Tough Times Cover

Richard Elesho

Thomas Hobbes, the pessimistic English philosopher, would cringe in his grave at the speed Nigeria is ebbing to a state of nature. For the benefit of those who may not know, he was who in his 1651 book, Leviathan, memorably envisioned that life outside society or effective government would be ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.’

For Nigerians, these are not the best of seasons. With escalating insecurity and the cost of living hovering in the sky, life has become difficult, tough, and miserable. Hunger, starvation, inflation, banditry, kidnapping, and other fear triggers are daily driving the people close to the graves at an alarming velocity. Death has become cheap on the streets or two for a penny, as the Yoruba will say.

The twin policies of subsidy removal and Naira floating which came into effect in June last year, have more or less thrown the people under the bus. Indeed, despite the renewed hope mantra, the bait upon which the last elections were won, Nigerians may have sunk deeper into the abyss of hopelessness. This is even as the state battles to confront the odds, per time, insisting that better days are ahead.

– Insecurity: killings and kidnappings

The Nigerian state seems to be fighting an amorphous war. Insecurity walks on all legs in the country. A curtailed Boko Haram insurgency formerly domiciled in the Northeast spread first to other parts of the North as banditry before ravaging every nook and cranny of the country as a national insecurity malady.

Aside from the random abductions for ransoms, which are now sadly suffered in all parts of the country, the northcentral region is contending with what may qualify for genocide or ethnic cleansing in other climes. The most affected states in the region are Plateau, Kaduna, Benue, and to a lesser degree Niger. Examples of coordinated attacks abound in the states.

Last December, the people of Plateau had a bleak Yuletide as gunmen turned the state into a slaughterhouse. On Sunday 24, as people were preparing for the imminent Christmas activities, gunmen stormed Ndun, Ngyong, Murfet, Makundary, Tamiso, Chiang, Tahore, Gawarba, Dares, Meyenga, Darwat, and Butura Kampani villages in the Barkin Ladi, Mangu and Bokkos areas of the state burning houses, shooting and maiming the residents. An estimated 150 people were killed, while more than 10,000 others were displaced in the unprovoked attacks, generally rationalised either under the herders/ farmers crisis or religious fundamentalism.

Benue and Kaduna States have also experienced similar attacks in recent times. Scores were reportedly killed by armed men who invaded Agatu and Otukpo Local Government Areas of Benue state in early February. Similarly, armed herdsmen sacked the Adijah community in Ugbokpo, Apa Local Government Area of the state, on Thursday, 15 February. It was gathered that the attackers stormed the village, which is located a few kilometres away from the Otukpo-Oweto Road and opened fire on residents, killing an unspecified number of villagers.

Katsina has also been a hotbed of bandits and other non-state actors. On Sunday, 11 February, no less than nine traders were reported killed in the state. They were mowed down around 6 pm along Jibia/Batsari Road on their way from the market. It was learnt that the traders were being conveyed in two vehicles, which were also set ablaze by the gunmen.

A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “The traders left the market early enough after their trading on Sunday only for them to run into the gunmen between 5 pm and 6 pm along Jibia/ Batsari Road.”

The gunmen have not halted their attacks in the area. Between Wednesday, 14, and Thursday, 15, they opened fire on worshippers in a mosque in the Kankara area, killing some and abducting others. A source who narrated the incident said, “The assailants descended upon our Muslim brothers during Ishai prayer. Tragically, two of them lost their lives within the mosque premises, while a third met a fatal end outside the mosque while attempting to escape the onslaught. Four others sustained injuries and are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kankara.”

While such attacks have become rampant, the invaders sometimes operate unchallenged for hours, leaving sorrows, tears, blood, and a panicking populace in their wake. In all cases, both the federal and state authorities have vowed to bring perpetrators to book, but they have been low on keeping to the vows.

In other parts of the country,  kidnapping has become a highly lucrative enterprise. Even Abuja, the nation’s capital otherwise thought to be impenetrable to the outlaws has in recent times capitulated to their oppression. The story of six sisters and their father who were abducted from their home in Bwari left many mouths open. Pa. Al-Kadriyar was picked up from his home along with his daughters on the night of Tuesday, 2 January. His younger brother, who raised the alarm, was killed along with three policemen in an attempt to foil the abduction.

