“When the nation girds for conquest over terrorism and banditry, some leaders choose to philosophize from the sidelines.”

In the last month, Nigeria has endured a coordinated blitz of terror. From the bloodied pews of Christ Apostolic Church in Kwara to the haunted silence of classrooms in Niger and Kebbi, bandits have struck with chilling spread. Over 300 children were abducted from a Catholic school in Niger State. In Kebbi, 25 schoolgirls vanished. In Kwara, worshippers were gunned down mid-service. In Zamfara, 25 women and children were rescued after a night raid. The scale and simultaneity of these attacks suggest more than opportunistic crime. It reeks of orchestration.

President Bola Tinubu, visibly alarmed, responded with a suite of decisive measures: a nationwide security emergency, the recruitment of 50,000 new police officers, and the redeployment of over 11,000 VIP-attached police back to core security duties. He urged states to halt the construction of boarding schools in remote, poorly secured areas, an interim safeguard, not a policy of surrender.

The public, long fatigued by the reign of terror, largely welcomed the shift. Even critics conceded: the president has shown everyone he’s the commander-in-chief.

Then came Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.

The former vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party, in a baffling display of contrarianism, dismissed every plank of the President’s plan. No to emergency powers. No to recruiting more security personnel. No to pausing rural boarding schools. His prescription? Let the police, yes, the same overstretched, under-equipped, and underwhelming force, handle it all. “Remove the Nigerian armed forces,” he said. “The Nigerian police alone can wipe out insecurity and banditry in two months.”

One wonders what alternate Nigeria he speaks of.

Let’s talk numbers. Nigeria, with a population of roughly 231 million, has about 230,000 active‑duty military personnel, around 0.1 per cent of its population, with no formal military reserves. Egypt, with less than half Nigeria’s population (about 110 million), fields roughly 440,000 active‑duty troops and 480,000 reservists, totalling about 1 million under arms. The United States, at about 342 million people, maintains roughly 1.3 million active‑duty troops and over 790,000 in reserve components. In per‑capita terms, Nigeria carries a significantly smaller active force burden than either Egypt or the US while confronting an internal war that stretches from the North‑West to the North‑Central and into parts of the South. Rejecting additional recruitment in this context is like telling an overstretched fire service battling multiple infernos with one truck that the real issue is not in acquiring more trucks but only how they use their diesel.

Yes, corruption is a cancer. But to argue that corruption alone explains our security stretch is to ignore the sheer scale of the threat. Bandits now operate with military-grade weapons, cross-border logistics, and ideological cover. The idea that the police, without military support, can repel such forces is not just naïve; it’s reckless. His prognosis belongs more in campaign poetry than in any serious security architecture. It is the counsel of a surgeon who proposes to remove a tumour with a motivational speech and a stethoscope.

Nigeria does not need finely worded excuses for standing still in the face of marauders. It needs leaders whose logic, when held against the grief of abducted families and fallen soldiers, does not read like a brief for the bandits.

And then there’s the matter of rural boarding schools. The President’s advisory on boarding schools is explicitly framed as a temporary, context‑specific response: stabilize the environment first, then expand educational access with better protection, not as an ideological retreat from rural education. Baba-Ahmed insists that halting their expansion is “deadly” and “wrong.” But what’s truly deadly is sending children into unguarded remote schools when bandits are on the prowl. It reads less like concern for children in vulnerable communities and more like an oddly principled defense of the bandits’ operational convenience.

In moments like this, one is tempted to ask: whose side are you on?

One-by-one, the bandits have emerged from the shadows. Now, one-by-one, their apologists are stepping into the light. We see them. And we must say so.

A Modest Advisory to the Adviser

The country needs serious opposition voices, those who can interrogate budgets, expose inadequacies, and insist that every naira allocated to security finds its way to the trenches. But seriousness demands discipline: before going on air to deride an emergency that most citizens greeted with resigned relief, convene a quiet “mood board” of people who understand force structure, rural education, and conflict geography. Let them stress‑test the talking points, strip away the applause lines, and see whether, beneath the grandstanding, there is anything that would actually make Nigerians sleep with both eyes closed.

Nigeria does not need finely worded excuses for standing still in the face of marauders. It needs leaders whose logic, when held against the grief of abducted families and fallen soldiers, does not read like a brief for the bandits.

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There are stories that shimmer with quiet power. Stories that rebuke the noisy gospel of instant success and remind us that true greatness is forged in the furnace of perseverance, prayer, and purpose. Dr. Dayo Olomu’s journey is one such story — a living sermon that silences the get-rich-quick chorus and amplifies the deeper call to significance.

