₦airaland Forum

28th March, 2025

Northern Governors Forum Condemns Mob Attack on Travelers in Edo State, Demands Full Investigation and Justice

The Northern States Governors' Forum (NSGF) has vehemently condemned the horrific murder of travelers from Northern Nigeria in the Udune Efandion community of Uromi, Edo State.

The Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON, described the attack as a gross violation of human rights, stressing that extrajudicial violence is entirely unacceptable and must be unequivocally condemned with the utmost severity.

The Northern Governors' Forum expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and all those affected by this tragic event.

"We are deeply disturbed by the loss of innocent lives and the horrific manner in which these individuals were attacked," Governor Inuwa Yahaya said.

"This appalling act undermines the rule of law and the very fabric of our society. It is imperative that the relevant authorities conduct a full and thorough investigation into this senseless act. The perpetrators must be identified, arrested, and brought to justice swiftly."

Governor Inuwa Yahaya reiterated that all Nigerians, regardless of their region, should be able to travel freely and safely without fear of harassment, violence, or intimidation.

He urged the government and law enforcement agencies to take swift action to prevent such incidents from recurring, while also appealing for calm.

Ismaila Uba Misilli
Director-General
( Press Affairs)
Government House
Gombe

A former governor of Ogun State and senator representing Ogun East, Gbenga Daniel and Governor Dapo Abiodun clashed on Thursday over allegations of neglect and underfunding of tertiary institutions in the state.

In an open letter to Abiodun, which went viral on Thursday, Daniel criticised the recent takeover of the state-owned Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, by the Federal Government.

While acknowledging the takeover as a positive development, he blamed it on Abiodun’s failure to prioritise funding for tertiary education.

Daniel explained that his administration established TASUED in February 2005 to provide more admission opportunities for Ogun State students, as the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, could only accommodate 3,500 students.


Commending President Bola Tinubu for approving the takeover, Daniel said, “This development came at the nick of time to ensure that the 20-year-old university was not consigned to the dustbin of history due to poor funding.”

However, he also expressed concerns, calling the takeover a “bitter-sweet” experience and an “indictment on the present leadership in the state.”

“One, it appears this unilateral takeover is an indictment on our state and the inability of the government to maintain the Institution which has attained a global rating, especially when the budget of the state has now hit the one trillion naira mark.


“Our people will ask, what is the percentage of our budget that is being allocated to the development of education from such humongous budget appropriation?” he stated.

Daniel emphasised that TASUED was created not just to increase admission quotas but also to provide employment for Ogun State citizens.

“I wish our people would not come to such a hurried conclusion about government ineptitude as the reasons for this necessary acquisition when the state government has abdicated its own responsibilities to this institution,” he said.

He recalled that before his administration in 2003, the state had only two major tertiary institutions—OOU and Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta.

“Ogun State has a huge population of admission seekers, and the National Universities Commission (NUC) has a cap on the number of students who can be admitted in every cycle.

“The Olabisi Onabanjo University had about 3,500 carrying capacity. But with the establishment of TASUED, we were able to double the quotas of admission-seeking students of Ogun State origin.

“With this acquisition, Mr. Governor, those quota advantages might have gone, as the Federal Government is now empowered to appoint the leadership of the Institution, which may also come from anywhere in the country in line with the nature of our federal character system.

“Our students’ admission quota, no doubt, would have been abridged; they might benefit from the Catchment Areas system at best,” stated

Daniel further urged the state government to redirect funds saved from TASUED’s transfer to other state institutions, including the four ICT polytechnics in Igbesa, Ado-Odo/Ota, Ijebu Igbo and Sapade, as well as the Dauda Adegbenro Polytechnic in Itori and the Gateway Industrial and Petro-Gas Institute in Oni.

“All these institutions have equally suffered neglect and abandonment.

“Better still, in the event that the state Government is unable or unwilling to fund these institutions, we might as well pray for the same ‘good fortune’ that befell TASUED to visit them, to save them from the clutches of shame of abandonment,” he added.