The kidnappers set a ransom of N60m and later released the old man to enable him to raise the money. However, one of the sisters, 21-year-old Nabeeha, was killed when a ransom deadline passed. The gunmen dumped the corpse at a spot where a negotiator was to deliver part of the ransom.

The remaining five girls were eventually released on Sunday, 21 January, after a heavy ransom had been paid. The unspecified amount was raised through crowdfunding.

Among the horrid tales of Bwari kidnap victims is that of a 3-year-old Darius Adeoye. He was abducted on 24 December in exchange for his father. Gunmen had invaded their estate residence in the dead of the night and led the senior Adeoye away. By a stroke of luck, he slipped from their grip and made good his escape. In anger, the hoodlums returned to the house, where they picked a traumatised Darius and his mother. Midway into the jungle, they abandoned the sick woman for her clear inability to walk fast, holding on to the boy. The boy was released upon payment of a heavy ransom, after many days in captivity.

Protesters in Kano

Kidnapping for ransom is no longer novel in Nigeria. Criminal gangs may target a highway, an apartment, worship centres, or even schools. According to the Nigerian risk consultancy, SBM Intelligence, some 283 people have been abducted in the Federal Capital Territory alone over the past year.

Not all victims of kidnapping make it back alive. On January 29, gunmen killed two Ekiti monarchs,the Onimojo of Imojo, Oba Olatunde Olusola, and the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, Oba Babatunde Ogunsakin. Luckily, Oba Adebayo Fatoba, the Alara of Ara-Ekiti, survived the ambush by the whiskers.

The royals were on their way from a meeting at Irele-Ekiti when they were ambushed. Also, in the same area, the assailants attacked a school bus and whisked away five pupils of the Apostolic Faith Group of Schools, three teachers, and the bus driver on 4 Feb 2024.

– Anger of the hungry

On Monday, 5 February, Nigeria had a partial domestication and throwback to the Arab Springs of 2010. Early that day, Bwala Dogo, a middle-aged man, was on his way to work when he encountered a strange scene. Hundreds of women with leaves were at the popular Kpakungu roundabout in Minna, the Niger State capital, blocking the road against vehicular movement. They had abandoned their daily chores and congregated for a mass protest against insecurity and high costs of living.

The protesters carried placards, some of which had captions like ‘No Food,’ ‘We are Dying of Hunger,’ and ‘Save Our Families.’ Reading these, Bwala immediately joined in the protests, volunteering and leading several sonorous anti-government songs. Scores of men and youths also shelved their schedules to participate in the standoff while few others resisted the urge to join, instead returning to their respective houses.

The law enforcement agents attempted to persuade the demonstrators of their mission in vain. The number of new converts in the fold strengthened their resolve. Speakers took turns to lament the high costs of living and their inability to meet basic needs. A young man who gave his name as Ibrahim Gana said, “A measure of rice was sold for N2,000 in Minna markets while maize was N1,000 per measure. The federal government needs to take action to reduce the hardship faced by poor Nigerians. Things are becoming unbearable.”

Ultimately, the police applied minimum force to disperse the crowd. However, that only happened after the deputy governor, Yakubu Garba, addressed them. He said the government was aware of the pain and hardship facing families in the country. He told the protesters that the government was working towards reducing the cost of living and the economic implications of the petrol subsidy removal.

It is instructive that about the time of the protests, the Nigerian first lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, was playing host to wives of the 36 state governors in the State House. At the launch of her pet project, Renewed Hope Initiative, she assured that the hard times being faced by Nigerians would soon come to an end with the right policies of the federal government.

“Times like this call for sober reflection. Hence, all hands must be on deck. Moreover, the hardship situation is temporary. It will soon fade away. The mission of the RHI is driven by my office to complement the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration of President Tinubu,’’ she was quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

After dispersing the crowd, the police went on witch-hunting its leaders, though. On Wednesday, the state police command announced it had its 30-year-old initiator, Aisha Jibrin, Fatima Aliyu, 57 Fatima Isyaku, 43, and 22 others in custody. According to DSP, W.A. Abiodun, the Niger State Police spokesman, they were arrested with dangerous weapons including a bench and a stick used as a barricade, three knives, one scissors, one cutlass, one saw blade, one iron pipe, four other sticks, two wraps of Indian hemp, and charms. They were detained at the SCID and awaiting their day with the law.

