Marwa gave the charge on Wednesday 2nd September 2026 while declaring open an Advanced Capacity Building Programme on Financial Investigations, Asset Tracing, Forfeiture, Recovery and Management of the Proceeds and Instrumentalities of Narcotics Trafficking and Related Organised Crime, organised by the Agency in Abuja.

In his welcome remarks, the NDLEA boss noted that the depth of participation at the programme reflected a shared commitment to the understanding that drug trafficking was fundamentally an economic enterprise, sustained by financiers, facilitators, money launderers and professional enablers operating behind every drug shipment.

“If we arrest the courier but leave the financier untouched, seize the drugs but allow the proceeds to remain with the criminal enterprise, or secure a conviction without recovering the illicit wealth, we have addressed only part of the problem,” he stated.

He observed that criminal organisations were increasingly exploiting technology, cryptocurrencies, complex corporate structures and legitimate businesses to conceal the ownership and origin of illicit wealth.

He stressed that the agency’s response must evolve with equal sophistication.

According to him, NDLEA investigators and prosecutors must be equipped to analyse complex transactions, trace assets across borders, establish beneficial ownership, exploit digital evidence and build financial cases capable of supporting forfeiture and recovery.

Marwa disclosed that the NDLEA’s next imperative, having made significant progress in seizing narcotics and prosecuting traffickers, was to dismantle the economic foundations of the drug trade and make narcotics trafficking a high-risk, low-profit enterprise.

“The sophistication of organised crime demands a corresponding sophistication in our response. We must move from crime detection to crime disruption; from arresting offenders to dismantling criminal enterprises; and from confiscating drugs to depriving traffickers of the wealth that motivates and sustains their activities. The drug trafficking ecosystem intersects with money laundering, corruption, cybercrime, human trafficking, illicit arms trafficking and other forms of organised crime. These intersections make sustained cooperation, within the NDLEA and among our partner institutions, not merely desirable, but indispensable,” he stated.

He called for stronger synergy among the agency’s directorates: intelligence, investigation, prosecution, forensics, asset and financial investigation, describing them as interconnected links in one enforcement chain that must work as one agency rather than in isolation.

He extended the same call to inter-agency collaboration, noting that no single institution possesses all the information, expertise or capacity required to confront sophisticated criminal networks.

The NDLEA chairman commended the calibre of resource persons at the programme, including Hon. Judge Michael Hopmeier, recently retired Circuit Judge at Southwark Crown Court, UK; Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, SAN, former Chairman of the ICPC; Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation; Calvin Wilson, Global MLCFT advisor; Jason Sandoval, Head of European Operations at Asset Reality, and his colleague, Nick Francis; Fernandez Marcus-Obiene, cryptocurrency expert and Special Assistant to the President on Justice Sector Reform; and Chioma Chikelu, a crypto-police specialist, among other resource persons drawn from sister agencies.

He also welcomed the participation of representatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), as well as Judges of the Federal High Court, describing their presence as strengthening the link between investigation, prosecution and adjudication.

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The Brigade disclosed this in a special situation report made available on Wednesday.

The report said Mrs Adonkie was abducted at about 10:30 p.m. on September 1, prompting the deployment of troops in a coordinated pursuit of the kidnappers.

According to the report, troops from the Brigade and Army Headquarters Garrison advanced through ACO Estate and Gosa Community, making contact with the kidnappers.

It said the troops successfully rescued the victim around Angwan-Sabo Village, while another group continued pursuing the fleeing kidnappers.

“At about 11:09 a.m. on Wednesday, troops of 176 Guards Battalion and 197 Special Forces Battalion intercepted two fleeing suspects around Gaube Village in Kuje Area Council.

“Troops recovered an AK-47 rifle and a magazine loaded with 19 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition from the suspects.”

The guards brigade said the rescued victim had been reunited with her family, while the two arrested suspects remained in custody for profiling.

It said that further exploitation was ongoing to identify and apprehend other members of the kidnap syndicate.

The report added that troops had intensified operations within the area to track the fleeing criminals, adding that their morale and fighting efficiency remained high.

