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ASUU Vs FGN: Renewed hope, renewed struggle


Jeff Godwin Doki, Ph.D

One can say with considerable justification that our politicians do not know the meaning of honor. And this is because honor is a very expensive gift, and that is reason you cannot find it among cheap Nigerian politicians. For example, some of the salient attributes of honor include integrity, honesty and the keeping of a promise or an oath. No where is this idea of honor illustrated with more completeness than in the poem, ‘The Franklin’s Tale’ written by Geoffrey Chaucer (1342-1400), the first English poet.

The story goes like this: Dorigen’s husband had traveled out of town when a young man came earnestly asking for her love. Jokingly, Dorigen gave the young man an almost impossible condition which is that: he can only get her love if he is able to clear away all the rocks from the sea. Now, the young man took his assignment very seriously because he was in love and through the use of magic and astronomy, the young man was able to clear all the rocks away from the sea and thereafter he returned to Dorigen’s door asking her to make true her promise. Now, Dorigen’s husband had returned and when she informed him of her rash promise, he views what she had told the young man, not as a joke but, as a promise-for-a promise contract from which there is no honorable withdrawal. Accordingly, Dorigen’s husband gave his wife permission to go and keep her promise with the young man. This is the real meaning of honor. In other words, a promise is a matter of honor and integrity. Once it is given it must be fulfilled. Can Nigerian politicians borrow a leaf from Dorigen’s husband?

Now to our beloved country Nigeria, the giant of Africa, that turned 65 years some days ago. During electioneering campaigns in Nigeria, it is fashionable to see Nigerian politicians on the pulpit. They usually put sugar and honey in their tongues in order to win votes from the electorates. They give us empty promises: ‘We will build schools and hospitals’, ‘we will provide water to every backyard’,’ we will drive poverty away from the land’, ‘strikes in the University system will become a thing of the past’,’ we will turn all nights into day,’ ‘we will give the farmer the best for his sweat’, ‘Our children in the universities will complete their degree programs on record time’…The list of their promises could be as long as a railway line. Sometimes, they even promise to build a bridge even where there is no river. They give the electorates so much hope. They persuade us to hold on to the belief and the conviction that there is a better life, a better world beyond the horizon. But truth is that with Nigeria politicians, we are only facing a future that holds the hope of a thousand mirages.

The most recent example of this deceit and falsehood is the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present government. All our hopes were raised even during electioneering campaigns when we were told at rally after rally that there will be no more strikes in Nigerian Universities if Nigerians vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC). We had high hopes and we voted.
But,It is more than two years now since our hopes were raised and renewed. To his credit, Mr President, is a very experienced politician having served as Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007, and as Senator representing Lagos West in the third Republic.

With such a vast experience in leadership and Nigerian politics, one expects that the Government in power should be more democratic by honoring agreements especially the re-negotiated 2009 agreement between ASUU and the FGN submitted by Yayale Ahmed some months ago. This very agreement is at the heart of the face-off between the FGN and ASUU. One expects that Renewed Hope should mean respect for the Collective Bargaining Principle as enshrined in the laws of the International Labor Organization (ILO). Renewed Hope should mean making progress and not making excuses. For example, what steps has the present Government taken to ameliorate the rot in Nigerian public Universities since it assumed power in 2023? Even the Students Loan Scheme (NELFUND), the Government boasts about cannot get to the real Nigerians and, by that, I mean indigent students. Very recently, the Government announced a loan scheme for staff of the tertiary education sector. But is that the solution to the incessant strikes in the tertiary education sector?

Why is the government behaving like the absurd man in the proverbs who left his house on fire to pursue a rat fleeing from the flames? In any case, it is common knowledge that the same Nigerian Government is owing University teachers about four months withheld salaries. As a matter of fact, the Tertiary Education Loan Scheme represents a queer irony: you are owing some one and you are still offering your debtor another loan? What an upside-down-way of thinking. The whole loan project is balderdash and it smacks of deceit and folly. The sad truth is that the Nigerian Government has arrogantly betrayed everything for which our people struggled for because it has been able to count on the silence of the Nigerian people. Not even under past military juntas has there been such a deliberate and carefully organized strategy of pretense, sham and renewed deceit.

