Connect with us

News

Hardship: Nigerians are getting what they voted for – Adebayo

Published

on

Hardship: Nigerians are getting what they voted for – Adebayo
Prince Adewole Adebayo
Spread the love

Amid bitting hardship in Nigeria following President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, the Social Democratic Party, SDP, presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo says he would have performed better than President Tinubu if Nigerians had given him the opportunity to be president. In this interview with DAILY POST, Prince Adebayo, who noted that Nigerians were getting what they bargained for, said the policies that had brought untold hardship to Nigerians were what president Tinubu promised when he was campaigning to be president. Excerpts!

You were quoted to have said you could do better than what the President Tinubu administration is currently doing. What is your view about the present state of affairs?

I am not surprised at the state of things, but I am disappointed. I am not surprised because we predicted that this will be the outcome. It doesn’t matter who you put out there, this will be the outcome if you adopt these policies. We were asking Nigerians to pay attention as we were debating these issues.

There were three policies that we needed to deal with. What do we do with the issue of cost of governance? What do we do with the issue of subsidy on not only petroleum but also subsidy in many other sectors? What do we do with the issue of foreign exchange?

On these three issues, I have fundamental disagreement with President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former governor Peter Obi, and many other people who were on that side; I knew that these policies would not work. It has never worked in any country before. In Nigeria in the past, including when we implemented the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), it didn’t work for us. It is not that one person is good and another is bad. If you drag me to the villa or Eagle Square and you force me to announce these policies, you will get the same result. Anyone who adopts these same policies will get the same result.

Economists will ask you if there are countries who adopted these policies; are there countries within our hemisphere, countries within our state of development, countries that have our primary production sector like we have who announced these policies and it has worked, I don’t think so.

Maduka College Advert

I am surprised that some personalities were talking about the Argentina model. I am very familiar with the Argentina model. If you ask an average Argentine to choose between president Javier Milei and president Bola Tinubu, they will tell you to bring Tinubu and give you Milei.

In other words, you are saying Atiku Abubakar was wrong in the Argentina model recommended to Tinubu.

I can say Vice President Atiku Abubakar may be well intentioned but he is misinformed. It is an error. If you look at the situation in Argentina, we may get to that position. I hope we don’t, but we are travelling in that direction, just that they are ahead of us in terms of misery. They have one month of 512 percent inflation. I don’t know if economists can understand the temperature of 512 percent. They have lost virtually all their wealth. The person there now is from the Austrian school of thought. The Argentines are complaining everyday as they have had the worst economic performance since 1980. I am not saying we should not criticise a non performing government of President Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but you do not say that somebody complaining of too much sun should be put in the oven, that’s not the way to solve the problem.

These policies are not working, unfortunately Nigerians have voted for these policies. We voted for these policies either because we didn’t pay attention or we didn’t understand the implications of these policies. When you decide to say you vote for a government that said it would remove subsidy from day one, which was what president Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi said, and we didn’t listen to them, but people thought they have experience, and maybe, they are more realistic than us. So, they voted that way.

So, any of them that formed the government and adopted any of these policies, will have at the minimum of what we are experiencing now, or even worse. These policies are not good, not because of the parties announcing them, but because structurally they are not suitable for us.

Of course, they come with some benefits, and you can see the benefits. More income to the government, for example, because they are not subsidising any more. More income from the foreign exchange differential because they are not defending the Naira in the old way anymore. You also have the benefits of goods becoming cheaper, that’s why people are saying they are exporting goods from Nigeria to Niger and neighbouring countries because with lower currency, our goods and any other thing we produce become cheaper, those are the advertised benefits, but we are not structurally prepared for them.

You said the policies are bad. But, some informed people said the country was already in bad shape and some of the present policies are what is needed before it can recover; don’t you agree?

I don’t agree with any of your postulations. This is because there are arguments but not every argument addresses the core issue. Every decision you make in economics, at least, you will have two choices, sometimes like 10 choices. In our case, we have like 55,000 choices. We decided to make a world that does not require better governance, that does not require people in the higher echelon losing income because you punish the person with the least contribution to a political campaign. We are subsidising so many things in this country, the only one is that the people have some kind of participation because it is the only product we commonly use and this is where the subsidy removal started from.

Secondly, there was no attempt to do auditing. You will recall that I was shouting during the election that 80 percent of our crude was being stolen, and I campaigned for months on that, but unfortunately, voters didn’t realise that whoever was able to tackle the crude oil theft should be the one to lead the country. Our problems are not difficult to solve. The problems are not insurmountable, it is just that the method to solving them will not be the continuation of what they were doing before.