Source: NAN

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The Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists on recent security developments in the state.

The incident occurred on August 27 after an altercation between the late Obodo and a police officer degenerated into a scuffle.

Adepoju said that the officer who shot Obodo, and others on duty with him had been tried through orderly room proceedings and found culpable in Obodo’s death.

He said that the dismissed personnel would subsequently be charged to court to face appropriate criminal charges in accordance with the law.

He further explained that the incident occurred when a patrol team from Agip Police Division sighted a black, fully tinted Lexus vehicle.

“The team attempted to stop the vehicle, but it allegedly sped off, prompting the patrol team to chase the vehicle,” he said.

Adepoju further said that during the chase, one of the officers attached to the team opened fire at the vehicle.

“The bullet allegedly struck the driver identified as Obodo, who sustained gunshot injury,” he said.

The commissioner said that the victim was rushed to the hospital where he was treated but later pronounced dead by a doctor.

He identified the officers involved as ASP Fabian Kpeanabari, Insp Solomon Nworgu, CPL Alfred Louise and PC Michael Ejokwu.

He said that efforts were being made to locate Insp Solomon Nworgu, who reportedly absconded after the incident.

Adepoju said that the action of the police demonstrated its commitment not to shield personnel who abused their powers or acted contrary of the law.

The police boss commiserated with Obodo’s family, and assured them that justice would be served.

Source: NAN

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The military operational update made available on Wednesday said the operations were conducted between August 31 and September 1 across theatres.

The report said the troops of 151 Task Force Battalion, Sector 1, Operation Hadin Kai, neutralised a terrorist after fighting through an ambush involving a concealed improvised explosive device in Borno.

It added that troops recovered an AK-47 rifle, 14 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition and an IED initiator during the encounter at Miyanti-Banki Junction, Bama local government area.

According to the report, the engagement, however, resulted in the death of one soldier, while another sustained injuries and a military gun truck was damaged.

“In Yobe, troops of 120 Task Force Battalion, in conjunction with the Civilian Joint Task Force, neutralised another terrorist at Lamusuri, Gujba Local Government Area.

“The troops recovered an AK-47 rifle, two magazines, 90 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition and a body pouch after the encounter.

“The military also recorded aerial success in Abadam Local Government Area of Borno, where an air strike neutralised three terrorists and destroyed structures used as hideouts,” he said.

The report also revealed that troops of 211 Demonstration Battalion, Operation MESA, neutralised two terrorists and rescued nine kidnapped victims from Makodi Gwamnare Forest in Ningi local government area of Bauchi State.

It added that troops recovered eight mobile phones and N1.48 million from the terrorists, while the rescued victims were reunited with their families.

In Kogi, the military said the troops of 21 Battalion, working with the police, Department of State Services and local hunters, rescued 21 victims abandoned by fleeing kidnappers.

It said the victims, comprising eight males and 13 females, were rescued from Egume-Ochaja Forest in Dekina local government area.

According to the report, one male victim who sustained a gunshot wound during the operation was stabilised at a military medical facility.

“In Katsina, troops of 17 Brigade and an Office of the National Security Adviser tactical team neutralised two terrorists and destroyed two motorcycles during a fighting patrol in Kogo Village, Matazu LGA.

“In Zamfara, troops responding to intelligence on cattle rustling were ambushed at Bude Village, Bungudu Local Government Area, but fought through and forced the terrorists to abandon the rustled cattle.

“In Plateau, troops arrested four suspected criminals and recovered a locally fabricated firearm, three motorcycles, a cutlass and a knife at Exland Village, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.

“In Delta, troops intercepted a trailer conveying illegally mined ilmenite and arrested two suspects along the Bomadi-Oro Junction road.

“In Rivers, troops engaged armed oil thieves involved in pipeline vandalism at Oboburu community, forcing the suspects to flee, while one suspect sustained gunshot wounds.

“Troops also discovered an illegal refining site in Okarki Forest, Ahoada West Local Government Area, recovering equipment and about 40 litres of stolen crude oil,” he said.

