General
Nigerian Government Lacks Self-Confidence—Prof Nwala
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
The Chairman of the Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF) Congress, a Nigerian-based Pan Igbo Socio-Cultural and Political Organization, Professor Timothy Uzodinma Nwala, has said African leaders have come to the awareness of the unique manifestations of the bleak past, but a lot still depends on the background and character of those in control of their national political affairs in the emerging multipolar world.
In this interview, he also stated that the Nigerian government lacks self-confidence and is bound to continue to rely on its masters to sustain its illegitimacy.
To begin with, how would you characterize the sentiments and attitudes of African leaders towards the contemporary geopolitical situation? How specifically different is the case in Nigeria?
The sentiments and attitudes of African leaders towards the contemporary geo-political situation in the world reflect diversities characteristic of a people who seem to have lived in different geopolitical spaces and historical eras. Commonalities depend on who has been colonized by whom and which region has experienced what character of colonial influences.
There may be differences depending on the background of the leaders themselves. There are however some major explosive new awarenesses about the past – about various forms and wreckages of colonialism as manifested in different regions of the world. It is not that mankind was unaware of the horrors of colonialism. Reflecting on these horrors of the past of mankind, what comes readily to mind is that the term ‘State of Nature’ of Charles Darwin reflects truly mankind’s past. Even today, civil governance and the global system have only moderated this bleak past of mankind’s history.
Those of mankind who happen, in some instances and circumstances, to truly manifest what is supposed to be the ideal state of affairs- these are the God-men, but they are certainly in the minority. African leaders who have come to the awareness of the unique manifestations of this bleak past in the image of colonialism do so depending on their history as well as the prevailing political and social dynamics of their countries and societies. A lot also depends on the background and character of those in control of their political affairs.
What are the dynamics, in the emerging multipolar order, for ensuring Africa’s unity set by the African Union? Is Africa disintegrating due to sharp existing political differences in the continent?
The dynamics in the prevailing multipolar state of affairs reflect the background of the leaders as well as how current regional and global struggles impinge on their various countries. The Southern African experience is not exactly the same as the West African experience. That past affects current sentiments and alliances. Thus, the experience of Southern Africa under apartheid critically affects the attitude of their patriotic leaders in the current global political dynamics.
There are bound to be hiccups in the dynamics of the contemporary African Union, but the obvious trend is that ultimately all African countries are bound to wake up to a common understanding of the true meaning of their colonial past for the present and future existence. The younger generation of African leaders is bound to return to the heydays of the pan-African dream of a united and free people playing their role as autonomous actors on the stage of world history instead of being pawns in global politics.
How would you suggest Africa positions itself within the context of these geopolitical complexities and contradictions? Should Africa also strengthen its agency and state institutions into more effective instruments for promoting sustainable development?
Pan-Africanism is bound to surge rather than wane under contemporary dynamics. Current realignments are geared towards freedom and equality and not towards exchanging one master for another. The songs of freedom are bound to echo and re-echo throughout the continent. The spirit of pan-Africanists of the Nkrumah, Nyerere, Jomo Kenyatta, Azikiwe and their generation is bound to be the guiding spirit of the new Africa knocking on the horizon. The emerging new wave of Pan-Africanism is bound to conjure a new dynamism for broader autonomy and freedom.
Nigeria and a few other African countries are feverishly looking for a voice on the international stage. Do you think the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) association’s membership for African countries could be the saviour and mechanism through which to raise the level of development?
Yes indeed. Nigeria’s current challenge is that it presently has a leadership which many Nigerians consider as imposed by the dictates and dynamism of imperialist manipulation. The regime lacks self-confidence and is bound to continue to rely on its masters to sustain its illegitimacy. Only who knows how far Nigerians will carry this present burden before they can free themselves. The only hope is the possibility of the raging songs of freedom now all over the various nationalities sustaining themselves and rejiggering themselves to overcome the current forces of illegitimacy and fraud. BRICS is bound to conjure a lot of influence in the face of this longing for freedom.
But BRICS will derive a position purpose if African leaders make it a duty to learn from the lessons of classical colonial and neo-colonial domination. However, I do hope that the impact of the wave of radical freedom and pan-Africanism now raging in contemporary Africa will grow into a dynamic wave of liberation and freedom in the new Africa.
But there are also some internal hindrances, for example, poor development policies, bureaucracy and non-transparency, and worse lack of good governance. What are your views here especially when tracking democracy and governance across Africa?
The immediate post-colonial era in several countries in Africa (especially in the late fifties and sixties of the last century) portrayed immense hope of a new era of ‘love and happiness’). The messianic posture of the leaders played into the hands of the imperialists who preferred puppets to be in charge rather than genuine patriotic leaders of the people.
Poor political stratagem made things worse as the patriotic leaders overestimated their political strength and grossly underestimated the power of the imperialists. This was the undoing of such patriotic leaders like Dr Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Patrice Lumumba of the Congo and Col. Ghadaffi of Libya. The latter had the opportunity to engage in radical transformation before the imperialists struck.