On August 26,2025, the Academic Staff Union of Universities ( ASUU) called out its members in all public universities in Nigeria to hold rallies on their campuses. Some members of ASUU also engaged in peaceful protest marches, chanting solidarity songs all over Nigeria. And what was the purpose of all these? The rallies and peaceful protests were meant to be a wake-up call, asking the Government in power to remember its campaign promises. Several interviews granted by the ASUU President, Zonal Coordinators and Branch Chairpersons after the public rallies all but had one common denominator namely: (1) Re-negotiation of the 2009 ASUU/FGN Agreement, (2) Sustainable funding of the universities (3) Revitalization of the universities, (4) Victimization of our colleagues in LASU, KSU and FUTO (5) Arrears of 25-35% wage award (6) Promotion Arrears, (7) Remittance of third-party deductions (8) Payment of three and half months withheld salaries. And this is only a partial list.

One must concede that since this Government assumed power in 2023, ASUU has employed various peaceful methods of resolving the crisis in Nigerian public Universities, including negotiation and dialogue. Lamentably, all these efforts have failed to produce any tangible results. Meanwhile, the Education Minister, another man of power, has consistently continued to demonstrate sheer ignorance about the Negotiation between ASUU and the FGN. Perhaps the negotiation took place before the Minister was appointed, or perhaps he is suffering from a poverty of sincerity. Whatever way, it is obvious that the Education Minister needs some education about the ASUU-FGN face-off.

The general public knows for sure that all is not well in Nigerian public universities and that there shall be a strike action in the nearest future except the President himself may wade into the matter and perhaps, very quickly too. This is as much as to say that the present regime, like others before it, has made a habit of treating Nigerian university teachers with utter contempt and disdain. For now, the much-talked-about Renewed Hope propagated everywhere by the Government’s numerous megaphones seems to appear like deceit labeled as official truths.

Any careful observer would have noticed also that dialogue between ASUU and the FGN has failed. Public rallies and peaceful protests have also fallen on deaf ears. It has become appallingly obvious, therefore, that the only language the Government shall understand is STRIKE. For the benefit of the doubt, it is the Government’s silence and willful incapacity to resolve the crisis in the public universities that has re-energized a renewed spirit of struggle among the ranks of ASUU. To put it bluntly: a fake Renewed Hope gives rise to a Genuine Renewed Struggle. A Government that gives the electorates fake campaign promises should not complain when citizens begin to embrace STRIKE ACTION as the only alternative. For ASUU as a union, there can be no way out after all struggles are required to survive under a regime founded on the structures of deceit and pretense.

As usual, ASUU is prepared to stand for education; to stand for what is right; to stand for the truth even if it means standing alone. But it should be borne in mind that the FGN shall take the blame if our public universities in Nigeria are shut down in the coming days. Our folks say that a woman who brings home ant-infested faggots should not complain when lizards begin to pay her a visit. It is the social responsibility of government to provide education for all its citizens and Section 18 of the 1999 Constitution is very explicit about this. Furthermore, Section 15 of the Child Rights Act provides that every child has a right to free, compulsory education. And this is precisely what ASUU stands for. The Federal Government should quickly rise up to its Constitutional responsibility. Nothing less than that will be adequate.

Jeff Godwin Doki is a Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Nigeria

The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.

Japan set to get first female PM after Sanae Takaichi wins ruling party leadership

Japan is on the verge of getting its first female prime minister after Sanae Takaichi was elected as leader of the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) – a victory that should lead to her being installed as the country’s new leader in the middle of the month.