The report said the latest operations underscored the military’s continued reliance on intelligence, joint operations and sustained offensive action to disrupt terrorists, kidnappers, criminal networks and economic saboteurs across the country.

Source: NAN

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The commendation was given during a working visit to the board’s office in Alausa, Ikeja on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.

The delegation was led by Mr. Ibrahim Babajide Obanikoro, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Parastatal Monitoring.

Dr. Aina Ayoola, Permanent Secretary, PMO, praised the leadership of the agency for exemplary performance in almost all areas of assessment.

He noted with satisfaction that the board’s operations aligned perfectly with the THEMES+ Agenda of the current administration and the Lagos State Development Plan, LSDP.

He urged the management to sustain the current standard and strive to do even better in the next assessment cycle.

In her remarks, the Executive Secretary/CEO of LSFVCB, Mrs. Adebukola Agbaminoja, who hosted the team alongside the Board’s Directors and Heads of Department, gave a detailed presentation on the mandates, achievements, and statutory mandate of the Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board.

Also in the PMO delegation was Mrs. Temitope Adebutu-Obasanjo, Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Parastatal Monitoring as well as Directors from PMO.

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UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, said the outbreak was expanding faster than containment efforts, in spite of a significant scale-up by humanitarian agencies and Congolese authorities.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person, or contaminated materials, making early detection and isolation critical to breaking transmission chains.

“The response is growing and has been scaled up, but the virus is moving faster,” Fletcher said.

“And unless we scale up urgently, more lives will be lost and the threat will grow.”

DRC authorities had reported more than 6,100 confirmed cases and 2,950 deaths by Monday, with over 5,000 infections recorded in Ituri Province alone.

The figures underline the exceptional speed of the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, declared in DRC on May 15.

The current outbreak is spreading at a substantially faster rate than one of the deadliest Ebola emergencies previously recorded during the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic.

Fletcher said containing the epidemic would require sustained political commitment, unrestricted humanitarian access and significantly increased international financing.

“We have the experience, the tools and extraordinary people risking their lives to stop this epidemic. What we need now is political will, access and resources,” he said.

The UN relief chief urged governments to ensure humanitarian workers could reach affected communities, particularly in areas where insecurity and weak infrastructure complicate response efforts.

He also called on the international community to keep Ebola high on the global agenda to prevent the virus from spreading further.

A funding shortfall of about 1.1 billion dollars remains, limiting the ability of humanitarian agencies to expand surveillance, treatment, community mobilisation and cross-border preparedness.

Fletcher said his agency had allocated more than 57 million dollars from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to support response and preparedness efforts in DR Congo and neighbouring countries.

He said closing the funding gap and stopping further spread would ultimately depend on whether governments and international partners match technical capacity with political commitment.

The UN maintains that the tools to contain Ebola are already available, however, it warns that delayed financing, restricted access and insufficient coordination could allow transmission to outpace response efforts.

The World Health Organisation recently declared Uganda’s latest Ebola outbreak over following rapid detection, contact tracing, isolation, clinical care, infection prevention and strengthened surveillance.

“We have beaten Ebola before, and we can do it again,” Fletcher said.

The UN International Organization for Migration has, meanwhile, conducted nearly 23 million health screenings in DRC and neighbouring countries.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the screenings were helping authorities monitor population movements, identify possible cases and reduce cross-border transmission risks.

Source: NAN

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There is something deeply unsettling about a country that knows where the line is but appears unwilling to draw it.

Nigeria has laws against incitement. It has laws against threats to public order. It has institutions charged with protecting citizens from hate speech, religious intolerance and violence. Yet, when some of the most influential voices in the religious space appear to cross those boundaries, the national response often becomes strangely hesitant.

That hesitation is now the issue.

The recent controversy surrounding Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir is instructive. The National Human Rights Commission did not merely express disapproval of his remarks. It reviewed the viral video, described the utterances as capable of promoting religious hatred and violence, and called for his arrest and prosecution. The intervention was subsequently reinforced by the Nigeria Inter Religious Council, jointly led by the Sultan of Sokoto and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria.

That should have settled the principle.

It has not.

