Oluwatosin

[Peter Obi @PeterObi]

When a Government Declares War on the Truth

President Donald Trump of America recently described Nigeria as “a now disgraced country.” The painful reality is that Nigeria’s challenges continue to deepen. Each passing day reveals deeper signs of decline, especially when a government becomes increasingly intolerant of truth and hostile to those who speak about the suffering of the people.

The Catholic Church has never functioned as an opposition party in Nigeria. Across military regimes and successive democratic administrations, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has maintained a principled voice on national issues and the nation’s conscience, commending governments when they deserved commendation and speaking the truth whenever national conscience demanded it. Its interventions are driven by a moral obligation, rooted in Christian social teaching, to defend truth, justice, and the common good.

The same applies to Nigeria’s major religious organisations. Bodies such as Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN), the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) have repeatedly raised concerns over economic hardship, inflation, and insecurity. Living among the people, religious leaders often encounter the suffering of citizens firsthand. They speak because they witness families struggling with rising food prices, unemployment, and the fear created by kidnappings and insecurity.

As leaders, we should be gracious enough to listen to people and organisations that speak the truth to us and genuinely criticise us when things are not going in the right direction. As Governor, I had the opportunity of working with a very strong Council of Traditional Rulers, led by the Obi of Onitsha, and religious bodies that consistently criticised me and offered suggestions. This contributed greatly to our success in Anambra State, especially in critical areas like education and health.

Against this background, the attacks on the CBCN, and especially on His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, are deeply troubling. Even in 1998, when Pope John Paul II visited Nigeria and told General Abacha some hard truths, including about the incarceration of Chief Moshood Abiola, nobody vilified him.

During the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in Rome, to demonstrate his purported commitment to and respect for the Catholic Church, President Bola Tinubu arrived in Rome days before the event, ahead of most other visiting dignitaries, including Catholics such as the U.S. Vice President, JD Vance. He participated in the liturgy, queued with other world leaders to greet the Holy Father, and displayed deep respect for the moral authority of the Church. Back in Nigeria, however, that posture has now changed completely.

What is playing out today also reveals how political leaders sometimes exploit religion and ethnicity to divide the people. Even when it was obvious that the CBCN was speaking on issues affecting Nigerians across religious and ethnic boundaries, aides to the President immediately reduced it to a “religious affair.” The question is: are insecurity, poverty, inflation, unemployment, and hardship problems exclusive to a particular faith? Do these challenges recognise religious or tribal boundaries?

The bishops merely expressed what millions of Nigerians experience daily: insecurity has worsened, poverty is deepening, inflation is crippling families, businesses are struggling, and hope is fading. These are realities echoed by religious leaders across the country, to whom successive governments gave thanks and promised to look into their observations.

Rather than address these concerns or explain the measures in place to ameliorate them, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s aides and supporters responded with vicious attacks, particularly against Cardinal John Onaiyekan, with little regard for his age, stature, and accomplishments.

[Harry Da Diegot @trigottista]

South African xenophobic rubbish has the backing of the government

[Switch @prophetswitch]

This was Shettima crying on national tv

He blamed GEJ for every corpse and attacks in his states.

They’ve been in government for over 3years and the insecurity has worsened.

Goodluck Jonathan saw hell with these people

[Ife Salako @ifesalakooffice]

Destroy their farms.
Make them feel unsecured.
Make their income insignificant.
Steal their dignity.
Make them extremely poor.
Then give them rice.

Saving Nigeria from APC is the responsibility of everyone who understands the above. There is so much work to be done.

Ire o✌🏾

[Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, CGoF @ChidiOdinkalu]

When he left high school in 1962, John Cardinal Onaiyekan was 18.

His grades were so outstanding, the Premier of the Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, asked to see him & offered him a free cheque to the best anywhere in the world.

The man said #ThankYou & headed off to priestly formation.

64 yrs later, an #OrganizedCrime ring - led by a man with no verifiable record of having gone to school - wants to do a #RoyalRumble with a man who gave up on worldly things as a teenager.

There can be only one winner & it will not be the criminals!

[Peter Obi @PeterObi]

Disruption of Worship Centres now a National Calamity.