Responding, the Special Adviser to Abiodun on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, [/b]dismissed Daniel’s remarks as “needless criticism” and a failed attempt to undermine Tinubu’s decision to approve TASUED’s transfer.

He said, [b]“One cannot help but question the true intent behind the senator’s much-publicised ‘open letter’ to Governor Abiodun—a document filled with mischaracterisations and insinuations.

“He accuses the governor of neglecting state-owned institutions, a claim that collapses under the weight of verifiable evidence pointing to increased investment, infrastructural development, and renewed vitality across Ogun’s educational landscape.


“As is often the case, Daniel’s outbursts seem less about facts and more about political opportunism. His remarks read more like a personal vendetta than a constructive critique. The narrative he tries to spin is as unconvincing as it is desperate.

“One might ask: Is the senator simply unsettled that this milestone—the seamless transfer of TASUED to federal ownership—happened under Governor Abiodun’s leadership?

“The governor has clarified time and again that the decision was taken in the interest of equitable distribution of federal institutions across the state, not due to any failure of funding or neglect. And rightly so.”

Akinmade also highlighted improvements in Ogun’s education sector under Abiodun, stating that TASUED had benefited from better infrastructure and increased funding.

“Now, with its new federal status, the institution stands to enjoy access to TETFUND, increased budgetary support, and stronger academic manpower—all critical for long-term excellence.

“It is perplexing that a senator who claims to advocate for future generations would resist such progress in his own constituency,” he added.

The pioneer Commissioner for Internal Security and Special Services, newly created Ministry in Kano State, Maj. Gen. Muhammad Inuwa Idris (Rtd) has resigned his appointment.

The reasons behind his resignation are unknown.

A statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature, confirming the resignation said Governor Abba Yusuf has since accepted Maj. Gen. Idris (Rtd) ‘s resignation as Commissioner.

The governor was quoted as expressing his deep gratitude to the retired Army General for his service to the state during his short tenure and acknowledging his contributions to the ministry’s initial take-off.

Governor Yusuf also extended his best wishes to the former commissioner, describing him as a dedicated public servant and a patriotic Nigerian.

“We thank Major General Muhammad Inuwa Idris (Rtd) for his unwavering commitment and contributions to the development of Kano State right from his days in the military career, we wish him a peaceful and fulfilling retirement as he transitions into a well-deserved rest from public service,” the governor said.

Maj. Gen. Idris (Rtd) ‘s tenure, though brief, has been credited with laying a solid foundation for the ministry’s take-off, which the governor believes his successor can build on to set a pace for the new Ministry’s operations.

kiddkash:
I know the girl or knew, she was a nurse and friend of my sis

Nigeria’s manufacturers are counting their losses to the drastic macroeconomic changes being executed by the Federal Government, FG.

A key element of the difficulties has shown up in cost of sales with leading manufacturers reporting 90.6 per cent surge in their just released 2024 financial results.

Cost of sales stands for the direct expenses incurred in the production of goods and services sold by a company, and it includes costs of raw materials, logistics, energy and other manufacturing expenses.

Analysts attribute the increase to the mounting inflationary pressure, foreign exchange volatility, and escalating production costs in the sector. But they have projected a better outcome for 2025 if the current stability in some key macroeconomic indicators is sustained.

But Financial Vanguard findings show that the sharp increases in cost of manufacturing has forced many companies to adopt aggressive cost-cutting measures, including layoffs and price adjustments, to stay afloat.

The findings show that despite efforts at backward integration by top 12 consumer goods manufacturing firms to ease the pressure on their cost of production, they are still faced with myriads of financial and economic headwinds.

Consequently, costs they incurred on raw materials importation increased significantly Year-on-Year, YoY, by 88 per cent in the year 2024, indicating that the backward integration may have either failed or still too low to shield them from high importation costs driven by high exchange rates.

But the Financial Vanguard findings also show that the top manufacturers have succeeded in bringing down their exposure to bank loans which had imperiled their profitability a year earlier.

However, the high interest rate regime implemented by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, since 2023 still took a toll on the manufacturers’ financial cost.

