Although election officials and stakeholders made repeated calls for civic participation in the ongoing local government polls in Lagos, some young residents of Alausa, Ikeja, elected instead to play football.
Between 9 am and 2 pm on Saturday, during the peak of the electioneering process, groups of youths were seen at three different spots in Alausa engrossed in football matches instead of heading to polling units.
When approached by our correspondent, many of them cited a lack of trust in the electoral outcome as the reason for staying away from the polls.
“You can’t force me to vote. I chose to play ball, and why will I vote?” said Ayomikun Ola, one of the youths.
Another young man, Opeyemi Omoemi, was blunt in his response: “We all know that it’s the APC that wins all, as usual. So there is no need for me to disturb myself.”
Wasiu, also found on the field, said, “Bro, there is no need. I am satisfied with the football than the vote.”
Bayo, who joined the game, explained that he was underage. “I haven’t clocked 18, that’s why I didn’t vote. The best is to play football,” he said.
A young woman, Seriki Ganiyat, attending to customers at her shop nearby, said she could not afford to leave her business for the election.
“It’s not necessary. I have children to feed. Imagine if I had to leave my shop to go and vote. What for and what will my children eat this night?” she asked.
Their views reflect a broader pattern of low voter turnout and widespread apathy observed across many polling units.
At Polling Unit 003, Ward 7, only 61 out of 1,000 registered voters had voted as of 1:05pm.
Similarly, at PU 007 of the same ward, only 30 people had cast their ballots by 1pm., while PU 031 had recorded just four voters out of 29 by 1:12 p.m.
At PU 026, only one voter had shown up out of 21 registered. PU 027 recorded just five votes from 62 registered voters by 1:43pm.
In Ward F, PU 011, 45 voters turned up from a total of 908. PU 085 had no votes cast at all by 1:45pm, despite having four registered voters.
Ward C’s PU 004, with 913 registered voters, recorded just 30 ballots as of 1:47pm. At Ward F, PU 036, only 50 out of 986 had voted by 1:51pm.
A senior official of Nigeria’s National Assembly, Ifeoma Ofili, has exposed corruption allegedly perpetrated by the federal lawmakers, ranging from bribery during oversight functions to manipulation of legislative reports and misappropriation of staff entitlements.
Mrs Ofili, a director at the House of Representatives and former Clerk of the House Committee on Local Content, exposed the lawmakers during a retreat organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) for Directors and Committee Clerks.
The event took place on 27 June in Abuja.
The video of her speech exposing the lawmakers at the retreat has since gone viral on social media, generating outrage among Nigerians who accuse the lawmakers of institutionalising corruption under the guise of legislative duties. Some were of the opinion that corruption is not just prevalent in the legislative arm, but deeply entrenched within the executive branch as well.
Bribery during oversight functions
In the video, Mrs Ofili explained how the federal lawmakers allegedly accept bribes from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) during oversight visits, an act meant to compromise their integrity and allow MDAs to evade accountability.
“We are talking about oversight. How do you account for the fact that the flight ticket to go and oversight somebody was paid for that person by the agency. What are you coming to write?
“You go there, they tell you what to write, they give you money, they quarter you, they give you flight and the members will come and fight over the money that they give to them. They will not give the clerk. They will not give the committee assistance that they took along.
“But it’s not even the fact that they didn’t give the clerk. Now you are compelled to write a report of what you did not see, what did not happen, and you lie. Me as a Catholic, I will just go for confession first,” she said.
Manipulation of public hearing reports
The director also accused lawmakers of manipulating reports of public hearings by hiring external consultants to write falsified reports, bypassing committee clerks who are legally and procedurally mandated to handle such documentation.
“Then secondly, financing a public hearing. We did a public hearing last year and then the committee called me to tell me that a consultant was employed to write a report. And then I asked the consultant, were you at the public hearing? He said ‘no.’, So, what do you want to write. I, Ifeoma will give you material to write the report? I said no, it’s not going to happen. I will not work with you. I put my feet down and I told him I’m not going to work with you.
“And I sat down because they are looking at us as if we do not have capacity. Me, I’m just two steps out of National Assembly for retirement. So right now, my mother says she’s not dancing so that people will give her money, It is so that they will see me. So I will say what I want to say. I sat down and I did a proper report of that public hearing and I took it to the chairman.
“I said, this is the report, and they were looking at me like, you mean it. I said, yes. ‘Oh no, you have to change that. I said no, this is what happened.’ If you want to change it, you can now go ahead and change it, but the original report is in my system. I don’t use secretaries. I type my report myself. So if they want to change it, they should go ahead and change it, I am waiting,” she added.