Takaichi, a rightwing politician who has voiced admiration for Margaret Thatcher in her quest to build a “strong and prosperous” Japan on the international stage, beat her moderate rival, Shinjiro Koizumi, in a runoff election at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo on Saturday.

The election for party president was held after the outgoing prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, announced his resignation after just a year in office. Ishiba, a moderate whose election last year had angered the right of his party, said it was time to find a successor to lead a “new LDP”.

Takaichi, 64, inherits a party that has endured two bruising elections in the past year as voters punished it over a funding scandal and its failure to address the cost of living crisis.

“Together with so many of you, we have carved a new era for the LDP,” Takaichi said moments after defeating Koizumi by 185 votes to 156. “Rather than feeling happy right now, I feel real challenges lie ahead. I am convinced that there is a mountain of work we must tackle together.

“We must all pull together across all generations and work as one to rebuild the LDP. Everyone will have to work like a horse.”

As expected, Takaichi won the first round of voting, securing 183 of 589 votes, with Koizumi in second place with 164 votes. Three other candidates were knocked out of the contest. The runoff, in which MPs’ votes were given greater weight than those of rank-and-file party members, theoretically favoured Koizumi, who was said to be more popular among lawmakers. But it was Takaichi who emerged the winner after the second, decisive round of voting.

Although the LDP-led coalition no longer holds a majority of seats in parliament, Takaichi is widely expected to be approved as prime minister when MPs vote, with 15 October the most likely date.

To deny her the prime ministership, opposition parties would have to unite behind their own candidate – a scenario observers agree is unthinkable.

Her immediate task will be to unite her party and win back public support after more than a year of scandal and poor election results.

She will also have to address public concern over immigration and mass tourism, and try to win over younger voters who turned to populist minor parties such as Sanseito in this summer’s upper house elections. Japan should “reconsider policies that allow in people with completely different cultures and backgrounds”, Takaichi said during the campaign.

It is impossible to understate the symbolism of Takaichi’s victory in a country that has few female politicians and business leaders, and consistently ranks poorly in global gender gap comparisons. She has, though, opposed policies that many voters believe would advance the cause of gender equality, such as allowing women to become reigning empresses and married couples to use separate surnames.

Saturday’s vote had been described by analysts as a battle for the future of the LDP, which has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for the past seven decades. Its electoral dominance has been badly shaken, however, by a long-running scandal involving dozens of MPs who were found to have siphoned unreported profits from the sale of tickets to party gatherings into slush funds.

Takaichi, a foreign policy hawk, will also face a volatile security environment in east Asia, including the rise of a loose anti-western alliance comprising China, Russia and North Korea, and the redrawing of economic ties with the US under Donald Trump, who will reportedly visit Japan towards the end of the month.

Each of the LDP’s 295 lawmakers voted in the first round of Saturday’s vote, with an equal number of votes distributed based on the preferences of just over 1 million grassroots members who had already cast their votes.

After none of the candidates secured an overall majority in the first round, Takaichi and Koizumi went head to head, with each of the LDP’s 295 lawmakers getting one vote and the membership’s share dropping to 47 votes, one for each of Japan’s prefectures.

Credit: The Guardian

FIDA Nigeria, Abuja felicitates Chief (Mrs.) Stella Omiyi on her election into Defence Committee and Amicus Committee of the International Criminal Court Bar Association

FIDA Nigeria, Abuja Branch, heartily congratulates a distinguished elder of our branch, Past Country Vice President of FIDA Nigeria and Past Regional Vice President of FIDA International – Chief (Mrs.) Idenyemih Stella Omiyi – on her recent election into the Defence Committee and the Amicus Committee of the International Criminal Court Bar Association (ICCBA) at the Hague, Netherlands, on the 26th of September, 2025.

Chief (Mrs.) Omiyi’s exceptional achievements continue to inspire women in law across Nigeria and beyond. Her election is a testament to her unwavering commitment, sterling contributions, and remarkable leadership in the legal community, both within and outside Nigeria.

