We have tried to own the assault by calling it a “collabo”, as  they say, but no one can deny that we did not ask for it, and that it was rammed down our throats. All the same, we deserve the humiliation because we could not put our own house in order. The late President Muhammadu Buhari and his ethnic Fulani collaborators did this to us! But as a country, we failed to do the needful.

For many years before this “help” from President Donald Trump, the warning had rang out again and again that our country was tottering towards a failed state. We were on the dangerous road to Somalia. We were enraged, and justifiably so, when Trump first called us a “shithole”, but he was right! Unfazed by our protests, the maverick American president returned later to describe our country as a “disgraced country.” Again, was he far from the truth?

Once a country fails to perform the basic duties of a state – which are the defence of its territorial integrity and protection of the life and property of its citizens – it loses its sovereignty, respect, and standing in the comity of nations. Therefore, Trump’s action wasn’t the cause of Nigeria’s loss of sovereignty but the evidence and confirmation of the loss. We lost it long before Trump moved in to take advantage.

Insecurity has made life miserable for Nigerians in the last 10 years. What started as a mild Boko Haram insurgency restricted to the north-east of the country ballooned with the coming to power of Buhari in 2015. Fulani terrorists, imported from around the world and empowered by the Buhari administration, ran riot all over the country. Miyetti Allah, the apex organisation of Fulani herdsmen, became the country’s unofficial power house.

All manner of atrocities committed by the Fulani was tacitly sanctioned and applauded by leading Buharists of the Fulani extraction. More terrorist groups saw the opportunity offered by Buhari and seized it with both hands. Fulani bandits, Islamic State of West Africa Province, Ansaru, Lakurawa, name them! Nigeria swarmed with all manner of terrorist organisations that have spread their tentacles from the north-east to the north-west, north-central and are now marching ferociously down south. Now and again, they control territories bigger than some countries in Europe where they establish their “governments” and levy taxes on the locals.

In this they are encouraged, supported, financed, and defended by Fulani/Muslim sympathizers in and out of government, according to reports long known to the public. The military, deliberately compromised from the inside with the infusion of so-called “repentant terrorists”, bleed profusely but are unable to stem the tide of the rampage fast consuming the entire country.

The cost of this insurgency is staggering. Human life lost and the displaced are counted in hundreds of thousands. Funds and other resources committed so far are counted in trillions of Naira. The dislocation of farmers has led to scarcity of foodstuffs and soaring costs of living. For the very first time, the country is experiencing the scourge of Internally Displaced Persons. The cost to the economy of the entire country cannot be adequately calculated.

Entire families are routinely wiped out by Fulani land grabbers. Whole villages and communities have emptied into IDP camps with strangers taking over their land. In many instances, places, and locations, there have been pogroms and ethnic cleansing and genocidal acts against Christians and moderate Muslims. The bestiality of the terrorists make a mockery of the atrocities recorded in Vietnam, Kigali and Kosovo!

Kidnapping for ransom is now not only a lucrative and profitable business, reportedly rivalling crude oil sales and Diaspora remittances, it has become contagious, spreading all over the country. Families, friends, co-workers, relations now kidnap one another to make quick bucks. People organize or fake their own kidnapping to extort families, friends and relations. My suspicion is that the crime enterprise foisted on the country by insurgency will remain a fact of our national life for a long time to come.

Soaring cost of living cuts across. Cost of foodstuffs is one. After life, man’s next basic need is food. Mercifully, the prices of some food items, like imported rice, have come down, but not down enough to succour the desperately poor. What comfort is it to a man earning the minimum wage of N70,000 per month that a bag of imported rice now sells  for N60/70,000 instead of the previous N100/120,000? Besides, the cost of other items, especially condiments like tomatoes, pepper, onions, oils, etc are not only still high, they rose drastically during the festive period.

Transportation costs, too, experienced a jump despite that there were no instances of fuel shortage or increase in pump price. How do neighbouring countries like Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana prevent the indiscriminate hike of prices, especially by transporters, which has become commonplace here? Once it is festive period, they hike fares because they want to rake in “owo odun” (festive period windfall). Once it looks like it will rain, they double fares. Once they see a crowd at bus stops, they announce an increase!

