₦airaland Forum

When President Buhari signed the “Not Too Young To Run” bill into law in 2018, many political analysts believe this could be another among numerous Nigerian laws that are only active on paper. But just a year later, it appears the age of young leaders is finally here.

The bill was passed by the National Assembly to alter Sections 65, 106, 131, 177 of the constitution. It was to reduce the age qualification for president from 40 to 30; governor from 35 to 30; senator from 35 to 30; House of Representatives membership from 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly membership from 30 to 25.

Sequel to this, many young politicians give motion to their aspirations with the 2019 elections. Now, three of them in their thirties will now lead houses of assembly in some states.

On Monday of this week, the lawmaker representing Jos East constituency, Mr Abok Izam, 33-year-old, emerged the new Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/11/2019-nigerian-elections-brought-a-new-dawn-to-the-not-too-young-to-run-campaign/

Political betrayal could sometimes be unavoidable in a democracy. That’s because interests change and some politicians will go to any length to fulfil their aspirations. However, this doesn’t happen without some consequences. Just like Rochas Okorocha turned its back on the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the 2019 polls, Aisha Alhasan, also known as Mama Taraba also did the same.

She lost the governorship poll in Taraba in 2015, and the APC thought it good to give her the minister of women affairs. This doesn’t dampen her hope of returning to claim her state this year.

But having pledged her allegiance to Atiku Abubakar, the APC couldn’t trust her to contest the governorship poll in Taraba under the party, and she was not screened as qualified to contest...

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/11/how-mama-taraba-aisha-alhassan-ended-her-own-political-career/

Just like Nigerian leaders played the game of denial until thousands end up in early grave in Zamfara and other northwestern states, bandits have again shifted focus to Sokoto state, and we’re still wishing away the evil. Hiding under the claim that the disgruntled elements will soon stop their atrocities, leaders let these bandits creep into our communities, and kill in tens, scores and eventually hundreds.

Over the weekend, bandits struck five villages in Sokoto, launching simultaneous attacks that claimed over 50 lives. The affected local governments are Rabah and Isa, and the victims were buried by the state governor, Governor Aminu Tambuwal on Sunday.

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/10/save-sokoto-state-from-bandits-before-it-becomes-like-zamfara/

Founded in 1989 and located in Ogun state, the Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) in Sagamu is one of the foremost medical facilities in Nigeria. In fact, it was once adjudged as one of the best teaching hospitals in the country, but now, it has become a shadow of its former self.

Plagued by inadequate staffing, the dearth of facilities, dilapidated structures as well as unpaid salaries, the one-time lifesaver of accident victims and patients in critical condition, can no longer be called a hospital.

Just recently, concerned eyewitnesses of the sickly state of the hospital adopted the hashtag #SAVEOOUTH put a spotlight on sad testimonies from students, patients and staff. It’s right to say the hospital is the perfect depiction of the level of rot in our medical sector.

Continue reading: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/10/inside-the-dire-state-at-the-olabisi-onabanjo-teaching-hospital-ogun-state-where-allegedly-thousands-of-patients-share-300-bed-spaces/

Kaduna State has long been a haven of religious killings and ethnic violence, and the spate has been on the increase despite various peace-making efforts by government at all levels. Over the years, analysts and security agencies have lamented the role of hate preaching, religious extremism and ethnic intolerance in igniting these crises.

However, efforts to address these issues have been met with stiff oppositions as it usually appears to be biased towards a particular religious or ethnic group. So, it has remained a dilemma until the Religious Preaching Regulation bill was introduced under the administration of Nasir El-Rufai in 2016.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/08/the-bill-on-religious-preaching-in-kaduna-state-nasir-el-rufai-and-the-war-against-extremist-preachers-and-religious-killing/

Danjuma Goje, a former governor of Gombe State and a major contender for the position of the Senate President in the 9th National Assembly has abandoned his ambition and declared his support for Ahmed Lawan.

This appears to be a victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC) who is under pressure to unite interests behind Lawan, the party’s adopted candidate for the nation’s number three seat.

