What Truly Should Be Our Priority Now as Leaders of a Nation?
This question has become necessary, given where we are today as a nation and where we are supposed to be.
While completing my INEC nomination form yesterday, Section E, Question 1 caught my attention. It asks: “Have you ever been adjudged a lunatic or been declared a person of unsound mind?” The answer is either Yes or No. That question got me thinking: Can we, as the political leaders of today’s Nigeria, truly say we are exhibiting the characteristics of a sound mind?
When Nigerians, including children and security personnel, are being abducted into the bushes, citizens cannot travel safely on our highways, several million Nigerians are uncertain where their next meal will come from, and several billions are being siphoned frivolously through non-existent agencies and projects, should politics really be our primary preoccupation?
A sound-minded leadership would have declared these existential challenges a national emergency and immediately mobilised all relevant institutions, security agencies, experts, community leaders, and other critical stakeholders to confront them with urgency and resolve. At a moment like this, the survival, security, and stability of Nigeria must take precedence over every other consideration. This is a time for decisive action, not political calculation or the pursuit of partisan advantage.
Further in the same Section E, Question 6, was: “Have you ever presented a forged certificate to INEC?” Again, the answer is either Yes or No. This raises another important question: Why shouldn’t INEC, in the interest of ensuring that our leaders are exemplary in following the rules and to strengthen public confidence in our electoral process, publish the academic certificates and credentials submitted by every candidate seeking elective office?
Transparency strengthens democracy and builds public trust. Nigeria’s problems are too serious for politics as usual. It is time for leadership defined by competence, character, capacity, compassion, and commitment to service.
A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO
Crude oil is currently trading between $73 and $79 per barrel. The same price range at which we were buying PMS at just N900 per litre.
Can anyone explain why we are still paying N1,360 per litre for fuel?
If you are quick to raise prices whenever the market goes up, you should not hesitate to reduce them when it comes down.
Dear beloved sports-loving Nigerian youths,
After watching the performances of Davido, Burna Boy, and Rema at the opening of the 2026 World Cup—at a time when Nigeria, the giant of Africa, is absent—I felt a measure of consolation. This was reinforced by the fact that many Nigerians playing for clubs worldwide are representing other countries. Felix Nmecha, for instance, set a record by scoring the fastest goal at six minutes for Germany. I write to you therefore, knowing that this country belongs to you, the youth.
You are more of stakeholders in Nigeria’s future than I am. I am 64 years old; by God’s grace, much of my journey is behind me, while yours lies ahead.
It is therefore imperative that you rise to the challenge by obtaining your PVC, your most powerful tool for driving the change you desire.
In the last three years alone, over 15 million Nigerians have turned 18—enough to decide who becomes President, Governor, Senator, Member of the House, or Local Government Chairman. Indeed, enough to shape the nation’s future.
I know many of you are sceptical about politics and political parties. I understand why, but scepticism must not become surrender.
You do not need to belong to any party or wait for anyone to organise you. Organise yourselves in your streets, campuses, communities, workplaces, churches, mosques, and social groups. Mobilise, debate, demand accountability, and take part in choosing those you wish to entrust with leadership.
If you are organised and wish to hear directly from me, invite me. I will come and share my plans for you and our nation.
Do not sit on the sidelines while others decide your future.
I appeal to you to register and vote. Your vote can shape who becomes the next President of our country.
My young friends, this is your country. Take it back.
A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO
NDC Primaries Hold Nationwide May 29
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has made clarifications regarding its scheduled Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship, and State Assembly primaries. The primaries are still scheduled to hold nationwide on May 29, 2026, in keeping with the original May 28 and 29 timetable.
However, in view of the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations and the resulting public holidays, major transportation and logistical challenges have arisen, including the non-availability of flights. Consequently, many aspirants who were in Abuja for the screening exercise, as well as members of the screening team, are currently stranded in Abuja.