If the Police thought haunting the protesters to detention would stem the tide, they were mistaken. While Aisha and her fellow travellers were explaining their roles in the Minna riots, another one broke out in the state on Wednesday in nearby, Suleja, a few kilometers to the Federal Capital Territory.

The protesters stormed the popular Moroko Road, where the biggest market in the town is located. They carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Leadership is all about improving the life of the masses,” and “Nigerians are suffering, stop the hardship now,” among others.

The Niger State protests turned out to be a prelude to what may well be a national bedlam. In the evening of Thursday, 8 February, aggrieved residents stormed the streets of Kano, blocking the road to Katsina also in protest of excruciating living conditions. With leaves in hand, they seized Kurna, Rigiyar Lemu, and Bachirawa areas chanting anti-establishment renditions. “We can’t bear the high cost of living.”

Usman Saidu Bello spoke the minds of his fellow protesters. He decried hunger and high costs of living, urging the government to take urgent steps to ameliorate the situation. In his words: “Everybody is worried about the situation. Right from when we adapt to the situation, we are forced to come out to the streets to express our displeasure over the situation. We can not bear the high cost of living. People can not eat three square meals. Even the one square meal is now becoming difficult.

“A bag of rice which was sold for over N27,000 is now sold for N70,000. Sugar, which was sold for N8,000, now goes for N75,000. We want the government to intervene and urgently take steps to ameliorate the situation. If the government fails to address the situation, we will go violent,”

The prices quoted by Bello may have since expired. The rate at which prices of goods and services are rising is mind-boggling. It is as if the costs of living are on an Eagle’s wing flying to the stratosphere. It has become normal for people to encounter new and higher prices each time they go to the market, even if it is at short intervals.

The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, in its last Consumer Price Index, CPI, shows Kogi had the highest food inflation in January 2024 with prices of food rising by 44.2 per cent. The Confluence State which is in proximity to Benue, Nigeria’s leading food producer and itself a producer of rice, cassava, cashews, and sesame seeds among others, have often maintained the unenviable status of being the most expensive state to live in Nigeria.

Following Kogi in the surge in food prices is Kwara at 40.9 per cent, and Rivers at 40.1 per cent, while Bauchi at 28.83 per cent, Adamawa at 29.8 per cent and Kano at 30.08 per cent recorded the slowest.

On Friday, 9 February, youths came out on the streets of Osogbo in protest against hunger, starvation, and insecurity. The protesters wielded placards with inscriptions such as ‘change the unfavourable policies’, ‘Nigerians are suffering, we can’t cope again’, and ‘We are humans, stop mistreating the citizens’, among others, and assembled along MDS Road, very early.

Chairman, of Osun Civil Societies Coalition, Mr. Waheed Lawal said enough was enough insisting that the protest would continue until the federal government found solutions to the current economic hardship ravaging the country.

“Government must ameliorate the suffering of the people. They must do whatever they need to do to make sure that the people live in better conditions. Nigerians deserve the best. They promised us renewed hope, but what they are giving us now is renewed hardship. We reject renewed hardship in our lives and our economy because Nigerians deserve the best.

“What Nigerians want is a peaceful atmosphere. We don’t want insecurity in our land again. We can’t travel from Osogbo to Ibadan without panicking. You will be thinking that they will kidnap you. Every government that fails to provide security for the lives of the citizens is no longer a government. What we are saying is simple, we are ready to face the government in this hardship, and we are marathon runners. We have started this struggle today, and if the government fails to listen to us, we will continue to mobilise our people to protest this hardship because enough is enough.”

There have been pockets of hunger protests in other parts of the country. Sometimes, during the Yuletide in December last year, a video of complainants went viral. According to the video, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was on his way to Jumat prayer during a visit to Lagos, his home state. Dissatisfied Lagosians lined the streets of Idumota shouting l (we are hungry) as the presidential motorcade snaked by.