However, many have suggested that the timing of the EFCC withdrawal from a fraud case against Danjuma Goje certainly raises some suspicion.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/07/the-timing-of-the-efcc-₦25-billion-fraud-case-withdrawal-against-danjuma-goje-and-his-new-found-support-of-ahmed-lawan-for-senate-president/

There is no denying that, in the last four years, Nigeria experienced the worst legislature-executive relationship in our history of democracy. The leaders of the two chambers of the National Assembly, Saraki and Dogara were always at each other’s throats with President Buhari’s government, if not for budget issues, confirmation of nominees would come up.

In the tussle, about 40 bills failed to receive presidential assent. In all of these, President Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has always blamed the outgoing Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara for being a pain in the neck of their administration.

But with a closer analysis of the situation, it is right to say that President Buhari had some unrealistic expectations that the legislature would just be a ‘rubber stamp.’

Continue reading: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/07/the-tussle-with-saraki-dogara-where-president-buharis-government-got-it-wrong/

Nigerians were on Thursday left in shock following the revocation of the broadcasting licence of the African Independent Television (AIT) by the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). The NBC claimed that the foremost media house is biased towards the opposition party, PDP, adding some other flimsy blame to their long list of charges against AIT.

However, Nigerians have taken to social media to vent their anger, and express their displeasure at what they call ‘acts of despotism and dictatorship’ and ‘undue intolerance for dissents and political opposition.’

We've compiled some of the most interesting tweet below:

Continue reading: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/07/this-is-despotism-dictatorship-nigerians-react-to-the-ban-of-african-independent-television-ait/

The spate of killings in Nigeria, from bandits attacks, Boko Haram insurgency to ethnic clashes, has been disturbing, and the popular perception is that President Muhammadu Buhari’s approach to security has failed to protect us. That is justified by the incessant violence that has continued to plague the country in the last four years which has led to thousands of deaths from violent crises.

Now, a new report has corroborated this claim and confirmed that Buhari only faired slightly above his predecessor, former president Goodluck Jonathan

In the recent report by the Nigeria Security Tracker, a project of the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit think tank specialising in United States foreign policy and international affairs, 25,794 Nigerians may have died in violent crises in the first four years of President Muhammadu Buhari...

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/06/president-buharis-approach-to-security-and-the-over-25000-deaths-in-four-years-from-violent-crises/

The spate of killings in Nigeria, from bandits attacks, Boko Haram insurgency to ethnic clashes, has been disturbing, and the popular perception is that President Muhammadu Buhari’s approach to security has failed to protect us. That is justified by the incessant violence that has continued to plague the country in the last four years which has led to thousands of deaths from violent crises.

Now, a new report has corroborated this claim and confirmed that Buhari only faired slightly above his predecessor, former president Goodluck Jonathan

In the recent report by the Nigeria Security Tracker, a project of the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit think tank specialising in United States foreign policy and international affairs, 25,794 Nigerians may have died in violent crises in the first four years of President Muhammadu Buhari...

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/06/president-buharis-approach-to-security-and-the-over-25000-deaths-in-four-years-from-violent-crises/

As they say, a lie can travel half-way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes, but it will still catch up with the lie in an instant. That’s exactly how events turned out for Femi Gbajabiamila, the anointed candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the position of Speaker in the next National Assembly.

The Coalition of United Progressives Parties (CUPP) claimed he was an ex-convict in the United States, but the Director-General of Femi Gbajabiamila’s campaign team, Abdul Mumin Jibrin, at a news briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, denied the claims.

However, in some data dug up by SaharaReporters, Gbajabiamila was reportedly charged to court and found guilty of stealing $25, 000 belonging to a client in Georgia state of the US.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/06/nemesis-has-hunted-down-the-once-formidable-femi-gbajabiamila/

It is not a new thing in state politics in Nigeria that when new governors come into power, their first objective is to dissolve the leadership of the local government councils, especially when they are members of the opposition party. It is hardly possible to find even a single exception since the country returned to democracy in 1999, and each situation usually comes with huge loses to these chairmen.

But the question has always been, why has this remained a recurring trend?

Just recently, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, who took over from Abiola Ajimobi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) sacked the chairmen of local governments and local council development areas (LCDA) in the state. corporations.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/05/why-new-governors-always-sack-local-government-chairmen-from-other-political-parties/

Since the legislative elections were held in March, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been thrown into turmoil over the leadership of the 9th National Assembly. The crisis became escalated following the adoption of Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila as the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively.