Petrol is more readily available these days but the cost is still prohibitive. Despite that the refineries are now supplied locally and also pay for crude in the local currency, we still pay through the nose for petrol/diesel. A pastor-colleague who danced that the coming of Dangote refinery would crash the price below the N145/litre in place before the “subsidy is gone” announcement is still dazed that his “prophecy” did not come to pass! Truth be told, what is paid for fuel bores holes in the pocket.

The floating of the Naira or merging of the official and black market rates of the foreign exchange market is mere euphemism for a drastic devaluation of the Naira. The Naira’s loss in value is staggering. Fill your pocket with Naira and go a-shopping; you will return thinking you lost money! I kept a diary, dutifully recording my spendings before I could convince myself I wasn’t losing money! Only that the Naira was the one losing value!

In the face of stagnant income or income unable to move at a quarter of the speed of Naira loss, an increasing number of dependents as a result of unemployment that has reached epidemic level, standard of living and quality of life have plummeted in many homes, mine inclusive! I want Dipo Onabanjo, who insists I am not poor, to believe this!

Epileptic power supply has not helped matters. Constant power supply is both a necessity and luxury. Productivity dips in the face of epileptic power supply. Industries and businesses incur staggering costs sourcing alternative power supply, and this additional cost, which makes them less competitive in the international market, they pass on to consumers, thereby further increasing the cost of goods and services.

Businesses relocate to more economically favourable environments, leading to job loss and youth restiveness, with its attendant consequences. More than half of Nigeria’s population is reportedly made up of youths. The “Japa” syndrome is further accentuated, leading to loss of skilled manpower, which slows down the growth of the economy, thereby further pauperizing the citizenry.

The hospitals are bereft of competent hands. Our institutions of higher learning have followed suit. Apart from the exorbitant cost of treatment and drugs, patients now get appointments running into weeks and months before they can have doctors attend to them in our hospitals. I know those who died while waiting for their appointment date!

Corruption still struts the entire landscape like a colossus. The greed of many of our leaders beggars belief. The insensitivity of many of today’s powers-that-be – and their family members – makes you wonder if they were here when yesterday’s men and women of power acted similarly! Where are those ones today? “Awon t’o pe’ra won ni nkan pataki a wa won a o ri won mo! Awon da?” Like Orlando Owoh crooned! Will people ever learn from history?

However, 2025 was not all negative as there was an oasis of the renewed hope that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu promised. Mohamed Marwa’s NDLEA, JAMB’s Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, FCCPC’s Tunji Bello, FCT’s Nyesom Wike, the imaginative turnaround at some of our airports and the ease of acquiring passports – all these gave a ray of hope that all is not lost.

Without NDLEA’s dogged fight against drugs, the country would long have become submerged by the drug czars. So, Marwa richly deserves his second term of office.

JAMB suffered a scare in the year under review but the robust system it has put in place and the doggedness and sincerity of purpose of Oloyede eventually saved the day. Our exams will by now be worth less than the paper on which they are written without Oloyede.

Government policies apart, man’s inhumanity to fellow humans accounts for much of the sufferings in the land. FCCPC’s Riot Acts read to heartless market men and women over exorbitant hikes in prices, and to PHCN for billing consumers for services not provided, gave succour to some last year. More of such interventions will be required this year.

Wike’s politics may incense many but Abuja residents generally describe him as the best performing FCT minister in recent times.

Compared with what operated in the past, the Bayo Onanuga-led media team in the Presidency has been more responsive, having made it a point of duty to constantly touch base with their constituency.

In Year 2026, may their tribe increase! Wishing my esteemed readers a Happy New Year!

FEEDBACK: 

Where critics of the Ekiti airport got it all wrong…

Permit me to air my views on the Ekiti agro-allied international cargo airport, if it is not too late. I read your piece on the issue, which was detailed and balanced, in my view, and I also read the rejoinder by US-based Dr. Joel Ademisoye and another anonymous writer. I will also like to remain anonymous for some personal reasons.