Do you think we have the right economic team surrounding President Tinubu?

He has the right kind of team for what he wants to do. But, what he wants to do isn’t correct. If I say we should repair a leaking house, and my senior brother says no, let us sell the house. If he has the mandate, he will bring auctioneers, valuers and estate agents to sell it when I would have brought plumbers, carpenters for repairs. I cannot now say he doesn’t have the right team. He wants to sell the house. So, he has the right team to sell the house, but if I want to fix the house, I will bring a different team to fix the house.

If you were President Tinubu today, what would you be doing differently to stop the bleeding?

If I became president on the day he became president, I will not announce any of those policies. In fact, I will immediately go to the national assembly to amend the appropriation act and the petroleum industry act to remove these statutory mandates to yank off the subsidy.

But, if I am becoming president today, the first thing to do is to convince the people of Nigeria and the government that these policies are not right. If you say I should advise a president who believes that the benefits of these policies are down the line, he is not going to listen to me because he is committed to the benefits of the policies down the line. So, the first thing to do is to convince him that the benefits never came to England. England industrialised itself. These benefits didn’t come to Brazil until (president) Lula came and changed them towards social investments. I don’t know where they are getting the policies from. I suspect its from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the bankers, who are contributing to their campaign, insisting on these policies, but if they are ideologically committed to these policies, then the solution they can find will be a solution by palliative which is to suspend the full effect of it over time.

But, what they will soon discover is such that the social misery will be so much, the inflation and hyperinflation will be so much that the money they saved may not be up to the money they spend on palliative. So, they need a change of direction even though I cannot guarantee that a well experienced accountant who is a cost cutter like Tinubu who has Wale Edun around him and has chosen Cardoso as his preferred Central Bank Governor, I don’t think they are willing to change for now. I think they should just be a little more efficient in the macro-economic policies they have taken and there are five measures they should have if they must take it.

One of such is that they must have a way to increase their revenue, because right now, they are just collecting less than 20 percent of the collectibles. There are so many sacred cows they don’t want to collect money from.

Secondly, they need to bring efficiency to their accounts. Running a free market economy as they are, going forward, they need more feedback, more sensitivity, and quicker reaction time, which means they need to put sharper and smarter people in their governance. Thirdly, they need to restructure the government spending in such a way that they separate the fiscal spending, which they are controlling and let the CBN governor run his monetary policy, and be the banker to the country, not the banker to the government alone.

Also, they need to find ways to generate employment. They don’t want to spend money on social programmes as stated in chapter two of the constitution. That means they will be going to Qatar and other places because of the sovereign investment money they need to spend to generate employment, they don’t want to spend it because they are following the IMF. Now, they will be begging foreign investors to come and put money in our country, money we have even within our country, but they will be going out; if they are not efficient in that regard, then, they can’t succeed.

Lastly, they need to do something about inflation, by controlling their spending, increasing their revenue, and ensuring they get Nigerians to be productive.

What would you do politically to douse the tension in the land if you were Tinubu?

He needs to be like the head of state, like the father of the nation. He needs to be less arrogant in the assessment of how righteous their policies are. They need to engage people more. However, people need to understand at the same time that you voted for these policies. It is like people of Israel asking Moses to lead them out of Egypt, and on getting to the wilderness, they realised it is not an easy place to be and they started complaining. That is a normal thing. The people of Nigeria voted for these policies, even though they are not good policies. The government should use humility to reach out to the people, and at the same time, show social justice to the people by making sure that the burden of this hardship is not borne only by the less privileged.

Do you think the president has what it takes to fix this country?

I have the feeling that anybody who is determined to fix Nigeria, and who wants to listen to Nigerians and carry everybody along and look for the best talents and not just political parties alone, will do well. I would have preferred that Nigerians voted for me, which was why I didn’t support him. I think I would have done better than him.

But, anybody who is put there, and who is determined to use all the resources in Nigeria can succeed. Of course, the president is a Nigerian, well educated person, quite intelligent, but has wrong policies. He needs to open his mind and get ideas from other people. But, there is no escaping the consequences of the policies people voted for.

News

How Businessman Lucky Adimike was stabbed to death by his son – Sources

Published

on

Lucky Godwin Adimike
Spread the love

Businessman Chief Lucky Adimike, also referred to as Lucky Godwin Adimike, was allegedly stabbed to death by his 19-year-old son in Abuja.

The incident is said to have happened after an argument at their home in Guzape.

