₦airaland Forum

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The Federal Government must come clean with Nigerians.

The quiet appointment of Xpress Payments Solutions Limited as a new TSA collecting agent is not an administrative decision, it is a dangerous resurrection of the Alpha Beta revenue cartel that dominated Lagos State during and after the Tinubu years. That model created a private toll gate around public revenue and funnelled state funds into the hands of a politically connected monopoly.

What we are witnessing now is the attempt to nationalise that same template, moving Nigeria from a republic to a private holding company controlled by a small circle of vested interests.

To introduce such a policy in the middle of a national tragedy, while Nigerians are mourning loved ones lost to the deepening insecurity crisis, is not only insensitive, it is a deliberate act of governance by stealth. When a nation is grieving, leadership should show empathy and focus on securing lives, not on expanding private revenue pipelines.

This latest move raises fundamental questions:

Why was this appointment rushed and smuggled into the public space without consultation, stakeholder engagement, or National Assembly oversight?

What value does Xpress Payments add that existing TSA channels do not already provide?

Who truly benefits from this? Nigeria or an entrenched political network?

This is not reform. This is state capture masquerading as digital innovation.

Let me be clear:

Nigeria does not need more middlemen between citizens and their government revenue. What we need is greater transparency, stronger institutions, and a tax system free from political capture.

I therefore call for the following:

1. Immediate suspension of the Xpress Payments appointment pending a public inquiry;

2. Full disclosure of the contractual terms, beneficiaries, fee structures, and selection criteria;

3. A comprehensive audit of TSA operations to prevent the creeping privatisation of revenue collection;

4. A legal framework, not executive shortcuts, that prohibits the insertion of private proxies into core government revenue systems;

5. A national security priority shift, recognising that a country under assault cannot afford economic governance conducted in the shadows.

Nigeria’s revenues are not political spoils. They are the lifeblood of our national survival, especially at a time when insecurity is tearing communities apart.

The government must abandon this Lagos-style revenue cartelisation and return to the path of transparency, constitutionalism, and public accountability. -AA

‘Tinubu's government is sitting back, not doing enough,' US Congressman Bill Huizenga fights back tears over killings in Nigeria.

“I went to school with kids from Nigeria”. #CTVTweets pic.twitter.com/z2X4nZ5K0l

— Channels Television (@channelstv) November 20, 2025

‘Tinubu's government is sitting back, not doing enough,' US Congressman Bill Huizenga fights back tears over killings in Nigeria.

“I went to school with kids from Nigeria”. #CTVTweets pic.twitter.com/z2X4nZ5K0l

— Channels Television (@channelstv) November 20, 2025

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the attack on Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, where innocent worshippers were murdered during a church service, and others, including the pastor, abducted. This tragedy is another painful reminder of the pervasive insecurity that has taken root across the country.

Coming within hours of another attack in Kebbi State where school officials were killed and students abducted, this particularly brutal attack and abduction give the impression that this government has lost control and Nigerians now live at the mercy of gunmen who are now emboldened by government’s failure to act decisively.

The ADC is particularly concerned that the Christian genocide narrative, which we dismissed when it was first proposed, is gradually becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy due to the failure of the government to conduct an honest appraisal of the problem.

We were indeed dismayed by the statement made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, in a recent interview claiming that only 177 Christians have been killed in the last five years. We find this statement unfortunate and offensive, and if it reflects the thinking within the Federal Government, such a statement would explain why this government has failed to address the problem and why they cannot be trusted to solve it.

We would like to reiterate, deaths cannot be reduced to numbers. It does not matter how many people have been killed or what religion or language they speak. As seen in the video of the Eruku church attack, one poor old woman cut down by bullets while she prays is enough. But this government does not know how to take responsibility or how to be accountable. Or else, how can an official of government engage in the wrong-headed and dangerous race-to-the-bottom argument over which religious group has recorded more casualties in the country?

Does 177 deaths make this situation more acceptable? Or does the argument that more Muslims have been killed make it less tragic?

