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TINUBU’S GOVERNMENT BY TRIBESMEN -By Emmanuel Onwubiko
There was this Southern African proverb used by former president Dr Goodluck Jonathan that makes a whole lot of sense to us in Nigeria, especially when we are analytically viewing how government business is set up.
The proverb says, “It’s much easier to wake a man who is truly asleep from sleep than he who is pretending to be asleep”. Flowing from this Southern African proverb is the fact that it is very difficult to get a government bent on doing that which is unconstitutional than from a self-correcting government that is transparent and open to criticism.
There are two public statements credited to the current president of Nigeria which self contradict each other. The first one was the story the president told during his happy moments as he marked his birthday very recently.
Visited by an entourage organised by his minister of the Federal Capital Territory Mr. Nyesom Wike, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said he once gave a strong warning to the FCT minister that he must carry out almost his entire public functions with the conscious awareness that the interest of All Progressives Congress which is the President’s political family matters so much and that should he be found wanting, he would be dismissed.
Wike is of the People’s Democratic Party but rebelled from his party and accepted a cabinet level appointment from the government set up by the APC led president.
The aforementioned story specifically is titled ‘How I warned Wike of possible sack if his policies didn’t favour APC in FCT – says Tinubu’.
The president had revealed that he threatened the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, that he could lose his position if his policies in Abuja did not favour the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking recently when Wike led FCT residents on a Sallah visit to the State House, Tinubu commended the minister’s efforts in transforming the capital but noted that certain obstacles needed to be removed to ensure smooth progress.
One such challenge was the inclusion of the FCT under the Treasury Single Account (TSA), which Wike requested to be removed. Tinubu recalled that Wike approached him with the appeal.
“I remember the day Nyesom Wike came to me and said, ‘Please take us out of this problem of TSA so that I can do more work and achieve more,” Tinubu said.
He added that he asked Wike to outline his plans and then jokingly questioned whether the changes would benefit the APC politically.
“I said, ‘Okay, show me what you’re about to do,’ and he presented his thinking and his belief, and I threw in my political jibe. I said, ‘Will that give me any opportunity for my party to win an election in the FCT?’” the president added.
“I said, ‘I know where you’re coming from. Your own party or my party? Because if this thing goes too much in your own favour, you will lose your job, and he said, ‘Okay, we will settle that, my oga,’ and I moved ahead, and everything started changing rapidly,” Tinubu said.
He credited the removal of the FCT from the TSA for accelerating development and improving governance in the capital.
The second story was the statement that one of his ministers was offered appointment even when he was a known public critic of the person and politics of the president. In other word, the said minister is an outsider and not a core member of the president’s political family.
President Bola Tinubu had in this vein revealed the reasoning behind his “controversial decision” to appoint Dr. Bosun Tijani as Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy.
This move, he said, drew widespread debate due to Tijani’s history of public criticism of him and the National Assembly.
Speaking at a special Iftar held on Saturday night at the Presidential Villa to mark his 73rd birthday, Tinubu stated that his choice of Tijani underscored his belief in recognising talent, even among critics, as a means to drive national development.
“When I picked him, it was tough. My very close confidantes, who had read his comments on social media, came to me and said, ‘No, never.’ I said, ‘Yes, he is talented.
“Because he criticises me and pours abuses on the parliament, it does not mean he has nothing to offer.
“Maybe his frustration at that time will drive him to contribute more to governance. And today, he is doing that, and I am very proud of him,” Tinubu stated.
These two public stories told by Tinubu gives two contradictions. One is the impression that the president is unaware of the fuller meaning of constitutional democracy which is a form of government that is voted into office, composed by the people, not necessarily by members of the political structure that produced the president and the government of the people by the people is legally obligated to then deliver services that would benefits the greatest majority or percentage of the people of the country and not registered members of the political party in which the president used to run for election into the office of the president of Nigeria.
This particular story of the encounter between Wike and Tinubu tells the story of a president who believes that only members of the All Progressives Congress must become members of his government and therefore should become the overwhelming beneficiaries of the programmes, policies and initiatives of the government. The very next story of how the president proceeded to pick someone outside of his political family and indeed a critic, as a cabinet level appointee, reflects the mindset of a president who knows that government isn’t necessarily by members of his political team and the beneficiaries of the policies and programmes of the government should be the greatest percentage of the people of Nigeria.