The Branch celebrates this well-deserved recognition and commends her for continually projecting the values of excellence, professionalism, and service which FIDA represents.

Congratulations once again, our very own Elder, Chief (Mrs.) Stella Omiyi! We are proud to be associated with you.

Chioma Onyenucheya-Uko,
Chairperson,
FIDA Nigeria, Abuja Branch.

Germane opportunities for Nigerian lawyers, By Audrey Chinelo Ofoegbunam

WELFARE NUGGETS

In an evolving legal landscape, lawyers must adapt and innovate to thrive.
Thus;

Remote Practice & International Clients
Platforms like UpCounsel, Clio, and LegalZoom enable Nigerian lawyers to service global clients, particularly in areas such as:

  • Intellectual Property (IP) registration
  • Contract drafting
  • Compliance

Niche Practice Development
Consider specializing in emerging areas of law, including:

  • FinTech regulation
  • Blockchain and cryptocurrency law
  • Data protection compliance

Alternative Revenue Streams
Diversify your income by exploring:

  • Online legal courses
  • Subscription-based advisory platforms
  • Publishing digital books and toolkits

By expanding your reach, developing niche skills, and exploring alternative revenue streams, you can stay ahead in the competitive legal landscape and achieve success as a Nigerian lawyer.

Supreme Court says fathers are legally bound to support wives and children whether or not there is divorce

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has held that fathers are legally bound to support their wives and children, whether or not a marriage is dissolved.

This verdict was delivered in the matter between UGBAH & Ors V. UGBAH (2025) LPELR- 8173 (SC)

In its 4th July 2025 decision, the Supreme Court in Ugbah & Ors v. Ugbah, a case that questioned whether a wife and children can sue for maintenance, welfare, and education while the marriage is still subsisting, and without first filing for divorce, the apex court gave the phenomenal verdict.

Key highlights of the case are that Mrs Veronica Ugbah sued her husband, Mr Patrick Ugbah, seeking money for her upkeep, their children’s education, and an alternative accommodation.

Patrick Ugbah, however, argued that such claims could only be made under the Matrimonial Causes Act (through a divorce or separation petition), not by a writ of summons.

The High Court dismissed his objection, but the Court of Appeal struck out the case, insisting that only a petition under matrimonial law was proper.

But the Supreme Court disagreed with the Court of Appeal and held that:

A wife does not need to file for divorce before asking for maintenance.

Children’s right to welfare and education is independent, enforceable, and not tied to divorce proceedings.

Courts must focus on substantial justice, not technicalities of procedure.

Outcome: The appeal was allowed, the High Court’s ruling was restored, and the wife and children’s claims were recognized as competent.

Why It Matters
This judgment underscores that:

Fathers remain legally bound to support their children whether or not a marriage is dissolved.

A wife can independently seek maintenance and support during marriage without being forced into divorce proceedings.

Courts will not allow technical rules to override the justice owed to vulnerable parties like wives and children.

The brazen customs officer who shunned court order, used Zone 2 police, thugs to evict tenants with 2-month-old baby in Lagos

A Customs officer identified as Ritji Stephen Gobak Gomos recently went berserk, defying a valid court order which stopped him from taking possession of his apartment occupied by one David Afam Akaraiwe and family, including a two-month-old baby, used policemen from ‘B Ops’ of Zone 2 Onikan and some thugs to forcefully evict a tenant at the Devine Estate Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.

And while the horrendous drama was on, the husband of the nursing mother, David Akaraiwe, was out of town.

It was gathered that trouble started with his tenant whose name was given as David Afam Akaraiwe after the customs officer landlord told him to leave his gate open that he was coming to fix an airconditioner at the adjoining apartment adding that Mr. Akaraiwe told him that there was no way he could keep his gate open because that would be a security breach, that if the landlord was around and wants to carry out any repair works on the adjoining apartment, he would gladly open the gate for him. Sources said the response of Mr. Akaraiwe did not go down well with the officer who vowed to eject him.

