Hands.

Under the arrangement, trained personnel will use smartphones and tablets to deliver accurate vision screening directly in homes, workplaces, and schools.

Bastawrous said this eliminates reliance on health facilities, adding: ‘Because if you find them and they don’t receive treatment, you’ve solved nothing.’

According to him, Peek Vision has developed a data platform that monitors every screened individual, tracks referrals, and identifies reasons why people fail to attend appointments

Bastawrous explained how data-driven insights have solved similar challenges in Kenya, where fears, myths, and cost barriers were identified and addressed through targeted interventions.

The power of data is to point to where the problem is. The power of compassion is to respond, the CEO said.

He confirmed that the Nigerian rollout begins immediately and involves no direct financial commitment from the Federal Government.

Peek Vision will be supported by its international partners, while the ministry retains full ownership of all data generated.

Bastawrous said a new programme, supported by Sightsavers, has begun with the screening of 5,000 people and targeting 1.2 million schoolchildren over the next two years.

The CEO added that the broader impact of improved vision goes beyond health.

‘Something as simple as a pair of magnifying glasses, which many people aren’t aware of, can increase learning potential by 20 to 50 percent. Yet remain inaccessible to people of all ages,’ he said.

Bastawrous noted that cataracts remain the most common cause of blindness but is fully treatable.

The CEO warned that most Nigerians with cataracts today may die without ever receiving care unless the system changes.

To date, he said, technology deployed through Peek Vision and its partners has screened 17 million people globally and connected more than 1.5 million to sight-restoring treatment.

Today marks the beginning of that journey to change that story, Bastawrous added.

Sir: The passport reforms under the leadership of Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo may appear, on the surface, like a travel convenience upgrade. But beneath that surface lies something far more powerful: restored trust in the Nigerian state. Entrepreneurs have long lived in fear of government processes because those processes were unpredictable. You could plan around slow. You could never plan around confusion. Weeks of waiting, duplicated biometrics, extra payments, middlemen, missing files – small business owners suffered all of it. Every inefficiency translated to lost deals, altered timelines, and additional costs.

Digital passport processing did more than clean up a service. It reintroduced predictability, a currency more valuable than oil when building an economy. Investors, both local and foreign, take cues from how a government manages the simplest things. If a passport system can work seamlessly, stakeholders begin to believe that bigger systems can work too. This is why the reforms matter: they quietly restore confidence in the promise of Nigeria as a functional environment.

Efficient governance directly reduces the cost of doing business. Entrepreneurs understand this better than anyone. A document stuck on someone’s table can delay a client contract. A manual process can introduce corruption and inflate operational costs. A broken verification system can stall travel plans for an important business meeting. What looks like a ‘government problem’ is always, eventually, a business problem.

This is why digital processes in immigration, electronic correspondence, identity management reforms, and stricter accountability within agencies translate into real economic impact. They eliminate friction. They save time. They reduce stress. They help entrepreneurs redirect their energy from wrestling with institutions to building the businesses that create jobs.

What makes the reform approach stand out is its simplicity. It does not rely on noise, ceremony, or the usual theatrics of public office. It focuses on results. It focuses on systems. It focuses on function. And this is exactly what entrepreneurs need: a government that stops being a hurdle and starts behaving like an enabler.

The truth is that Nigeria’s biggest growth hack is not another grant programme or motivational initiative. It is competent public administration. It is a government that understands that a thriving private sector needs stable systems the way a plant needs light. When reforms create clarity, entrepreneurs gain scale. When processes become predictable, business risks shrink. When accountability increases, investor trust rises. These are not abstract benefits; they are the conditions under which new industries are born.

The average entrepreneur may never directly interact with the Ministry of Interior, but they will feel its impact in countless ways: faster travel, smoother documentation, less paperwork, better compliance systems, reduced operational bottlenecks, and a governance environment that supports rather than stifles ambition. Public service efficiency has always been the hidden foundation of a strong private sector. For too long, that foundation has been weak. What we are seeing now is a rebuilding effort that matters more than most people realise.