False transparency, compromised investigations
Mrs Ofili criticised lawmakers’ perceived transparency, especially during critical investigations of MDAs.
While appearing tough in public regarding misappropriation of funds in government agencies, the director alleged that many probes were deliberately compromised behind the scenes.
“Then we are talking about punishing MDAs. They will come on TV and they will say, this erring MDA did this. All the atrocities that are being committed in the National Assembly, who punished them?,” she queried.
She noted that budget allocations meant for staff welfare, such as allowances for training, health, and sports are often “collapsed” into vague budget lines and embezzled by lawmakers.
“We don’t follow the budget process the way it is. They will budget money for… for instance, staff budget, money for training, money for clinics, money for sports, money for books, money, they collapse it.
“It is in the National Assembly we are still hearing about “collapse.’ Now, allowances that are budgeted for National Assembly staff is collapsed. So, we as citizens, because we are still citizens, first, before we became National Assembly staff and then you have no power to even go and hold a press conference because we have sworn to oath of silence. So I can’t even tell the world how I feel.
“Allowances that are constitutional, even, put it in the constitution this time, statutory allocation to the National Assembly staff, they collapsed it till now.”
Neglect, hardship of National Assembly staff
Mrs Ofili painted a sad picture of life for many National Assembly staffers, especially retirees, who she said are often left unpaid for years after their exit from service.
“Some people have retired. It takes over a year, two years for them to pay the National Assembly staff their retirement benefit. Before you start talking about pension, go and see them. They look like scarecrows. Our former colleagues call us, direct us to beg for money for fuel. They are coming to the National Assembly. You see them standing at the junction into the National Assembly. They can’t afford to fuel their cars.”
She claimed that statutory allocations for staff allowances are misappropriated, and even constitutional entitlements are not respected.
“So apart from what the constitution says, they themselves (lawmakers) who is looking at the one they (lawmakers) are collapsing and chopping. They (lawmakers) chop their own, they chop our own” she added.
PREMIUM TIMES could not reach the spokesperson for the House of Representatives, Akin Rotimi, for comment on Saturday as he did not pick calls to his mobile telephone.
Previous instances where Nigerian lawmakers were exposed of being corrupt
Mrs Ofili’s disclosure is just one among several instances where Nigerian lawmakers have been found guilty of being corrupt. Despite these revelations, many of the implicated lawmakers continue to enjoy public support and celebration, even after being found guilty.
In 2007, Patricia Etteh, the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives, faced allegations of approving N628 million for the renovation of her official residence and the purchase of luxury vehicles. She eventually stepped down from her position due to the widespread public outrage and mounting pressure from fellow lawmakers and civil society groups.
Mrs Etteh was later cleared of the allegation.
In 2012, Farouk Lawan, who was then the Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), was caught on camera accepting a $500,000 bribe from businessman Femi Otedola. The payment was allegedly meant to remove Mr Otedola’s firm, Zenon Oil, from the list of companies implicated in the fuel subsidy scandal.
Mr Lawan, who represented Bagwai/Shanono Federal Constituency in Kano State, was later prosecuted and sentenced in 2021 to seven years in prison, later reduced to five. He has served out his jail term.
In 2016, Abdulmumin Jibrin, then Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, accused Speaker Yakubu Dogara and other House leaders of padding the nation’s budget with personal projects worth billions of naira.
Mr Jibrin was suspended for 180 legislative days, and the allegations were never thoroughly investigated by any external body.
Lawmakers have also frequently been accused of collecting bribes during oversight functions, with reports of them accepting sponsored travel, accommodation, and other perks from government agencies.
In 2020, during a public hearing on alleged financial mismanagement within the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), members of the National Assembly were accused of receiving contracts and kickbacks.
The commission’s acting Managing Director, Daniel Pondei, collapsed during the hearing, while then Niger Delta Minister (now Senate President), Godswill Akpabio, claimed that several lawmakers had benefited from NDDC contracts. Despite the public uproar and the exposure of serious irregularities, no significant prosecutions were carried out.
Similarly, a PREMIUM TIMES’ investigation in August 2023 exposed corruption by a House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating job racketeering in federal agencies. The committee, headed by Oluwole Oke, was accused of demanding bribes from heads of MDAs and educational institutions to avoid being publicly disgraced.
Though the committee projected an anti-corruption stance publicly, its members were allegedly using their powers to coerce illegal payments from agency heads. The lawmakers often investigate MDAs but sometimes the outcomes of those exercises are not made public.