Subsequently, he served him with a quit notice and later a court Summons was pasted on his gate to appear before Court 4, Apapa, preparatory to his eviction on 3 September 2025. 

However, a twist was said to have been introduced into the drama after the landlord ordered his gate man, ThankGod Matthias, minutes after the Summons was pasted on the gate of David Afam Akaraiwe to secretly remove it so that he will not know the date of the court sitting. While doing this, the gate man was caught by a CCTV camera. So, while the court sat severally, Mr. Akaraiwe was not aware and judgment was given against him to quit the apartment.  While court Bailiffs came to execute the order, Mr. Akaraiwe was shell-shocked, questioning when the court sat. His lawyer, Edward Porbeni Esq, quickly went to the same court to pray to the Magistrate, Hon. L. O. Kazeem, that his client was never served a court Summons prior to judgment, adding that his client’s CCTV camera, however, caught the gateman, ThankGod Matthias, removing what seemed to be the court Summons. The Magistrate then gave a counter order forbidding possession order saying that in the interest of justice, he could not grant possession to the customs officer and therefore put in abeyance the application by his counsel. Hearing has been fixed for October 8, 2025.

Angered by the action of the customs officer and his gateman, the Magistrate gave an order for the arrest of the gate man and subsequent arraignment for subverting the cause of justice. Even though the gate man confessed on camera that it was his employer, the customs officer who asked him to remove the summons, his plea was not taken. He is presently remanded in Kirikiri Correctional Centre while the matter has been adjourned to October 20, 2025, for hearing.

However, still holding on to the initial order to quit, Mr. Stephen Gosom went to Zone 2, to seek policemen to help him execute the order. And the officers, instead of going to execute with court Bailiffs, sought the services of thugs to break open and pack out the tenants’ belongings, including forcing the nursing mother out in the cold air and welding the apartment with iron rods.

It was gathered that while the forcible ejection was on,  police officers from Area E’ Festac Town, on the order of the DPO, came to the scene to alert the officers from Zone 2 that what they were doing was illegal, as there was a counter court order stopping such. But agents of Gosom carried out the execution, locking the man’s dog tied to a chain inside.

According to some sources, the customs officer has even petitioned the Zonal Intelligence Response Squad ZIRS of the same Zone 2, accusing David Akaraiwe of kidnapping, breaking and entering and stealing, and a letter of invitation to that effect had already been sent to him. 

Present Counsel to Mr. Akaraiwe,  Barrister Yinka Sanni, who apparently was miffed by the whole scenario, describes the act of Customs officer Gomos as gross abuse of power, vowing to seek redress in a court of competent jurisdiction and claim damages. He said he was already doing a strong-worded petition to the Comptroller General of customs to the effect. “How can a customs officer, trained with the taxpayers’ money, who is supposed to be a custodian of the law, openly violate the law in this manner? He questioned. Continuing,  Barrister Sanni added, ” Even the officers from ‘B ops’ of Zone 2, don’t they know that you can not carry out ejection or execution of a valid court order without court bailiffs around, why hire the services of thugs?

The CCTV camera showed that no Bailiff was with them, they only came with thugs to execute a court order that had been set aside. I will sue the organization of this so-called Superintendent of Customs, join him, the Nigeria Police zone 2 and claim damages because my client was illegally detained and his property worth several millions of naira was destroyed. People don’t know that when you throw somebody’s property out illegally, you have literally detained the person. The battle line has been drawn; we will see where it ends between us and this lawless customs officer.”

Calls put to the customs officer on  +234 806 579 4596 to hear his side of the matter were rebuffed. He has neither responded to our text message to that effect as of the time of filing this report. Even calls put across to the Customs spokesperson, ACC Maiwada, were not picked up. He too did not respond to our text message as of the time of this report.

For Nigeria, 24 million reasons to fear the future?