The decision, announced by the party’s National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, didn’t go down well with many APC chiefs, and it appeared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cast a spell on the ruling party to always become divisive at such a crucial moment.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/05/femi-gbajabiamila-ahmad-lawan-oshiomhole-and-the-9th-national-assembly-leadership-pdps-spell-is-working-against-apc/

There is a dangerous trend that has been playing out ever since Buhari came into power and declared war against corruption. It did not start with his regime, but it definitely got worse under him.

Anyone who falls out of favor with those in power or starts to tread a path that they do not like or does anything to affect their source of illegal income is immediately accused of fraud and corruption.

This trend played out in the case of the former Executive secretary of the Nigerian Health Insurance Scheme. The moment Prof Usman Yusuf started cleaning up the NHIS, putting up policies to ensure that the agency starts to work, the next thing we began to hear were cries of corruption and fraud.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/04/fraud-accusations-in-nigeria-and-the-politics-of-revenge-what-kemi-adeosun-usman-yusuf-and-emir-sanusi-lamido-have-in-common/

For political analysts in Nigeria, the reluctance of Yakubu Dogara, the incumbent speaker of the house of representatives, to declare interest in retaining his position as the speaker in the 9th National Assembly wouldn’t come as a surprise.

He has to thread wisely because the game has changed from what was in place in 2015.

Yakubu Dogara, along with his partner, Senate President Bukola Saraki sprang a surprise in 2015 when they took over the leadership of the National Assembly. But as the case is now, ....

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/03/the-tricks-yakubu-dogara-used-in-2015-cant-help-him-in-the-national-assembly-this-time/

The case of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State seems to reiterate the fact that getting into power by chance is very likely to end in disaster. It was almost four years now that Audu Abubakar contested Kogi governorship seat under the All Progressives Congress (APC), but he died before the election could be concluded, thus leading to Bello’s choice to succeed him.

For the bulk of his years in power, Kogi state has been Nigeria’s most consistent source of news about sufferings, poor workers’ welfare, political highhandedness, with all of them in one way or another connected to Bello’s administration.

His approach to people’s welfare as evident in owing workers’ salaries for 39 months is his major undoing and a deadly time bomb for his desired re-election...

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/03/kogi-governor-yahaya-bello-has-set-a-time-bomb-for-himself-with-the-nonpayment-of-salaries-but-will-dino-melaye-fare-any-better/

For a man living in Ibadan, Lagos, Port Harcourt or any other Nigerian city, how much should he be making monthly before considering marriage?

Share your thoughts

How much should a man earn monthly before considering marriage?

Timileyin Akinkahunsi

Men are usually seen as breadwinners, especially in Africa, and as such, men are expected to have a stable source of income before getting married due to the responsibilities that come with marriage. Saturday PUNCH asked a cross-section of Nigerians how much money they think a man should earn monthly before considering marriage and here are their responses

N50, 000-N100, 000 – Olayemi Segun Ajiku

In my opinion, a man should earn nothing lower than between N50,000 and N100,000. With this amount, I believe he will survive as long as he lives within his budget and sets his priorities right. Although with this amount, his state of residence has to be considered. We cannot compare someone who resides in Lagos to a man that lives in Ibadan.


Secondly, when a woman knows what a man earns; it is easy for her to decide if she wants to spend the rest of her life with him or not. Also, she will know how much support the man will require from her.

Thirdly, a responsible man without a steady income shouldn’t think of marriage. He won’t have the capability to shoulder his responsibilities as a husband and a father, especially when children come into the picture.


Ideally, a man should cater for everything in the home but if he is lucky to marry a good wife, she won’t hesitate to support him whenever it is necessary.

I’ll recommend N50,000 – Ishaya Mungopark Maishara

Here in Abuja, I’ll recommend N50,000 because of the situation of the economy. Marriage is like a journey to the point of no return; one has to be very careful before taking the decision to get married. First, there should be an understanding between the man and the woman. To create this form of understanding, financial matters need to be discussed.


It is important for a lady to know how much a man earns before marrying him. It matters a lot because this is a lifetime agreement and the individuals involved should know where they stand before getting into it.