In addition to the wanton killings, what is shaping up as another great tragedy is the Tinubu government’s defensive mindset and its growing tendency to minimise the scale of this crisis. But the truth is that under this Tinubu administration, Nigeria is fast turning into a killing field, and the President does not appear to recognise that his most important job is to protect life.

Nigeria is bleeding, communities are grieving, families are being destroyed, and the government continues to respond with excuses, denial, and dangerous rhetoric.

The ADC calls on the Federal Government to arrest this growing anarchy before it consumes us all. Nigerians deserve protection, not platitudes. Our houses of worship must be safe, our communities must be safe, our country must be safe.

WATCH: Nigerian Police Retirees Protest At National Assembly, Demand Removal From Contributory Pension Scheme pic.twitter.com/N7EzeOlkFB

— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) November 19, 2025

The Lagos State Government wishes to inform the public that the planned rehabilitation works on the Lekki–Ajah corridor, earlier scheduled to commence on Saturday, 15th November 2025, have been postponed to a later date.

A new commencement date will be communicated in due course. *While preliminary activities will continue till end of the month, full rehabilitation works will not begin until the revised schedule is announced.*

The State Government appreciates the understanding and patience of all road users as it remains committed to improving road infrastructure and ensuring safer, more efficient transportation for all.

E-signed;

Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi,
Commissioner for Transportation,
Lagos State.

18th November, 2025.

Terrorists Kill Six Displaced Residents In Taraba Community As Christian Leader Raises Alarm

Rampaging terrorists, locally dubbed as bandits, have killed six persons in Amadu community in the Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State.

SaharaReporters learnt that the victims were displaced individuals who had taken refuge in the community.

Multiple sources familiar with the situation said the bandits struck on Monday night, identifying the deceased as Terfa Terhemen, Tyoyinga Ngunan, Sondongu Hangem, Aondoso Tsea, Aondona Mteroga and Onov Nyoko.

Those killed were said to be between twenty-seven and thirty-five years old, while the sixth victim was reported to be around sixty-five.

Another source, a Christian leader whose name is not disclosed for security reasons, told SaharaReporters that the militia responsible for the attack was of Fulani extraction.

"The Fulani militias are responsible for the killing. These killings happen every day. Right now, the residents are protesting," the cleric told SaharaReporters.

Earlier in November, the Taraba State Command of the Nigeria Police Force commenced an investigation into the alleged invasion of the Chanchanji community in Takum Local Government Area by armed herders.

As the killer-herders sparked fear and tension in the community, residents, including one Terkula Yooso and one Philip Abur, said on Tuesday that armed herders were seen moving into Chanchanji Ward from neighbouring Donga Local Government Area, allegedly planning coordinated attacks on nearby settlements.

Residents said intelligence gathered from within the area indicated that the attackers were plotting simultaneous assaults on Peva–Chanchanji and Kufai Ahmadu towns, both within the ward.

Yooso expressed deep concern over the situation, citing a history of previous attacks blamed on the same group.

“These militants have struck several surrounding villages, displacing thousands. Many residents are already taking refuge in Peva and Amadu. We cannot survive another round of violence,” Yooso said.

The alarm in Chanchanji followed a recent warning by the Parish Priest of Holy Family Catholic Parish, Takum, Rev. Fr. George Dogo, who expressed concern over renewed attacks on communities in the region.

The cleric had earlier noted what he described as a “widening security breach” across parts of the local government.

Residents lamented that the area had become increasingly unsafe due to repeated assaults and delayed government responses.

Earlier also, the Holy Family Catholic Parish, Takum, Taraba State, raised the alarm over renewed attacks by suspected herders on several communities in the Takum Local Government Area, leading to the destruction of farmlands and mass displacement of residents.

The Parish Priest, Very Rev. Fr. George Dogo, disclosed this in a statement released to journalists in Jalingo on Monday, describing the situation as “disturbing and devastating.”

He called for urgent government intervention to avert further bloodshed and a worsening humanitarian crisis.