Nigeria’s real economic engine has never been crude oil. It has always been people – the small businesses, the freelancers, the founders, the creators, the innovators, the hustlers who convert scarcity into new enterprise. When governance works well, these people lift at once. When governance improves, entrepreneurship expands. When systems are clean, the economy becomes easier to navigate and easier to trust.

These reforms signal a new kind of social contract: a government that delivers and a citizenry that builds. If this model spreads across ministries, Nigeria will not need endless economic summits to debate growth. Growth will happen naturally because the environment will finally support it. Entrepreneurship will strengthen because the systems around it stop sabotaging it.

At its core, entrepreneurship is a relay race. Government hands the baton. Entrepreneurs run with it. Investors cheer from the sidelines. Society gets the win. For decades, Nigeria dropped the baton before the race even began. But the reforms we are seeing now suggest that perhaps, for the first time in a long time, the baton is being handed correctly.

And when government works, entrepreneurs win – every single time.

The Organic Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (OFPSAN) has called on the Federal Government to sustain its exclusive control over the importation of fertiliser raw materials, warning that relaxing the policy could expose the sector to abuse, price instability, and an influx of substandard products.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja yesterday, OFPSAN President, Alhaji Adams Musa, said the policy remains essential for protecting local producers and ensuring a stable and credible fertiliser market.

This measure, he said, remains indispensable for preventing market abuse, curbing the influx of substandard and adulterated materials, stabilising market prices, ensuring consistent availability of inputs, and protecting local producers from unfair distortions caused by uncontrolled importation,’ he said.

Musa added that sustaining stakeholder engagement, policy consistency, improved access to financing, and strengthened regulatory enforcement would further boost Nigeria’s fertiliser sector and overall agricultural productivity.

He said the briefing was convened to reaffirm OFPSAN’s commitment to national food security, sustainable agriculture, and the empowerment of Nigerian farmers. According to him, the association remains grateful for the Federal Government’s continued investment in local fertilizer production, especially through the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI).

He noted that the PFI has revived dormant blending plants nationwide, stabilized input prices, created jobs, and reduced reliance on imported finished fertilizer.

‘In light of these achievements, we respectfully call on the Federal Government to sustain, deepen, and further consolidate the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative. This programme remains crucial to Nigeria’s agricultural transformation and long-term food systems resilience,’ he said.

The association also commended the Federal Government for the recent inspection of blending plants across the country, describing it as proof of its commitment to accountability and efficiency in the sector. Musa further acknowledged the key role of MOFI in strengthening the sustainability and success of the initiative.

However, he stressed that as global agricultural standards evolve, Nigeria must adopt policies that reflect sustainability, noting rising soil degradation, climate variability, and farmers’ increasing demand for eco-friendly inputs.

‘Organic fertilizer is not just an alternative input, it is a critical component for soil regeneration, climate resilience, environmental protection, improved crop quality, and long-term agricultural sustainability,’ he said.

He added that the inclusion of organic fertiliser would support millions of smallholder farmers seeking safer and more natural soil-enhancing options.

‘We cannot overlook human health, especially as many of the foods we consume today are no longer truly natural. When our soil, environment, water, and all living organisms are healthy, people become healthier too,’ he said.

He reaffirmed OFPSAN’s readiness to work with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, regulatory agencies, and private-sector partners to advance the objectives of the PFI and ensure farmers nationwide have access to affordable, high-quality, and sustainable fertiliser inputs.

The Federal Government has pledged continued support for private-sector investments capable of driving industrialisation, expanding supply chains and creating sustainable employment across the country. In a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance yesterday, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, said the government was committed to working closely with local manufacturers whose investments are strengthening Nigeria’s productive base.

He gave the assurance during a meeting in Abuja with executives of Folay West African Limited, where the company presented its expansion plans aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing and deepening the agricultural value chain. Folay Industries, a Nigerian-owned fast-moving consumer goods manufacturer operating from the Lekki Free Zone, has invested more than N11 billion in local production. According to the ministry, the company sources grains domestically and has continued to create employment opportunities through backward integration.

It is also one of several indigenous manufacturers replacing imports with competitive products made in Nigeria.