The principle is simple. Religious authority cannot become political immunity. A turban does not place a man above the law. Neither does a collar. A mosque is not a sanctuary from accountability. Neither is a church. Influence may command respect, but it cannot confer exemption.

This is why the larger conversation cannot be reduced to Jingir.

Sheikh Ahmad Gumi provides another uncomfortable part of the Nigerian story. He went into forests where armed bandits operated and established direct contact with them. He argued repeatedly for dialogue and negotiation. On television, he described the conflict in ethnic terms and characterised some of the Fulani actors involved as militants fighting for ethnic survival.

There may have been a legitimate argument for dialogue. Indeed, governments themselves have employed negotiation and local mediation in dealing with armed groups. The mistake would therefore be to suggest that every attempt to talk to violent actors is itself criminal.

But there is a difference between authorised state policy and the emergence of a parallel influence structure around armed men.

There is also a difference between pleading for peace and repeatedly framing criminal violence through an ethnic grievance that risks turning victims and perpetrators into opposing communities.

That distinction matters.

Gumi has since rejected statements attributed to him that he says were doctored or manipulated. His explanations deserve to be heard. So do his arguments for dialogue. But explanations do not remove the responsibility of the state to examine conduct, statements and consequences.

The same principle must apply elsewhere.

Consider the increasingly assertive interventions of the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, under Professor Ishaq Akintola. There is nothing inherently illegitimate about demanding political representation for Muslims. There is nothing inherently illegitimate about challenging a government over perceived discrimination.

But when political argument is expressed in terms that divide citizens into religious constituencies and suggest that political allegiance should be determined by faith, Nigerians are entitled to ask where representation ends and religious mobilisation begins.

MURIC has demanded Muslim political candidates in parts of the South West and has gone further in its criticism of the Oyo State government, accusing Governor Seyi Makinde of pursuing what it called the Christianisation of Oyo.

That language deserves scrutiny, not because its authors are Muslims, but because religious entitlement is dangerous whichever direction it travels.

And that is precisely why Christian voices must not be given a free pass either.

If a Christian cleric tells Christians that political power belongs naturally to them, he should be confronted. If a pastor weaponises religious identity against Muslims, he should be called out. If a bishop turns political disagreement into religious warfare, the same law should apply. No Muslim should have to apologise for the misconduct of a Muslim cleric. No Christian should have to defend the misconduct of a Christian cleric.

The standard must be conduct, not creed.

That is the part of this debate Nigeria keeps getting wrong.

We have become accustomed to selective outrage. A poor man says something reckless and the machinery of the state can descend upon him with impressive efficiency. A powerful religious personality says something equally dangerous and suddenly everybody begins looking for context, nuance, reconciliation and further explanation.

Context is important. Nuance is necessary. But justice cannot be built on the social status of the person being examined.

The Nigerian state must learn to distinguish between religious freedom and religious impunity.

Freedom allows a cleric to preach his faith. It allows a religious organisation to defend its interests. It allows citizens to criticise government. It allows people to argue passionately for political representation.

It does not allow anybody to designate fellow citizens as lesser Nigerians because of their faith.

It does not allow anyone to encourage religious hostility.

It does not permit the language of political competition to become a summons to communal confrontation.

And it certainly cannot permit private influence over armed groups to evolve into an alternative security architecture.

This is not an argument for censorship. It is an argument for consistency.

The state should not silence inconvenient religious voices merely because their views embarrass government. Neither should it tolerate dangerous rhetoric merely because the speaker commands a large following or enjoys access to political power.

There is another danger here. Every time government hesitates to confront inflammatory religious speech, it transfers authority from the Constitution to the loudest voice in the room.

That is how a republic gradually loses the monopoly of legitimate authority.

The answer is not to place religion under government control. The answer is to ensure that religious influence operates within the same constitutional space as every other influence.

There are responsible religious leaders who understand this. The interfaith peace accord signed in Abuja recently by Muslim and Christian leaders is evidence that religious authority can also be used to lower the temperature rather than raise it.

Nigeria does not need fewer religious voices.

It needs responsible ones.