– The Naira in a mess

In those good old days, Nigeria’s currency, the Naira, was in the league of highly valued currencies of the world. Then, a British pound was exchanged for about ₦200, while a US dollar was exchanged for as low as 75 kobo. The average Nigerian then enjoyed the good life commensurate to his earned wages. As time passed, however, especially in the 1980s, when inflation began to eat deep into the fabric of the nation’s economy, the Naira continued to lose its value.

At first, the depreciation was to a minimal degree that it was hardly noticed. As time went by, however, the Naira completely lost every sense of value and continued in a spiral fall. A viral comedy video by Lasisi Elenu captures the dire straits.

In the short video, a man in need of 10,000 dollars went to the parallel forex market (Aboki or Black market). They negotiated for N730 to a dollar. However, before he paid Aboki received a phone call, and the rate changed to N790. The buyer reluctantly agreed to pay after a brief delay. The Aboki picked another call that pushed the rate first to N830, then N880, N950, and finally landed at N1,200, all within a short duration. The frustrated buyer took it personally and picked a fight with the seller. Market closed!

In recent times, the nation’s economic policymakers, foreign influencers, like the International Monetary Fund, IMF, the World Bank and other international market factors contributed in no small way to the free fall of the Naira. Sceptics also blame the situation on the policy decision of the federal government to float the Naira and theoretically abolish multiple window exchange rates.

This rapid devaluation has put Nigerians on the edge, as it threatens to make worse the already high inflation and unemployment rate in the country. Prices of goods are often tied to fuel prices and the rise and fall of the dollar.

In the last four months, the naira has been sinking, from N700 to a dollar in May last year to about N1500 a dollar now. It seems to have defied all solutions by the economic team of the present administration, leaving the government at a crossroads.

The free fall of the Naira against other currencies, especially the US Dollar, has taken a toll on the already eroded economy, as many industries have had to close operations due to the high cost of production.

Banks have also been accused of keeping those dollars for some select privileged Nigerians at the expense of those needing them for the production of goods. This condemnable act has given rise to the loss of jobs and meant excruciating hardship for Nigerians. The resultant consequence is that the crime rate has spiked in some parts of the country.

The dollarization of the economy has further weakened the Naira. Some schools reportedly charge their fees in Dollars. Some entertainers also charge in Dollars for their performances.

Over-dependence on foreign goods has further added to the free fall of the Naira. Experts suggest the government needs to encourage local manufacturers by making Dollars available to them if the current spike must be reversed.

– A royal message for the president

The insecurity and high costs of living that have plagued the health of the nation trailed a recent public engagement of the first family in Kano. Mrs Tinubu was in the ancient city for the inauguration of a new faculty of law at a private university, Maryam Abacha American University, MAAUN, when she paid homage to the Emir, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero.

The respected royalty known for his frankness and speaking truth to power lamented the state of the nation and urged the First Lady to tell her husband about the high level of hunger and starvation in the country. Hear the Emir:

“Although we have several means of communicating to the government on our needs and requests, your way and means is the surest way to tell the President the actual happenings in the country,” the emir told Tinubu’s wife.

The emir, who spoke through an interpreter, added, “The hunger and starvation didn’t start with this government, but the situation has become more alarming and needs urgent attention.”

He also urged her to tell Tinubu to address insecurity, saying, “The issue of insecurity is another serious problem we are facing. I know your government inherited it, but something more serious should be done to take care of the threats.”

The first lady digested the message. She said her husband meant well for the country and assured her that the suffering would come to an end soon.

“Despite what is going on, you just hold on. We mean well for this nation. I remember what we did in Lagos. It was a little bit shaky, but we assured Nigerians we were going to be resolute. So just bear with us. But you should continue to assist whoever you can. Things will get better by the Grace of God” the First Lady stated

– More calls to action

Since the onset of the economic brouhaha individuals, groups and religious leaders have added their voices to the urgent need to address the glaring concerns. Organised Labour has issued an ultimatum to embark on the cost of living protests across the country. Similarly, bakers under the aegis of the Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria, AMBCN, have also threatened to down tools.

Chairman of Northern Traditional Council and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, likened the economic situation to ‘sitting on a keg of gunpowder’ and called for urgent action from all stakeholders. He spoke in Kaduna at an enlarged meeting of traditional rulers from the 19 northern states.

