The former Rivers State governor, Peter Odili, last week carpeted the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesome Wike, over the political crisis in the state.
The same week, a former presidential aide, Doyin Okupe, dismissed the chances of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election.
These and three other stories we tracked dominated public discourse in the country during the period.
1. Odili carpets Wike over Rivers crisis
On December 27, Odili commended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, for stopping the FCT minister from turning the oil-rich state into his private estate.
Odili, according to a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Nelson Chukwudi, spoke at an event he organized for Fubara and his family in Port Harcourt.
He said: “It is now over 12 months, since the 25th October 2023, when a fierce existential fight, though unnecessary, was waged against Governor Fubara over the soul of Rivers State.
“Governor Fubara confronted the challenge, prevented the quest by one man to capture the state as a private estate, emancipated Rivers people, steadied governance, and made civil servants and Rivers people happier as it used to be.”
Why it matters
The former governor may have hit the nail on the head on the real cause of the Rivers State political impasse.
This nevertheless suggests that the greed of some powerful individuals was the reason the state has been in the spotlight in the last 12 months and may continue to convulse unless President Bola Tinubu reins in his loyalists or takes tough measures to whip them in line in the interest of the state.
2. Okupe dismisses Atiku’s chances in 2027
The Director-General of Peter Obi’s Presidential Campaign Organisation, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said on December 27 that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar would not become the country’s president in 2027 due to ethnic considerations.
Okupe, who addressed journalists in Lagos, said it would be fair for President Bola Tinubu, a Southerner, to complete an eight-year tenure before power returns to the North.
Okupe said: “Atiku failed in 2023, not because he was not a good person, but because people felt that a northern Muslim cannot succeed another northern Muslim after eight years.
“If Atiku still contests in 2027, he has a right. He is eminently qualified and one of the best we have, but geopolitics is an issue.”
Why it matters
Okupe’s remark speaks to the country’s fixation on the compromise arrangement that has derailed the quest for quality leadership to manage our affairs in the past two-and-a-half decades.
The failures of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led central government in the last nine years as expected, have re-awaken the citizens’ desire to elect leaders that will take the country out of the words and return it to the path of sustainable growth when they cast their ballots in 2027.
3. Military bombing of civilians in Sokoto
A military jet targeting Lakurawa terrorists mistakenly dropped bombs on residents of Gidan Bisa and Gidan Ruutuwa villages in the Silame local government area of Sokoto State and killed 10 people.
The Federal Government has since promised to investigate the incident.
The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, said in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Sokoto State Governor, Abubakar Bawa, on December 28 that the federal government would deal with the terrorists decisively.
He said: “We would continue to provide all the necessary equipment and gadgets to Sokoto State.
“Mr. President (Bola Tinubu) is worried by the unfortunate incident and he asked me to come and condole you over what happened.”
Why it matters
The unfortunate incident reinforces the calls for effective monitoring of military operations to prevent the accidental killing of Nigerians in their communities.
To regain the trust of Nigerians, the federal government should undertake a thorough and impartial investigation into the latest incident in the North, a region where the bandits and other non-state agents have turned to a killing field in the last few years.
4. EFCC grills Delta Accountant-General over Okowa’s case
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on December 26 quizzed the Delta State Accountant-General, Joy Enwa, over an alleged hN1.3 trillion fraud traced to former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
EFCC operatives arrested Okowa for alleged diversion of N1.3 trillion on November 4.
The commission alleged that the former governor used the funds to acquire properties in Abuja and Asaba.
The EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, confirmed Enwa’s questioning in a chat with journalists in Abuja.
He said: “Mrs. Enwa was detained for questioning over the ongoing investigation into the mismanagement of state funds under the former (Okowa) administration. Some other government officials have also been interrogated.”
Why it matters
The investigation of the Delta State officials again generally points to elected individuals’ penchant for breaching their oath of office, especially in the management of public resources.
In a country mired in corruption, the development again called for a more punitive approach to deter public servants and their cronies who now see looting of public funds as a way of life from continuing with their enterprise. The anti-graft agency should ensure that this is not another media jamboree, but that it carries out a thorough investigation, to unearth the true position of things as far as this case is concerned.
5. Niger Republic junta alleges plot to destabilise the country by Nigeria
The Nigerien military leader, Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, on December 26 alleged that Nigeria was working with France to destabilise his country.
In a broadcast in Niamey, Tchiani claimed that France had paid a substantial sum to President Bola Tinubu to establish a military base in Nigeria.
However, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said in a statement in Abuja that the claims exist solely in the realm of imagination.
“Idris said: “Nigeria remains committed to fostering peace, harmony, and historic diplomatic ties with Niger.
“Nigeria’s armed forces, in collaboration with partners in the Multinational Joint Task Force, are succeeding in curbing terrorism within the region.”
Why it matters
The Nigerien leader’s claim was a fallout of the diplomatic moves spearheaded by Nigeria to deal with the August 2023 coup that toppled Mohammed Basoum’s government in the landlocked West African country.
With the Niger Republic and its Sahelian neighbours – Mali and Burkina Faso – pressing ahead with their resolve to leave the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) over the sub-regional body’s handling of the military putsch in Niamey, it must be said that the leadership crisis in West Africa, and the rest of the continent, may continue to fester until radical and progressive changes are entrenched.