Let me state from the beginning that although I am based abroad, like Dr. Ademisoye, I am constantly in touch with home. So, I, too, like Dr. Ademisoye, have the privilege of the two fronts of home and away, and how things are done differently in the two worlds.

Critics of the Ekiti airport made good points: Proliferation of airports, scale of preference or priority in the face of competing needs, the gargantuan cost of the airport, the availability of agricultural produce to feed the airport and the sustainability and profitability of the airport itself.

But like you had rightly said in your own write-up, the project was not conceived or started by the current Ekiti State Government of Gov. Biodun Oyebanji. So, the options he had were to continue and complete the project or abandon it. He chose the former and you supported. I, too, do! Had he abandoned the project, all previous investments on it would have gone down the drain and the same critics would have criticised him for doing so!

The proliferation of airports is also an issue beyond Oyebanji. He cannot control, influence or stop other states and, indeed, the Federal Government from siting airports. So, we cannot blame him for the proliferation of airports in the South-West. What we should advocate is more synergy by the governors of the south-west region, just as they are now admirably doing on Amotekun, to avoid duplication of projects and waste of resources.

Which should come first: The airport or the resuscitation of moribund agric projects of the Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Gov. Michael Adekunle Ajayin days? I think both can run pari-passu. In fact, the existence of the airport serves as a catalyst for investors to move in and partner with the Oyebanji administration to revive those projects. That should be the next focus of the Ekiti governor. Of course, this cannot be achieved without good road networks, especially rural roads, to help farmers move their farm produce closer to the airport.

Critics of the airport overlooked the salient point you raised of insecurity, which has spread from its “home” base in the North to the south-west, which was unthinkable in the past. No investor will feel comfortable to risk his or her life travelling by road in unsafe terrains or environments. With the airport comes safer and faster travels, ease and comfortability, which will help Ekiti to compete more favourably with a neighbouring state like Ogun, which is so blessed because of its nearness to Lagos, the country’s commercial nerve-centre.

The Ekiti airport will shorten the one-way travel distance from Lagos to Ekiti by a whopping four or five hours (to and fro making a total of between eight and 10 hours), which is massive. In conclusion, the positives outweigh the negatives.

*Bolawole (turnpot@gmail.com 0807 552 5533), former Editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-chief, was also the Managing Director/ Editor-in-chief of the Westerner newsmagazine. He writes the “ON THE LORD’S DAY” column in the Sunday Tribune and “TREASURES” column in the New Telegraph newspapers. He is also a public affairs analyst on radio and television.

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The post Year 2025 in retrospect…, By Bolanle Bolawole appeared first on Frontpageng.

The president made the declaration on Wednesday in his New Year message to Nigerians.

He assured that by the grace of God, the New Year would be “a year of great promise in which we will fulfill our collective desires.”

“Though 2024 posed numerous challenges to our citizens and households, I am confident that the New Year will bring brighter days,” he added.

He said there were indications that the nation would improve economically.

He expressed the commitment of the federal government to boost food production and promote local manufacturing of essential drugs and other medical supplies.

Tinubu, while expressing gratitude for the confidence Nigerians placed in him, promised to continue to embark on necessary reforms to foster sustainable growth and prosperity for Nigeria.

He gave the assurance that sacrifices made by Nigerians in the past 19 months would not be in vain, as he sought the cooperation of all to ensure nation-building.

READ ALSO: Ahead of midterm, emerging signs favourable for the Tinubu administration

The statement reads in full:

Fellow Nigerians,

As we enter 2025, I wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year. May you be rich in joy, success, and good health.

As the new year dawns, it brings many hopes, aspirations, and prospects for better days. By the grace of God, 2025 will be a year of great promise in which we will fulfill our collective desires.

Though 2024 posed numerous challenges to our citizens and households, I am confident that the New Year will bring brighter days.

Economic indicators point to a positive and encouraging outlook for our nation. Fuel prices have gradually decreased, and we recorded foreign trade surpluses in three consecutive quarters. Foreign reserves have risen, and the Naira has strengthened against the US dollar, bringing greater stability.