A report says the son, who was reportedly keeping late nights and returning from a night club allegedly stabbed him multiple times and is currently in police custody while investigations continue.

The police reportedly confirmed that a homicide investigation is ongoing.

The incident allegedly happened at his residence in Guzape, Abuja.
He was described as a businessman and electrical dealer.

Sources claimed there was an argument between him and his son, reportedly a nightcrawler, in which he scolded him to be more serious with his studies and life instead of roaming aimlessly, spending lavishly and getting into substance abuse.

Maduka College Advert

The disagreement allegedly also involved money, lifestyle expectations, and accusations about business funds.

Police reportedly found him injured after a distress call and later confirmed him dead at the hospital.

The Nigeria Police Force reportedly said several people, including a relative, were taken into custody while investigations continue.

Why youth corps member stabbed billionaire father dead -Associate

Friday, May 15, 2026, will linger in the memories of family members of the late multi-billionaire business tycoon, Chief Godwin Adimike, as the day he was allegedly killed by his 21 -year-old son.

Chief Adimike, popularly known as Egonaejeije Na Awka-Etiti, was killed in the early hours of that fateful day at his Number 3, Hassan Adamu Street, Guzape home in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Findings revealed that Adimike, a native of Awka Etiti in Anambra State, a major figure in Nigeria’s electronics and import business, was renowned for his strong presence and influence at the Alaba International Market in Lagos.

Having built a vast business empire over the decades, he was widely respected as one of the leading merchants in the popular market.

Findings revealed that Adimike was killed by his son, a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), on that night following a heated argument at their Guzape home.

When our correspondent visited the Guzape home of the deceased on Friday, the premises were cordoned-off with security operatives still carrying out forensic analysis in his apartment.

One of his close friends resident in Abuja and pleaded anonymity told our correspondent that Adimike owned houses in Lekki, Lagos and in Guzape and Maitama, Abuja, frequently shuttling between the two cities for his business interests.

He explained that the news of the incident reached the union after reports emerged that the businessman was allegedly stabbed three times by his son, who had returned from a club before the confrontation.

He said: “We received news that one of our members, one of the big boys in the market, was involved in a tragic incident. He is an importer, a major dealer, and also involved in real estate.

“He travelled to Abuja to see his first son who is working there as a youth corps member and also manages some of his father’s real estate business.

“Godwin shuttles between Abuja and Lagos because of his business.

“We were told that his son went to a club and later returned to his Guzape home, one of the estates he manages for his father.

“Apparently, a heated argument ensued after the son confronted his father about being unfair with money, citing how some of his friends’ fathers, who are not as wealthy, buy cars for their children.

“Following the confrontation and an argument over mismanagement of business funds, the son allegedly stabbed his father three times in different parts of the body as seen in the body of the deceased.

“The boy is currently in police custody in Abuja, and the wife of the deceased has also been invited for questioning”.

Adimike belongs to the Electrical Dealers Association of Nigeria (EDAN).

A neighbour, who also pleaded anonymity, said: “It was my husband that his son called at about 1am that day that he should come and see his father on the floor.

“When my husband got to their apartment, because we have six flats here, our own is the first while Adimike’s own is the second. My husband got there and saw Adimike on the floor, and he was the one that called the police. The son did not call the police.

“That day, the son was with two ladies and another of his friends.”

Another neighbour described the incident as unfortunate, saying: “That night to the following morning, there is a dog in the neighborhood that barks whenever there is a stranger.

“But that day, the dog did not bark, and this tells a lot about the situation.

“My prayers are that the police should do their investigation and come out with results. This is not funny.”

Details of the incident remain sketchy as investigations are ongoing. The motive behind the incident is yet to be established by the police.

The death of Adimike has left many people in deep shock and mourning. A man widely known for his generosity, kindness and support for the less privileged, whose name echoed across Awka-Etiti and beyond because of his philanthropic lifestyle.

Another close friend said: “What an abomination and painful tragedy. A man known for helping widows, supporting the church, empowering people and touching lives positively did not deserve such an ending.

“This heartbreaking incident is a reminder that anger, lack of self-control and family conflicts can destroy lives within seconds.

“It is also a painful lesson that wealth, fame, and influence cannot replace peace at home.

“The entire Awka-Etiti community, friends, business associates and loved ones are mourning the fall of a great iroko tree.”

Many people who knew him described him as a humble and cheerful giver whose doors were always open to the needy.

During the COVID-19 period, he reportedly distributed food items and cash worth millions to members of his community in Awka-Etiti, showing his heart for humanity and the welfare of others.

