₦airaland Forum

No matter how long it takes — no matter who hands over power next — Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas must face the full weight of justice for his illegal complicity in usurping the democratic will of Rivers State people. He must go to Jail.

1. The Crime: Accepting an Unconstitutional Appointment
• No military officer — active or retired — has any moral or constitutional right to occupy a state administrator role in a democratically elected dispensation.
• Vice Admiral Ibas willingly accepted an illegal order to become Rivers State Administrator — making him complicit in the destruction of constitutional order.

2. Precedent Must Be Set
• If Ibas escapes justice, future rogue elements within the military will view civilian power as optional — a mere obstacle to be bypassed.
• To prevent future “militocracy” resurgence, it must be legally codified that NO MILITARY OFFICER is above constitutional authority.

3. Post-Regime Justice Is Inevitable
• History shows that illegal power-grabbers face eventual disgrace:
• Nigerian civil society and international watchdogs are already building dossiers. Time is against Ibas.

4. A Clear Message to Military Elites
• The imprisonment of Ibas will serve as a clear deterrent.
• It will re-echo globally that Nigeria is maturing into a democracy governed by laws, not military whims.

The ghost of Rivers State’s stolen mandate will haunt Vice Admiral Ibas — until justice arrives. And justice will come — slow, steady, and merciless.

Let every Nigerian lawyer, activist, and lawmaker take note:
Prepare the case. Archive the evidence. Build the coalition.
Jail for Ibas is not vengeance — it is history demanding accountability.

Seyi tell your Papa, country hard. So fùn baba e, mekunu jiyá

Tinubu, this is exactly why people are calling you a dictator.
Eedris Abdulkareem has been a voice against oppression long before you even dreamed of becoming Governor.
He sang Jaga Jaga under Obasanjo — and the song lived.
He sang Jaga Jaga reloaded under Buhari--- Buhari did nothing
He sang I go die oh under jonathan Goodluck---GEJ ignored him
Fela Kuti sang truth to power under IBB — the songs remained.
But now under your watch — the NBC is banning songs because they criticized you?

This only makes him bigger.
This only makes the song louder.
This only multiplies his audience.

Silencing dissent never killed the message.
It amplifies it.
Congratulations — you’ve just turned Eedris into a legend for a new generation.

Song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3DF8zF_mWE

Eedris Abdulkareem has been a voice against oppression long before you even dreamed of becoming Governor.

He sang Jaga Jaga under Obasanjo — and the song lived.



Song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3h0L-qv864

It is becoming tragically predictable.

The Nigerian presidency under Bola Ahmed Tinubu is once again caught in its worst habit — silence in the face of an approaching economic storm.

While global oil markets wobble dangerously towards $40 per barrel — a death zone for Nigeria’s oil-dependent budget — the president lounges quietly in France, seemingly oblivious to the tsunami gathering offshore.

This is not leadership.
This is denial.

The Imminent Crisis Nobody in Aso Rock Wants to Talk About:
• Nigeria’s 2025 budget is anchored on oil selling at $77 per barrel.
• Current oil prices are flirting with sub-$80 levels, with projections looking grim due to oversupply and global slowdown.
• Every $1 drop below the benchmark bleeds the country of billions in expected revenue.
• External debt service alone is projected to gulp over 60% of expected federal revenue.

Yet What Do We See From The Presidency?
• No emergency address.
• No economic war council.
• No communication strategy.
• No plan B for falling oil prices.

Instead — the president surrounds himself with economic “yes-men” like Dr. Tope Fasua, whose recent public statements suggest a worrying detachment from reality. This is an economist who speaks as if Nigeria exists in a vacuum — immune from global financial dynamics.

Frankly, if Dr. Fasua’s economic worldview is influencing policy — he should be drug tested. His utterances alone are grounds for concern about the intellectual health of Nigeria’s policy advisory system.

What Should Tinubu Be Doing Instead?
1. Set Up A Bipartisan Economic Crisis Team:
Comprised of battle-tested Nigerian entrepreneurs, industrialists, former finance ministers, and international negotiators — not just PhD-holding theorists.
2. Aggressively Diversify Revenue:
→ Develop modular refineries per state.
→ Incentivize agro-processing exports.
→ Tax reforms that reward local production.
3. Global Deal Hunting:
→ Attract foreign manufacturers fleeing China’s tariffs to Nigeria’s free trade zones.
→ Position Nigeria as a neutral low-cost production hub for U.S and EU companies.
4. Public Communication:
→ Prepare Nigerians for belt-tightening with transparency.
→ Announce credible, measurable economic rescue plans — not mere wish lists or media stunts.