However, if we interrogate further the ways and manners of appointments made by the president, there is an open admission that President Tinubu is intentionally carrying on as if his government is by the APC and the goals and objectives of his governance style should be reaped by the members of his political family.
This is so because it is now obvious that 99 percent of all the appointments made by the president have favoured active members of All Progressives Congress and the intriguing thing about it is that key positions of board chairmen of important national agencies have been awarded to the National leaders and states wide leaders of Tinubu’s political party which is the All Progressives Congress. The Nigerian Television Authority’s board is chaired by the spokesman of the APC.
All federal teaching hospitals were awarded as trophies to national and state leaders of the All Progressives Congress and then there is another angle that is even more laughable: the overwhelming presence of the kinsmen and tribes women of Tinubu’s Yoruba heritage and ethnicity in his government.
Tinubu has effectively constituted the bulk of his appointees to be composed of Yorubas so much so that what we have with us in Nigeria is akin to a government by TRIBESMEN. This is more dangerous than concentrating appointments in the hands of leaders of the political party that produced the president of Nigeria, even though it is innately evil. So we are now contending with a twin social evils of having the president who has set up his government of TRIBESMEN and political family members only.
This is wrong on all fronts. I will reproduce the identities of the juicy and indeed very important public offices given only to Yorubas who are Tinubu’s TRIBESMEN. Senator Ali Ndume from Borno state, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress, loudly condemned this government by TRIBESMEN, which Tinubu is orchestrating.
But first, let us talk a bit about how tribalism constitutes the most dangerous threat to constitutional democracy.
A political philosopher recalled that Andrew Sullivan’s 2017 article “Can democracy survive tribalism” states what I would consider an idealist’s vision of Nigeria – “to live beyond such tribal identities, to construct a society based on the individual, to see ourselves as citizens of a people’s republic.”
Most scholars agree that tribalism is an inherited social construct, a default of our collective ‘existential experience.’ The implication is that tribalism in contemporary societies can not be wished away. Tribalism: “a loyalty or preference to one’s own people.” “The state of existing as a tribe, or a strong loyalty to your tribe.”
She said that a group’s history shapes its existential experience. Ahmad Mohammadpour and Kamal Soleimani (2019) suggest that “colonial powers have used tribalism to oversimplify the multifaceted modality of diverse and heterogeneous socio-political arrangements.” While understanding history is important, the popular anonymous quote, “If you don’t heal what hurt you, you’ll bleed on people who didn’t cut you,” captures the essence of the present moment in Nigeria.
What happened prior to Nigeria’s independence and post-independence has seared ‘tribe’ into the country’s political identity, fueling a ‘survivalist mentality’ and the need to ‘stick together.’ The extensive literature on tribalism agrees that it has more severe consequences in developing societies. Individuals may covertly stay ‘primal’ and overtly exhibit ‘primal’ behaviors when any form of security in an already ‘lacking, scarce’ space is threatened. Primal: the extreme response to new and threatening situations in the interest of self-preservation.
The author recalled vividly that with over 250 ethnic groups, Nigeria is the archetype of a heterogeneous group. However, this diversity also poses a burden, as the country’s institutions and leaders need help managing the complexities of the different groups. Despite being a rich economy, Nigeria’s poverty rate is high, and its quality of life is worsening. In the lead-up to the 2023 election, Nigeria’s economic situation was volatile, with high inflation, contractionary monetary policies, and shrinking policy space, leading to a reduced purchasing power for the average Nigerian.
Tribalism exacerbates the issue, as different groups compete for scarce resources. In his article “Tribalism and Politics in Nigeria,” Walter Schwarz (1966) wrote that “it is not that different tribes dislike each other. The trouble is they are competing for scarce commodities.” Today, 56 years after his writing, resource scarcity has worsened, and the competition for what is available is even more primal. (written by Ada Umenwaliri, PhD in public policy and strategy).
The conclusion is to reproduce empirical evidence to demonstrate our understanding that President Tinubu is running his government of TRIBESMEN, which is much more dangerous than his other understanding of government and purpose of government which to him means satisfying only the interest of members of his political party which is the All Progressives Congress (APC).
As sent to me by a senior officer of the Nigerian Immigration Service (name withheld): SOME OFFICIALS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA UNDER PRESIDENT TINUBU.