From a Lagos bus garage where he marked his 10th birthday, to the pulpit of St Alban’s Church in Croydon where he now proclaims the Word with clarity, compassion, and courage, Dayo’s life is a masterclass in divine timing and human grit. He did not stumble into ministry. He walked there — slowly, prayerfully, persistently. He knew where he was going. He did the grind. He met the obstacles. And when discouragement whispered its seductive lies, he remembered the scripture:

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

— Romans 5:3–4 (NIV)

This is the fire that refines, not punishes. The fire that prepares us to be credible witnesses of the Kingdom. And Dayo Olomu is now that witness — not just in word, but in testimony.

If you go to Dr. Olomu seeking counsel, prayer, or healing, you will not meet a man who speaks from theory. You will meet a man who has wrestled with loss, identity theft, reinvention, and spiritual calling. He will pray for you, yes. In addition to that, he will share his own story — and assure you, with conviction and tenderness, that if God did it for him, He will do it for you too. That is what makes him authentic. Believable. Credible.

READ ALSO: English, Maths remain compulsory for all O’level students -FG

His first sermon as a Licensed Lay Minister was not a performance. It was a proclamation — of gratitude, of community, of shared faith. He reminded us that we are called to be Aarons and Hurs for one another, upholding weary hands until victory is won. He reminded us that persistence and surrendering are the heartbeats of discipleship. And he reminded us that the Spirit of the Lord is upon us — to bind up the broken-hearted and proclaim freedom for the captives.

Dr. Dayo Olomu, your brother, our friend, Wale Olomu (may his soul continue to rest in perfect peace) would be proud of your remarkable accomplishments. You have not buried your talents. You have multiplied them — in boardrooms, in classrooms, and now in the sanctuary.

Judgment belongs to the Lord. But we are hopeful that when He returns and asks you have stewarded the gifts He entrusted to you, He will say:

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

— Matthew 25:23

You have made us all proud. And more importantly, you have made heaven smile.

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In a world obsessed with billionaire rankings and corporate theatrics, one man continues to defy the script. He doesn’t chase headlines. He doesn’t court applause. He simply moves—quietly, decisively, and with a generosity that rewrites destinies.

Mike Adenuga is not in competition with anyone. Because he’s not playing the same game.

Per Second Billing, Per Second Impact

Just as he made per second billing possible—when the telecom industry said it couldn’t be done—he touches lives on a per second basis. He democratized access in telecoms. Now, he’s democratizing giving.

Lives are touched. Tears are wiped. Futures are rebuilt. And it all happens quietly, without fanfare.

The Envelope Arrives. And So Does the Miracle.

He may not attend your event, but the envelope arrives. Sometimes, it’s more than an envelope—it’s a car, a scholarship, a lifeline.

He once read about a woman near the Seme border whose market stall was destroyed. No fanfare. Just a quiet dispatch: find her, restore her, bless her. He dropped millions. Her tears turned to testimony.

From flood victims to students, hospitals to strangers—his giving is strategic, soulful, and often anonymous. The scale is vast. The style is silent. The pocket is deep.

Mike Adenuga is not in competition with anyone. Because impact, for him, is not a race. It is a rhythm.

The Billionaire Who Opted Out

He once asked to be removed from a global billionaire list. Not because he lacked wealth—but because he lacked interest. For him, wealth is not a scoreboard. It is stewardship.

Global Echoes of Quiet Generosity

His style finds echoes in Chuck Feeney and Yvon Chouinard—billionaires who gave quietly, lived simply, and redefined wealth through impact.

This is not a comparison of amounts or methods. It’s a portrait of a man who gives generously and prefers to disappear from the wealth conversation.

True wealth isn’t measured in rankings. It’s measured in reach.

A Building for the Lord

After his mother’s burial in Ijebu-Igbo, he handed over the beautiful edifice he built for the ceremony to the church—for the Lord’s work.

Legacy Without Noise

He’s created over 100,000 jobs. His fiber-optic investments have given Africa digital independence. His philanthropy has restored dignity to the forgotten.

He is rarely seen. Hardly heard. But always felt.

Mike Adenuga is not in competition with anyone. Because impact, for him, is not a race. It is a rhythm.

READ ALSO: PDP loses three Kaduna House of Reps members to APC

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Nigeria is undergoing a quiet revolution—sector by sector, institution by institution. Yet many former public office holders remain unable, or unwilling, to acknowledge this seismic shift. It’s not just political blindness—it’s a failure of moral calibration.

Mediocrity cannot recognize greatness. And those forged in the complacency that led Nigeria to despondency will struggle to comprehend the velocity of change now underway.

From derelict roads to a restructured transport ecosystem—marked by gradually increasing CNG-powered public fleets, record-breaking kilometers of rehabilitated highways, and multimodal corridors linking once-isolated regions—Nigerians are witnessing a transformation that defies the inertia of past decades.

They can see revitalized hospitals. They can see factories roaring back to life. They can see decades-old, abandoned infrastructure projects—brought to completion in Enugu, Ogun, Kaduna, and across virtually every state.