By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

When Olusegun Obasanjo took over in the middle of 1976 from the slain Murtala Mohammed as Nigeria’s military Head of State, the regime was already committed as a matter policy to transition power to an elected civilian administration in 1979. This was a big deal alright but not one over which he had much say as such. As military Head of State, General Obasanjo identified two issues to define his personal legacy.

One was food security. To address that, he launched “Operation Feed the Nation”, better known by the acronym (OFN). Those were the same initials of Obasanjo Farms Nigeria, the name of the company under which the General would later pursue his post-retirement vocation in agriculture. The coincidence was not lost on many.

The other issue was education. To pursue this, General Obasanjo launched the Universal Primary Education (UPE) in 1976. 40 years later, an independent study determined that the UPE had “a statistically significant impact on schooling attainment of beneficiaries”, but there were questions as to its reach and coverage. Quite apart from the usual dysfunctions associated with centrally dictated government programmes, the UPE also faced opposition from traditional and religious leaders in some parts of Nigeria, who reportedly felt “that it is a Christian brainwashing which alienates their children from their own religious beliefs.” Those were also people who largely opposed the education of the girl-child.

The three and a half years of the Obasanjo military regime were too short for such an ambitious programme as the UPE to prove itself. The best he could hope for was that his civilian successors would continue with the idea.

At the launch of the UPE, the country was in the middle of what its rulers believed would be an interminable Oil Boom. In hindsight, the onset of the UPE coincided with the beginning of a bust. The programme became one of the casualties of the rampant corruption and the subsequent Austerity that bedevilled the administration of Obasanjo’s chosen successor, President Shehu Shagari.

The military regime that toppled Shehu Shagari four years later paid no heed to basic education. Chronically careening from the twin crises of balance of payments and elite banditry of the Nigerian political class, the system never quite rediscovered the will to invest in basic education as a duty of the Nigerian state. By the time Obasanjo returned as civilian president 20 years after his first tour of duty, the country had begun to reap whirlwind from decades of costly omission.

President Obasanjo appeared to understand this but arguably waited too long to address it. In the fifth year of his eight-year tenure, he enacted the Universal Basic Education Programme (UBE), which made basic education compulsory for all children in Nigeria. Basic education under the law was defined as nine years of formal education – six years in primary school and three years of junior secondary education. It also became a federal crime to deny a child in Nigeria access to such education. To encourage uptake by the states, the Federal Government offered generous co-financing incentives to the states. Many failed to take it up.

Two years later, in 2006, President Obasanjo launched a National Policy on Education. By this time, a diagnosis had indicated the depth of the emergency. Of 42.1 million Nigerian children eligible for primary education at the end of 2005, “only 22.3m were in the primary schools. This figure implies that about 19.8m or 47% Nigerian children that should [have] been in primary schools [were] not.”

It is no surprise that this period coincided with the onset of what would later become an Islamist insurgency founded on an ideology opposed to Western education.

As with his first tour of presidential duty, the policy measures implemented by President Obasanjo on his second coming equally relied for their durability on his successors sharing his sense of mission and urgency. It was a tall hope. In the two decades since Obasanjo’s National Policy on Education of 2006, successive administrations neglected it to a point where the country has become the most natural recruiting ground in the world for radicalisation.

On Monday, 13 November, 2017, Muhammadu Buhari, another Nigerian ruler on his second tour of presidential duty, hosted a Cabinet retreat on education. Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, himself a teacher of considerable stature and Education Minister, Adamu Adamu, also addressed the retreat which, however, involved little deliberation and ended with an inconclusive communique.

A high point of the Buhari Cabinet retreat was the presentation of Minister Adamu Adamu’s “Education for Change: A Ministerial Strategic Plan, 2016-2019.” Launched in August 2016 and better known under the acronym MSP, its title was a play upon the “Change” mantra of the then government, and the United Nations’ Education for All campaign. If it had been launched today, the plan would probably have been called “Education for Renewed Hope”.