“We must find jobs for our teeming youths that are sitting idle and I have said it so many times, we sitting on a keg of gunpowder, having teeming youths millions of them, without jobs, without food, we are looking for trouble,” he said. He further lamented that the two monsters confronting the nation at the moment are poverty and insecurity which if not tackled urgently, could spell doom for it.

For the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the economic problems and the security challenges require a spiritual solution. Adeboye said this on Sunday, 11 February, when he met the Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, at the Government House, Kaduna.

“It has become clearer to us that the problems our nation is facing are more than political. Our problems will require quite a bit of spiritual solution. We as a country are blessed. We are blessed with people with great intelligence. We are blessed with all manners of resources and yet we have so many problems.

“It is not as if people in authority are not trying their best. They are doing as much as humanly possible and then we found out that when you have problems that are beyond human ability to solve them, you call on the Almighty. The reason we call Him Almighty is because He has the power to solve all problems.

“So, we have been going around in our little ways to support the efforts of all the various governments and parastatals to call on the Almighty to come to our aid because we need help. We need help and we need it urgently.”

The leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has called on government across all levels to immediately take concrete actions to address the economic hardship confronting Nigerians. The CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, made the call in a statement issued to mark the 2024 Ash Wednesday celebration and the beginning of Lent on Wednesday, February 14.

“As we embark on this Lenten journey, our hearts are drawn to the plight of many who struggle to make ends meet, facing financial uncertainty and limited access to basic needs. We long for a Nigeria where every individual is allowed to thrive, and where our leaders prioritize the well-being of the most vulnerable in our society.

“I urge our leaders at all levels of governance to recognize the urgency of the economic challenges facing our nation and to take concrete action in providing support for individuals facing economic hardship. Let us come together in solidarity and commitment to create a more inclusive and compassionate society where the burdens of the marginalized are alleviated and their voices are heard.”

– FG promises hope. Light at the end of the tunnel?

The presidency assured that the economy is headed in the right direction. Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy said the removal of subsidies and the move to merge the foreign exchange are hard, transformation decisions the president had to take to save the economy.

He explained that the economy is already responding positively to the reforms in some key sectors. Using data obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics, he listed key sectors like construction, real estate, service and industrial as experiencing growth. He also said the Gross Domestic Product, GDP of the country is showing very positive signs.

“President Tinubu is quite aware of the side effects of his move to reset our economy. Though his administration has earned plaudits from the World Bank, the IMF and rating agencies such as Moody’s and Fitch, he is not carried away by the praises.

“He is focused on turning the economy around for growth, development and prosperity.

“The moves are yielding some good effects. Amidst what some sections of the media perceive as general gloom, some silver linings are emerging, signposting that with a little more patience, our material conditions will improve and inflation will be tamed. For businesses, the operating conditions will also improve.”

The government has continued to confirm its commitment to assuaging the pains of the economic woes, maintaining that there are still better days ahead. Working through his economic team, President Tinubu has continued to do everything possible to end the hunger in the land. The government has put several palliative programmes in place to touch the lives of the people positively.

In his various addresses to the nation and on occasions, President Tinubu has announced palliatives to support sectors like agriculture, transportation, manufacturing, households, and workers’ welfare. For instance, he announced a provision of ₦75 billion to support the manufacturing sector, which is expected to halt the rising costs of commodities.

The sum of ₦125 billion was also announced as a conditional grant to finance micro, small and medium-scale enterprises; ₦200 billion to support the cultivation of hectares of farmlands, which should make more food available to the citizens. The sum of ₦185 billion is also approved to be paid in tranches to state governments to cushion the effects of subsidy removal.

To ease the burden of transportation and the high cost of fuelling commercial vehicles running on PMS, the government has also commenced arrangements for the investment of ₦100 billion to acquire CNG-fuelled commercial buses. That will surely reduce the high cost of transportation and will also provide more jobs. Students of higher institutions are also not left out of the palliatives, as the government has made provision for the investment of ₦1 trillion to be given as a loan to desiring students.

Last week, after returning from his two-week private visit to France, Tinubu directed the release of 102, 000 metric tonnes of grains to Nigerians from the national food reserve to be distributed across the country, as evidence of his desire to ease the pains of food scarcity.