Mr. Edun, who welcomed the company’s progress, said, ‘Initiatives such as those undertaken by Folay Industries reflect the movement toward value-added production, which is vital for economic diversification and long-term growth.’ He added that the administration would continue to encourage private-sector initiatives that strengthen Nigeria’s industrial capacity and contribute to national development.

The meeting, the ministry noted, demonstrated the government’s steady support for the manufacturing sector at a time when the country is navigating the demands of diversification. ‘Partnerships with the private sector will be central to driving growth, creating jobs and building a resilient economy capable of securing a brighter future for Nigeria,’ the statement added.

In a separate development, Mr. Edun on Tuesday chaired the 64th Regular Meeting of the Nigeria Customs Service Board, where key leadership appointments and promotions were approved to enhance operational effectiveness and support the ongoing transformation of the Service.

The Board confirmed five Deputy Comptroller-Generals and eight Assistant Comptroller-Generals in line with the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023 and the Federal Character principle. It also approved Special Promotions for ten officers who were recognised for what the ministry described as ‘exceptional professionalism and significant contributions to national revenue and security.’

The ministry explained that the reforms form part of a continuing effort to modernise Customs operations, improve leadership succession and strengthen trade facilitation, transparency and border management.

As Nigeria expands non-oil revenue sources and promotes private-sector-driven growth, a more agile and technology-driven Customs Service is expected to play a critical role in reducing bottlenecks, improving clearance timelines and enhancing competitiveness under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, in partnership with dmg Nigeria Events, has announced plans for a high-level summit that will convene policymakers, industry leaders and investors to define West Africa’s next phase of industrial growth.

The West Africa Industrialisation, Manufacturing and Trade (West Africa IMT) Summit and Exhibition is scheduled for March 3-5, 2026, in Lagos.

With ‘Accelerating West Africa’s Sustainable Industrial Revolution for Economic Prosperity,’ as theme, the event will serve as a strategic platform for examining how regional policy shifts, cross-border supply chain integration and private-sector partnerships are reshaping the industrial landscape.

Organisers noted that West African governments and businesses are gradually moving from extractive-driven economies toward industrialisation anchored on technology, regional integration and sustainable value creation.

According to the statement announcing the summit, the subregion is witnessing rapid transformation powered by established manufacturing clusters, expanding processing capacity and advancements in digital innovation and next-generation industries.

Nigeria’s incoming National Industrial Policy (NIP) was highlighted as one of the region’s most ambitious upgrade programmes. The NIP prioritises technology adoption, equipment financing and digitised manufacturing as core drivers of long-term economic competitiveness.

Portfolio Director, Africa, and Country Director, Nigeria, at dmg events, Wemimo Oyelana, said the summit comes at a defining moment for the region’s industrial evolution.

‘The next chapter of West Africa’s industrial growth will be shaped by innovation in areas such as advanced manufacturing, gas-based production, technology adoption, and stronger policy alignment,’ he said.

According to him, the West Africa IMT Summit is designed to set strategic priorities and shape the regional industry agenda.

‘We are convening industry leaders, policymakers, innovators and investors to turn ideas, reforms, and emerging technologies into real industrial outcomes across the region,’ Oyelana added.

He noted that participants at the 2026 summit will gain firsthand insights into the region’s fast-evolving manufacturing environment and the opportunities driving sustainable growth. Delegates will also engage in high-level discussions, technical sessions and strategic networking focused on emerging investment frontiers, policy frameworks and cross-border collaboration models that can accelerate competitiveness across West Africa’s industrial ecosystem.

Human Rights Institute of National Human Rights Commission has okayed a major research by legal scholar and health-rights advocate, Jennifer Mike-Oworodo, for presentation at its national conference this month .

The project: ‘Operationalising Reproductive Health Rights in Nigeria: A Multi-dimensional Framework for Addressing the Policy-Practice Divide,’ was selected for its approach to bridging Nigeria’s gap between health policies and real-world access to care.

Dr. Mike-Oworodo, a voice in the country’s campaign for health justice, said Nigeria must confront the structural failures that deny millions equitable access to healthcare.

‘Health justice requires fairness. Every person, regardless of gender, class or location, deserves access to care needed to live a dignified life,’ she said.

A professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at DePauw University and assistant professor of Law at American University of Nigeria, she warned that Nigeria’s health challenges, from underfunded hospitals to overstretched medical workers, stem partly from weak legal protections.

Although the Constitution recognises the right to health, she noted that citizens cannot legally enforce it.

‘This is why people have no recourse when the system fails them,’ she said, adding that the situation is worsened by governance lapses, politicised health budgeting and corruption, which continue to fuel the migration of skilled professionals.

She also emphasised reproductive justice as a critical but neglected area in Nigeria’s health landscape, calling for clearer regulations on assisted reproductive technologies and surrogacy.

According to her, policies must reflect intersectional realities: ‘A poor rural woman faces different barriers from an educated urban man. Our system must acknowledge these differences.’

Here is a stronger, more polished news-style version:

She outlined four urgent reforms she believes are critical to repositioning the country’s health sector: first, making the right to health legally enforceable so citizens can demand accountability; second, increasing transparent funding and strengthening management systems across all levels of care; third, adopting gender-sensitive policies that respond to the different needs of women, men and vulnerable groups; and finally, engaging communities directly in shaping and prioritising their own health needs.

‘Health is not charity, it is justice,’ she said. ‘Until Nigeria treats healthcare as a right, not a privilege, the goal of a healthy nation will remain out of reach.’

Her research presentation at the HRI national conference is expected to shape ongoing national conversations on health law, governance, rights and accountability.

The Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA), Zamfara State Chapter, has commended Governor Dauda Lawal for the timely commencement of allowance payments to fresh Zamfara Clinical Veterinary Students.

This was revealed by Dr Kaka’u Dalla Dalla, Publicity Secretary, NVMA Zamfara State Chapter, in a statement on Tuesday.

The statement said, ‘This thoughtful intervention demonstrates the Governor’s unwavering commitment to educational development, human capacity building, and the advancement of the veterinary profession in the state.’

The doctors said by supporting our young clinical trainees, the administration has not only eased their academic journey but also reaffirmed its dedication to strengthening veterinary public health and animal welfare in Zamfara.

‘The NVMA Zamfara State Chapter expresses profound appreciation for this gesture and assures the Government of its continued partnership in promoting quality animal health services, food safety, and improved livelihoods for the people of Zamfara State.

‘We encourage the beneficiaries to remain dedicated, disciplined, and focused as they prepare to serve the state and the nation.’

Zamfara schools to remain open as gov’t adopts new security measures

The Zamfara State Government says it is not considering closing schools despite rising insecurity and a wave of student abductions across parts of the country.

Instead, the state government has introduced new security measures to protect learning centres and ensure pupils continue classes without fear of attacks.

The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Wadatau Madawaki, disclosed this while addressing journalists at an event organised by the Federated Association of Zamfara State Students in Gusau, the state capital.

Madawaki’s assurance comes amid the recent abduction of 25 students of Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, and the attack on Saint Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State that saw about 315 students and staff abducted.

These attacks have led some northern states to announce mass school closures, but Zamfara says it will not follow suit. Instead, authorities are strengthening security in and around schools to deter bandit attacks.

‘We have already done what we are supposed to do, and when you talk about security, you do not disclose your actions to the media. But we have taken steps to safeguard the interests of our students. The security of the schools and children is well taken care of.

‘We are in contact with all the security agencies, and they are giving us the necessary support to ensure our schools operate without hindrance. We believe nothing will happen, and our education will continue to flourish until the end of the academic term,’ Madawaki said.

Madawaki explained that states embarking on mass closures largely operate boarding schools, whereas Zamfara currently runs mainly day schools due to insecurity.

‘As of now, most of the states that have closed their schools operate boarding systems where students stay in hostels. Bandits often strike at night when people are asleep. Here, we are yet to resume our boarding system. Our schools run during the day,’ he said.

He noted that schools in areas with persistent insecurity remain closed until conditions improve.

‘Where we feel there is insecurity, the schools have already been closed. Where there is relative peace, we have allowed students to continue since the term is almost ending. If there is a need to extend holidays, we shall do so,’ he said.

The commissioner added that some higher institutions, including the state university, polytechnic and college of education, are already on holiday.