Consequently, the party has decided that May 28 should be used for arrivals, documentation with INEC and security agencies, consultative meetings, and other preparations, while the actual primaries will now hold on May 29.
The teams will use May 28 to also hold meetings with stakeholders, party elders, as well as aspirants in their respective states.
No agencies of the state, viz: Police, INEC, DSS, etc., are to play any role in the programmes and meetings of May 28. Any activities carried out outside these guidelines would be unauthorized and deemed illegal.
The processes of the primaries on May 29 will be as follows:
1. Presidential affirmation
2. National Assembly primaries/affirmation
3. State Assembly primaries/affirmation
4. Governorship primaries/affirmation
The respective teams will collate and process all results and forward them to the National Headquarters, where the National Working Committee will announce the results.
No state executive or team has the mandate to announce any results.
We call for understanding and urge all participants to conduct themselves responsibly, as the party has zero tolerance for violence, disorderly conduct, and hooliganism.
Signed:
Senator Moses Cleopas
National Chairman
Barr. Ikenna Alex-Morgan Enekweizu
National Secretary
I ask you, my people, to empower me as your president and commander-in-chief. I will be in charge. I have the requirements for correct leadership: character, competence, commitment, compassion, hard work, honesty, humanity, and humility.
Fellow Nigerians, good morning.
I woke up this morning after my church service with a deeply reflective heart, and despite every constraint, I felt compelled to share these thoughts with you.
Many people do not truly understand the silent pains some of us carry daily—the private struggles, emotional burdens, and quiet battles we face while trying to survive and serve sincerely in difficult circumstances.
We now live in an environment that has become increasingly toxic, where the very system that should protect and create opportunities for decent living often works against the people—a society where intimidation, insecurity, endless scrutiny, and discouragement have become normal.
More painful is when some of those you associate with, believing you would find understanding and solidarity among them, become part of the pressure you face. Some who publicly identify with you privately distance themselves or join in unfair criticism.
We live in a society where humility is mistaken for weakness, respect is seen as a lack of courage, and compassion is treated as foolishness—a system where treating people equally is questioned simply because you refuse to worship status, tribe, class, or power.
Personally, I have never looked down on anyone except to uplift them. I have never used privilege, position, or resources to oppress others, intimidate the weak, or make people feel small. To me, leadership has always been about service, sacrifice, and helping others rise.
Let me state clearly: my decision to leave the ADC is not because our highly respected Chairman, Senator David Mark, treated me badly, nor because my leader and elder brother, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, or any other respected leaders did anything personally wrong to me. I will continue to respect them.
However, the same Nigerian state and its agents that created unnecessary crises and hostility within the Labour Party that forced me to leave now appear to be finding their way into the ADC, with endless court cases, internal battles, suspicion, and division, instead of focusing on deeper national problems and playing politics built more on control and exclusion than on service and nation-building.
Even within spaces where one labours sincerely, one is sometimes treated like an outsider in one’s own home. You and your team become easy targets for every failure, frustration, or misunderstanding, as though honest contribution has become a favour being tolerated rather than appreciated.
And when you choose to leave so that those you are leaving can have peace, and you step out into the cold, you are still maligned and your character is questioned. Despite all your efforts to continue working for a better Nigeria and engaging people with sincerity and goodwill, those who do not wish you well continue to attack your character and question your intentions.
There are moments I ask God in prayer: Why is doing the right thing often misconstrued as wrongdoing in our country? Why is integrity not valued? Why is the prudent management of resources, especially when invested in critical areas like education and healthcare, wrongly labelled as stinginess? Why are humility and obedience to the rule of law often taken to be weakness rather than discipline?
Let me assure all that I am not desperate to be President, Vice President, or Senate President. I am desperate to see a society that can console a mother whose child has been kidnapped or killed while going to school or work. I am desperate to see a Nigeria where people will not live in IDP camps but in their homes. I am desperate for a country where Nigerian citizens do not go to bed hungry, not knowing where their next meal will come from.