Mind you, this is a (non-exhaustive) list of Yorubas in the Government of President Tinubu. “YORUBA LOKAN”?
BOLA TINUBU’S FEDERAL GOVERNMENT:
- OFFICE/POSITION- President and Commander-in-Chief, Federal Republic of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Bola Ahmed Tinubu
TRIBE- Yoruba
- OFFICE/POSITION- Chief Justice of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Chief of Army Staff
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Inspector General of Police
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Kayode Egbetokun
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG, Department of State Services
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Commander, Brigade of Guards
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Adebisi Olusola Onasanya
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Chief of Defence Space Administration
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Lanre Ibrahim Oluwatoyin
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Commandant, National Defence College
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olumuyiwa Morankinyo Olotu
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- CG, Nigeria Customs Service
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Bashir Adewale Adeniyi
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- CG, Federal Fire Service
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Abdulganiyu Olola Jaji
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Accountant-General of the Federation
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olayemi Michael Cardoso
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Chairman, Economic & Financial Crimes Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olanipekun Olukoyede
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Zaccheus Adelabu Adedeji
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- CCE, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Gbenga Komolafe
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Dayo Mobereola
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- MD/CEO, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Gbenga Alade
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG, National Pension Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Omolola Bridget Oloworaran
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG, Bureau of Public Procurement
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Adebowale Adedokun
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- MD/CEO, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olubunmi Oluwaseun Kuku
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG, Bureau of Public Enterprises
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Ayodeji Ariyo Gbeleyi
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- MD/CEO, Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olufemi Ogunyemi
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Commissioner/CEO, National Insurance Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olusegun Ayo Omosehin
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, National Identity Management Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Abisoye Coker-Odusote
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, National Space Research and Development Agency
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Mathew Adepoju
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, National Centre for Technology Management
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olushola Odusanya
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, National Automotive Design and Development Council
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Chairman, Nigerian Ports Authority Board
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Adedayo Clement Adeyeye
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- MD, Federal Housing Authority
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Oladimeji Oyetunde Ojo
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- ES, National Lottery Trust Fund
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Tosin Adeyanju
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, National Lottery Regulatory Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Lanre Gbajabiamila
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- CEO, Nigerian Postal Service
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Omotola Odeyemi
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- CEO, Nigeria Data Protection Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Vincent Olatunji
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- MD/CEO, Galaxy Backbone Limited
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, National Biosafety Management Agency
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Agnes Yemisi Asagbra
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG, National Agency for the Control of AIDS
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Temitope Ilori
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- ES/CEO, National Primary Health Care Development Agency
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Muyi Aina
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Jide Idris
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Statistician-General, National Bureau of Statistics
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Adeyemi Adeniran
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- ES, National Sugar Development Council
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Kamar Bakrin
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Lekan Fadolapo
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- EVC/CEO, Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olatunji Bello
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- National Coordinator, National Social Safety-Net Coordinating Office
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Funmi Olotu
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG, National Sports Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Bukola Olawale Olopade
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Folorunsho Coker
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, National Orientation Agency
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Lanre Issa-Onilu
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Registrar Surveyors Council of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olakunle Olugbemiro
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- President/CEO Digital Bridge Institute
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Opeyemi Dele-Ajayi
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO Industrial Training Fund
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Oluwatoyin Afiz Ogun
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO Nigerian Institute of Medical Research
CURRENT OCCUPANT- John Oladapo Obafunwa
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO National Institute for Hospitality Tourism
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Abisoye Fagade
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- National Power Training Institute of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Ahmed Bolaji Nagode
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- DG National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Ayo Omotayo
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Administrator/CEO Public Service Institute of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Abdul-Ganiyu Obatoyinbo
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Registrar Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Registrar/CEO Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Josiah Ajiboye
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- MD/CEO Nigerian Education Loan Fund
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Akintunde Sawyerr
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- ED/CEO Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Patrick Olusanmi Adebola
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- MD/CEO Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Folashade Joseph
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Petroleum Resources
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Bola Ahmed Tinubu
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Wale Edun
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Interior
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Lateef Fagbemi
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Power
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Adebayo Adelabu TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Solid Minerals Development
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Dele Alake
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Bosun Tijani
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Marine and Blue Economy
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Adegboyega Oyetola
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Jumoke Oduwole
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Education
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Morufu Olatunji Alausa
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Minister for Youth Development
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Ayodele Olawande
TRIBE- Yoruba - OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of State, Health
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Salako Iziaq Adekunle Adeboye
TRIBE- Yoruba.