It does not need a state that fears religion.

It needs a state confident enough to protect religion from being turned into an instrument of political exclusion, ethnic mobilisation or violence.

And it needs citizens willing to ask the uncomfortable question whenever the boundary is crossed:

Who is bigger than Nigeria?

Not the imam.

Not the pastor.

Not the bishop.

Not the activist.

Not the politician.

Not the traditional ruler.

Not even the government.

Nobody.

The republic must remain bigger than all of them.

That is not hostility to religion. It is respect for the country in which all our religions must coexist.

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The post Religion, power and the state: Who is bigger than Nigeria? appeared first on Frontpageng.

“Inú olósèlú kì í dùn d’ále´” (a politician’s joy does not endure till evening). An observer of our politics told me this yesterday. I heard it, and something skipped in my heart. It got me quiet throughout the day. The result is this long thought on politics and the profiles of Nigerian politicians.

Politics has the sneaky betrayal of the adder plus its lethal poison. And because a snake’s offspring must be long, this long thing you are reading is about the impermanence of political happiness, the insecurity of power, the endless pursuit of tomorrow and, ultimately, the loneliness of becoming ‘former.’

First, as you read this, take your time to pick whom it fits in your country, your state, your local government, your ward, your town and even your compound.

A politician’s happiness is fleeting. His joy has a short lifespan. Let’s imagine he wins his election.

Wonderful.

But has he really won?

There is the Election Petition Tribunal.

Then the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, depending on the office in contention. The music may stop before the dancer has properly warmed up.

He wins the election and begins another election against uncertainty.

He appoints commissioners and begins wondering who among them is plotting against him.

He sleeps in Government House but sometimes wakes up fighting enemies who exist only in his imagination.

Everybody is suspicious.

The security report says somebody is meeting somebody.

The party chairman has not called.

The deputy governor smiled strangely.

A commissioner spent too long on the telephone.

A former ally posted a cryptic message on Facebook.

Trouble!

Political power comes with a strange mattress.

It looks soft.

But there are nails underneath.

Fear, suspicion, treachery, pressure and the constant knowledge that somebody wants what you have.

That is a four-volume book.

If you want to understand the Nigerian politician, do not begin with his manifesto. Please. You may finish reading it and still not know the man.

Study his ways instead.

Watch what he does three years before an election. Watch who he visits at midnight. Watch the sudden affection for traditional rulers, market women, pastors, imams, youth leaders and everybody who controls ten human beings and a WhatsApp group. Watch the man who has not yet won an election already distributing ministries, committees and political appointments in his head.

The Nigerian politician is a special breed.

He is an incurable optimist, a professional dreamer and a man who can see 2033 with the clarity with which the rest of us struggle to see tomorrow morning.

He has permutations.

Oh, he has permutations!

He knows who will win the presidential election seven years from now, which governor will defect, which senator will become minister, which minister will become governor and which godfather will become too old to be useful. He can predict the political future of a state while eating pounded yam. And if you tell him his mathematics is impossible, he will smile.

“You don’t understand politics.”

Only he and his ilk know what they think they know.

A Nigerian politician is a man who believes he knows and owns tomorrow.

While the ordinary Nigerian says, ‘By God’s grace, tomorrow will be better’, the politician says, ‘2030 is a done deal. Senate is sure banker.’ And before his party even decides how much it will sell senatorial form, Oga is already parading himself as ‘Distinguished’. Yes, all his correspondences, all event comperes will bear me witness.

He does not merely hope for tomorrow. He has occupied it.

Ask a politician what he wants after becoming councillor and he will tell you the House of Representatives is his next stop. Ask him about the House and he is already discussing the Senate. Ask him about the Senate and he is eyeing the governor’s chair. Once he becomes governor, the presidency begins to look strangely familiar

Oh no, he does not want to go back to what his parents sent him to school to study, he just wants to be known and addressed as ‘Honourable Kinnikan” forever.

His ambition has no retirement age.

Even when a Nigerian politician loses an election, he doesn’t close his eyes. He says he is ‘repositioning ‘ or ‘restrategising’

Translation: I am coming back.