N20,000 to N50,000 is okay – Richard Idigbogu


Richard Idigbogu

I don’t believe there’s a statutory amount a man should earn before considering marriage. If I am to mention an income range, I’ll say between N20,000 and N50,000. This issue has made a lot of young men to choose to remain single for too long. The question is: “What kind of marriage do you want?” You may be earning an amount as small as N20,000 monthly and still get married; although, the marriage will not be as glamorous as that of a man who takes home a huge sum of money every month. Ladies, on the other hand, are not helping matters. I know a lady who said if a guy doesn’t earn at least N150,000, he should not consider coming close to her for marriage. Six years down the line, she’s still single and frustrated.


From N50, 000 upward is fine – Abodunrin Olatunde Oyeniran


A man that earns N50, 000 monthly is financially ready for marriage. A woman should consider how much a man earns before accepting his marriage proposal. A man should have a stable income before thinking of marriage; money is important in marriage. A man should cater for rent, food, school fees of the children, and other family obligations. A Yoruba adage says, “There’s no half man, its either you’re a man or not.”



No specific level of income should be considered – Gaza Danladi


Gaza Danladi
We all have choices to make. Deciding to build a life with someone isn’t something everyone can handle. Marriage is a team work but still we all have standards. However, understanding prospects is important. There aren’t enough eligible bachelors to go round, so if a woman finds one with prospects, it won’t be a bad idea to consider him. Fela Durotoye (motivational speaker) once said when he got married, the bathroom of the house he lived in was so bad that most times, his wife had to go shower at her parents’ place. Look at where they are today. Finance is important in marriage and whether you can put up with what will be available to you in marriage is something to give thought to.



Personally I do not think there is an amount a man should earn from his 9-5 job or business venture before getting married. The reason is that if we set a yardstick, there are many in the society who will never meet up, and it will be absurd or unfair to say such people should never get married.

N100, 000-N150, 000 – Afolakunmi Awoyemi

A man who has a paid employment should earn at least N150, 000 before considering marriage. If he runs his own business, he should earn at least 100,000 monthly before considering marriage. The amount a man earns is very important because no woman wants to suffer. When children are involved, they need to attend good schools and live a stress-free life. Things are not easy but everyone wants a comfortable life. A man who doesn’t have a steady income shouldn’t even think of getting married at all because the couple needs to consider how they will survive. A woman can support her husband if his income is unstable for some time. However, I won’t advise any man to go into marriage without a steady income.



Considering the bills, N800, 000 – Aduke Gold


Aduke Gold
It is difficult to mention a figure, especially in an unstable and unpredictable economy like ours. However, before a man considers marriage, he should have multiple streams of income.

Giving an amount or figure may not equate to the responsibilities that will later surface in the future but if a man has multiple streams of income, he may use one to balance the other. Before accepting a marriage proposal, what a man earns should be considered by the woman. Marriage is reality, not abstract. You need to open the box and check before you go into it.

As a single lady, I spend close to N100, 000 monthly on myself and I am not even living large. If a man wants to perform his full responsibilities in this economy, considering house rent and other bills, he should be earning at least N800, 000. I am not saying I am waiting for that type of man, but considering the bad economy, I need to set the records straight.

Considering the economy, he must have a stable income – Ukeh Ngozi Anita


Ukeh Ngozi Anita
Marriage comes with responsibilities; a man should have a stable income before considering marriage. I do not mean he must earn N100,000 or N1m monthly, no; I’m not saying he must have a car or a house in his name, no. All I am saying is that the man must have something he is doing that brings in money for him regularly. A man should know that the responsibility of the house is on him, and the woman will support him. Most ladies, including me, have set a standard that we want for marriage and we have our reasons for that but our reasons should not be coated with greed or selfishness. A man that is lazy or doesn’t have any source of livelihood should not get married because the children might suffer.

N300, 000, if they want to live in Lagos – Adeola Dosunmu

Marriage is desirable to many, not all. While some people believe in patching things up with the hope that better days are ahead, some will never settle for any form of ‘management’. Before getting married, a man should consider these factors: If he wants to share the burden of household expenses with his wife or not, the kind of apartment he wants to live in and if the rent will still be affordable after they start having children.

Using Lagos as an example, a man that wants to start a family should earn at least N300,000 monthly. And even with this, he won’t be able to afford an apartment in some areas in Lagos.