Speaking last Sunday on the Renewed Hope vision of his administration when he received a delegation from the Global Tijaniyya Movement, led by Khalifa Muhammad Mahe Niass, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the president declared his determination to ensure that the nation achieves food sufficiency. He said his administration is revolutionizing agriculture to make Nigeria self-sufficient in food production and a net exporter of agricultural products.

The President outlined plans to bolster agricultural productivity through various initiatives, including the expansion of farmlands, the provision of low-interest loans to farmers, and significant investments in irrigation infrastructure. “Nigeria will become a net exporter of food. We are bringing thousands of tractors. Food production will be greatly expanded through aggressive mechanization. We must be productive as a people. That is the Sunnah and the principles I grew up understanding,” he said.

Speaking on Thursday on plans to tackle the high prices of food items, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, while addressing the press at the maiden edition of of Federal Government’s Ministerial Press Briefing Series, MPBS, rolled out plans of the Tinubu administration to tackle the rising prices of food. Specifically, Kyari amplified efforts of the directive of the President to crash food prices through the release of about 42,000MT of maize, millet and other commodities from the national strategic reserves as was announced after a meeting of the Presidential Committee on Emergency Food Intervention last week.

He also spoke on ongoing efforts to support farmers across the country to produce more food through various interventions and support mechanisms. Kyari further revealed that in line with the directive of the President, the grains will be released at no cost.

The Minister also revealed that state governors will be involved in identifying beneficiaries of its intended interventions to ensure that they get to the real farmers. He said this was necessary to weed out those he described as ‘political farmers’ from hijacking the interventions. According to the minister, farmers will be supported to cultivate a total of 120,000 hectares of land for wheat while 150,000 farmers are expected to cultivate rice within the year.

It is hoped that when all these plans are implemented, the pains of today will be the gains of tomorrow.

Nigerians are eager for that tomorrow.

President Tinubu’s Letter to Nigerians

Dear Nigerians,

My administration is dedicated to evolving home-grown solutions to tackle our nation’s food security challenges head-on including setting up schemes to bolster local food production and cut out all forms of rent-seeking tied to food importation.

I reiterated this commitment during my emergency meeting today at the State House, with all 36 state governors, the Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the DSS, and some ministers.

ON THE SECURITY OF LIVES AND PROPERTY

1. I have approved the creation of a committee that includes state governors and federal government representatives to explore, among other things, the possibility of establishing state police.

2. I have also endorsed sub-national governments’ training and equipping of forest rangers to protect human and natural resources in our communities.

My stance is unequivocal: we must move aggressively to examine the issues raised, including the potential for establishing state police.

ON FOOD SECURITY

Following reports out of Kano and other areas about large-scale hoarding of food in some warehouses, I have instructed the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services to coordinate closely to ensure that security agencies in the states inspect such warehouses and take follow-up action.

1. We cannot allow speculators, hoarders, and rent seekers to undermine our efforts to ensure that food is widely available to all Nigerians.

2. I will not establish a price control board, nor will I approve the importation of food. We must extricate ourselves from this predicament because importation only enables rent seekers to perpetrate fraud and mismanagement at our collective expense.

3. Instead, we will support our farmers with schemes that encourage them to cultivate more food for the nation.

4. We must also rapidly but thoughtfully implement our livestock development and management plans, including dairy farming and others.

ON MONETARY POLICY AND THE CBN

I urge all governors to trust the Central Bank of Nigeria with the management of our country’s monetary policy and emphasise the need for designated institutions to effectively fulfil their mandate.

The “cacophony of postulations” on the fluctuation of foreign exchange rates is adversely affecting the market. Not everyone can be an expert. If we have assigned someone a task, we must allow them to perform it. If they fail, then we must find a way to quickly remove them from the system.

I also ask our governors to always prioritize the welfare and prosperity of our people in their development programs, and I assure them that the federal government will continue to work diligently to improve the nation’s revenue profile.

As leaders, we must all work together to address issues of insecurity, food security, and out-of-school children.

Thank You

Bola Ahmed Tinubu

President

*Additional report by Jethro Ibileke, Benin-City.