Emmanuel Onwubiko is the founder of the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) and was NATIONAL COMMISSIONER OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF NIGERIA.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has confirmed that Somtochukwu Maduagwu was brought to Maitama Hospital without vital signs after a robbery incident at her home in Abuja.
Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, the Mandate Secretary on Health for the FCTA, stated that ARISE News anchor Somtochukwu Maduagwu was pronounced dead upon arrival at Maitama General Hospital at approximately 4:30 am on Monday. This clarification was issued via a statement from the FCTA, aimed at addressing earlier claims that medical negligence contributed to her demise following the robbery.
Somtochukwu Christelle Maduagwu, affectionately known as Sommie, was a 29-year-old journalist tragically killed during an armed robbery at her Katampe residence in Abuja in the early hours of Monday, September 29, 2025.
Residents of the apartment complex reported that the attack transpired around 3 a.m. when over 15 armed robbers invaded the 16-apartment building. Witnesses indicated that security personnel sounded the alarm and tried to reach the police, but there was no immediate response. Sommie and a security guard, who also sustained injuries during the incident, were promptly taken to Maitama District Hospital. However, family members claimed they were denied urgent treatment due to not having identification documents readily available. Both victims later succumbed to their injuries.
In the meantime, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike expressed his condolences to the management and staff of ARISE News Channel regarding the unfortunate demise of Somtochukwu Maduagwu. He described her death as both tragic and painful, and he prayed for God’s continued support for the staff of ARISE News, particularly for the Chairman, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, and for the family and friends of the late journalist. The minister noted that a preliminary medical report would be provided to the police to assist in their investigation, emphasizing that all necessary steps would be taken to uncover the details surrounding her death. He reassured the family, friends, and colleagues of Somtochukwu Maduagwu that the police are committed to discovering the circumstances of her passing and ensuring that those responsible face justice.
Source: ARISE TV
Pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has condemned the Federal government for permitting some states in the North-west to negotiate the so-called peace agreement with terrorists, criminal gangs and armed kidnappers, just as the Rights group said the negotiations have undermined and eroded the key elements of Nigeria’s statehood.
HURIWA blames the ambiguities of the Federal government on how to deal decisively with armed brutes killing thousands of Nigerians for the expanding frontiers of terrorist attacks and the unprecedented insecurity in many parts of Nigeria. “Since the Federal Government is creating the impression that it is open to dialogue with terrorists, then more and more desperate criminals would escalate their criminal activities, hoping that they too would merit an invitation for dialogue by the current administration that is already discussing with terrorists in the North West for the so-called peace.
Criminal gang members who are watching the dialogue sessions with terrorists in the North West will automatically become daring and bloody so as to gain attention of the government that is too weak to militarily defeat terrorists and very willing to enter into negotiations for the so-called truce.”
HURIWA which expressed the position that any public office holder or private individual who negotiates with terrorists is also a terrorist, has therefore called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to stop the disgraceful surrendering of the Nigerian state to the whims and caprices of a motley crowd of armed bandits, bloodstained terrorists, armed kidnappers and criminal gangs in Katsina and some other states in the Northern States of Nigeria.
HURIWA said there is no doubt that what have played out in the last couple of weeks in Katsina, Zamfara and other places in the North West of Nigeria in the guise of local and state governments negotiating with terrorists for the so-called truce, amounted to the demolition of the four fundamental elements that qualifies Nigeria as a Sovereignty even as HURIWA postulated that the state as a person of international law should possess the following qualifications: (a) a permanent population (people); (b) a defined territory; (c) government (political authority); and (d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states (diplomat recognition or sovereignty).
HURIWA which condemned the negotiations with terrorists, said the impression being created globally with these charades going on in Katsina by way of negotiations for peace with terrorists responsible for killings of dozens of citizens is that Nigeria has gradually lost those key elements of statehood. HURIWA also stated that the negotiations have completely rubbished the determination of the families of victims of terrorism from achieving any sort of closure and justice for the terminations of the lives of their loved ones and the losses of livelihoods they suffered as a result of terrorist attacks.