It should be N150, 000 – Oketola Deborah


Oketola Deborah
What a man earns depends on the nature of his job. A man should be able to get a decent accommodation and put good food on the table. So talking about how much a man should earn, I will say at least N150,000.

The amount of money a man earns is important; no woman wants to suffer. If a woman knows how much her husband earns, she would know the limits of her demands and trust him more.

https://punchng.com/how-much-should-a-man-earn-monthly-before-considering-marriage/

Every well-meaning Nigerian will agree that the state of the nation in recent years especially the rising poverty levels must not be sustained for a long time.

It is enough that citizens have to endure rising poverty, dwindling opportunities and job losses in the past four years, but if these have to continue for another four years, the country may be completely grounded.

While the Federal Government is still insisting that its approach to ending poverty has been fruitful, a United Kingdom-based magazine, The Economist recently published an analysis of the Nigerian economy in the last four years.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/05/31/nigeria-may-not-survive-another-four-years-of-rising-poverty/

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were left in confusion when the Deputy National Chairman of the party, Senator Lawal Shuaibu, asked the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, to resign.

Shuaibu made the call in a letter to Oshiomhole, in which he said the chairman lacked the composure to lead the APC, adding that the party had become badly fractured in virtually every constituency in the country and was fast losing the goodwill it enjoyed before Oshiomhole’s emergence.

Continue reading: https://qwenu.com/2019/05/31/why-adams-oshiomhole-cant-resign-as-apc-chairman/

It was just last week that Aisha Buhari, the wife of Nigerian President Buhari lamented the failure of the Federal Government to address poverty, but the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments, Maryam Uwais was quick to point out her ignorance of facts and figures about some poverty alleviation programme.

Uwais noted that ₦470.8bn has been spent on different projects, but what Uwais failed to understand was that Mrs Buhari was more concerned about results of the projects than bogus amounts the government claims to have spent.

The Federal Government had in 2015 designed the programme to improve the lives of all Nigerians irrespective of religion, political affiliation and social class. It includes N-Power, ...

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/05/30/aisha-buhari-vs-maryam-uwais-federal-governments-social-investments-₦471bn-spent-zero-results-achieved/

The spate of flagrant corruption has obviously gown down since President Buhari came to power, thanks to the relentless roaring of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-graft agencies. But while public officials now think twice before looting, the grey areas of institutional and undercover theft of public funds are still very much active.

Agencies of government now hide under budgets, projects and contracts to steal public funds by inflating costs to unreasonable levels. To drive this home, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) left the whole nation appalled when it recently said it budgeted ₦160 million for sewing of uniforms for its drivers.

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/05/30/corruption-in-firs-how-do-we-justify-₦188000-for-each-drivers-uniform/

Yemi Kale, National Bureau of Statistics DG – The nightmare of lazy governors, ministers and other public officials

Many would think that the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu is the biggest fear of corrupt and irresponsible politicians in Nigeria. Considering his efficiency and fearless prosecution of indicted government officials, it is right to think so. However, very few know that Yemi Kale, the Statistician-General of the Federation, and Director-General of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) holds a similar weight.

The EFCC has limitations because some public officials such as governors enjoy immunity, and can not be prosecuted while they are still in power. In such cases, the anti-corruption agency will have to wait until the officials’ tenure expires.

But the NBS only speaks with data, and that has no restrictions. These figures show whether an official is working or not; it shows if something has gone amiss in some sectors of the economy. That’s much more dreadful for slothful politicians.


It’s not about commitment to statistics… it’s commitment to service… wherever and whatever

In a recent interview on Public Conscience, a radio programme on Nigeria Info, Kale said he received death threats after releasing the unemployment figures for the third quarter of 2018. That’s how far the impact of the NBS data figures go.

“The job is extremely sensitive. My job description is to tell Nigerians what the situation on the ground is and that situation might not sit well to the same people that appointed you or people extremely powerful that might have an influence on the people that appointed you,” he said.

He used the Smart Nutrition Survey as an example. The United Nations uses this to determine whether states would receive a grant.

He explained that “UN gives money to states based on if their indicators are improving so you only get the grant if the last time you collected money it showed an improvement in the indicator.”

