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
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has reaffirmed that the anticipated Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme (NOGaPS) will become operational by the fourth quarter of 2026.
According to a statement by the General Manager of Corporate Communications Division at NCDMB, Mr Obinna Ezeobi, ahead of the target date for the park located at Emeyal-1, in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, the NCDMB is set to install a 2.5-megawatt Com- pressed Natural Gas (CNG) power plant at the park.
He added that the power plant is one of the key steps to getting the facility operational, as it will provide a reliable and sustainable electricity supply to support industrial operations within the park.
Mr Ezeobi gave the assurance after an assessment visit to the facility by key personnel of the Board.
According to the statement, the tour revealed significant progress across key infrastructure and support systems designed to position the facility as a major industrial hub for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
It added that the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme was conceived to deepen Nigerian Content by providing a conducive environment for the manufacturing of components, equipment and other inputs required by the oil and gas industry, while creating employment opportunities for over 2000 persons when fully operational, and stimulating economic growth.
The oil and gas park scheme is a purpose-built industrial park with manufacturing shop floors and factories, warehouses, training centres, mini estates, truck parking and holding spaces, fire stations, administrative blocks, and security services, among other things, and is a critical initiative of the board geared towards in-country capacity development through local manufacture of equipment components and spare parts required in the oil and gas industry.
Six parks have been conceptualised and are located in different parts of the country, and they form a key part of NCDMB’s strategy for sustainable local content development and industrialisation. Two of the parks at Odukpani, Cross River State, and at Emeyal 1, Bayelsa State, have been completed, and interested companies have begun to take up shop floors, preparatory to the commencement of operations.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A partnership for the integration of Onafriq’s leading pan-African payment network into Yuno’s orchestration platform has been entered into between the two organisations.
This collaboration gives merchants a single connection to Africa’s most expansive payments infrastructure, bringing the continent’s most expansive payments infrastructure to merchants worldwide.
Through this integration, Yuno’s clients gain instant access to Onafriq’s network spanning 43 African markets, nearly one billion mobile wallets, 500 million bank accounts, and 2,000 cross-border payment corridors, all through Yuno’s single, developer-friendly API.
The partnership is part of Yuno’s broader strategy to build a truly global platform that connects merchants to every meaningful payment method and network, regardless of geography. Following successful expansion in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, Africa is a key pillar of Yuno’s next phase of growth.
For Onafriq, the integration with Yuno extends its reach to an entirely new segment of global merchants who now benefit from a streamlined entry point into African markets. The partnership reinforces Onafriq’s mission of making borders matter less, bringing together mobile money operators, banks, fintechs, and enterprises into one connected payment ecosystem.
“Africa represents one of the most exciting growth opportunities in global commerce, and yet too many merchants are still locked out by payment infrastructure that wasn’t built for scale.
“Our partnership with Onafriq changes that. By bringing their unmatched African network into our infrastructure layer, we’re giving our clients a single path to a continent-wide ecosystem with the reliability, compliance, and local depth they need to grow with confidence,” the chief executive of Yuno, Mr Juan Pablo Ortega, stated.
Also commenting, the chief executive of Onafriq, Mr Dare Okoudjou, said, “Africa’s payment landscape has never lacked ambition or momentum; what it needed is the right infrastructure that matches its pace.
“Our partnership with Yuno changes the equation for global merchants who want to be part of this growth story. Through a single connection, global merchants can reach consumers and businesses across Africa more seamlessly than ever before, while more people across the continent gain access to the digital economy on their own terms. For us, this is what making borders matter less looks like in practice.”
Onafriq’s infrastructure supports the full payment lifecycle, from real-time disbursements and omnichannel collections to card issuance, treasury management, and stablecoin settlement, all underpinned by local regulatory licences and ISO 27001 and CMML3-certified security.
For Yuno’s merchant base, this means the ability to pay out to mobile wallets, bank accounts, or cash pickup points, and accept payments across channels, without managing multiple integrations or compliance frameworks independently.
The integration is now live and available across Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Uganda. Yuno’s clients can access Onafriq’s capabilities, including mobile money disbursements and collections, card issuance, and FX treasury services, directly from the Yuno dashboard with no additional contract or integration required.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has dragged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to court over its alleged failure to account for N5.9 billion reportedly spent on its rebranding and transitioning from a corporation to a liability company.
In the suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP is seeking an order compelling the national oil firm to explain how the funds were spent and disclose the officials and contractors involved in the process.
According to the organisation, the NNPC allegedly spent N2.9 billion from petroleum product proceeds on incorporation expenses, while the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) reportedly charged another N2.9 billion to crude oil revenue for the same purpose, bringing the total expenditure to about N5.9 billion.
SERAP said it is seeking “an order of mandamus to direct and compel the NNPCL to account for about N5.9 billion allegedly spent on the rebranding of the NNPC to the NNPCL.”
The group also asked the court to compel the company to provide “a comprehensive reconciliation statement detailing the specific financial transactions relating to the N5.9 billion expenditure, including the identities of the contractors involved and how the funds were utilised.”
It further requested the disclosure of the names and official positions of government officials who authorised and approved the expenditure, as well as clarification on whether the spending complied with procurement laws and due-process requirements.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1248/2026, was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
The legal action was filed on behalf of SERAP by lawyers, Ms Oluwakemi Agunbiade, Ms Kehinde Oyewumi and Mr Andrew Nwankwo.
According to SERAP, the Senate Committee on Public Accounts had reportedly raised concerns over the expenditure categorised as incorporation and transition costs during the transformation process.
“The Committee described the spending of the ₦5.9 billion as excessive, unjustifiable and deserving of further explanation, investigation and legislative scrutiny in the public interest,” the organisation stated.
SERAP argued that the public has a right to know how the funds were spent, insisting that transparency and accountability must guide the operations of the state-owned oil company.
“The NNPCL has a legal responsibility to explain whether the ₦5.9 billion expenditure represents value for money, constitutes lawful spending of public funds, and complies with applicable due-process requirements,” SERAP said.
“There ought to be full transparency and accountability regarding the reported ₦5.9 billion spent on rebranding NNPC to NNPCL. Nigerians have the right to know who approved the expenditure, who received the funds, the nature of the services rendered, and whether due process and procurement requirements were strictly followed.”
The organisation added that disclosing the identities of the officials involved and the approval process would enable Nigerians to assess whether the expenditure was properly authorised and in line with extant laws.
SERAP further argued that the alleged failure to account for the funds reflects broader accountability concerns within the NNPCL.
“The failure to account for the spending of the ₦5.9 billion on the rebranding from NNPC to NNPCL reflects a broader failure of accountability and is directly linked to the institution’s continuing inability to uphold transparency and accountability principles,” it stated.
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