The Senate Has Become A Retirement Lounge

The Nigerian Senate today is a disgrace — a toothless assembly of ex-governors who see the Red Chamber as a pension upgrade. They debate trivialities while the country sinks.

Nigeria needs a Senate that’s out there hustling for economic partnerships — not wasting legislative time staging political dramas and protecting personal interests.


President Tinubu must stop this fire-brigade style of governance where nothing happens until the entire house is on fire.

If oil hits $40 a barrel and Nigeria is unprepared — history will not forgive this administration.

The storm is coming.The world is watching.And we the citizens know.

1. Surface-Level Accounting Without Structural Fixes:
• The BOP surplus is heavily trade-driven — not productivity-driven.
• Export increases mostly due to favorable global oil/gas prices — not value-addition or industrialization.
• Import declines stem from FX restrictions & weak domestic demand, not local production ramp-up.

Implication: This is a fragile surplus vulnerable to commodity price shocks.


2. No Mention of Inflation Control:
• Omission of Nigeria’s prevailing inflation crisis (March 2024 CPI above 30%) weakens credibility.
• Inflation undermines real income growth despite headline BOP surplus.

3. Remittance Growth Masking Economic Hardship:
• Rise in remittances often signals worsening domestic conditions pushing Nigerians abroad to send money home.
• Dependency on diaspora inflows could mask poor local economic productivity.


4. FDI Data Looks Manipulated or Cherry-Picked:
• “Portfolio Investment inflows rose 106%” is likely short-term hot money chasing high Naira interest rates — not long-term productive capital.
• Lack of sectoral breakdown suggests possible inflows into non-productive assets.

5. Foreign Debt Omitted:
• Document conspicuously ignores Nigeria’s rising external debt servicing obligations.
• Net reserve position after debt servicing could be much weaker.


This press release feels like political economic window dressing — designed to build market confidence ahead of a possible sovereign Eurobond issuance or external borrowing round.
Most likely Prepping narrative for foreign investors & ratings agencies — not an honest domestic growth story.

Senator Natasha Akpoti owes nobody a written apology — neither morally nor constitutionally.

There is absolutely no provision in the Nigerian Constitution that mandates a written apology from a sitting senator for expressing her views or defending her dignity. Nigeria is not running a paternalistic monarchy where senators must grovel to power.

Senator Natasha should stand her ground firmly.

In fact, during the Senate proceedings, it was clear the majority of senators did not support Akpabio’s attempt to force compliance — they shouted NAY in unison. Yet, in a display of disturbing political manipulation, Senate President Akpabio kept forcing the vote by confusing the chamber with repetitive calls for AYE — an embarrassing spectacle of legislative bullying.

This is what the Nigerian Senate has been reduced to — a theater of absurdity led by perhaps the least intellectually inspiring Senate President in recent history.

For over 2 months, the entire National Assembly has been obsessed with Natasha Akpoti’s issue — while:
• Crude oil sales drop daily
• The naira bleeds against the dollar
• Inflation crushes ordinary Nigerians
• Global investors flee our markets

If Brent crude oil price hits $40/barrel — Nigeria’s fragile economy will implode. The country would struggle to meet basic obligations:
→ Salaries
→ Forex allocations
→ Fuel subsidies
→ Infrastructure maintenance

rollywise:
You seem not to understand the way the market works. Demand for raw materials from the automobile companies will soar. There's a reciprocating move by Europe to increase tarrif on goods from America just like America has done on incoming goods from the world, or you think America can produce am they need? These are the factors that will affect prices.

Absolutely, there’s a lot to unpack here. The potential for inflation is indeed multi-faceted, and the tariffs are just one piece of a much larger puzzle. Beyond just the cost of raw materials or supply chain disruptions, you also have to consider consumer behavior, market competition, and global trade relations.

The risk is that while tariffs may encourage domestic production in the short term, price hikes on both local and imported goods could increase the cost of living for everyone. The shift in demand towards local cars might push up prices, and reciprocal tariffs from other nations could make American goods more expensive globally, potentially leading to inflation in multiple sectors.

So, it’s not just about getting more people to buy American cars; it’s about whether those price changes will actually lead to a win-win scenario or end up hurting consumers across the board. It’s a delicate balance, and careful consideration of the wider economic impact is needed before fully embracing such policies.