Tomorrow belongs to him.

He will do almost anything to get to tomorrow.

The Nigerian politician is a deeply religious man. Very religious.

He can spend Sunday morning in church, Friday afternoon at the mosque and Saturday night consulting somebody whose office is located behind a mysterious red curtain. He believes in God and all the other gods too.

He also believes in insurance.

And political insurance has many forms.

Prayer. Fasting. Prophecy. Strategic alliances. “Spiritual consultation.” A visit to the native doctor. A mysterious sacrifice somebody insists must be performed at three road junctions for three nights three days before the election.

He will publicly laugh at juju and privately ask somebody to ‘do something’ about his opponent.

Politics, for him, is a strange marriage of democracy and desperation. The ballot box and his oracle don’t always agree and he listens to both.

He will trade almost anybody to get what he wants. That makes him scary because not even his mother is sacred.

The benefactor who discovered him can suddenly become ‘an old friend with whom we have irreconcilable differences.’

The mentor who paid his school fees can become ‘an enemy of progress.’

The political father who made him commissioner or Special Adviser may wake up one morning to discover that his political son has joined forces with the opposition. All is fair in this game.

Not even marriage is spared in the horse-trading. Friendship is not spared.

Loyalty is negotiable.

In Nigerian politics, yesterday’s ‘my leader’ can become today’s ‘agbaaya’, the good-for-nothing old man.

And tomorrow’s ‘that man’ may become next year’s ‘my father and mentor.’

The politician’s dictionary has only one particularly flexible word: interest.

Anything can be justified under that one word. That is why there is a political warning that when you a digging a hole for your political opponent, don’t dig too deep, so that your opponent does not break any bone if and when he falls in that hole. And the interesting part? An opponent who did not break an arm or his leg is easier to persuade to cross the carpet. See? The shallow pit is dug with interest and tomorrow in mind.

Now, that does not mean this logic works all the time. Paralysis and death have been known to take place in politically dug holes.

It is remarkably easy to swindle a politician.

Just wrap a box.

Tell him there is a political position inside.

He will pay to open it.

Tell a politician his name is being considered for a position and his heart starts beating like a campaign drum.

“Some people at the top are interested in you.”

He orders new clothes.

“You may be appointed.”

He begins to call people “my brother.”

“You are being considered for the Senate.”

He starts calculating constituency projects.

This is how powerful men become vulnerable.

A politician who cannot be fooled by ordinary lies can be defeated by one sentence whispered by a supposed insider:

“You are the man they are looking at.”

Suddenly, everybody becomes important.

He is buying drinks.

Paying school fees.

Settling hospital bills.

Donating to associations.

Sponsoring weddings.

Because somewhere inside a wrapped box, he has been promised a political office.

Sometimes the box contains nothing.

A Nigerian politician thinks being a Senator or Governor is the same as being Ooni of Ife or Sultan of Sokoto.

This is perhaps the funniest part.

A political office is temporary.

The Nigerian politician often behaves as though his name has been carved into the walls of eternity.

He fights for a four-year term as if he is defending an ancestral throne.

Everybody becomes an enemy.

The opponent is not merely a contestant. He is an existential threat.

A rival wants the office?

War!

The constitution says four years?

Never mind.

The politician behaves as though the office will be buried with him.

He forgets that somebody held it before him.

Somebody will hold it after him.

And one day, people who used to stand up when he entered a room may not even notice when he enters the same room.

That is the cruelty of political power.

It has a very short memory.

The politician thinks he is rich.

He isn’t.

This is where the laughter should slowly stop.

A politician can spend money like a drunken sailor when he is in office; luxury cars, palatial homes, loud political meetings, parties and endless donations.

People constantly asking.

People constantly receiving.

He begins to mistake access to money for ownership of wealth.

Then comes retirement.

“Former Governor.”

“Ex-Senator.”

“Former Minister.”

“Ex-Chairman.”

The titles remain, but the convoy disappears.

The phone becomes quieter.

The people who used to say “Sir!” now have urgent meetings elsewhere.

And suddenly, the politician discovers something terrifying:

Political power was not an inheritance.