Running costs, perks of office as lawmaker
Controversy is still trailing the exact amount the federal lawmakers collect as salaries and allowances.
Although, the Revenue Mobilisation Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMFAC) prepare salaries and allowances for the lawmakers, they allegedly get more than what the commission approved as allowances.
Shehu Sani, a former senator representing Kaduna Central, once confirmed that senators receive N13.5 million monthly for running costs in addition to their monthly consolidated salary and allowances.
Kano South Senator Kawu Sumaila recently disclosed that each senator earns a minimum of N21 million monthly when salaries, allowances, and running costs are combined.
Mr Sumaila, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said his basic monthly salary is less than N1 million, but with the addition of running costs, his total monthly earnings rise to at least N21 million.
Despite humongous allowances and perks of office, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, saidduring the week that many lawmakers face financial hardship after losing elections, with some unable to afford basic medical care.
“Nigerians think a lot of money is spent in the National Assembly, but once you step out of the National Assembly you are looking for money to even treat yourself, which shows the fallacy of all the insinuations and innuendos thrown at the legislators.
“So, I think it was an eye-opener for a lot of people. Some people think that we come here to make money. They don’t know that we come here to sacrifice for the nation’s growth so we can leave a better country for future generations,” Mr Akpabio said.
In the year 1985, a musical group was formed, their name was “A TRIBE CALLED QUEST”.
It is their fascinating name that I have adapted for this write-up.
Let me begin with a caveat, the view expressed in this write-up are my personal views and not the views of the leadership of the Nigerian Law Society (NLS) of which I currently serve as the Executive Director.
Yesterday, 10th July 2025, during a meeting of the leadership of the Nigerian Law Society (NLS), I expressed the strong opinion that the NLS should be wary of admitting members of the group of about 900 Nigerian lawyers under the ABLIF (Advocacy for Bar Licence Freedom).
My logic is based on the common sense that: “a leopard rarely changes its spots”, therefore this group of lawyers who are currently rebelling against a policy of the NBA, if admitted into the NLS, would also rebel against any of the policies of the NLS that they disagree with!!!
In my argument, I stated that having practised law in the United Kingdom and the United States of America (as a previous member of the Federal Bar Association, Capitol Hill Chapter), and now in the Kingdom of Lesotho, Continuing Legal Education is a mandatory requirement for lawyers to renew their practising licence.
ABLIF is an acronym for Advocacy for Bar Licence Freedom. This is a group of lawyers that are advocating against the Nigerian Bar Association-NBA’s recent directive that all it’s members must undertake Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Programmes (MCLE).
According to the NBA, without undertaking five (5) points of MCLE, none of its lawyer members would be issued with a bar practicing licence.
However, ABLIF is of the view that payment of annual Bar Practising Fees as stipulated by the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962 is the only pre-requisite requirement for Nigerian lawyers to obtain practising licence.
So in defiance of the NBA’s directive on MCLE, the ABLIF, led by Ambassador Hammed Jimoh and Clement Chukwuemeka (Democrat) formed the ABLIF, which currently has about 900 lawyers as members.
They wrote a formal letter of protest to the President of the NBA.
In response the President of the NBA has responded that it will not reverse the said directive on mandatory MCLE.
The ABLIF now says it will proceed with its plans to press home its demands by a combination of peaceful protests at the National Assembly and other venues, as well as undertaking litigation in courts of law.
In its letter/statement of response dated 10th July 2025, the President of the NBA had threatened that there will be negative consequences upon lawyers who failed to comply with the mandatory MCLE directive. Amongst other sanctions, he stated that their names of such defaulters would be published and effectively they would cease to be members of the NBA!!!
In the face of potential excommunication from the NBA, members of the ABLIF started weighing the option of joining and enrolling as members of the Nigerian Law Society (NLS).
However, membership of the NLS is not automatic for the members of the ABLIF.
This has put the members of the ABLIF in some kind of limbo or purgatory!!! “(Purgatory (in Catholic doctrine) a place or state of suffering inhabited by the souls of sinners who are expiating their sins before going to heaven.”
So in the meantime, members of the ABLIF are now like nomads and itinerant lawyers wandering between the lacuna of wilderness and chasm between the NBA and the NLS!!!
Fortunately, for them there is the option of floating an independent Bar Association of lawyers such as they have in South Africa. An independent Bar Association of lawyers that are neither aligned to the NBA or the NLS!!!
Also, they have the additional option of working as digital nomads without the requirement of obtaining NBA licence.