READ ALSO: Troops apprehend 199 terrorists, other criminals

They are reeling under the pains of hard economic realities triggered by the inevitable reforms, but they are also beginning to see the signs—clear, grounded, and verifiable—of genuine growth and sustainable development.

The merchants of despair and revisionist nostalgia may peddle confusion—but Nigerians, awakened by the quiet revolution around them, now reject myth for proof, noise for progress. They know those who broke Nigeria. And they know those who are rebuilding it.

The path is far from painless. But it is, for the first time in decades, purposeful. As hardship yields the first fruits of structural rebirth, government must remain focused. It must intensify efforts to lower living costs, audit ineffective policies, and drop what no longer serves the people. Visibility is rising. Significant improvement in people’s standards of living must follow.

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In Nigerian politics, betrayal is often met with retribution. The corridors of power are thick with grudges, and transitions rarely arrive untarnished. But on the solemn occasion of President Muhammadu Buhari’s burial, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu defied the cynical playbook — and in doing so, etched a moment of statesmanship that may outlive them both.

Tinubu was no mere ally in Buhari’s ascent. He was the architect of Buhari’s political resurrection in 2015, offering strategic muscle and party infrastructure that turned persistent defeat into victory. But as Buhari’s second term waned and succession loomed, their bond strained. In a move that did not come as a surprise to many, Buhari withheld public enthusiasm for Tinubu’s presidential bid, instead backing then Senate President Ahmed Lawan for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket. It was a political slight of the highest order—one that could have justified coldness, or worse, calculated vengeance.

READ ALSO: Nigerian Army deals heavy blow to terrorists, criminals

Yet when Buhari died, Tinubu’s response was not guided by memory’s sting. It was shaped by duty. He mobilized the full dignity of state protocol, dispatching his Vice President and Chief of Staff to accompany Buhari’s body from London. At Daura, he stood with the bereaved family, overseeing a burial that balanced national honour with personal respect. And in a remarkable gesture, he convened a special Federal Executive Council session in tribute — his words, solemn and expansive, painting Buhari not just as a political partner but as a patriot who gave his life to the republic.

This display of grace did not go unnoticed. Buhari’s son, and other family members, spoke with warmth and gratitude. Tinubu, in turning from bitterness to benevolence, became the custodian of Buhari’s legacy—even when the late president’s own political instincts had once leaned elsewhere.

Indeed, the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) tried to diminish the moment, accusing Tinubu of theatrical excess. But the critique wilted in the face of public scrutiny—and the unmistakable moral clarity of Tinubu’s gesture.

A Lesson Carved in Protocol

There is a didactic depth to Tinubu’s conduct. It tells political elites—particularly those obsessed with succession strategy—that loyalty does not always flow from endorsement. The candidate you marginalize may become the fiercest defender of your legacy. The successor you anoint with pride may turn away when history calls for honour.

Tinubu’s actions urge leaders to rethink succession not as insurance, but as stewardship—one guided by character, not just calculation. Because in the end, it is not your preference but your principles that will endure.

And so, in Daura, amidst dust and prayer, bitterness was buried. In its place stood a living monument: that even in rivalry, dignity must remain. That grace, not vengeance, secures legacy. And that true leadership rises—not by repaying wounds—but by refusing to inflict them.

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There is little or no current electoral value. No vision was shared apart from a desperation to grab power at all costs. No alternative superior plan was disclosed. The coalition has little pedigree of excellence in public service to showcase.

Take, for instance, the record of Rauf Aregbesola. As Minister of the Interior, he failed to resolve any of the challenges he inherited in the prisons, immigration services, and border management throughout his tenure. In stark contrast, his successor, Olubunmi Ojo, has, within just two years, transformed the ministry. The backlog of passport applications has been cleared nationwide, and it is now significantly easier for Nigerians to obtain passports both at home and abroad. Immigration services at Nigerian airports have been automated, greatly improving efficiency and giving citizens a renewed sense of pride. Notably, border control has also seen substantial improvement.

Scholars should list this as a case study on how not to form a political coalition. It was a big letdown.

This comparison makes it clear: having been given the opportunity to demonstrate capability and falling short, it is ridiculous to claim to offer better prospects than those who have succeeded in addressing the very issues you neglected.

READ ALSO: Nigeria records 145 Lassa fever deaths, as fatality rate increases

Another telling example is Abubakar Malami, the former Attorney General of the Federation. Under his watch, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)—an agency reporting directly to him—was mired in controversy, from persistent allegations of corruption against Malami himself to the EFCC’s mishandling of recovered assets and poor prosecution records. Today, however, recovered loots are transparently channelled into funding critical national projects, such as the student loan scheme, marking a clear departure from the past.

These examples underscore the point: the coalition’s leading figures have already had their chance to serve and left much to be desired. Their track records do not inspire confidence in their ability to deliver superior governance or meaningful change.