HURIWA asked rhetorically thus: “Is it not preposterous that whilst the president Tinubu’s government has sanctioned negotiations with terrorists that are wanted by advanced and sophisticated nations such as the United States, the same administration sent out the Vice President Kashim Shettima to the United Nations General Assembly in New York to canvass that Nigeria be made a permanent member of the security council of the United Nations?
“Is this not a pathetic irony to openly demonstrate to the World that Nigeria’s statehood is eroding fast, as demonstrated by the show of shame called peaceful negotiations with terrorists who attended the so-called truce meetings in Katsina state, wielding some of the most sophisticated weapons of mass destruction and other combat weapons of military grades?
Has this government in Nigeria no shame and has the government no respect for the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? We insist that terrorists must be made to face the full wrath of justice, just as we believe that government is obliged to take justice to terrorists or bring terrorists to justice for their crimes of bloodshed and destruction of livelihoods of Nigerians.
HURIWA recalled that authorities in Nigeria’s northwestern Katsina state reportedly struck a so-called peace deal with criminal gangs in what it says is an effort to end years of violence, a government official confirmed to the media.
HURIWA recalled that Katsina is one of several states in northwestern and central Nigeria terrorized by criminal gangs that the locals refer to as bandits. The federal government, through the Defence Headquarters, had previously declared the leaders of the terrorists groups now negotiating with government as terrorists, even as huge amounts of money was promised as rewards for information leading to their arrests.
HURIWA wondered the logic in negotiating with criminal gangs that continuously raid villages, rape girls and children, kill and abduct residents, as well as torch homes after looting them.
HURIWA recalled that the terrorists and criminal gangs maintain camps in a huge forest straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna states in the northwest region and Niger state in the country’s central zone and have carried out mass kidnappings of students from schools in recent years.
HURIWA recalled that the Katsina State Government confirmed that a dozen bandit kingpins met with local officials and community leaders in the town of Danmusa, where they renounced violence and pledged to turn a new leaf, Nasiru Mu’azu, Katsina state internal commissioner said.
“There was a peace meeting between 12 bandit leaders and the local community leaders in Danmusa, where the bandits renounced their criminal activities and committed to peace,” Mu’azu said.
The bandits initiated the meeting, he said. “The community welcomed the overtures and agreed to a peace deal as long as the bandits are genuinely interested in peace,” he said.
Katsina state government stated that as a mark of goodwill, the bandits surrendered weapons and released 17 hostages, with the promise to free more people they were holding.
HURIWA said security experts have cautioned against any sort of appeasement of terrorists because, as criminals with zero ideological leaning, the bandits are motivated by financial gains, but their increasing business and operational alliance with jihadists from the northeast has been raising concern among government officials, which is the reason for the illegal negotiations with terrorists.
HURIWA pointed out that in 2023, Katsina state governor Dikko Umar Radda established Katsina Community Watch Corps, comprising around 2,000 vigilantes to assist the military and police in fighting the bandits.
“We have been fighting the bandits for the past two years, and the state governor has reiterated he will not negotiate from a position of weakness,” Mu’azu, the Katsina state official said.
In the media statement by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, HURIWA reiterated its position of zero tolerance for any sort of negotiations with terrorists because that would amount to state surrender.
“We are asking President Tinubu to stop these acts of treason in the name of negotiations with terrorists. We believe that no matter the quantum of cash paid out to these terrorists now dialoguing with Katsina and other Northern governments, the moment the blood money finishes, these terrorists who are already used to making hundreds of millions of blood money will simply return to their familiar terrains of terrorism and when they do return, they would be even more vicious than they are now.”
COMRADE EMMANUEL NNADOZIE ONWUBIKO,
NATIONAL COORDINATOR,
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA).
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 29TH 2025.
TASKS government on transparency in conditional cash transfer
Civil Rights advocacy Group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has expressed worry about the apparent inability of the Federal government to come clean on how N330 billion was disbursed to 8.1 million households without any compliance with the principles of transparency and accountability. “Most Nigerians are wondering whether this huge sum of public funds were shared to ghosts or to real citizens since these households are not known by millions of Nigerians.”
Besides, HURIWA has raised alarm that corruption is perceived to be so high within the government circles even as the Rights group said it was wrong for President Tinubu to keep silent in the face of mounting accusations of corruption affecting some of his appointees including the allegations of acquisitions of exotic housing assets by the Minister of the Federal capital territory Mr. Nyesom Wike with allegedly looted public funds.