“A lot of states including mine, Ogun, dipped. We reported it that way so states came to us to say we are losing X billion naira if these indicators are negative, is there anything you can do to make them nicer. They won’t approach me directly initially. They implied some form of compensation and I said we don’t do this here.

“Once that didn’t work, the next approach was to attack the integrity of the data. There are many instances like that. I won’t mention which administration I’m talking about but every now and then I get such pressure.

“Towards the election, I got a couple of death threats over the unemployment data. I decided to ignore them and watch my back better.

Source:

https://qwenu.com/2019/05/28/yemi-kale-national-bureau-of-statistics-dg-the-nightmare-of-lazy-governors-ministers-and-other-public-officials/

Despite claims of job creation and empowerment in sectors such as agriculture, Nigeria’s employment rate is now way higher than what the administration of President Buhari met in 2015. After repeated denials, the reality dawned on the government earlier this year when the country’s statistics bureau said the number of Nigerians without jobs have exceeded 20 million.

That only means that whatever this administration claims to have been doing about job creation for the past four years meant nothing. It also rubbished the promise to create 3 million jobs annually when the All Progressives Congress (APC) was seeking power in 2015.

But now, the Buhari-led government seems to be unruffled and disturbed with the unemployment data, and the solution it came up with is to create about 20 million new jobs in four different sectors of the economy – agriculture, transportation, services and construction, over the next four years.

How realistic could this be?

Read full article here: https://qwenu.com/2019/05/28/president-buhari-government-promise-of-20-million-jobs-in-four-years-another-propaganda-or-serious-business/

The internal wrangling and divisions that have rocked the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara state got to its peak last Friday when the Supreme Court nullified the elections of all the candidates of the party in Zamfara State in the 2019 general elections, including Abdulaziz Yari.

Just like Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara had allegedly insisted on fielding his choice candidates for elective positions, which pit him against many leaders of the party in the state. That was the beginning of a tumultuous legal battle which eventually stripped Yari of so many victories.

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/05/27/supreme-court-ruling-zamfara-governor-abdulaziz-yari-joins-okorocha-on-the-list-of-decimated-politicians/

Aisha Buhari created a social media storm this weekend with her comments on poverty in Northern Nigeria. Before I discuss her comments, let’s not forget that both in 2015 and this year, President Buhari got the majority of his votes from the poor in Nigeria.

He rode on the promise to implement policies that alleviate poverty, and he assured the lower class that his government would prioritise them over the elite.

This was the premise for the TraderMoni programme and other social safety nets the current administration has introduced to cushion the sufferings caused by poverty.

But instead of Nigerians to feel the impact of these policies through improved living conditions, the poverty level has been on the increase, thus raising questions whether Buhari’s cry for the poor is only a scam.

Read full article here: https://qwenu.com/2019/05/27/aisha-buhari-on-poverty-in-northern-nigeria-and-president-buharis-social-investment-programmes-who-do-we-believe/

It is unfortunate that Nigeria has failed to learn from how Nnamdi Kanu spread propaganda through Radio Biafra, reigniting divisions across ethnic lines. Now, there is news of a radio station for Fulani herdsmen, and many Nigerians are agitated about this possibility.

So, how did we get here?

Earlier this week, former President Olusegun Obasanjo had accused Fulani herdsmen of promoting an agenda to ‘Fulanise’ Nigeria, but the majority of us scorned him. President Buhari’s men were also quick to lambaste Obasanjo, who they said wants to divide Nigeria. But now, the reality has dawned on us.

It was hard to believe when the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, said the Federal Government had acquired an Amplitude Modulation broadcast radio licence for the herdsmen as part of efforts to end perennial farmers-herders’ clashes.

Read full article here: https://qwenu.com/2019/05/24/radio-station-for-fulani-herdsmen-here-is-why-the-rest-of-nigeria-may-be-right-to-be-concerned/

Many Nigerians were wondering why Mohammed Abubakar, the outgoing governor of Bauchi State was jittery when it appeared he would lose the March governorship election to his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) opponent, Bala Mohammed. He was against it when the election was declared inconclusive and allegedly even went to President Buhari for help.