Scholars should list this as a case study on how not to form a political coalition. It was a big letdown.

The post EXTRA: A coalition of letdowns, By Olabode Opeseitan appeared first on Frontpageng.

The Rivers State Crisis: Facts and Fallout

The NBA’s current leadership recently declared the state of emergency in Rivers State and the appointment of a sole administrator as illegal, taking a public position before the courts could pronounce judgment. While the NBA’s vigilance in defending constitutional order is commendable, its approach has been criticized for bypassing due process and appearing to act as accuser, prosecutor, and judge.

The N300 Million Controversy

Compounding matters is the NBA’s admission that it received N300 million from the Rivers State Government, led by the now-suspended Governor Similayi Fubara, as support for its annual conference—originally slated for Port Harcourt. When the NBA relocated the conference to Enugu, the Rivers State Government demanded a refund, arguing the funds were tied to hosting rights and the anticipated economic benefits for the state.

The NBA, however, insists the N300 million was an unconditional gift, not a contractual payment, and has refused to return the money. This stance has drawn widespread criticism from legal professionals, civil society, and the public, who see it as a breach of ethical standards and public trust.

READ ALSO: SNEPCo named major oil company of the year, Aiboni amazon of Nigeria’s oil sector

The Moral and Societal Burden

This situation presents a profound moral dilemma. The NBA, as the conscience of the legal profession, is expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity and transparency. Accepting a large sum from a state government, then refusing to refund it after failing to deliver the attendant benefits, undermines the association’s credibility and raises questions about its impartiality and accountability.

What Should the NBA Do?

The NBA must recognize that its actions set a precedent for the entire legal community. To restore public trust and reaffirm its role as a defender of justice, the NBA should:

– Reconsider its position on the N300 million and either refund the money or reach a transparent, mutually agreed resolution with the Rivers State Government.

– Commit to greater transparency in its financial dealings and decision-making processes.

– Reaffirm its dedication to due process and the rule of law, ensuring that public statements and actions are always grounded in legal procedure and fairness.

Conclusion

The NBA’s legacy is at stake. As we reflect on the golden eras of past NBA leadership, we must ask: What will this generation be remembered for? The path to redemption lies in humility, accountability, and a renewed commitment to the values that once made the NBA a beacon of hope for all Nigerians.

NBA needs to rise to the occasion and reclaim its place as the nation’s moral compass.

The post EXTRA: NBA’s of moral leadership, By Bode Opeseitan appeared first on Frontpageng.

We have cancer eating at the soul of our nation—one that drains our wealth, stifles our talent, and insults our potential.

Since the Tinubu administration began, Nigeria has transformed into a massive construction site. Abandoned projects are being revived; new roads, bridges, and infrastructure are rising. Yet, beneath this progress lies an unsettling reality: the near-total dominance of foreign contractors in major projects.

From Lagos to Abuja, Zamfara to Enugu, our leaders still act as if Nigerian expertise is inferior. The ratio? An unconscionable 9:1 preference for foreign firms over homegrown talent on major projects, by my estimation. This is not just poor judgment—it’s a betrayal of our people.

But here’s the irony: the same Nigerian contractors we ignore are the ones who deliver faster, cheaper, and with greater impact.

The Nigerian Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) found that indigenous contractors were 20–25% MORE cost-effective—saving billions by leveraging local knowledge and lower overheads.

A World Bank study (2018) proved local firms create 40–60% MORE jobs—lifting communities out of poverty.

PwC Nigeria (2021) revealed local contractors finish projects 15–20% FASTER, avoiding the delays foreign firms face due to community disputes.

So why the obsession with outsiders?

It’s time to BELIEVE in Nigeria—by BUILDING with Nigerians.

The success of Planet Projects, the indigenous firm behind Lagos’s iconic Oshodi Interchange, proves what happens when Nigerian leaders take a bold bet on local talent. Without former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s vision, that world-class project would have gone to yet another foreign firm.

We don’t lack capacity—we lack TRUST.

READ ALSO: Alleged fraud: BPP director testifies against ex-aviation minister

Here are some of the benefits of using local contractors:

Economic empowerment—keeping billions within Nigeria.

Faster delivery—no endless delays from expatriate bottlenecks.

Job creation—lifting millions out of unemployment.

Stronger Naira—reducing forex pressure from repatriated profits.

This is a NATIONAL EMERGENCY.

Our leaders must stop outsourcing Nigeria’s future. Instead, they should:

* Identify high-potential indigenous contractors

* Provide loan guarantees & financial support to enable local contractors upgrade their equipment

* Enforce local content laws with TEETH. Administrative penalties and transparent monitoring could enhance compliance.

The talent is HERE. The solutions are HERE. The money should STAY HERE.

It’s time to BELIEVE in Nigeria—by BUILDING with Nigerians.

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