The stock market’s record growth has generated trillions of naira in wealth, and the surge in foreign investment reflects renewed confidence in our economy. Nevertheless, the cost of food and essential drugs remained a significant concern for many Nigerian households in 2024.

In 2025, our government is committed to intensifying efforts to lower these costs by boosting food production and promoting local manufacturing of essential drugs and other medical supplies. We are resolute in our ambition to reduce inflation from its current high of 34.6% to 15%. With diligent work and God’s help, we will achieve this goal and provide relief to all our people.

In this new year, my administration will further consolidate and increase access to credit for individuals and critical sectors of the economy to boost national economic output.

To achieve this, the federal government will establish the National Credit Guarantee Company to expand risk-sharing instruments for financial institutions and enterprises.

The Company—expected to start operations before the end of the second quarter—is a partnership of government institutions, such as the Bank of Industry, Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation, the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Agency, and Ministry of Finance Incorporated, the private sector, and multilateral institutions.

This initiative will strengthen the confidence of the financial system, expand credit access, and support under-served groups such as women and youth. It will drive growth, re-industrialisation, and better living standards for our people.

On a personal note, thank you for placing your confidence in me as your president. Your trust humbles me, and I promise to continue serving you diligently and wholeheartedly.

We will continue to embark on necessary reforms to foster sustainable growth and prosperity for our nation.

I seek your cooperation and collaboration at all times as we pursue our goal of a one trillion-dollar economy. Let us stay focused and united.

We are on the right path to building a great Nigeria that will work for everyone. Let us not get distracted by a tiny segment of our population that still sees things through the prisms of politics, ethnicity, region, and religion.

CITIZENSHIP

To achieve our national goals and objectives, we must become better citizens and uncompromising in our devotion and allegiance to Nigeria.

Citizens’ moral rectitude and faith in our country are fundamental to the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda. In 2025, we will commit to promoting adherence to ethical principles, shared values, and beliefs under the National Identity Project.

I will unveil the National Values Charter, already approved by the Federal Executive Council, in the first quarter of 2025. I will launch an ambitious national orientation campaign that fosters patriotism and love for our country and inspires citizens to rally together. The Charter will promote mutual commitments between the government and citizens and foster trust and cooperation among our diverse population and between the government and the citizens.

As far-reaching and foundational as our reforms are, they can produce the desired outcomes only through shared common values and identities and unconditional love for our country.

The Youth Confab will begin in the first quarter of 2025, a testament to our commitment to youth inclusiveness and investment as nation-builders. The Ministry of Youth will soon announce the modalities for selecting the conference’s representatives from our diverse, youthful population.

Dear Compatriots, I urge you to continue believing in yourselves and keeping faith in our blessed country.

Let me use this New Year’s message to urge our governors and local council chairpersons to work closely with the central government to seize emerging opportunities in agriculture, livestock, and tax reforms and move our nation forward. I commend governors who have embraced our Compressed Natural Gas initiative by launching CNG-propelled public transport. I also congratulate those who have adopted electric vehicles as part of our national energy mix and transition. The Federal Government will always offer necessary assistance to the states.

To all citizens, your sacrifices have not been in vain over the past 19 months. I assure you they will not be in vain even in the months ahead. Together, let us stay the course of nation-building.

The New Year will bring us closer to the bright future we all desire and the Nigeria of our dreams.

God bless you all, and may God bless our beloved country, Nigeria.

Happy New Year and a prosperous 2025 to you all!

Bola Ahmed Tinubu,

President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

January 1, 2025

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Your consistent patronage of our brand throughout 2024 kept us running well. Thank you very much, Esteemed Partners.

To God is the glory as we are here in 2025, hand in hand.

Together please, let’s do the journey to greater heights in the New Year and beyond.

At FrontPage, our commitment to professionalism and credibility is total.

Your support for this brand is not taken for granted.

Heartfelt thanks for your loyalty, support in 2024,

Together we shall succeed.

Welcome all to a blessed year.

Welcome to 2025.

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