The top manufacturers examined by Financial Vanguard includes, Nestle Nigeria, Cadbury Nigeria, Unilever Nigeria, Nigerian Breweries Plc, BUA Foods, Guinness Nigeria, Northern Nigeria Flour, Dangote Sugar, Honeywell Flour Mills, Flour Mills Nigeria, UAC Nigeria, and Golden Guinea.

The combined cost of sales of these top 12 consumer goods firms rose by 88.5% to N3.91 trillion in 2024 from N2.1trillion in 2023.

Nestle Nigeria’s cost of sales increased by 97.7% to N652.5billion in 2024 from N329.9billion in 2023; Cadbury Nigeria’s cost of sales grew by 77.2% to N111.7 billion from 63.04billion in 2023. Unilever’s cost of sales grew by 30.6% to N94.03billion from N72.01billion in 2023.

Nigerian Breweries’ cost of sales rose by 97.5% to N764.5billion from N387.03billion. BUA Foods’ cost of sales rose 110.0% to N985billion in 2024 from N469billion in 2023.

Guinness Nigeria recorded 37.5% increase to N208.03billion in 2024 from N151.3billion in 2023. Dangote Sugar recorded N634.6billion from N355.1billion, representing a growth of 78.7%. Northern Nigeria Flour Mills posted N25.7billion against N16.4billion in 2023.

Honeywell Flour Mills recorded N248.8billion in 2024 against N100.5billion in 2023. UAC Nigeria’s cost of sales increased by 52.5% to N151.3billion from N99.2billion in 2023, while Flour Mills recorded N151.3billion from N99.2billion, indicating 52.5% increase.

The combined cost of raw materials incurred by the top 12 consumer goods manufacturing firms shot up to N2.2trillion in 2024 from N1.2trillion in 2023.

Finance cost
The firms’ combined finance cost rose by 81.0% to N 1.2trillion in 2024 from N664.6billion in 2023.

However, their bank borrowing declined by 6.4% to N1.7trillion from N1.9trillion in 2023, apparently as the companies begin to de-emphasis reliance on bank loans in the face of prevailing high interest rate regime.

The combined firms’ turnover rose by 67.7% to N7.6trillion in 2024 from N4.5trillion in 2023, while their Loss Before Tax, LBT, increased by 76.6% to N407.4 billion in 2024 from N-230.7 billion in 2023.

Companies’ comment on performance
However, leaders of the various companies were positive on the situation. Highlighting the positive side of the 2024 results, Mr. Wassim Elhusseini, Managing Director of Nestlé Nigeria, stated: “Our 2024 results demonstrate the resilience of our brands and teams and underscore our strong fundamentals in a challenging business environment.

“The impressive 75.2% revenue growth for the year as well as 35.6% improvement of our operating profit to N167.9 billion reflects the robustness of our operating performance.

“Our net profit and equity were impacted by high finance costs associated with the revaluation of the company’s foreign currency obligations, due to an unprecedented devaluation of the Naira.

“I am very pleased to state that our Q4 2024 standalone results mark a return to profitability with a net profit of Naira 19.7 billion, against a loss of N36.4 billion in Q4 2023.”

Speaking on his company’s results, Mr. Hans Essaadi, Managing Director/CEO, Nigerian Breweries Plc, said: “The impressive year-on-year revenue growth was largely driven by strategic pricing initiatives, market expansion, successful innovations, and operational efficiencies.

“Despite macroeconomic headwinds faced by the company, group operating profit surged by 54%, reflecting the success of cost management, process optimization and strong operational performance.”

Commenting on BUA Foods’ performance, Engr. (Dr.) Ayodele Abioye, the Managing Director, said: “The results underscored the company’s ability to navigate challenges with agility and its resilience, as it continues to create value for all stakeholders.

“We are delighted to report an exceptional performance in FY 2024. Despite significant macroeconomic challenges, our business navigated the resulting impact on supply chain costs and foreign exchange losses effectively.