I have been deeply dismayed by the recent news concerning the abduction of worshippers in Enugu. It is profoundly distressing that fellow Nigerians, who had come together in divine worship seeking solace and hope, have endured such a traumatic and criminal ordeal.

It is increasingly clear that this is no longer an isolated incident affecting specific states like Borno, Benue, Plateau, Zamfara, or Katsina. It has escalated into a national crisis, threatening every Nigerian, regardless of their ethnic background, religious beliefs, or regional origins. No part of our country should be a place where citizens live in constant fear of attending religious services, pursuing education, engaging in work, or even resting in their own homes.

This is a critical moment for Nigeria to come together as one nation. Security concerns must go beyond partisan politics, tribal loyalties, or religious differences. It is a collective national duty that requires unity, urgency, and decisive action.

I call on all relevant security agencies to intensify their efforts to ensure the safe return of the abducted persons and to swiftly apprehend and bring to justice those responsible. Beyond this incident, we must, as a nation, dedicate ourselves to eradicating this menace through all legitimate means.

The inviolability of human life must remain the highest priority for any government. We cannot accept these tragedies as a new normal. Every Nigerian life is invaluable, and every possible measure must be taken to protect it.

Despite the threats, a new Nigeria is possible with God on our side. -PO

[CHUKS 🍥 @ChuksEricE]

“We are pleading with Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, to help rescue the kidn@pped victims.”

—Residents of Affa in Udi LGA, Enugu State, cry out after kidn@ppers invaded St. Joseph Catholic Church, Inoyi, Affa, during a church service this morning, åbducting a seminarian and other worshippers.

[CHUKS 🍥 @ChuksEricE]

"You can't slåught€r members of my family and expect me to pray for you. I will pray against you and your household. The government is pretending like they don't know what to do. I have been quiet for a long time, but the bubble is about to burst."

— Bishop David Oyedepo speaks.

[Politrician @Franeb]

Bruh see Tinubu's credentials before he was caught.

A completely fraudulent human being that needs to leave Aso Rock in 2027

[CHUKS 🍥 @ChuksEricE]

BREAKING NEWS:

"Our seminarian and others were kidn@pped this morning. We need help."

—Kidnapers reportedly invaded St. Joseph Catholic Church, Inoyi, in Affa, Udi LGA of Enugu State, åbducting a seminarian and other worshippers during a church service this morning.

[Adeolu needs to catch a break. @_deoluwaa]

Dr Vwaere Diaso died from an elevator crash at a Lagos state facility on this day three years ago. No one was held accountable (not even the arrow that the governor’s wife blamed).

You were the commissioner for health then, and still the commissioner for health.

Like the broken healthcare system under the irresponsible government you serve, the elevator still hasn’t been fixed.

So, why should any medical professional trust you @ProfAkinAbayomi, or the government?

[Dr. Kenon @drkenon2]

Mass burial of the slaughtered Nigerians in Kaduna but Nigerian govt is sending Air Force to another country for peace keeping.

TINUBU IS A FAILURE

[Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch @FrUgochukwu]

Everything is wrong with this article, beginning with its title.

In a constitutional democracy, the moment a person is elected or appointed to public office either as president, governor, senator, etc, he becomes a public servant. Receiving citizens, civil society organisations, and religious leaders is not an act of personal generosity or privilege; it is part of the constitutional and democratic responsibilities of the office.

Likewise, citizens and organised bodies including the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria do not approach their elected leaders as supplicants seeking favours. They exercise a legitimate democratic right to engage those entrusted with public authority, particularly on matters affecting the common good.

To portray the meeting as a privilege bestowed by the President rather than a normal exercise of democratic governance mischaracterises both the nature of public office and the relationship between elected officials and the people they serve.

So, the expression 'Abuse of Clerical Privilege' is fundamentally flawed.

[Evangelist Ebube Joseph @EvangelistEbub2]

Christian genocide in Nigeria

[CHUKS 🍥 @ChuksEricE]

Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan yesterday bûried 27 of the 30 people k!ll£d by suspected terroØrists in Naridon village, Southern Kaduna. The remaining three victims had been buried days earlier.