Estonia was the first country to introduce digital nomad visa in June 2020.
“A Digital nomad is a person who travels freely while working remotely using information and communications technology such as the Internet. Such people generally have minimal material possessions and work remotely in temporary housing, hotels, cafes, public libraries, co-working spaces, or recreational vehicles, using Wi-Fi, smartphones or mobile hotspots to access the Internet”
These are interesting times to be a Nigerian lawyer!!!
The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.
The management of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, has confirmed the death of Miss Isabella Ajana, a 100-level student in the Faculty of Law and has launched an investigation into the circumstances leading to the incident.
This is barely four days after a 300-level student of the Department of Microbiology at the institution, identified as Tochi, slumped and died while playing football.
It was gathered that Isabella passed away on Friday, July 4, after being admitted at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital on Monday, June 30, 2025.
A detailed account of the events leading to her demise revealed that the unfortunate incident leading to her death began on Friday, June 27, when the deceased and her roommates were locked out of their room at Emalda Hostel after mistakenly leaving their key inside.
“However, by Sunday night, the situation took a dangerous turn. As a Type 1 Diabetes patient, the deceased’s insulin and essential medication were locked in her room. Her condition deteriorated rapidly.
“Though managed overnight, the spare key was finally retrieved by Monday morning, granting access to her medication. Unfortunately, efforts to stabilise her condition proved ineffective, even after the insulin was administered.
“She was rushed to the UNIZIK Medical Centre, which, regrettably, was unable to provide necessary care and referred her to the teaching hospital, where she was admitted and placed under treatment.”
Reports indicated that the deceased showed signs of improvement by Thursday, but tragically, she passed away the following day.
Related News Okpebholo vows to probe Obaseki’s tenure Wanted suspects in assault on Rivers LG administrator surrender to police Woman dies after falling into 170ft well in Lagos It was gathered that her death was not immediately disclosed to the public at the request of a family member until Tuesday, July 8, when her mother personally informed her close friend.
This devastating loss has plunged the student body and entire university community into mourning. But beyond grief, there is outrage and a resolute demand for accountability.
Although, while some sources and roommates of the deceased alleged that the hostel management demanded some amount of money up to the sum of N40,000 before releasing the spare key, the school authorities denied the allegations.
However, the Acting Director, Information and Public Relations/Protocol, Njelita Louis, who confirmed the development in a press statement released on Thursday, said investigation is currently ongoing into the circumstances that led to the demise of the student.
The statement read, “The attention of the management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, has been drawn to the distressing incident involving Miss Isabella Ajana, a 100-level student in the Faculty of Law.
“It’s pertinent to inform all concerned at this moment and to assure the university community and the public that the university is actively working to get to the root of this unfortunate situation.
“We understand the anxiety and uncertainty this has caused, and our primary concern is the safety and well-being of our students. The management acknowledges the issues at hand with deep concern and is leaving no stone unturned in taking immediate steps to address them.
“Currently, there is an ongoing investigation into the circumstances that led to the demise of our dear student.
“Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka is committed to transparency in this investigation and will keep the university community and the public informed and properly updated on the progress and outcome as soon as possible.”
According to him, the University is beaming its searchlight on the operation, management, security and the welfare of students living at Elmada, a privately owned and managed hostel within the University’s vicinity.
“In the meantime, we urge everyone to remain calm and avoid any actions likely to cause breach of peace. The university management assures all staff, students and the general public of the university’s determination to sustain the cordial relations in the university. Thank you for your cooperation,” the statement added.