“The cumulative impact of our expansion strategy has enabled our capability to fulfil increased demand from our customers and enhanced internal operational efficiencies”.

Speaking as well on his Company’s result, Tobi Adeniyi, Managing Director, Unilever Nigeria, said, “Our year-on-year sustained growth trajectory is a testament to our commitment of serving consumers with our best brands to meet their daily needs of improved health and hygiene.

“While we are pleased with our performance progress riding on the pillars of operational efficiency, cost optimization, purposeful brands and increasing market share across key categories, we are committed to growing our business to enhance our socioeconomic impact in the country”.

Some analysts who spoke to Financial Vanguard on the operating environment of the manufacturers were largely critical of the implications of Nigeria’s economic policy outcomes. They believe that the environment does not help business growth.

It’s economic reform fallout, but 2025 looking more positive – CPPE
Commenting, Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Dr Muda Yusuf, stated: “The cost of sales was driven largely by exchange rate, by finance cost and by the cost of energy and as well as cost of logistics.

“I think these are the critical issues and these factors were very profound in 2024 because you can describe 2024 as a year of transition, from an economic reform point of view, so this is what must have been responsible for this astronomical increase in the cost of sales.

“And you can see that for many businesses, particularly those in production, profits have been severely impacted, some of them had declared serious losses and it is these particular factors that led to the exit of some of the multinational companies, especially those in production.

“But thankfully, those pressures are beginning to ease, we are beginning to see some stabilisation and marginal appreciation in the naira exchange rate and we are beginning to see a slight reduction in energy prices – it’s likely to also go down a little more, we’re beginning to see some deceleration in the inflation rate.

“So, with that kind of trajectory, the outlook is looking a lot more positive for 2025, in my view, if there are no dramatic changes in some other economic fundamentals.”

NACCIMA lists binding constraints, proffers solutions
The President of the Nigerian Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture NACCIMA, Dele Oye, said “the sharp rise, in some instances up to 100%, can be attributed to a multitude of interwoven factors that create a challenging environment for our manufacturers”.

To address these challenges, the NACCIMA president proposed the following strategies:

“The government should establish a consistent, long-term policy framework that provides certainty for manufacturers, allowing them to plan effectively and invest confidently.

“Policies must be developed with significant input from genuine and independent stakeholders to ensure they address the actual challenges faced by manufacturers.

“Prioritizing infrastructure development is essential to reduce operational costs. Investments in reliable power supply and transportation systems are crucial for manufacturers’ efficiency.

“Simplifying the tax system and ensuring predictability will encourage investment.

“Establishing fair regulatory guidelines to foster healthy competition among domestic manufacturers while protecting them from undue competition from state-owned enterprises is key.

“The government must implement monetary policies that control inflation, thereby preserving purchasing power and promoting stable economic growth.

“The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should consider reducing the current MPR rates.

“Through these collective efforts, we can alleviate some of the financial pressures facing manufacturers, bolster their competitiveness, and positively impact our economy as a whole.”

Govt should initiate actionable macroeconomic reform – MAN
In his comment, Director General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadir, stated: “The purchasing capacity of Nigerians has declined so our warehouses are filled with unsold goods, meanwhile, the cost of production continues to increase everyday with the cost of energy, transportation, manpower and now telecommunication consistently rising.

“The challenges are clear. Therefore, macroeconomic reforms must involve actionable plans that take precedence over rhetoric.

“The President’s ambitious goal of taming inflation down to 15 percent and stabilising the naira at N1,500/$ must be pursued by clearly defined and easily assessable actions, with appropriate timelines,” he said.

Domestic, external cost drove raw materials prices – Analysts
Reacting to the challenges facing the consumer goods manufacturing firms, David Adonri, Analyst / Vice Executive Chairman at High Cap Securities Limited, Olatunde Amolegbe, former President Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, CIS, and

Tajudeen Olayinka, Investment Banker & Chartered Stockbroker stated that the big jump in cost of raw materials in 2024 arose from domestic and external sector cost-push factors.