It was a rented apartment.

The rent has expired.

The politician who had no profession, no business, no craft, no serious investment and no life outside politics begins the subtle hustle again.

The clever ones prepared.

They are lawyers, doctors, accountants, engineers, businessmen, academics, farmers and professionals who can return to something when politics returns them to ordinary life.

The others discover that “former” is a very expensive word.

The politician is addicted to relevance.

This one is his almost incurable disease.

He cannot doesn’t know when to stop.

He must be seen.

He must be consulted.

He must be invited.

He must be photographed.

He must be quoted.

He wants his telephone number circulating among the powerful.

The former governor wants to see the new governor’s commissioners list. He wants his boys in the new government.

The former minister wants to know who the president will appoint.

The retired godfather still wants to determine who becomes chairman of the local government.

Nobody has told him that politics has moved on.

He knows.

He simply refuses to move with it.

He believes power will make him happy.

This is the saddest one.

The politician spends years chasing the office.

He tells himself:

“When I become governor, I will be fulfilled.”

Then he becomes governor.

And discovers that the chair is not a magic carpet.

There are still enemies.

Still family problems.

Still illness.

Still betrayal.

Still loneliness.

Still death.

Still the ordinary human fear of losing what one has.

He has everything and may still lie awake at 3 a.m., wondering who is plotting to remove him.

He has a convoy but may not know who genuinely loves him.

He has hundreds of people around him but may not know who he can trust.

He has money but may not know whether people love him or his money.

And one day, the sirens stop.

The cars leave.

The aides disappear.

The office is handed to another man.

The nameplate comes down.

The man who once controlled thousands of lives discovers that he is once again simply Mr. Somebody.

And that is when the joke becomes painful.

Because perhaps the tragedy of the Nigerian politician is not that he wants too much.

It is that he spends so much of his life pursuing power that he forgets to build a life that can survive without it.

He conquers tomorrow.

He captures today.

He defeats yesterday.

And then, suddenly, tomorrow arrives without asking his permission.

He is no longer governor.

No longer senator.

No longer minister.

No longer chairman.

Just an old man sitting somewhere, looking at photographs of the days when people stood whenever he entered a room.

The photographer may still be alive.

The people in the photographs may still be alive.

But the power is dead.

And perhaps that is the final profile of the Nigerian politician:

A man who spends his whole life trying to become somebody, only to discover at the end that the greatest somebody he could have become was his ungreedy, contented self.

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The post Why does a politician’s joy never last till evening? appeared first on Frontpageng.

210 million people are addicted to social media globally

He was inseparable from his phone. For five years. He had no conversation with his wife and children. For five years. He was addicted, not to his phone, but to social media apps. His marriage was at a breaking point. Then, his mother-in-law intervened before his wife could file for divorce. A caller shared this pathetic story on the Fintex Show, which I produce on Nigeria Info 99.3 FM every Monday.

All the radio callers had the same stories of social addiction. They are hooked. They cannot get off. One caller lost his wife. Another lost his job. One lost his sanity. One caller, a pastor, shared how his wife regularly scrolls through her phone in church while he is preaching. Every Sunday. His wife is addicted. Are you a social media addict? I am not a therapist. Do not expect any counselling here.

On the one hand

The social media business has been through the grinder lately. Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, is facing a series of increasingly dramatic lawsuits. This week, Meta settled a case that is history making. It agreed to pay about 18 billion dollars [N14 trillion] to settle a lawsuit that claimed it made its apps addictive for children, ‘’even though the firm knew it would hurt people’’.

On the other hand

About 210 million people are addicted to social media globally. 34 million social media addicts reside in the United States. That is 10% of Americans. Maybe the changes Meta agreed to make to its platforms may tackle the issue of social media addiction. Maybe.

In the long term

For instance, Meta has agreed that users under 18 will get a mandated social media bedtime that disables the app. Besides, some features [which psychologists say are bad for self-esteem, such as beauty filters] will be hidden. However, according to reports from Tech Coded, the biggest news is ‘’kids will be able to turn off the algorithmic feeds on Meta’s apps’’.