There were however some leaders who engaged in personal aggrandizements and many cases engaged in dictatorial and ethnic policies and for whom the state was like the case of Louis IV, equated with their personalities -Letat est moi!” There is no doubt that was the case in Nigeria, the leadership was largely dictatorial and corrupt.
Are military coups the surest way to deal with the old governance system which is fraught with deep-seated corruption, as it appears, especially in West Africa? Is growing neo-colonialism the problem in these French-speaking countries?
Three forces were at play in provoking military coups in several post-colonial states in Africa, especially in the sixties and seventies. These included bad governance and arrogance of the new leaders, the thrust of neo-colonialism and the ambition of other citizens. Often the last two were in alliance – that is the neo-colonial forces went into alliance with high ambitions, especially those in the military to overthrow those in power. This picture could be seen in all post-European colonial states.
What would be the future relations of African states that opposed United States hegemony and Europe’s exploitative attitudes? Do you also think Russia compared to China presents an alternative for Africa’s development and attaining Africa’s economic sovereignty?
Ultimately, two factors explain the attraction of Russia and China to the new African leaders.
The first was the positive role of Russia in the struggle against Apartheid. Many have pointed out that President Vladimir Putin himself, the current leader of Russia was a young KGB officer who worked with the ANC and helped to train their anti-Apartheid forces.
And then, there is no doubt that Russia and China represent a more tolerable leadership than the Western and European countries. As to which of the two presents a more positive alternative, one can only say the future will tell!
By Adedapo Adesanya
Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company has described as malicious and misleading a widespread publication currently circulating online alleging impropriety about its chief executive, Ms Folake Soetan, and its board chairman, Mr Kola Adesina.
The management of the DisCo noted that a publication attributed to ‘Nigerian Global Business Forum’ defamed its CEO and the chairman of the IKEDC board.
The company said, “The publication, attributed to yet to be verified individuals and organisation, is clearly intended to misinform the public and bring the company and its leadership into disrepute through fabricated claims, the DisCo observed.”
Ikeja Electric noted that its investigation so far revealed that the ‘Nigerian Global Business Forum’ is an unregistered organisation with no recognised legal or corporate existence locally or abroad.
According to the energy firm, the signatories, “Dr Alaba Kalejaiye” and “Musa Ahmed,” have no verifiable professional credentials or established public profiles, and the publication contains false and misleading statements regarding Ikeja Electric’s operations, safety record, and financial practices.
The organisation said it had instructed its legal advisers to conduct a thorough forensic investigation and to initiate defamation proceedings against the authors, publishers, and any persons or entities found responsible for sponsoring or disseminating this malicious publication.
Ikeja Electric said it operates within a strict framework of accountability and remains committed to transparency and service improvement, warning it will not tolerate coordinated disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining public confidence and tarnishing its corporate integrity.
“Ikeja Electric remains steadfast in its mandate to deliver reliable power while upholding the highest standards of corporate governance and customer excellence.
Members of the public are advised to disregard the false publication in its entirety,” it said in a statement.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Nigerians may be forced to purchase premium motor spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, for almost N1,000 per litre if marketers choose to go for the costly coastal evacuation and not the cheaper gantry loading, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has cautioned.
Though the company clarified that marketers were free to choose their preferred mode of evacuation, it emphasised that the implication of adopting the coastal loading was that consumers would pay more for the product because of the extra costs.
According to Dangote Refinery, “Coastal logistics can add approximately N75 per litre to the cost of petrol, which, if passed on to consumers, would push the pump price of PMS close to N1,000 per litre.”
The firm noted that its “world-class gantry facility” has 91 loading bays capable of loading up to 2,900 tankers daily.
Operating on a 24-hour basis, the facility can evacuate over 50 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit PMS, 14 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) and other refined products each day, it added, urging marketers and policymakers to prioritise logistics choices that support price stability and consumer welfare.
It stressed that direct gantry evacuation eliminates port charges, maritime levies and vessel-related costs that do not add value to end users, helping to optimise costs, improve distribution efficiency and support price stability.
“Reliance on coastal delivery, particularly within Lagos, may introduce avoidable costs with material implications for fuel pricing, consumer welfare and overall economic wellbeing,” the company stated in a statement.
Based on Nigeria’s average daily consumption of about 50 million litres of PMS and 14 million litres of diesel, the refinery estimated that sustained dependence on coastal logistics could impose an additional annual cost of roughly N1.752 trillion. This cost, it said, would ultimately be borne either by producers or Nigerian consumers.
The refinery also renewed calls for coordinated investment in pipeline infrastructure nationwide, arguing that functional pipelines linking refineries to depots would significantly cut distribution costs, improve supply reliability and strengthen national energy security.