They added that insecurity and high costs of energy and power that ravaged the economy in 2024, transmitted galloping inflation to the cost of inputs specifically and cost of sales generally.

They also said these domestic cost-push factors were exacerbated by the massive volatility and depreciation of the Naira in 2024, adding that the pass through effect of these cost push factors in itself, intensified the rise in inflation that eroded the purchasing power of consumers to the detriment of corporate turnover.

However, they expressed the view that these cost push factors are expected to trend lower in 2025 from signals that are already emerging in the economy.

Also, they noted that there is a need for the companies to source some of the manufacturing inputs hitherto imported locally while engaging in aggressive marketing strategy.

On the way forward, they added that: “Public policy can play an enabling role in facilitating increase in corporate turnover while simultaneously reducing production and distribution costs so as to make enterprises cost effective and profitable.

“All cost push factors must be properly identified and tackled with appropriate public policy instruments. A long term solution will be domestication of input sources, reduction of energy and power costs and reduction of interest rate to single digit”.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has directed primary school teachers under the Local Education Authority (LEA) across the six area councils to resume their strike action from Monday, March 24, 2025.

The decision follows the failure of the council chairmen to implement the N70,000 new minimum wage in the February 2025 salary as promised.


Addressing journalists after an emergency State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) meeting held at the Teachers’ House in Gwagwalada on Sunday, the FCT NUT Chairman, Comrade Abdullahi Mohammed Shafas, expressed disappointment over the council chairmen’s refusal to honour the agreement reached with the union.


Shafas stated that the union had suspended its strike on February 21, 2025, based on the assurance that the new minimum wage would be implemented in February.


Aguocha, Agbedi voiced disapproval in House of Reps
However, the February salary was paid without incorporating the new wage, a move the union described as “disturbing, disheartening, and lacking in sympathy, empathy, and sensitivity to the plight of primary school teachers.”

The SWEC, after extensive deliberations, directed all primary school teachers across the six area councils to resume the suspended strike from Monday, March 24, 2025, until their demands are met.

The union’s demands include immediate implementation of the new minimum wage in the February salary by paying the differential between the old and new salary; payment of the March salary with the new minimum wage; payment of six months arrears of the minimum wage as agreed and implementation of the 40% peculiar allowance, 25% and 35% salary increases, and the N35,000 wage award, among others.


Shafas urged all union members to comply strictly with the directive and await further instructions.

Efforts to reach the Chairman of Kwali Area Council and FCT ALGON Chairman, Danladi Chiya, for comment, were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls or text messages by the time of filing this report.

Tragedy struck in Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara State as six operatives of the Zamfara State Community Protection Guards popularly known as Askarawa, and four local vigilantes were killed in an ambush by bandits.

The attack occurred on Saturday following a successful joint security operation led by the Nigerian Army against criminal elements in Sunke Forest.

Governor Dauda Lawal disclosed in a Facebook post on Sunday that security forces, including the CPG operatives and Nigerian Army personnel, raided the hideouts of the bandits in Sunke Forest.

The operation resulted in the neutralization of several bandits and the recovery of their weapons.

However, as the team was making its way back, it was ambushed by gunmen around the Bagega axis.

The assailants opened fire on the returning security operatives, leading to the tragic loss of ten lives.

Among the deceased were six members of the Community Protection Guards and four local vigilantes, also known as ‘Yan Sakai.’

Additionally, three individuals remain missing—two CPG operatives and one vigilante.

Dauda Lawal Reacts
Confirming the incident, Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, expressed his deep sorrow over the killings.

In a statement written in Hausa and shared on his verified Facebook page, the governor lamented the loss of lives and extended prayers for the deceased.

It read, “I received the heartbreaking news that bandits ambushed some members of the Zamfara State Community Protection Guards in Anka Local Government.

“The incident followed a security operation where our forces, alongside the Nigerian Army, attacked the bandits’ hideouts, successfully neutralizing several of them and recovering weapons.”

Lawal further noted, “On their way back, they were attacked in Bagega, resulting in the killing of six CPG operatives and four vigilantes.

“Their burial was conducted on Sunday morning. Three individuals are still missing.