JOIN US FOR DAY 12 AS WE PROPHESY “ALL ROUND CONGRATULATIONS”👏🏼🙏🏻🎉🔥
Scriptures for Study & Meditation: Genesis 18:1–9, 21:1–6, 1 Chronicles 4:10, Luke 1:26–58, Luke 15, John 2:1–11
Declare wth us: (insert your name) and declare CONGRATULATIONS!!! 7x
July to December: MY RAIN OF CONGRATULATIONS HAS ARRIVED! FIRE, CLEAR THE WAY! Disappointments at the edge of breakthrough, delays and denials, lack of ideas or creativity, Fire, clear the way! It’s raining elevation, expansion, breakthroughs, and back to back celebrations! For What God Cannot Do Does Not Exist! (1 Kings 18:30–46, Amos 9:12)
July to December: A Rain Maker has arisen! I till the earth according to the size of what is coming. No open door of Congratulations will meet me unprepared. Every arrow or attack of laziness, lousiness in the spirit, soul, or body that causes men to trivialize Kairos moments, Fire! (Genesis 2:5)
July to December: GREATER AND MIGHTIER! By Glory, Power, and Fire, I possess answers, evidence, celebrations, and congratulations. GREATER! MIGHTIER! Hallelujah! (Deuteronomy 9:1)
July to December: No demonic quietness! Any hand that arises to insist I remain where I was in the first half, You lie! Fire! Hands of rising and falling, family sieges, witchcraft attacks, territorial wickedness that stop men/women in seasons of congratulations, Fire! (Revelations 8 )
July to December: I arise as a gatekeeper over my family and insist: Our Good News will not coexist with bitter tears! As our congratulations arrive, demonic songs of pain, shame, affliction, obituary, rising and falling, or using our money to service negativity, We will not dance to you! Fire! (Isaiah 61:7)
By the mandate of divine congratulations, where I crawled, I now receive wings to fly! It’s coming early. Restoration has come! All the years the cankerworm has eaten, I take them back by Fire! (Revelation 12:5, Joel 2:25)
My second half is laid on Mercy: When I walk – Mercy! When I talk – Mercy! When I’m not present – Mercy speaks for me! Mercy is my introduction, my qualification, my defense! By the new mercies of El-Roi, let my congratulations burst out! (Lamentations 3:22–23)
I am anointed for congratulations! I am highly sought after, valuable, and full of divine ideas. My mind is a fertile ground for God’s power, I think right, speak right, act right! My feet take me to the right people, in the right places, at the right time! My hands are blessed, everything I touch turns to gold! (Psalm 1:3, Deuteronomy 28:12)
My time for all-round congratulations has come! This is my season, I seize my moment! The Lord has made me 1,000 times bigger, better, wiser, and more discerning. As occasion demands, I know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it! (Deuteronomy 1:11, Ecclesiastes 8:5–6)
I may be here in (insert your city), but my mandate is Global! Mysterious trumpeters, angels of my congratulations, arise and blow my name in nations of the world: To kings, queens, nobles, investors, and clients! Where it matters, and when it matters, my name must be remembered! (Hebrews 1:14, Esther 6:1–10)
Every bridge I need to cross from vision to actualization, from dream to reality, Whether it’s finances, connections, help or helpers, enter by Fire! My help has come, I carry my congratulations! (Philippians 4:19)
EL-ROI!!! Once have You spoken, twice have I heard, all power belongs to You! I know You see to lead men into their seasons of congratulations. Whatever You’re doing in this season, start with me! July to December: New Glory, New Mantles, New Miracles, and testimonies of the God that sees me! (Psalm 62:11)
I hear the sound of new victories! The Lion has prevailed! I sing a new song! I raise a shout of Hallelujah, for What my God Cannot Do Does Not Exist! (Revelation 5:5, Psalm 40:3)
One-time Governor of Adamawa State, Rear Admiral Muritala Nyako (rtd.), has agreed to an out-of-court settlement in a N29bn alleged fraud case brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, since 2015.
An indication to this effect emerged on Friday, at the Federal High Court in Abuja during the hearing of the ten-year-old corruption case.
At Friday’s proceedings, the prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, informed the court that both parties were currently in discussions to ensure an amicable settlement of the case.
According to the senior lawyer, by the next adjourned date, the two parties should be able to resolve all the details of the settlement so that the court can dispose of this matter.
“If we get a week’s adjournment, we will be able to resolve this,” Jacobs expressed optimism.
Counsel to Nyako, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoaka, SAN, confirmed to the court that discussions have reached an advanced stage for an out-of-court settlement in the alleged fraud case.
Aondoaka, a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, AGF, said he was positive that the matter would be resolved amicably.
Based on the agreement of lawyers, the trial judge, Justice Peter Lifu, fixed July 18 for the former governor and the anti-graft agency to file a report of settlement.
Admiral Nyako, who is the husband of Justice Binta Fatima Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja division, is being prosecuted by the EFCC alongside his son, Abdul-Aziz, on charges of criminal conspiracy and abuse of office to the tune of N29bn.
Others standing trial along with them are two companies, Sebore Farms and Extension Ltd and Pagado Fortunes Ltd, as well as Zulkifik Abba, Abubakar Aliyu, Blue Opal Ltd, Tower Assets Management Ltd, and Crust Energy Ltd.
The trial, which began on July 8, 2015, before Justice Evoh Chukwu, was started afresh on September 12, 2016, before Justice Okon Abang following the death of Justice Chukwu on June 8, 2016, after the EFCC had called five witnesses to establish its case.