‘They are due to resume in December, but because they keep boarding students, we will extend their holidays until January to assess the situation before they return.’

The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has approved a $500 million loan to the Federal Government to finance the second phase of its economic governance and energy transition support programme (EGET-SP).

EGET-SP is an initiative aimed at accelerating the transformation of the country’s electricity infrastructure and improving access to cleaner sources of energy.

On August 24, 2022, the Federal Government launched Nigeria’s energy transition plan as a major pathway in achieving universal energy access by 2030 and a carbon-neutral economy by 2060.

The government said the plan was designed to tackle energy poverty and the climate change crisis, as well as deliver sustainable development goal seven (SDG7) by 2030 and net zero by 2060.

AfDB, on August 1, approved a loan of $500 million to Nigeria to finance the first phase of the energy transition programme.

In a statement yesterday, AfDB said the scheme’s policy-based operation is for fiscal years 2024 and 2025.

‘The second phase of the programme aims to stimulate inclusive growth by accelerating structural reforms in the energy sector, while supporting progressive reforms of fiscal policy to boost non-oil revenues and expand fiscal space,’ the bank said.

According to the lender, the programme will place emphasis on three core areas.

‘First, the programme will deepen fiscal policy reforms by strengthening public financial management systems and enhancing the transparency and efficiency of public spending,’ AfDB said.

‘Second, it will accelerate the reform of the power engineering sector to reduce energy poverty, expand access to energy, improve sector governance, and attract private investment.

‘Third, it will support implementation of the energy transition plan through measures that promote climate change adaptation and mitigation, including the introduction of energy-efficiency standards for electrical appliances.’

According to the financial institution, Nigeria’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) will also be updated for the 2026 to 2030 period.

‘The programme’s direct beneficiaries are the Federal Ministry of Power, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Office of the Auditor General, the Debt Management Office, the National Climate Change Council of Nigeria (NCCC), the Federal Ministry of the Environment, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), and other bodies responsible for social and economic policies,’ the statement reads.

‘Benefits will also accrue to private businesses in the form of improved investment climate and opportunities in the energy sector at the level of individual states of the Federation, and from the creation of an environment more conducive to public-private partnerships.

‘As of 31 October 2025, the active portfolio of the African Development Bank Group in Nigeria comprised 52 projects with a total commitment of $5.1 billion.’

Commenting on the development, Director-General of the office of the AfDB in Nigeria, Abdul Kamara, said the new phase will reinforce and build on the achievements of the first phase.

Quietly and without fanfare, the Nigerian Railway Corporation under Kayode Opeifa is showing early signs of renewal. Yet in a system long weighed down by bureaucracy, rust, and broken promises, the real challenge lies in keeping the wheels turning after the applause fades.

When Opeifa was appointed managing director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) early this year, the announcement barely stirred headlines. But among transport watchers, it drew attention. Here was a man once associated with Lagos traffic, an arena of daily chaos now handed the task of reviving a system meant to connect the whole country.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation once symbolised unity and progress, linking far-flung hamlets, communities, towns and feeding their local economies. Over time, it slipped into decay and nostalgia, a monument to what Nigeria once had and lost. Every new management promised revival; each left behind more rust and regret. Opeifa’s arrival came into that atmosphere of fatigue, one more technocrat stepping into a place heavy with expectations and history.

What has stood out so far is his visible, unceremonious style of engagement. Instead of remaining behind desks and memos, Opeifa has been out on the tracks inspecting stations, talking to workers, and listening to passengers. At the Lagos’ Iddo Terminal, he was reported to have seen the gap between reports and reality: dim platforms, faulty toilets, flickering lights, and weary coaches. His immediate instruction was to fix what could be fixed. Toilets were cleaned, lights repaired, and platforms tidied. It wasn’t dramatic, but it was symbolic a reminder that leadership sometimes begins with simple attention.

In other parts of the country, quiet attempts are underway to reconnect dormant lines and stir local economies back to life. The long silent Jos-Kuru corridor in Plateau State is reportedly being reconsidered for reopening. The Eastern line from Enugu to Port Harcourt has re-entered national conversation, with cautious optimism about renewed work. Freight services, too, are being repositioned as a growth engine. The Lagos-Ibadan cargo line, still evolving, could eventually ease the unbearable pressure on highways and cut logistics costs for manufacturers and traders.

