Reality detectives

[Peter Obi @PeterObi]

I have followed with deep concern the developments surrounding the reported freezing of the bank accounts of the Osun State Government by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), coming just days before the governorship election.

Let me reiterate that I have always supported a relentless fight against corruption. However, that fight must never become a tool for political intimidation or the suppression of democracy. No institution, however important, should be used in a manner that creates the impression of influencing the electoral process.

The timing of this action raises legitimate questions. If investigations had been ongoing for months, why take such a drastic step on the eve of an election? In a democracy, institutions must not only be impartial but must also be seen to be impartial.

What is increasingly troubling is the growing perception that state institutions are being deployed to achieve political ends and secure power at all costs. This is dangerous for our democracy. Governments come and go, but once institutions lose their independence and credibility, the nation suffers.

If there is evidence of wrongdoing, the Constitution provides a clear path: seek the appropriate orders from a competent court. Due process is the foundation of justice. No agency should exercise powers beyond those granted by law.

I call on all relevant authorities to act strictly within the Constitution and ensure that nothing undermines the credibility of the Osun Governorship Election. The people of Osun must be allowed to freely determine their future through the ballot, without intimidation or institutional interference.

Nigeria’s democracy was built on sacrifice. We must not allow it to be weakened by the misuse of institutions or the pursuit of political advantage.

A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO

[Dr. Simon @goddek]

And just after @telegram made that tweet, their app was removed from the Apple App Store.

[DonAza @DonAzag]

In less than 24 hours you mean Catholic Church is under attack? Hmmm

[Bureau of African Affairs @AsstSecStateAF]

The United States condemns the early morning July 27 attack on a village in Nigeria’s Kaduna State that reportedly killed at least 30 people, including children. We express our deepest condolences to the loved ones of the deceased. We will continue to urge the Government of Nigeria to address rampant violence against Christians in the Middle Belt.

[Peter Obi @PeterObi]

Hunger and the Insensitivity of Mr. President

I watched with deep concern the statement made by President Bola Tinubu to the Catholic Bishops who visited his office, that there has always been hunger in Nigeria, even before he was born.

While it is true that hunger has been a part of human life and has existed in our country for decades, such a statement appears insensitive to the plight of the millions of Nigerians who face worsening economic hardship today. More importantly, we must focus on the facts and the measurable outcomes of governance.

Before the present administration assumed office in 2023, an estimated 17 million Nigerians were facing acute food insecurity, primarily caused by insecurity, armed conflict, widespread banditry, and devastating floods. Today, less than three years later, that number has risen to about 35 million Nigerians. Instead of improving the situation, the crisis has worsened significantly under the current administration.

The same trend is evident in poverty. Before this government took office in 2023, Nigeria’s extreme poverty was estimated at 87 million people. Current projections suggest that this number is approaching 140 million people, making Nigeria home to the largest population of people living in extreme poverty anywhere in the world.

No one disputes that this administration inherited serious challenges. However, leadership is measured not by the challenges inherited but by the results achieved. The government must honestly acknowledge that its response has fallen far short of what the situation demanded, with millions more Nigerians pushed deeper into poverty and hunger.

The combination of persistent insecurity, poor economic management, fiscal indiscipline, wasteful public expenditure, and inadequate investment in productive sectors has compounded the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.

A responsible government must prioritise investment in education, healthcare, agriculture, security, and small businesses while pursuing policies that create jobs, expand production, and lift people out of poverty. That remains my commitment to the Nigerian people.

A New Nigeria is Possible. PO

[EZEGE 1 @phynofino]

NA AFA NNA ( freestyle) !!! Audio and video out now https://t.co/zRwURtTkLs

[Ved @vedantvedantved]

Michelle Obama said we should fix this and everyone called her a communist

[Rinu Oduala 🔥🔫 @SavvyRinu]

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[Peter Obi @PeterObi]

Why the voter registration exercise should be extended.

As we continue to encourage Nigerians to participate actively in our democracy, I respectfully appeal to INEC to consider extending the voter registration window to the latest practical date that still allows adequate time for the preparation of a credible voters’ register before the 2027 general elections.

Every day, more young Nigerians attain the age of 18 and become constitutionally eligible to vote. They are not just our future; they are stakeholders in our present. It would be unfortunate if many of them were denied the opportunity to exercise their civic responsibility simply because the registration process closed long before the elections.