The trial had to start afresh before Justice Peter Lifu, on the elevation of Abang to the Court of Appeal in 2023.
Life Bencher and Chairman of Nigeria’s Council of Legal Education, Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, decided long ago to make a mark in his chosen profession. He has done that and much more.
He desired to study either law or mass communications, but the attraction for law proved to be stronger when he elected to follow the footsteps of his immediate elder sister, MaryRose Nwadike nee Ngige, who he immensely admired. She is a law graduate of the University of Ife.
With mentor, counsellor, teacher, ‘Coacher’ and immediate elder sister, Attorney MaryRose Nwadike@Maryland, USA
Under the watchful eyes of Chief G.N. Uwechue, SAN, Principal Partner G.N. Uwechue & Co, Barristers & Solicitors & Notaries Public in 1986, he honed his legal skills and became a towering figure in Nigeria’s legal profession.
With boss and mentor, Owelle George Uwechue, SAN
No surprises there for one whose father taught the value of hard work and aspiring beyond preconceived limits.
On this special day, Law & Society Magazine celebrates —a remarkable senior colleague and a truly inspiring lawyer. Your unwavering dedication, integrity, and exceptional legal acumen have earned you the respect and admiration of everyone fortunate enough to work alongside you.
Over the years, we have watched you navigate complex cases and situations with calm precision and advocate for justice with unshakeable ethics. Your mentorship and thoughtful guidance have been invaluable to many, helping shape careers, bolster confidence, and instill a deep sense of purpose.
As you celebrate this milestone, we hope you take pride in all you’ve achieved—your victories in the courtroom, the impact you have made in the Council of Legal Education, particularly your enormous contribution to the ‘making’ of the Nigerian Law School, Port Harcourt campus. Many do not know the behind-the-scenes story.
May the year ahead bring you renewed energy, abundant joy, and continued success.
Days ago marked a historic milestone for Enugu State as Governor Peter Mbah officially launched Enugu Air, a state-owned commercial airline poised to redefine regional air travel in Nigeria. This bold initiative reflects the governor’s vision of transforming Enugu into a major aviation hub, backed by a modern, multimodal transport ecosystem.
The success of Enugu Air is not just a regional win; it’s a national opportunity. Its sustainability is closely tied to the full operationalization of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, which must be upgraded to handle both domestic and international traffic efficiently. The airport’s transformation is not merely infrastructural, it is symbolic of the Southeast’s rightful place in Nigeria’s aviation and economic landscape and; these upgrades will enable the airport to support over 100 flights daily, as envisioned by Governor Mbah, and accommodate over three million visitors annually.
For Ndi Igbo, whose entrepreneurial spirit and global business footprint are well known, a fully functional international airport in Enugu is more than a convenience. It is a strategic imperative. The Southeast has long been underserved in terms of international aviation infrastructure, despite being one of Nigeria’s most commercially vibrant regions. Akanu Ibiam International Airport, once fully operational, will facilitate direct exports of agro-products, pharmaceuticals, and manufactured goods from the region, attract foreign investment by improving access and connectivity and serve as a cultural and economic gateway, reconnecting the diaspora with the homeland.
The proposed cargo terminal, in particular, is expected to unlock vast economic potential in export logistics, agro-processing, e-commerce, and light manufacturing. This positions Enugu, not just as a passenger hub, but as a regional logistics powerhouse.
May Enugu Air soar not just in altitude but in trust, efficiency, and service. And may Akanu Ibiam International Airport rise as the beating heart of Southeast commerce, culture, and connectivity.
The one that is already in and seated is called APC. The one that is outside and itching to be admitted to unseat the one that is seated is called ADC. The difference is in the displacement and replacement of letters P and D. On the surface, this distinction lacks the firmness to affect a clear choice. This means that either of the entities can go or stay, and nothing significant will be lost in content. It is the same as saying that if, per adventure, ADC replaces APC in 2017, it will look like replacing six with half a dozen. Or like the national team, the Super Eagles, breaking into two sides of 11 players each, to compete for the same trophy. Either way, Nigerians are going to suffer. That is the devil’s alternative.