HURIWA recalled that the federal Government had few days ago, announced that it has disbursed a total of N330bn to 8.1 million households across the country under the National Social Safety Net Programme, aimed at cushioning the harsh effects of economic reforms on Nigeria’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens.
The disclosure was made in Abuja by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, after a review meeting of the Special Presidential Panel on Social Investment, inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu in February.
Edun explained that the programme, which experienced delays earlier in the year, was now firmly back on track following the successful integration of biometric data through the National Identification Number. This integration, he said, was crucial to ensuring transparency, curbing leakages, and eliminating political interference.
According to the minister, out of the 19.7 million households captured in the National Social Register—representing about 70 million Nigerians—8.1 million households have already received at least one tranche of the N25,000 stipend. Some beneficiaries have received two or three payments depending on verification outcomes.
Reacting to the widespread failure of the Federal Government to evidently show believable proof of how this humongous cash were disbursed and to clearly publicise the identities of these beneficiaries, HURIWA said it is shocking that a democratically elected government put in place by the people, could come up with such seemingly phantom claim to have distributed financial lifelines to some impoverished citizens without any concrete evidence.
In a media statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA criticised the federal ministry of Finance and the Coordinating ministry for the Nigerian economy for issuing out the press statement making the claim that can’t be empirically verified just as the Rights group said over ten thousand members of the organisation spread across the Country has not reported knowing or hearing about any Nigerian poor citizens/households who benefitted from the cash redistribution by the federal government.
“We are challenging the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy to prove to Nigerians that his ministry paid out the sum of N330 bn to 8.1 million households by publishing on the website of the ministry and newspapers the identities of the beneficiaries, their locations and the number in each of the benefiting states or local government areas. This demand is made in good faith because we have been unable to see or know anyone out of this 8.1 million households that got the N25,000. As citizens of Nigeria, we are entitled to be adequately informed because the methodology said to have been adopted by the government in redistribution of this taxpayers’ money is opaque and lacks ingredients of transparency and accountability.”
HURIWA is also urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to speak up about the growing accusations of corruption against some of his cabinet-level appointees one of which is the minister of the FCT.
HURIWA recalled that former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 election, Omoyele Sowore, had petitioned the Attorney-General of Florida, James Uthmeier, demanding the forfeiture and prosecution of alleged multi-million-dollar properties secretly acquired in the United States by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike.
In a petition signed by his counsel, Deji Adeyanju, dated September 22, Sowore alleged that Wike, alongside his wife, Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike of the Nigerian Court of Appeal, unlawfully purchased three lakeside properties in Winter Springs, Florida, worth over $6m.
The petition claimed the acquisitions were “conducted entirely in cash, thereby circumventing banking oversight and raising significant money laundering concerns.”
According to the documents, the properties include 113 Springcreek Lane, purchased for $535,000 and transferred to Jordan Wike; 209 Hertherwood Court, purchased for $459,157 and transferred to Joaquin Wike; and 208 Hertherwood Court, purchased for $465,000 and transferred to Jazmyne Wike.
The petition stressed that Wike, “a career politician with no record of legitimate private enterprise,” could not have earned the income to fund such acquisitions, adding that the assets were not declared to Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau in violation of constitutional obligations.
Sowore, in his petition, stated that, “The evident pattern in this case involves large cash acquisitions by a long-serving public officer with no legitimate private earnings, the immediate transfer of title to his children, and the concealment of true beneficial ownership.
HURIWA said: “Whilst we await the decision of the foreign entity regarding the petition said to have been sent to them, accusing the minister of FCT of illegally buying up juicy housing assets in the USA using allegedly looted public funds. But we expect that when such a very weighty accusations are made consistently against a serving minister, the President ought to publicly make a statement regarding what the position of his government is especially given that the President told the World in Brazil that his administration is waging a relentless war against corruption.”
“We know that when accusations of corruption was made by the then minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, President Tinubu suspended and thereafter fired the minister from her duty. Nigerians expect that since nobody is above the law, when accusations of corruption are made against a Nigerian public office holder, the appointing authority is expected to weigh in one way or the other so the citizens are assured of the government’s commitment to the war against corruption. The President should also direct the Minister of Finance to furnish Nigerians with verifiable evidence to prove that government actually disbursed N330 billion to some poor households”.
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