It will be recalled that the FCT Police Command on Tuesday issued a statement confirming the incident and the arrest made.

FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Ade, said the police had commenced investigation into the death of Adimike, whose body was discovered following a distress call from concerned persons.

Reacting to the incident, Adeh said the police responded to the report and discovered the victim lying injured in a pool of blood at his residence.

Adeh said he was immediately rushed to Karu General Hospital where doctors on duty confirmed him dead.

“Following the incident, the police swung into action and arrested five suspects, including a relative of the deceased, as part of ongoing investigations.

“The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, ordered a discreet investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.

“The Command urged residents to remain calm and cooperate with investigators by providing any useful information that could assist the investigation,” Adeh said.

As of Friday, Adeh told our correspondent that investigation was still ongoing. “I would not want to disclose any information now till we conclude our investigation. This is a very serious case,” he said.

While all of these are unfolding, the family members issued a statement over the circumstances surrounding his death, frowning at growing speculations and unverified claims over the tragedy.

In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the Adimike Family, a copy of which was obtained by THE NATION, the family cautioned the public against what it described as misinformation, speculation and false narratives circulating across social media and some news platforms regarding the gruesome killing of the businessman.

The family said many of the claims being circulated about the circumstances surrounding Adimike’s death were speculative, misleading and unsupported by facts emerging from the ongoing police investigation.

“The Adimike Family of Awka Etiti, Anambra State, wishes to strongly caution the public against the growing wave of misinformation, speculation and false narratives being circulated across social media and certain news platforms regarding the tragic circumstances surrounding his death,” the statement said.

The family stressed that contrary to widespread reports, no official determination had been made regarding the identity of the perpetrator or the brains behind the killing.

“As of this moment, no official determination has been made regarding the identity of the perpetrator(s), and the family considers it irresponsible and deeply hurtful for individuals and platforms to spread unverified allegations and assign blame without evidence,” the statement added.

The family further appealed to members of the public and media organisations to avoid sensational reporting and allow law enforcement authorities to conclude investigations professionally.

“The family respectfully appeals to the public and media organisations to refrain from sensationalism, allow the police to conclude their investigations professionally, and keep the family in prayers during this difficult period,” it stated.

News of Adimike’s death had sparked widespread reactions after reports emerged alleging that the prominent businessman and philanthropist was killed inside his Abuja residence following a domestic altercation.

However, the family’s statement appears to push back against what it described as premature conclusions while police investigations continue.

Our correspondent also saw a viral audio sound of the deceased’s wife crying and saying in Igbo language that she is being accused of killing her husband.

Continue Reading

News

DISCLAIMER: NDC disowns John Paul Anih

Published

on

Spread the love

…Says he’s neither Enugu State Chairman, nor represents NDC

The attention of the National Working Committee (NWC) and entire leadership of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has been drawn to the nefarious activities of a certain John Paul Anih who is purporting to be the Enugu State Chairman of NDC, there by impersonating the authentic and legally recognised Enugu State Chairman, in the person of Engr. Ibuchukwu Obeta.

Apart from impersonating our state Chairman, the said Mr. John Paul Anih, we learnt also conducted a kangaroo state Congress where he allegedly installed himself as state chairman. He has also approached a court in Enugu, seeking to compel NDC to recognise him as our state Chairman for Enugu State.

Mr. John Paul Anih did not stop at that. While his case is yet to be heard, he went ahead to forge and reproduce copies of the NDC Expression of Interest Forms which he sold to unsuspecting prospects.

The NDC hereby warns unsuspecting members of the public that Mr. John Paul Anih does not represent the NDC in any category whatsoever, and whoever transacts any business with him on behalf of the NDC does so at his/her own risk.

Earlier today, we learnt that John Paul Anih has also seized the opportunity of the ongoing screening of aspirants by the party and set up what he called an aspirant screening Committee for Enugu State, which he is using to further defraud and extort some gullible politicians.

For the avoidance of doubt, the National leadership of the NDC has set up screening committees to screen aspirants for the state houses of assembly across the 36 states of the Federation. The three-man team for Enugu State comprises the following:

Maduka College Advert

Hon. Sylvester O. Nwankwo – Chairman
Barr. Ifeanyi Emmanuel Agbom- Secretary
Ngene Helen Funmilola – Member

Any other person outside of the above mentioned, purporting to be a member of the Enugu State House of Assembly aspirants screening Committee is a fraud and should be treated as such.