This perception is gradually strengthening into a national consensus. The good thing is that it is not the only consensus regarding 2027 that is building up in the country. There is another that is equally high-pitch. It is somehow close to what people said in 2014 when Dr. Goodluck Ebelle Jonathan was President. Then, these same perennial issues of nation-building were carefully and deliberately orchestrated to practically turn Goodluck to Badluck Jonathan. The last name was actually compressed to Jonah to lay a better context as to why, even as the captain, Jonathan, needed to be cast overboard to save the sinking Nigerian ship. His traducers said there was so much between him and Prophet Jonah, who, against the clear directive of God, had followed a sea route that did not lead to Nineveh or salvation. Jonathan, too, was alleged to have followed a path that did not lead to national development. He was therefore good for nothing and needed to be thrown into the raging sea like Prophet Jonah to calm the national turbulence.
No room was left for long debates. The campaign messaging was clinically effective. It was done to affirm and not to interrogate the charges against Jonathan. He was denied fair hearing, so to say. The mantra was just anything and any person, but Goodluck Jonathan, was good to come as President. Reasons took flight as emotions surged. And so, when a Muhammadu Buhari was resuscitated from sustained electoral injuries and repackaged as the most resourceful Nigerian that had ever lived, the focus was not on the pretentious challenger. Rather, the intensive gaze was on President Jonathan, who was recreated into a negative benchmark against whom Buhari shone like a million stars. Hard facts on Buhari’s deficits that adequately sign-posted what was to come upon Nigeria and Nigerians were ignored because Goodluck had become badluck and people were desperate to try their luck with someone else.
Amid that flow of extreme emotionality and illogicality, evidence of Buhari’s unfitness conveniently dissolved into the stream of providence that gratuitously propelled him into power. His ill health and narrow-mindedness, which manifested in an unacceptable level of ethno-religious bigotry, did not count against him or counted for Jonathan. Even his lack of resourcefulness that made him the poorest among his class of retired army general and former military heads of state of Nigeria was recorded for him as an advantage. The story was that Buhari was poor because he was not corrupt. He was poor because he did not steal money to become rich like others. It was not because he couldn’t combine the necessary factors to create value. With him, poverty got a new definition. It was elevated to a virtue.
Meanwhile, the entire process followed as schemed and orchestrated. On May 29, 2015, while Goodluck Jonathan was leaving Aso Rock Villa Abuja crestfallen for his village, Otueke, in Bayelsa State, having lost the 2015 presidential election, Mohammadu Buhari, the winner, was leaving Daura in absolute triumphalism to become a democratically elected president of Nigeria, 30 years after he was overthrown as a military head of state.
In all of this, one man was solidly in the background, directing and coordinating. He advanced all the alternate viewpoints to design a new reality through which Buhari became revalidated as a messiah, nationalist, high performer and rescuer of the Nigerian state ship. His name was Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. That name has not changed. It has only gained more strength with a change of the title. He is now President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT). He remains the Jagaban Borgu also. Tinubu relishes his Jagaban title. The name is heavier in sound than it is in substance. It makes BAT feel like a conqueror. For instance, BAT was not President, but just Jagabgan , when he crowned the serial electoral failures of Muhammadu Buhari with the presidency. Jagaban is an onomatopoeia that sums up the Tinubu’s essence. The man is at his best when the paths are jagged and the rules are perfect freedom. He is stronger when nothing appears straightforward. He has the capacity to ride rough waives. The name was given to him by the late Emir of Borgu, Alhaji Haliru Dantoro III. It means leader of warriors.
Today is July 11, 2025. The next presidential election is less than two years away. The elements have recreated themselves, albeit in a reverse order. The hunter is now the hunted. The one being hunted in the current hunt does not want the guidelines applied previously to apply in 2027. I am out today to say that why the plots in 2015 and 2027 may have the same material trappings, the central characters are different. Very different, that is. Tinubu is not Jonathan. They are different individuals defined by different value systems. While the strength of one lies in defying rules and conventions to reach results, the other gladly yields to circumscription and even sees failure in some instances as a triumph.
For instance, under an unfair bombardment by enemies in 2015, Jonathan refused to reach for a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) to liquidate his attackers and re-establish a life-line for himself. This he could have done without causing heavens to fall. But he didn’t. Instead, he maintained this lame line that his ambition to remain the President of Nigeria was not worth the blood of the least Nigerian. He didn’t want to break eggs to prepare omelette. But nobody does without breaking eggs.
The man from Otueke did not talk like a typical Nigerian President. He had talked like an underdog in a contest where he was the champion. Jonathan sounded like any other good man in the street who believes in live and let live. He loved telling true life stories to explain why he detested vaulting ambition. He went to school without sandals. While growing up, nothing in his circumstances betrayed great promises. He was the son of a fisherman. During the civil war, he had thought every truck was a military truck loaded with armed soldiers, looking for people to shoot. When he saw one approaching on one occasion, he quickly escaped into the surrounding mangrove vegetation with his elder sister to avoid being killed. If being President was going to take blood in addition to cash to erase his essence, he was ready to let go.