“Upon receiving this distressing news, I directed that immediate medical assistance be provided to the injured and relief materials be given to the families of those who lost their lives.”

He prayed for the repose of the deceased’s souls and sought divine intervention to bring an end to the ongoing security crisis plaguing Zamfara State and the entire nation.

Zamfara State has been one of the hardest-hit regions in Nigeria’s northwest and north-central areas, grappling with the persistent menace of banditry.

Jerrynet:
Tinubu we need State of Emergency in Abuja because no one is safe again.

Gunmen have abducted a Nigerian Navy officer attached to the Defence Headquarters, Lt. Cynthia Akor, along with two others in Abuja.

The victims were kidnapped from their residence in the Mpape area of the Federal Capital Territory on Friday night.

A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reason, confirmed the development to our correct on Saturday.

The source, who lives in the same area with the victims, said the kidnappers have contacted the families of the hostages, demanding a ransom of N100 million for their release.

“Anong the three people that were kidnapped on Friday night in the Mpape area is a DHQ official, Akor.

“The kidnappers have already reached out to their families and are demanding N100m ransom,” the source said.

Efforts to reach the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye, and the Director of Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, were unsuccessful, as they had yet to respond to messages as of the time of filing this report.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, Josephine Adeh, said she would confirm the incident and provide further details.

“I will confirm and get back to you shortly,” she simply stated.

She has not reverted as of the time of filing this report.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s demonstrably unconstitutional suspension of the elected leaders of Rivers State and his illegal imposition of a retired military lickspittle as sole administrator in the exercise of his otherwise constitutional privilege to declare a state of emergency in any part of the country is the latest addition in a long list of instances of his embrace of the very things he once resented and fought against when he was outside the reins of federal power.

For example, he was brutally censorious of Goodluck Jonathan’s withdrawal of fuel subsidies in 2012. He expressed sentiments in writing and in speeches that resonated with the angst of the masses. He even helped finance a nationwide mass protest that so convulsed the country that Jonathan was compelled to back off his plans.

Yet, one of the first acts Tinubu did as a president in May 2023 was to announce an economically and socially disruptive withdrawal of fuel subsidies that has deepened poverty, annihilated the middle class, and ruptured the very fabric of Nigerian society.

Again, when Olusegun Obasanjo unconstitutionally suspended Plateau State’s Governor Joshua Dariye—along with state legislators— in May 2004 and appointed General Chris Ali as the state’s sole administrator, then Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Lagos rightly called the act “illegal.”

“It is unfortunate and illegal,” he said. “This has to be discouraged. It is a bad precedent. What the president of the country has done, I pray it doesn’t stand.”

In fact, when Goodluck Jonathan declared states of emergency in the three northeastern states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa without suspending the elected leaders of the states, which I commended in a May 25, 2013, column titled “The Malcolm Xian Logic in Jonathan’s Praiseworthy Boko Haram Offensive,” Tinubu condemned it as unacceptable federal overreach.

“No governor of a state in Nigeria is the chief security officer,” he said. “Putting the blame on the governors, who have been effectively emasculated, for the abysmal performance of the government at the centre which controls all these security agencies, smacks of ignorance and mischief.”

He contended that Jonathan’s action “seeks to abridge or has the potential of totally scuttling the constitutional functions of governors and other elected representatives of the people” and that it would be “counterproductive in the long run.”

Given an opportunity to give materiality to the principles he espoused when he had no access to federal power, he has become indistinguishable from, and in many cases worse than, the objects of his erstwhile censure.

Tinubu now implements the same policies he once condemned and has become the same personality he once reviled. He exemplifies the aphoristic wisdom (often attributed to historian Ariel Durant or her husband Will Durant) that says, “Today’s rebel is tomorrow’s tyrant.” In Tinubu’s case, he was yesterday’s rebel and today’s tyrant.

Why do most people who initially invested symbolic and political capital in fighting against authority or oppression eventually become the very oppressors they once resisted? Why do firebrands and idealists often morph into the very thing they once denounced after assuming power?