We reiterate that John Paul Anih is a fraud, does not represent the NDC, and is not by any stretch of the imagination, the Enugu State Chairman of NDC.

Signed:

Osa Director Esq.
National Publicity Secretary,
Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)

Continue Reading

News

Supreme Court restrains FG from controlling waterfront lands in states, voids parts of NIWA Act

Published

on

FJSC nominates 22 Justices for Supreme Court Bench
Supreme Court of Nigeria
Spread the love

The Supreme Court has delivered a landmark constitutional judgement limiting the federal government’s powers over lands adjoining inland waterways across the country, declaring portions of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) Act unconstitutional.

In a major victory for Lagos State in Suit No. SC/CV/541/2025, the apex court held that Sections 12 and 13 of the NIWA Act are invalid to the extent that they empower the federal government to regulate and control lands adjoining waterways for purposes unrelated to navigation, maritime activities and fishing.

In addition to Lagos, other states that joined the suit against the federal government were Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Cross River, Kaduna, Enugu, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Benue, Rivers, Osun, Oyo and Anambra.

Lagos State’s legal team was led by the State’s former Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, alongside Olasupo Shasore SAN, and Muiz Banire SAN, while the federal government was represented by Akin Olujinmi SAN.

The court affirmed that state governments retain constitutional authority over adjoining lands used for non-navigational purposes, thereby restricting the federal government and the NIWA from exercising sweeping control over such areas.

The seven-member panel of the court, led by Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, also issued a perpetual injunction restraining the federal government from dealing with lands adjoining waterways within Lagos State and other states of the federation for non-navigational purposes.

Maduka College Advert

The matter was determined by a panel comprising Justices Garba, Emmanuel Akomaye Agim, Chidiebere Nwaoma Uwa, Haruna Simon Tsammani, Stephen Jonah Adah, Abubakar Sadiq Umar and Mohammed Baba Idris. Justice Umar, read the lead judgment.

Although the court was unanimous on most issues, the decision recorded a 5-2 split on the constitutionality of Sections 10 and 11 of the NIWA Act.

Justices Agim and Idris dissented on some aspects of the decision, maintaining that Lagos State ought to have succeeded on additional reliefs relating to federal control over waterways.

Lagos State had approached the Supreme Court under its original jurisdiction, challenging the constitutional validity of several provisions of the NIWA Act.

The state argued that the National Assembly exceeded its constitutional authority by enacting provisions empowering the federal government and NIWA to exercise control over lands adjoining waterways within states.

Specifically, Lagos contended that Sections 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the NIWA Act conflicted with Sections 4 and 315 of the Constitution, the Land Use Act, and Items 36 and 64 of the Exclusive Legislative List.

The state further argued that the federal government could not validly exercise powers over inland waterways that had not been designated as international or interstate waterways by the National Assembly.

Lagos also maintained that the federal government lacked constitutional authority to regulate lands adjoining waterways for purposes unrelated to navigation.

The state sought multiple declarations and orders nullifying the disputed provisions and restraining federal authorities from exercising control over adjoining lands within its territory.

Before delving into the substantive issues, the Supreme Court first considered preliminary objections filed by the federal government and other defendants challenging the jurisdiction of the court. The objections were dismissed for lacking merit.

The court subsequently proceeded to determine the constitutional questions raised in the suit.

One of the key issues addressed by the court was whether the case had already been settled in the earlier dispute between NIWA and the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LSWA).

The defendants had argued that the doctrine of res judicata applied because the issues had been determined in the earlier NIWA v. LSWA decision.

However, the Supreme Court rejected the argument, holding that the present suit was distinguishable from the earlier case and therefore not barred.

That finding cleared the way for the court to fully examine the constitutional validity of the disputed provisions of the NIWA Act.

In its substantive findings, the court held that Sections 12 and 13 of the NIWA Act went beyond the constitutional powers granted to the National Assembly.

The apex court ruled that while the federal government possesses authority over navigation, maritime activities, fishing and international waterways, those powers do not extend to general control over lands adjoining waterways within states.

The court held that the National Assembly acted ultra vires by attempting to regulate adjoining lands for purposes outside navigation-related activities.

Accordingly, the court declared Sections 12 and 13 unconstitutional to the extent of their inconsistency with the Constitution.

The court specifically held that the federal government cannot rely on those provisions to deal with lands adjoining waterways for non-navigational purposes.

The judgment is expected to have far-reaching implications for waterfront development, land reclamation, urban planning, environmental regulation and revenue generation in Lagos and other coastal states.

Continue Reading

Trending

Maduka College Advert