In truth, Jonathan might have calculated to teach and retire before the twist that saw him soaring. He had started as a Deputy Governor in Bayelsa State and later moved to become Governor. He was Vice President and then the very ultimate, President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for a whole six years. This is the same position that Buhari fought tooth and nail, including going into forced alliances to achieve. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who will be 80 years in November next year, has been fighting to become president since 1993 when he was only 47 years old. He is still in the trenches fighting.
Evidently, Goodluck Jonathan meant to stop at the mountain top, but providence took him to the moon. He was wise enough to understand that maiming and killing to shoot higher would amount to over-reaching himself and challenging God in God’s own game. He backed down, and that singular act has made him a refreshing reference point in good conduct in national politics.
So much on Goodluck Jonathan. Tinubu, the Jagagban, operates differently. He yields to an existentialist interpretation that assigns no role to any outsider in the determination of the great issues of life. To him, victory is always won and not awarded. Success or failure is a consequence of effort. He believes the gods do not help as such in the many battles of life. The gods may come in to align with victors or vanquished after the battle has been won and lost. He relies on his ingenuity to create all the advantages. And every move is war where all is fine and fair. He preaches that in situations where victory is not certain in the perennial struggles against opposing forces, the rules of engagement should be breached to reverse the tide. That is, when it is not willingly or easily yielded, one is permitted, under the Jagagban school of power, to “grab it and run away with it.”
Unlike Jonathan, Tinubu does not have any true or original story to tell. He creates his own stories to fit all purposes. If the narration, for instance, fits Ibadan Grammar School, fine. If it fits Government College, Surulere, Lagos, all fine and good too. He is most deliberate in approach. He takes action and moves on, leaving others to bother about the reactions or consequences. He is focused on the end, not the means. Once motivated, he lacks the temperament to wait for a turnaround. Instead, he turns things around himself. He does not fear a superior force. When he declared Emilokon , he was not taken too seriously. As it turned out, it truly became his turn to be president of Nigeria. He talks as if he controls tomorrow.
On the whole, while Jonathan followed a path, Tinubu created one. That is the difference. Jonathan had power thrust upon him. Tinubu had been working and is still working for power. He is not like Jonathan who looked everywhere for power to save himself while power was in his hands. Tinubu projected so much power even when he didn’t have enough of it. Now that he has power and so much of it and also understands how to convert power to brute force to serve his purpose, he is close in description to a drunken king cobra. This is why I fear for the coalition.
In 2015, the coalition against Jonathan operated on propaganda and won. This time, the coalition against Tinubu is different. It is running largely on facts. But facts may be secondary or even prove inconsequential in the current calculation. The reality today is harsh. It is as harsh as taking a battle to a lion in his den. I advise therefore that in addition to facts of the campaign against Tinubu, the coalition should stretch a little more to invent ways to kill a lion in his den. This is also saying that the coalition should be prepared to match Tinubu in all departments of the game. Power for power. Cash for cash. And propaganda for propaganda. When a stolen property is re-stoleno or a thief steals from another thief, the town crier is left out of the equation. He is not contacted to announce the stolen property. It is also good to add that the currency of war business is blood. If blood is required in the proposed venture, the coalition would be justified by the new ethics to spill some. You act like a monkey to catch a monkey.
The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.
A High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital city, has sentenced 29-year-old Akaninyene Thomas Okpon to death by hanging for murdering his elder brother, Friday Thomas Enyenokpon, in Ikot Abasi Asutan, Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area.
Akaninyene, a father of three, and another elder sibling, Ime Thomas Okpon, 37—who died in custody during trial—had, in 2018, ambushed their blood brother while he was checking his hunting traps, beheaded him, and buried the head separately. They accused him of being a witch responsible for their misfortunes.
In the judgment delivered on Thursday in Suit No. HU/5C/2019 in Uyo, Justice Okon Okon, ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt, relying on the defendant’s confessional statement and corroborating evidence.
The court held that the defendant, who dropped out of primary school in Grade Three, had issued death threats to the deceased and other family members prior to the murder. He had also led the police to the crime scene, where the remains of the deceased were recovered.
Justice Okon declared:
“The sentence of the court upon you, Akaninyene Thomas Okpon, is that you be hanged by the neck until you are dead.” The court also ordered the forfeiture of the murder weapons—two machetes, marked as Exhibits 1–1A—to the state.
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