The evidence of history shows us that resistance to tyranny can, and often does, end in new tyrannies. Critics of war or corruption frequently adopt those same practices when they find themselves in the circles of power.

So, this is beyond Tinubu as a person, who probably never really had any principles to begin with, whose resistance to past oppressive policies was probably mere calculative opportunism.

But why do previously genuinely adversarial people become the very things they once opposed with such regularity? Observers from psychology, philosophy, and political theory have long studied this phenomenon.

A previous column I wrote (and republished twice) on the psychology of power pointed out that “people under the influence of power are neurologically similar to people who suffer traumatic brain injury” and posited that situational, power-induced brain damage may be responsible for this.

Philosophers have also grappled with the paradox of noble ideals curdling into oppression. Friedrich Nietzsche, for example, famously warned of the moral danger that comes with fighting evil too intensely. “He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster,” Nietzsche wrote, adding, “if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”

Nietzsche’s metaphor speaks to how the struggle for power or justice can warp people’s souls. Revolutionaries and reformers, in attempting to vanquish a “monster” (e.g. a tyrant or an unjust system), may take on the very methods and mindset of that monster.

His concept of the “will to power” also suggests that the drive to attain power can override other moral constraints, so that once the will to power is unleashed, individuals rationalize actions that serve dominance.

French theorist Michel Foucault provides another lens through which we can make sense of the phenomenon of people taking on the very methods and mindset of the beasts of power they once fought.

He said, “Power is everywhere; not because it embraces everything, but because it comes from everywhere.” By that, he means no one is ever truly outside power relations; even the most vicious critics of the most monstrous regimes operate within a field of power. Once the critics take control, he said, they often reproduce the very power dynamics they once criticized, even if their rhetoric changes.

The line between oppressor and liberator can blur: the roles may switch, but the play remains the same. Foucault’s insight is that systems of power tend to self-perpetuate, regardless of who is at the helm, unless conscious effort is made to dismantle those underlying structures.

In other words, a change in leadership without a change in what Foucault calls the “microphysics of power” is likely to yield similar repressive outcomes. The new boss becomes “same as the old boss,” because the circuitry of power channels them into that role.

That’s why the sadly familiar pattern of “condemning in opposition, then doing in government” is so widespread that it almost seems like a political law of gravity. It’s good to bear this in mind as we read and listen to the pronouncements of current “opposition” politicians who seem like they identify with popular causes and sentiments.

Like Tinubu, today’s opponents of executive overreach may extend their own executive powers once they have the opportunity.

Like Tinubu, they will have a story to tell themselves and the public to justify their U-turn: the situation is different, their actions are for the greater good, their previous stance was based on incomplete information, etc. And indeed, sometimes circumstances do legitimately change.

But when the dust settles, the outcome looks awfully familiar. Pro-democracy activists become a congress of tyrants and justifiers of tyranny; the fierce social critic and human rights activist who once decried abuses now defends them; the liberator who once raged against oppressors now only liberates his stomach. As the Roman philosopher-politician Cicero once wrote, “It is easier to criticize than to do better.”

Fortunately, this cycle is not inevitable. Many thinkers advocate checks and balances, institutional limits, and personal integrity as antidotes, although even those seem to be insufficient.

Nigeria’s National Assembly, as we have seen in the last few years, particularly in the last few days, can neither check nor balance the excesses of the executive. It’s a slavish extension of Aso Rock. The voices of the few honest, conscientious ones among them are drowned out by the cacophony that the rapacious, unprincipled, mercenary self-seekers among them, who constitute the majority, emit. The judiciary is even worse.

It is easy to be disillusioned and to surrender amid this reality. To be frank, I have found myself in that state many times. But power must be continually guarded and checked. Philosopher Hannah Arendt observed that only constant vigilance and a commitment to plurality and law prevent rebels from calcifying into tyrants.

We must all do our part to hold people in power to account, even if we’re not sure we would do better ourselves. At this point, the only check and balance against creeping tyranny is the democratic rebellion of the people.