Yet, despite everything, I remain resolute. I firmly believe that Nigeria can still become a country with competent leadership based on justice, compassion, and equal opportunity for all.
A new Nigeria is POssible. -PO
People are losing it in this country
There was scarcity of buses at my junction this morning and no apparent reason …. In cases like this,private cars can bargain prices and carry passengers
One man came along, put his head out the window and shouted “ If you hate Tinubu more than me enter motor” . About five of us entered.
The man told us how he installed solar despite being on band A, he also has two daughters in university and he offered free ride because he wants us to help him insult Tinubu and Apc
Ahhh, something I do everyday??
We spent the 10 mins ride to my office happily insulting Tinubu .
From Pharisee to Tax Collector: Rethinking Tinubu’s Kenyan Comparison
In a recent remark in Yenagoa, Bola Ahmed Tinubu suggested that Nigerians should find solace in being “better off than Kenya and other African countries.” While this may have been intended to soften the impact of economic hardship and rising fuel prices, the comment risks downplaying the severity of the current crisis. It echoes the biblical parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in the Gospel of Luke (18:9–14). A similar warning is found in the Qur’an (53:32), which cautions against self-righteousness.
Like the Pharisee who boasted of his superiority over others to mask his own spiritual void, such downward comparisons serve more as a refuge than a remedy. This validated an earlier dismissive remark by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu during electioneering: “Na statistics we go shop?” Yet statistics remain indispensable - they are the language through which nations understand their condition and chart progress. No country can develop in isolation from measurable realities or without comparing itself with peers. Comparisons, when properly grounded, are not instruments of escapism but tools of accountability. What is objectionable is not comparison itself, but comparison stripped of credible, verifiable data—mere tax collector comparisons that soothe rather than solve.
On key development indicators such as security, the Human Development Index, life expectancy, GDP per capita, literacy levels, and electricity access, Kenya consistently outperforms Nigeria. Nigeria is the fourth most terrorised nation in the world, while Kenya is not among the ten worst. Kenya’s HDI ranking is 143 out of 180 countries, with a coefficient of about 0.630, compared to Nigeria’s ranking of 164 out of 180, with a coefficient of about 0.530. Its GDP per capita is roughly $2,200–$2,300, compared to Nigeria’s $807–$835. Kenya’s poverty rate is about 43% of the population (approximately 23 million people), while Nigeria’s is about 63% (around 150 million people), over six times that of Kenya. Kenya’s life expectancy is about 67 years, while Nigeria’s is about 54 years. The literacy rate in Kenya is approximately 81–85%, compared to Nigeria’s 62–65%.
Kenya’s electricity access is higher, while Nigeria has one of the lowest levels of electricity access in the world. Kenya has about 3.5 million out-of-school children, while Nigeria has about 20 million. Kenya’s inflation rate has been about 4.5% or lower over the past three years, while Nigeria’s has remained above 15% within the same period. Kenya’s exchange rate has been around USD 1 to KES 130 over the past three years, whereas Nigeria’s exchange rate rose from below ₦500/$1 to above ₦1,250/$1 within the same period. Even with developments in the Middle East and rising oil prices, Kenyans have not experienced the sharp increases in petroleum product prices seen in Nigeria.
Across other key indicators, Kenya also performs better. In the end, these indices clearly show that Kenya ranks higher than Nigeria on several development metrics. The standard of living of Kenyans is better than that of Nigerians. If the President considers Kenyans to be suffering despite these stronger figures, then Nigerians are in a far more difficult situation. He should therefore refrain from self-consolation and, in honest reflection, take responsibility for the situation and make a determined effort to drive improvement. This requires a posture of humility, accountability, and commitment to addressing the factors that have slowed Nigeria’s development.
A new Nigeria is POssible. -PO
Jos attack is another evidence of failed leadership..
Leadership that prioritizes politics over protection of lives..
Choosing rather to waste our collective patrimony in pre-election jamboree and pre-coronation plans..
Posterity will judge a leadership that now emboldens,enables and replicates what it once vehemently condemned..