Purists have said that the content recommendation systems have turned Instagram and other social media apps into a digital casino. Meaning: you cannot stop using them. As a digital casino, it could ruin your life. As the story above shows, social media addiction is real. You cannot overemphasise the stress level it generates. From my conversation with some experts, there is a psychological and technological angle to this addiction. If you are suffering from low self-esteem, social media will turn you into a narcissist.

Facebook’s beauty filter feature is your artist. If you are shy and cannot hold a conversation with a group at a party, your escape route is a social media app. Do you want to ignore some friends and be lost in an unreal world, plug into a social media app? However, with the option to disable Facebook, the internet and social media will change forever.

This does not mean social media is safe. Facebook will be here. Instagram will be here. Snapchat will be here. Where do you belong in the social media arc now? This is the beginning. No one knows where ultimately it will stop.

In the short term

Digital casinos are harmful. Ditto social media addiction.

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The post Where do you belong in the social media arc? appeared first on Frontpageng.

He called on the chairmen to bolster grassroots development, identify emerging talents, and develop sustainable pathways for athletes to achieve national and international excellence.

Speaking during the official inauguration of the chairmen of the sports associations at Lagos House, Ikeja, Governor Sanwo-Olu described the appointment as a significant step towards repositioning sports administration in Lagos.

The governor encouraged the new sports administrators to set clear and measurable objectives for their respective associations, implement succession programmes, and establish systems capable of identifying, nurturing, and transforming raw talent into elite athletes.

He emphasised that Lagos’ reputation as a Centre of Excellence must extend beyond talent discovery to establishing the necessary structures, training opportunities, and competitive platforms to transform talents into champions.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, who views sports not merely as recreation but as a pathway to discipline, education, employment, entrepreneurship, and economic growth, highlighted that major sporting events created opportunities in hospitality, transportation, entertainment, media, technology, fitness, and sports medicine.

He also called for stronger collaboration between government and the private sector, stating that increased private investment would provide a firmer platform for sports and athlete development in Lagos State.

Governor Sanwo-Olu instructed the newly inaugurated chairmen to prioritise transparency, accountability, and discipline.

He also urged them to ensure their associations maintain active competition calendars and create opportunities for women, girls, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented talents.

He affirmed that their success would be measured not by the duration of their tenure but by the athletes developed, institutions strengthened, records broken, and champions produced during their tenure.

Referring to Lagos’ recent performance at national sporting competitions, the governor underscored what can be achieved when talent is supported by a functional system, stressing the importance of creating a continuous pathway from schools to training grounds, competitions, and ultimately to national, continental, and global stages.

He highlighted Lagos’ hosting of the National Intermediate Games as part of efforts to strengthen the city’s leadership in sports development and to provide a platform for young athletes nationwide.

The Director-General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Mr Lekan Fatodu, stated that the inauguration of the sports association chairmen demonstrated the incumbent administration’s commitment to sports development.

Fatodu remarked that government alone could not develop the state’s sports sector, emphasising the need for stronger partnerships among government, sports associations, athletes, coaches, corporate organisations, schools, and local communities.

He described the new chairmen as vital links between athletes and their respective sporting communities, noting their responsibilities include talent identification, athlete development, competition organisation, technical capacity building, and creating pathways for athletes to compete and succeed.

The Director-General disclosed that Lagos State had deliberately appointed accomplished men and women across various sports disciplines to provide leadership, mentorship, and opportunities for young athletes.

Speaking on behalf of the sports association chairmen, the chairman of the Lagos State Athletics Association, Dr Solomon Alao, in his Vote of Assurance, said they were committed to supporting the government’s vision for sports development.

He said the opportunity to engage directly with Governor Sanwo-Olu had dispelled doubts about the administration’s dedication to the associations, describing the inauguration as a renewed source of strength and motivation.

Alao assured the state government that the new leadership would strive to deliver credible, progressive, and impactful results across their respective sporting associations.

He added that the chairmen felt reinforced by the confidence placed in them and were eager to work towards better outcomes for athletes and sports growth in Lagos.

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