At over 120 pages, most Nigerians, including senior staff of the Federal Ministry of Education (FMoE), were unlikely ever to read the MSP. In his foreword, Minister Adamu promised to “welcome rigorous discussion with all levels of stakeholders to ensure a sustainable and enduring document.” It never happened.

The MSP offered the government’s vision for education in Nigeria, setting out three strategic outcomes namely: improving access, enhancing quality, and strengthening sectoral systems. The scope covered ten major areas. Under access, in particular, the MSP focused on out-of-school children (OOSC).

The MSP identified a priority in the twin challenges of OOSC and mass illiteracy. The plan estimated the number of OOSC at 10.5 million and illiteracy at 38% or 60 million Nigerians. With reference to OOSC, it proposed “a state of emergency on education in the states most affected by the (Boko Haram) insurgency.” This was an implicit recognition of the relationship of cause and effect between policy failure and national security consequence.

By 2019, the plan hoped to reduce by half the number of illiterate people in Nigeria through the deployment of 170,000 instructors, 100,000 of whom will be mobilised by the Federal Government and another 70,000 by the States. For the first time, the MSP offered a plan for a pre-primary (nursery) education curriculum. Not much has been heard of these since then.

The pivotal planning data on which the MSP was anchored was dubious and dated. On the issue of OOSC, for instance, it claimed that Nigeria had “10.5 million out-of-school children”, a figure first used by the FMoE in its planning in 2006. Contradicting the MSP, however, President Buhari informed the country at the retreat that in Nigeria “an estimated 13.2 million children are out of school.” This was one-third more than the estimate by the MSP.

On the back of this frightening number, President Buhari then touted the goal of the FMoE as “fostering the development of all Nigerian citizens to their full potentials, in the promotion of a strong, democratic, egalitarian, indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under God.”

For all its ambition, the MSP was starkly un-costed. Instead, it proposed to increase already bloated education overheads by elevating the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS) to a parastatal. It is hardly any surprise that President Buhari’s goal of enlightened governance based on egalitarian civics came to naught.

These and many more flaws in the MSP highlight the reasons why Nigeria’s educational sector drifted into a zone of dangerous incoherence under President Buhari’s watch. In the period since then, the country has descended into a snarling cauldron of inter-ethnic hate.

This past week, President Obasanjo disclosed that the population of OOSC in Nigeria has nearly doubled to 24 million, which is over 10% of the country’s current population estimate. He predictably warned: “You don’t need an oracle to know they will become the recruiting ground for the Boko Haram of tomorrow.”

Education should be a national security priority for all levels of government. States need both a coherent policy environment and a committed partner at the federal level. Yet very few Nigerians can say who the Minister of Education is, what is his or her name and what is their plan for addressing Nigeria’s 24 million reasons to fear the future.

A lawyer and a teacher, Odinkalu can be reached at [email protected]

The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.

High court sentences man to life imprisonment for defiling four-year-old in Lagos

A High Court in Lagos on Tuesday sentenced Femi Ayoade, a 22-year-old graduate, to life imprisonment for defiling a four-year-old girl inside a tricycle.

Hon. Justice Abiola Soladoye of the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court delivered the judgment, stating that the prosecution had proven the one-count charge of defilement beyond a reasonable doubt.

The judge described Ayoade as a criminally audacious man who shamelessly turned a child’s vagina into a playground.

“The prosecution has successfully presented compelling evidence against the defendant.

“Consequently, the defendant is hereby found guilty of the charge of defilement and is sentenced to life imprisonment,” Justice Soladoye ruled.

The judge further ordered that the convict’s name be entered into the Lagos State Sexual Offences Register.

The State Counsel, Mrs Olufunke Alebiosu, presented the survivor and her father as key witnesses.

The convict committed the offence in September 2021 at No. 19, Milestone Close, Infinity Estate, Skido Bus Stop, Eti-Osa, Lagos.