It said domestic refining has already delivered measurable benefits to the Nigerian economy. Since the commencement of operations, the price of diesel has fallen from about N1,700 per litre to N1,100 and currently trades between N980 and N990. Similarly, PMS prices have declined from about N1,250 per litre to between N839 and N900.
It added that increased local supply has sharply reduced fuel importation, eased foreign exchange pressures and improved market stability, contributing to a stronger naira, which recently traded at about N1,385 to the dollar.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has launched the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up (NFWP-SU), a strategic investment initiative which is expected to target over 25 million Nigerian women nationwide.
In a Friday statement, it was disclosed that President Bola Tinubu this week inaugurated the NFWP-SU programme, declaring the initiative a strategic national investment and unveiling the government’s ambition to expand its reach to over 25 million Nigerian women across the country.
According to the statement, the President, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said the scale-up marks a decisive shift in Nigeria’s development strategy, with women’s economic empowerment, family stability, and social development placed firmly at the centre of national growth.
He stressed that Nigeria cannot achieve sustainable prosperity while half of its population remains structurally constrained.
“Women are not peripheral to national development. They are central drivers of productivity, custodians of family stability, and indispensable partners in our ambition to build a resilient, competitive and prosperous nation,” the President said, noting that empowering women is essential to job creation, food security, financial inclusion and economic diversification under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
President Tinubu described the programme as more than a social intervention, calling it “a strategic investment in Nigeria’s economic infrastructure.”
He said the success of Phase I of the programme, which reached over one million beneficiaries across six states, provided strong evidence that structured, data-driven empowerment models deliver measurable, lasting impact.
Building on that evidence, the President announced a bold national ambition to scale the programme beyond its current targets to reach 25 million women nationwide, creating a sustainable platform for women’s economic inclusion embedded in federal, state and local systems.
He called on development partners, particularly the World Bank, to support the expansion through financing, technical assistance and innovation.
According to the President, the integration of digital platforms such as the Happy Woman App, identity verification and transparent targeting reflects the administration’s insistence on measurable and verifiable public policy.
“The work of the Ministry has shown what focused execution can achieve. This is how public trust is rebuilt and how government resources reach real people with real impact,” he said.
On his part, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Mathew Verghis, said the Bank was honoured to co-finance the NFWP-SU with the Federal and State Governments, describing it as fully aligned with the Bank’s new Country Partnership Framework for Nigeria, which prioritises unlocking economic opportunities, strengthening private sector linkages and creating more and better jobs.
Mr Verghis noted that Nigerian women remain disproportionately affected by poverty, with 64.3 per cent living below the lower-middle-income poverty line, despite their critical contributions to agriculture, trade and enterprise.
He said the Women Affinity Group (WAG) model promoted under the programme has proven to be a powerful tool for lifting women out of poverty by enabling collective savings, access to credit, financial discipline and enterprise growth.
Citing examples from the field, he explained that over 28,000 WAGs currently empower about 600,000 women across Nigeria, allowing them to save together, lend responsibly, invest in businesses and transition into formal financial services.
He added that scaling such models could unlock enormous economic gains, noting estimates that reducing gender inequality could increase Nigeria’s annual GDP growth by more than 1.25 percentage points, while closing productivity gaps across key sectors could add nearly $23 billion to the economy.
“This is smart economics. When women thrive, communities grow stronger, and economies become more resilient,” Mr Verghis said.
Also speaking at the event, Mr Robert S. Chase, World Bank Practice Manager for Social Protection and Jobs, described the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up as one of the most ambitious gender-focused social and economic interventions currently being implemented in Africa.
He said the programme reflects a strong partnership between Nigeria and the World Bank, anchored on evidence, innovation and a shared commitment to lifting millions of women out of poverty.
Mr Chase noted that the programme’s strength lies in its ability to build sustainable systems rather than short-term relief, particularly through the Women Affinity Groups model, which combines social capital, financial inclusion and access to productive opportunities.
According to him, the scale-up phase demonstrates Nigeria’s readiness to institutionalise women’s empowerment as a core development strategy and not merely a welfare initiative.
The NFWP-SU Phase II is a $540 million programme, co-financed by the World Bank and the Federal and State Governments, expanding implementation to all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. It aims to directly reach five million women, generate about 4.5 million jobs, and benefit nearly 19.5 million Nigerians indirectly, while laying the groundwork for the broader expansion to 25 million women.
Under the leadership of Minister Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has positioned the programme as the centrepiece of wider social and economic reforms.
In Phase I alone, over 26,500 Women Affinity Groups were formed with more than 560,000 members, who collectively saved over N4.9 billion, expanded businesses, paid school fees and met household health needs.
The model has since attracted international interest, with other countries seeking to understudy Nigeria’s experience.
Beyond economic empowerment, the ministry has linked the programme to digital inclusion, civic identity, child protection and family welfare, while rolling out complementary initiatives in agribusiness, energy access, skills development and protection services.
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