“Everything has cøllapsed in Nigeria. As of 1959, Nigeria’s National Shipping Line owned 6 vessels; by 1961, they owned 8 vessels, and it kept increasing. But today, they have no vessel.
I read today in the newspaper that when Emirates Airlines started in 1985, they started with two leased planes. At that time, Nigeria had over 20 planes. But today, Emirates Airlines has over 280 planes, while Nigeria’s own is now zero.
If today you’re critically ill in Nigeria and you go to the hospital, you might likely end up at the mørtuary. That’s why many Nigerians like taking ill people to church instead of hospital.”
— Mr. Peter Obi, speaking during a town hall meeting in Rivers State.
NIGERIANS, UPDATE! UPDATE!!
Earlier, questions were raised as to why the President of Nigeria would request to be added to a case seeking the release of records about him.
But this new set of documents raises even more concerns.
It's the same case involving Bola Ahmed Tinubu and a FOIA request in a US court.
This time, we get to see what his lawyers actually argued to keep these records from being released.
I have attached all 15 pages.
Please read them yourself.
But let me break down the important parts in simple English.
1. Tinubu's lawyers said he should be treated as a private person.
They argued that these records are about Tinubu as a private individual.
They also argued that the fact that he is now President of Nigeria does not create enough public interest to justify releasing the records.
Think about that for a second!
The plaintiff had pointed out that Tinubu was the sitting President of a country of more than 230 million people whose lives are affected by his decisions.
Yet, his lawyers still argued that this did not create the kind of public interest needed to release the records.
Are you kidding me?!
2. They said his political career should not change things.
The records being requested relate to 1993.
So his lawyers argued that he was not a public official at the time, and that becoming a politician years later should not reduce his right to privacy over those old records.
In simple terms:
“What happened before he became a public official should remain private.”
That's their argument.
I laugh in Swahili. 😂
Someone who has records they do not want released years later should not be running for public office - abi, wetin una think?
3. They know these records could have political consequences.
This part is important.
The filing talks about the records being sought because they could be used in Nigerian politics.
His lawyers described the requests as attempts to obtain information about an individual and use it to influence politics in another country.
So yes, they know these records are politically relevant.
To me, that raises an obvious question:
If these records are completely harmless, why fight this hard to keep them from being released?
At this point, I can't help but wonder:
What exactly is BOLA TINUBU hiding?
4. And this is the key point.
Tinubu's lawyers are NOT telling the court:
“Release the records. They contain nothing important.”
They are asking the court to protect the records from being released.
They are relying on privacy protections and US laws that allow certain information to be withheld.
Nigeria, this is your President!
Again, let me be very clear:
The attached documents do NOT prove that Tinubu committed a crime.
Nor do they prove that he has been convicted of drug trafficking.
But another fact also remains:
The President of Nigeria, your President, personally intervened in a US federal case involving records about him.
And his lawyers are fighting to prevent information identifying him from being released.
This is what the court documents say.
You don't have to believe me.
And don't believe whatever APC tells you either.
Read the documents yourself.
Run them through AI to simplify them for you if you must.
Look at pages 3, 9, 10, 13 and 14.
Look at who filed them.
Read what his lawyers actually said.
Then draw your own conclusions.
A country of over 230 million people should not, in my opinion, be dealing with a President carrying this much baggage on top of everything else we already have to deal with.
But you guys draw your own conclusions.