Just In: Gunmen kidnap, kill top veterinary doctor in Abuja, his three children still in kidnappers’ den

A notable veterinary doctor and former chairman of the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) FCT chapter, Dr Ifeanyi Ogbu, has been murdered in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. 

According to reports, armed men stormed his residence in Kubwa, Abuja, and abducted him along with his three children. 

While his nursing wife and other family members were hoping for the best, the doctor’s body was later found dumped by the roadside, while his children are still missing.

Andrew Gabriel Ikechukwu, who also shared the tragic news on his Facebook page, explained that Dr Ogbu was kidnapped along with three of his children, but later found dead while the three children were yet to be released. 

Praying for God’s intervention, he said, “Dr. Ifeanyi Ogbu, the immediate past chairman of the NVMA FCT chapter, who was kidnapped alongside his three children from his home in Kubwa Abuja was found dead.

“The three children are yet to be released. May God please intervene.” 

This incident comes on the heels of the tragic death of Somtochukwu Maduagwu, a news anchor with Arise TV, who was murdered in an armed robbery attack at her Katampe residence in Abuja. 
Maduagwu, a 29-year-old lawyer-turned-journalist, was known for her advocacy on gender-based violence and education reform.

Her death has sparked widespread outrage and condemnation from Nigerians, with many calling for justice and improved security measures.

The Nigerian police have launched investigations into both incidents.

President Bola Tinubu has also reacted to Maduagwu’s murder, ordering security operatives to conduct a quick and thorough investigation and bring those responsible to justice.

Dr. Ogbu’s murder has similarly sparked an outpouring of grief and outrage. A colleague described his death as “a great loss” and a painful reminder of the insecurity that continues to affect families and communities in Nigeria. 

“Nigeria just happened to my age-long friend, Ifeanyi… His untimely death is a painful reminder of the insecurity that continues to affect families and communities in Nigeria,” she wrote in a post titled “A Great Loss”.

The veterinary community is in mourning, remembering Dr. Ogbu as a dedicated professional and a valued member of their profession.

The killings of Maduagwu and Dr. Ogbu have raised concerns about the safety of citizens, particularly in the nation’s capital. Many are questioning the effectiveness of the security measures in place and calling for improved security protocols to prevent such incidents in the future.

Tributes have poured in for both Maduagwu and Dr. Ogbu, with many describing them as vibrant and dedicated individuals who were taken too soon.

Their deaths have highlighted the need for urgent action to address the security challenges facing the country.

The police have yet to issue a statement on the incident, but investigations are likely underway to apprehend the perpetrators.

As the community waits for justice, many are left wondering how such a heinous crime could occur.

Sahara Reporters

Despite court order, police impound 25 vehicles in Delta over tinted glass permit

In spite of an order of a Federal High Court Warri in Delta State, which ordered the Nigeria Police Force and the Inspector-General of Police to maintain the status quo in a suit filed by lawyer John Aikpokpo-Martins, challenging the legality of the new tinted permit enforcement, the police command in Delta says it has impounded 25 vehicles for not having the tinted glass permit despite a suit challenging the legality of the policy.

In a post shared via X on Friday, the Delta police command published the pictures of the impounded cars.

On Thursday, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) commenced the enforcement of the tinted glass permit policy across the nation.

The policy, which was initially billed to take off on June 1 before being shifted to October 2, requires motorists to obtain an annual permit for tinted glasses through a digital portal (possap.gov.ng).

However, the policy has been met with criticism, as the Nigerian Bar Association Section of Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) filed a public interest suit in September to challenge its legality.

The suit was filed at the federal high court in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

In a letter addressed to Kayode Egbetokun, the inspector-general of police (IGP), on October 1, the NBA faulted the decision to enforce the tinted glass permit policy despite a suit against it.

Benjamin Hundeyin, force spokesperson, said the NBA’s position was misleading, describing it as “an attempt to cast aspersions on the image, integrity, and lawful operations of the force.”

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