Moreover, this position is legally supported by the High Court judgment delivered on 22 November 2022 in Anaja Salmat & 3 Others v. INEC (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1342/2022). In that decision, the Federal High Court held that voter registration should continue until 90 days before a general election to protect the constitutional voting rights of eligible Nigerians.

I appreciate the enormous responsibility placed on INEC to deliver free, fair, and credible elections. I also recognise the need for sufficient time to clean the register and make the necessary logistical preparations. However, our electoral process should, as much as possible, maximise participation rather than limit it.

A democracy is strengthened when every eligible citizen has the opportunity to be heard. I therefore urge INEC to adopt a registration timeline that protects the integrity of the process while ensuring that no eligible Nigerian, especially our young people, is unnecessarily disenfranchised. -PO

[🖕🏾🫵🏾 @whenitrainspour]

WWJD what would John Wick do.

[🖕🏾🫵🏾 @whenitrainspour]

Click my link, and get up to 2500 Naira instantly in PalmPay. https://t.co/GDVotEKUex

[Esther Ann Uduma @estherannuduma]

You just know that she’s never going to ask you to sell corn

[Peter Obi @PeterObi]

Roadmap to a New Nigeria That Is Possible – Part II

Education and Healthcare: The Foundation of a Renewed Nigeria

Recall that on July 1st, in Part 1 of "My Vision for a Productive and Prosperous Nigeria," I outlined the broad framework of my proposed roadmap for national renewal. In it, I emphasised that the transformation of Nigeria must begin with rebuilding our human capital through quality education and healthcare, supported by reforms in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), character and civic education, and strategic investments that will move our nation from a consumption-driven economy to a production-driven one. I promised to follow up with other parts in the coming weeks and months.

Today, July 16th, in the middle of July, I wish to expand on these two critical pillars - education and healthcare - because they are the bedrock upon which every prosperous nation is built. They are the cornerstones of the foundation that will ensure that a son of nobody can become somebody and remove many from the ranks of the disaffected who often become tools in the insecurity challenges confronting us.

Evidence from around the world shows that quality education and accessible healthcare are among the clearest distinctions between thriving nations and lagging ones. Princeton University Nobel Prize-winning economist Angus Deaton highlights this reality in his book, “The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality.”

Nothing, therefore, could be further from the truth than the claim by some young people that “education is a scam.” Education, when combined with good health, provides the ladder for individual upward mobility and drives economic growth for the nation.

We must become more intentional about aligning education with our national priorities, as Singapore did, and challenge our country to value education in the same way Deng Xiaoping repeatedly urged China to do from 1978 onwards, with the remarkable transformation we see today.

We will work through commissions that strengthen collaboration among the tiers of government, ensuring that primary education is domiciled at the community and local government levels, with strong parental involvement and curricula that are sensitive to local economic factor endowments and the value chains derived from them.

State governments will be supported to expand high-quality Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), as well as general secondary education, through targeted grants and incentives.

We are also developing schemes that will enable universities to focus more deliberately on specialised areas of teaching and research, making them globally competitive while producing a workforce equipped for the demands of the future.

A NEW Nigeria is POssible. -PO

[🖕🏾🫵🏾 @whenitrainspour]

With a hose in my hand

[Anthony Abakporo @anthonyabakporo]

See what Americans know about us.
How on earth would a Daddy GO and Professor Wole Soyinka pretend this is not us, Allowing one man make the world see us as criminals ?

Did you see how surprised the interviewer was ?
He even shouted "Oh Lord"

[Ada Ogbu @AdaOgbuNara]

As a member of the team that accompanied His Excellency @PeterObi to the Abuja airport on Saturday, July 4, I can state categorically that he does not have a police officer as his driver in Abuja. Therefore, if airport CCTV captured a police officer entering the driver’s seat of a vehicle, that vehicle could not have been Mr. Obi’s.

It is also important to note that Mr. Obi travels through as many as ten Nigerian airports every week. Over time, there have been several acts of hostility directed at him and members of his team by airport personnel across different locations.

Based on the account shared by the Honorable Minister, it is clear that the incident Mr. Obi referenced during his interview with @Chude did not occur on the date or at the airport cited by the Minister. They are plainly two different incidents.