Recall that at about 11:00 p.m. last Sunday, suspected terroØrists reportedly att@cked Naridon, a predominantly farming border community between Kaduna State and Ganawuri in Riyom LGA of Plateau State. The att@ckers reportedly k!ll£d at least 30 people, including children, set homes ablaze, and abducted several others while residents were asleep.

[KEPUKEPU TV 📺 @kepukepunews]

N1,OOO,OOO.OO cash reward for anyone with credible information that will lead to the arrest of this car thief.

He stole a car at Azikiwe road, Umuahia.

Sħare on all platforms.

[Sai Ishaya @Sai_Ishaya_]

Roman Generals returning from conquest followed a strict protocol. A servant walked directly behind them, whispering "memento mori" the entire time. Remember your mortality. It was an institutional mechanism to prevent the ruler from becoming entirely detached from reality.

Don't fall for the narrative of the "innocent king" & his evil advissors. BAT engineered & built his court brick by brick. He selected men who would shield him from the consequences of his own policies. He demands the rosy picture b/c the actual suffering outside is irrelevant to him—Let them eat corn.

He went into that meeting expecting a standard RCCG anointing service. He assumed they would pray for his enemies to fall & do the usual praise singing. He completely forgot the Catholic playbook. Despite their own institutional flaws, they'll always treat a failing head of state like a toddler.

The Catholic Bishops Conference demanded investigations into the annulled 1993 elections right while Abacha was arresting people like Abiola for treason & silencing critics.
Onaiyekan warned Obasanjo about his third-term ambition while he sat there listening. Men like Bishop Kukah built whole careers on public dissidence, leader after leader.

BAT has chosen not to be reminded of his own failings. He has deliberately walked into Plato's cave, stockpiling all his stolen wealth with him like a geriatric goblin. That is a decision he & his cronies can stand by. It is left to the people who suffer from that indifference to take action.

[Parallel Facts @ParallelFacts]

CHRISTIAN GENOCIDE: Catholic Priest Rev. Fr. Samuel Opeyemi Macheted to Death in Kogi https://t.co/xLlvwhwOAm

[Peter Obi @PeterObi]

Rehabilitate Existing Infrastructure Before Embarking on New Projects

I have consistently advised governments at all levels to prioritise rehabilitating existing infrastructure before embarking on new projects that may also end up abandoned or left unfinished. For expressing this position, I have often been criticised and called all sorts of names. Yet, it remains the most responsible approach to governance.

It is therefore noteworthy that President Bola Tinubu has now cautioned state governors against committing scarce public resources to constructing unnecessary flyovers in areas with little traffic while neglecting more pressing developmental needs.

The President is, in essence, saying what I have always maintained: government must prioritise projects that directly address the immediate needs of the people. I hope those ministers, officials, and supporters who have consistently attacked this position will now direct the same criticism at him.

However, this admonition must also apply to the Federal Government. There are several unrealistic and white-elephant projects being pursued by the current administration, even as much of our critical infrastructure remains in a state of disrepair. Given our present fiscal realities, priority should be given to rehabilitating and completing existing infrastructure rather than embarking on expensive new projects with limited immediate impact.

Across Nigeria, many of our major highways linking commercial centres and food-producing communities have deteriorated into death traps. Neglecting these critical roads while pursuing prestige projects is neither economically prudent nor people-centred.

This philosophy guided my administration as Governor of Anambra State. I prioritised completing viable projects initiated by my predecessors before embarking on new ones. Government is a continuum, and development should never be measured by who starts a project, but by whether it is completed and serves the people.

Leadership is about making the right choices: fixing what is broken, completing what has already been started, and investing limited public resources where they will have the greatest impact on the greatest number of people.

A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO

[oseni rufai @ruffydfire]

Peter Francis, a Lagos truck driver, says his leg was amputated after he was allegedly shot by police officers who stopped him around 8 p.m. on June 12 while he was driving from Ketu.

Francis said the officers demanded ₦500 after asking him to turn on his inner light. When he told them he could not pay, he alleged that one of them shot him before they sprayed tear gas and fled.

Now living with an amputated leg, Francis says the ordeal has left him devastated and struggling to come to terms with what happened.