Eventually, he sought a court order to stop the supplementary polls, but not only did he lose at the court, but also lost the election to Bala. It wasn’t until recently that we realise that Abubakar has dug a pit, which he knew he would fall into if the election didn’t go his way.

In 2017, the governor signed the Bauchi State Public Property and Funds Recovery Tribunal Act. The law was meant to prosecute corrupt administrations and ensure they pay for any mismanagement of public funds that occurred under them.

But knowing that he is a culprit himself, after losing his re-election bid, he sent a bill to the Assembly seeking to repeal the same law.

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/05/24/nemesis-bauchi-governor-mohammed-abubakar-has-fallen-into-the-pit-he-dug-for-others/

Rochas Okorocha of Imo state seems to be considering charity work as a succour to his political fall. In addition, images of President Buhari’s statue constructed by Rochas Okorocha in Owerri flooded social media recently. These charitable and brown-nosing actions highlight desperate attempts to revive his long-lost value in his state’s politics.

But as always, his approach this time only calls for ridicule again. He recently lamented the refusal of the Federal Government to give him recognition for his charity works, especially for his Rochas Foundation.

He said “for 20 years, yet no recognition from the Federal Republic of Nigeria or State Government except people that came from other African Countries, who visited the foundation.

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/05/23/rochas-okorocha-his-charitable-works-the-buhari-statue-and-his-desperate-attempts-to-win-back-imo-state/

Anyone who follows President Donald Trump knows that he cannot do without Sarah Huckabee-Sanders and Kelly Ann Conway. These women coordinate the narrative of what comes out of the White House. In the same vein, any avid follower of developments in Nigerian politics would agree that President Buhari’s government narrative is arguably shaped by propaganda from a few individuals with Lai Mohammed at the forefront.

Propaganda is information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, deliberately used to promote a political cause, and some of President Buhari’s aides have mastered the use of this tactic to convince the public that the president has performed excellently well.

This is necessary because, in reality, our growth prospects as a nation have dwindled, thanks to poor handling of key economic factors.

Read full article here: https://qwenu.com/2019/05/23/lai-mohammed-and-two-other-propagandist-ministers-buhari-can-never-do-without/

The dichotomy (or let’s call it discrimination) between graduates who hold bachelor’s degree (BSc) and those with Higher National Diploma (HND) from polytechnics in Nigeria has been a plague on our higher education system for a while now. BSc holders have been considered more valuable to the workforce than their polytechnic counterparts, despite the two groups spending the same amount of time to earn their certificates.

The education sector and the labour market have been under pressure to remove the separation, with vocal protests dating as far back as 2014. In fact, there have been a few bills passed on the floor of the National Assembly to this effect, but the impact has remained at zero. Employers at all levels have continued to treat university graduates as the only ones with capable hands.

Again this Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a bill which abolished the existing dichotomy between the polytechnics’ HND and the Bachelor of Science degree from universities.

Read full article here: https://qwenu.com/2019/05/22/the-bsc-hnd-dichotomy-in-nigeria-will-remain-a-burden-until-we-have-an-actionable-plan-against-it/

Lauretta Onochie, an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari on social media, is known for making unguarded statements about several issues, most recently about Atiku. She was in the news late last year for posting fake photographs allegedly of the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential rally where money was packaged with food and handed over to attendees. She was later exposed and ridiculed by Nigerians.


In spite of her excesses, she has not been apparently sued by anyone, thus emboldening her guts to promote falsehoods, defamation, and campaign of calumny, all for the mere reason of gaining political points against the opposition.

But now, nemesis might just be about to catch up with her. In a tweet credited to her, Onochie allegedly said that Atiku is on the security watch list of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Read full article here: https://qwenu.com/2019/05/22/buharis-talkative-aide-lauretta-onochie-has-swallowed-a-bitter-pill-with-the-atiku-allegations/

Barely two weeks after the Nigerian media and the world celebrated the World Press Freedom Day, the nation’s National Assembly has introduced a new coverage guideline that not only bars many journalists from accessing its chambers but also undermines every element of press freedom.

The new guideline, which would take effect from the start of the 9th National Assembly, sets 20 new stringent conditions media firms have to satisfy before they can be allowed to cover stories on-ground at the National Assembly.

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/05/21/national-assemblys-new-coverage-guideline-may-impact-press-freedom-in-nigeria/