I believe in the power of prayers but prayers won’t replace responsibility..
We need humane leaders..
These current folks have zero affiliation with empathy…
We are tired..it’s depressingly exhausting.
We stand with the families who lost loved ones and pray for fortitude to bear the irreparable loss..
And for those who will engage this tweet to support failed leadership for the crumbs they offer you,pls show your irritation via good grammar..
So even if I am irritated by your intentional delusion,I would be encouraged by your mastery of words..
AJS.
When a Society Turns Against Its Own
Reports from Cross River State this week have brought to light a deeply troubling incident involving young boys who were tied up like animals and brutally treated under the label of “Skolombo boys.” These are not merely disturbing images; they are a stark reminder that we have failed the children of our nation.
These young people, often labelled “Skolombo boys” and “Lakasara girls,” are not criminals by birth; they are victims of a system that has neglected them. Children who ought to be in classrooms, learning and building their future, are instead on the streets, struggling to survive.
Today, Nigeria has over 20 million out-of-school children, the highest number in the world, which constitutes a national emergency.
A society that ties up and beats its children with machetes is one that has lost its moral direction. We cannot claim to be building a future while destroying the very foundation of that future - our children.
Even more troubling is the contradiction we now live with. In a country where we speak of rehabilitation and reintegration for “repentant” terrorists, how do we justify brutality against vulnerable children whose only “crime” is poverty and abandonment?
We must move from punishment to compassion, from neglect to responsibility. These children must be taken off the streets and given access to education, shelter, and structured rehabilitation. Governments at all levels should seek ways to protect and integrate them into society, rather than criminalise them.
This is not just about Cross River; it is about the kind of Nigeria we are choosing to build. We must do better. Our nation must protect the weak and the future of its people.
A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO
Certificate Integrity and the Future of Nigerian Leadership
It is commendable that the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Mr Uche Nnaji, has resigned following the controversy surrounding discrepancies in his academic certificates. That is a decent and honourable step. Similarly, we can recall that during President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, then Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, resigned after issues were raised concerning her NYSC certificate. These instances remind us that such matters are not trivial; they constitute serious criminal offences.
As we approach the 2027 general elections, INEC and all relevant agencies must take decisive steps to verify and authenticate all academic and professional certificates of every candidate—from the President down to local government councillors. We cannot continue to allow dishonesty and criminality to sit at the heart of leadership.
As a matter of urgency, this is the time for a comprehensive national review of the qualification and background verification process for all public office holders. Other nations, like Ghana, have set an example by thoroughly cross-checking the educational claims and credentials of all candidates before elections. Nigeria must not do less.
It is appalling that our electoral body carries out little or no due diligence in confirming certificates submitted by candidates. Continuous discrepancies, false declarations, and forged credentials undermine the credibility of our democracy. If we truly desire a free, fair, and credible 2027 election, the process of integrity must begin now.
INEC has enough time to investigate past complaints about various forms of forgery and false claims. Every incumbent and aspiring candidate must submit all academic certificates immediately for verification and public accessibility, clearly detailing schools attended from primary to university level.
Let truth, transparency, and accountability form the foundation of leadership in our dear country. Only then can we build a Nigeria where public service is anchored on honour, not deceit. We must get it right.
A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO
Happening Now 13 September 2025.
Shocking appreciation.
Remember Deborah that was murdered in sokoto ?
The mother donated a big bag of Garri and big bag of beans to the orphans in my house seeing I feed more than 500 children in my house daily.
The interesting thing about this donation is some years ago, they had nothing and was living in a hut inside one village.
But today they live in there own estate were people pay rent to them and now they are donating food stuffs to the orphans living in my house.
Lesson: Keep trusting GOD ALMIGHTY, it doesn’t matter what you are going through now.
Your tomorrow shall be better than your today if you keep trusting GOD ALMIGHTY not human beings.
Human beings will always fail you, but GOD ALMIGHTY will never ever fall you.