That shift in focus is significant. For decades, discussions about Nigeria’s railways have revolved around passengers and comfort, often ignoring that rail systems across the world survive mainly on cargo. If the NRC succeeds in moving more goods efficiently, it will do far more for Nigeria’s economy than endless speeches about ‘modernisation.’

Inside the corporation, there’s a noticeable calm. Staff unions, once quick to challenge management, are reported to have pledged cooperation. That may not sound like much, but for an organisation long plagued by distrust and internal friction, it’s a big deal. Industrial peace doesn’t fix tracks or coaches, but it creates space for real work to happen.

Still, optimism must be measured. Nigeria’s railway story is littered with bright beginnings that fade into frustration. Chronic underfunding, sluggish procurement, weak maintenance, and a culture of secrecy remain major threats. There’s talk of acquiring new coaches and wagons a welcome plan, if executed transparently. But details are still hazy: no firm timelines, no public cost breakdowns, no delivery schedule. Nigerians deserve more than reports in newspapers; they deserve information. Transparency builds trust faster than announcements.

Beyond new equipment, the bigger challenge lies in maintenance. New coaches will not survive old habits. The NRC’s history is full of once proud assets left to rot after minor faults. Opeifa has warned against vandalism and theft, but punishment alone won’t change much. What’s needed is a working repair system, spares, workshops, and community ownership. Rail stations should not become scrapyards by neglect.

Another obstacle is the railway’s isolation from the rest of the transport ecosystem. Rail must connect meaningfully to ports, highways, and industrial clusters to make sense. The NRC has started engaging state governments and private players, but success will depend on how far these partnerships go beyond paper. A line that ends in the middle of nowhere serves no one.

In the months ahead, public judgment will rest not on rhetoric but on experience. Are trains cleaner? Are they more punctual? Are fares affordable? Has cargo movement between Lagos and Kano improved? These questions will tell Nigerians more about progress than any ribbon-cutting.

The truth is, the NRC doesn’t need miracles. It needs order, discipline, and continuity. Too often, its leadership has been caught between vision and bureaucracy: grand dreams swallowed by red tape. The real transformation lies not in mega projects but in the ordinary details: working lights, clean toilets, honest ticketing, and trains that simply leave and arrive on time.

If Opeifa can keep attention on those practical, almost boring things, he might quietly restore confidence in a system that once defined national unity. Each commuter who sits in a clean coach, each trader who moves goods safely, each town that hears the train whistle again that’s the measure of renewal.

Nigeria has seen this story before: a burst of reform energy followed by decline. Whether this chapter becomes another cycle or the start of something lasting will depend on management’s consistency after the noise dies down. Opeifa may not be seeking headlines, but his actions are being watched. And perhaps that’s for the best a railway system improving quietly, tested daily by a public that has learned to doubt promises but never quite stopped hoping for proof.

There comes a moment in the life of a nation when denial becomes complicity, when silence matures into surrender, and failure to act is tantamount to endorsement of the very horrors that civilisation is meant to prevent.

Over the past 90 days, Nigeria has been subjected to attacks, kidnappings, and so on. From the ravaged farmlands of Benue to the charred compounds of Borno, from the blood-soaked villages of Plateau to the mass graves of Nasarawa, what has unfolded across the country is nothing short of a national emergency. The League for Social Justice (LSJ) has documented 24 major atrocities across multiple states within this period, accounting for over 350 deaths, hundreds of abductions, massive property destruction, and the complete erasure of entire communities.

Yet these incidents represent only a fraction of the violence. In Yelewata, Benue State alone, more than 150 people were burned alive in their sleep, an atrocity so gruesome that it defies the boundaries of language.

A nation under siege

The LSJ report paints a terrifying picture of systemic, patterned violence. Across the north-west, north-central, and north-east regions, armed groups, bandits, Fulani militant factions, jihadist insurgents, and transnational criminal networks have unleashed coordinated attacks with devastating precision.