In what can only be described as a gross disregard for the average Nigerian consumer, MTN and Airtel have recently hiked their tariffs, imposing additional burdens on millions of Nigerians already grappling with economic hardship. These hikes in data and call tariffs represent not just a corporate strategy to increase profits but a deliberate attempt to suppress the voices of Nigerian citizens by making communication—a basic right and necessity—less accessible.

What’s truly disturbing is not just the financial burden placed on Nigerians, but the absence of any meaningful response from our lawmakers. In saner climes, such an aggressive hike in tariffs would have sparked an immediate uproar from the legislative bodies, with the Senate or House of Representatives calling CEO Ralph Toriola of MTN and other top executives to explain the rationale behind these changes. Tough questions would be asked, accountability demanded, and above all, a revision of those tariffs could be pursued to ensure that the interests of the Nigerian people are prioritized.

However, in our situation, the silence from our elected officials is deafening. Not a single senator or representative has come forward to challenge the companies on behalf of their constituents. Worse, there has been no congressional hearing to address this critical issue, which directly affects every Nigerian, particularly those in the lower and middle-income brackets.

Instead, our lawmakers appear more preoccupied with trivial infighting and personal scandals. Take, for instance, the farcical bickering around Senator Akpabio and Senator Natasha—a drama fit for a tabloid, not for the serious business of legislation. This is what our legislators are embroiled in, while Nigerians are struggling to afford the luxury of staying connected.

MTN and Airtel’s tariff hikes are not just a simple matter of increased pricing—they are a systemic attempt to further disenfranchise an already marginalized population. As data and mobile communication have become vital lifelines for the vast majority of Nigerians—especially in urban areas where most social and economic transactions now occur—this tariff hike is a direct attack on the ability to communicate freely and access information. In an era when the internet is vital for education, business, and social engagement, making it more expensive to access not only hinders personal development but also stifles public discourse.

In countries with functioning democracies, this would be seen as a corporate overreach, and immediate steps would be taken to rein in such pricing practices. But here, the lack of effective advocacy from the National Assembly shows that we are not in a functional democracy. The reality is that our legislators, too often disconnected from the lives of ordinary Nigerians, seem apathetic to the rising costs and their impact on daily life.

One might even argue that many of our politicians are not interested in reducing the cost of communication for their constituents, as increased tariffs would naturally lead to reduced online criticism—a key concern for many in the political class. The higher the cost of data, the fewer ordinary Nigerians can afford to voice their grievances, especially on social media where public figures and politicians are most exposed. What we’re seeing is, in fact, a quiet collusion between lawmakers and corporations to maintain the status quo, ensuring that the public remains disengaged and less likely to hold them to account.

It’s no secret that in saner societies, elected officials are expected to hold corporations accountable when they infringe upon the rights of citizens. In such places, the CEO of a company like MTN would be forced to testify before lawmakers, justifying their actions, with clear answers and policies put in place to mitigate the negative impacts on the populace. The pressure would be immense, and likely, the tariffs would be revised or at least subjected to more rigorous scrutiny.

But here in Nigeria, it is business as usual. Our senators and representatives are more concerned with personal squabbles, accusations of infidelity, and petty power struggles than with addressing the pressing issues that affect the lives of their constituents. The silence on the MTN and Airtel tariff hikes is, unfortunately, just one example of how our lawmakers are failing to live up to their roles as advocates for the people.

The question now is: When will Nigerians demand better? When will we see the kind of leadership that stands up to powerful corporations on behalf of the people? Until our legislators realize that their true job is to serve the people, and not themselves, the voices of millions will continue to be suppressed—one tariff hike at a time.

In the end, it is time for us to stop tolerating the complacency of a political class that seems content with doing the bare minimum. If these tariffs are left unchecked, we will see an even more divided society, where only the wealthy and politically connected have the luxury of communication, while the rest of us are left in the dark. The people deserve better, and it’s high time our lawmakers remember that.

rollywise:
Have you thought of the inflation in prices of those indigenous cars due to high demand? Trump is a one way thinker. He doesn't consider the backlash if his policies.

Supply has never been a problem. The automobile companies can supply. But there is no demand, people prefer toyota camry while ford and chevy are busy producing cars.

Lifestone:
Mr Analyst, read what you wrote again. If you concede that N2,500 can indeed buy a meal in Lekki as you alluded to, then you have agreed to his point of argument that Naira is good for its current value

Fixed, my emotions made me write so fast.