The LSJ report leaves no ambiguity:

More than 350 civilians killed, hundreds abducted, including schoolgirls. Villages burned, churches and mosques desecrated.

Security personnel ambushed and executed

Over 5,000 displaced in a single attack in Kirawa, Borno.

On page 4 of the report, a graph entitled: ‘Number of Major Atrocity Incidents by Month’ shows October as the deadliest month, with nine major attacks, nearly double the incidents recorded in August.

Alongside it, a ‘heat map’ of documented incidents ranks Borno, Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, and Taraba as the epicentres of bloodshed, indicating a premeditated geographic concentration.

The method behind the scourge

The LSJ analysis reveals a devastating pattern, a convergence of factors that signal deliberate strategy.

It is a war against rural communities across Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba, southern Kaduna, and parts of Katsina, attackers employ identical tactics including, night raids, multi-directional assaults, door-to-door executions, burning of homes, killing of farmers in their fields.

The report notes that both Christian farming settlements and Muslim communities have been targeted, a fact that underscores the complexity of the conflict but does not reduce its brutality. The signature of these attackers is uniform, chilling, ideological, territorial, and organised.

It is an economic warfare through farmland destruction. The occupation, seizure, and burning of farmland is quite strategic. They destroy food sources, cripple livelihoods, and displace families.

The LSJ report emphasises that, in a nation already plagued by food inflation and widespread hunger, this targeted destruction strikes at the heart of the country’s existence, posing a palpable threat to life and survival. Destruction of farmlands and attacking food supply goes beyond destruction of property; it is a deepening poverty, amplifying instability, fueling displacement, and driving the young toward desperation or exploitation by armed groups. You cannot starve a region without destabilising a nation.

And you cannot destabilise a nation without threatening its survival. And Nigeria’s survival is its food supply.

Expanding geographies of terror

Areas of hotbeds, which were confined to insecure zones, have metastasized far beyond their original epicentres. States that were once considered relatively safe, such as Kwara, Kebbi, Kogi, and large portions of Bauchi, are now absorbing the same patterns of mass killings, kidnappings, farmland seizures, and nighttime raids that previously defined the crisis corridors of Plateau, Kaduna, Zamfara, and Borno.

These murderous marauders take advantage of porous borders, weak policing, and the total absence of deterrence to inflict their mayhem, emboldened by networks of militias, bandits, and extremist factions.

The moral question before Nigeria is stark and unavoidable: Will we continue to drift toward a future in which the most dangerous men dictate the fate of the most vulnerable, or will we summon the courage to reclaim the republic from the jaws of lawlessness?

Symbolic and sacred spaces under attack

Schools, churches, mosques, traditional palaces, and military bases. These are the nerve centres of our identity, continuity, and sovereignty; however, they have become random soft targets, struck with impunity by the very forces a functioning state is meant to repel. Schools are there to safeguard the future, churches and mosques shape the moral conscience of the people, traditional palaces preserve our heritage and communal legitimacy, and military bases embody the coercive authority of the state. To attack, burn, or overrun them is to attack Nigeria’s essence, erase our collective memory, and plunder the very idea of the republic.

The abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi, the burning of palaces in Borno, and the overrunning of military checkpoints are disturbing.

The Nigerian Constitution is unambiguous in its sections. Section 33 guarantees the right to life. Section 14(2)(b) defines the security and welfare of the people as the primary purpose of government.

Section 44 protects property. Every one of these provisions is violated daily.

The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which was domesticated into Nigerian law, prohibits extrajudicial killing, torture, and forced displacement. Yet villages are burned, civilians slaughtered, and families uprooted in their thousands. Under international law, Nigeria is obligated to prevent widespread or systematic attacks on civilians.

To reverse this trend, Nigeria must confront this crisis with the urgency it demands. The LSJ report recommends rapid-response security deployment, constitutionally regulated state policing, intelligence reform, judicial overhaul, and the establishment of a National Commission on Mass Atrocities and Internal Displacement. A Certified True Copy of this report has been sent to both houses of the National Assembly for immediate action.

We cannot keep burying victims or counting the dead.

History will remember this moment.

The world is watching. And so are the graves.