General
Presidential Pardon: SERAP Wants Section 175 of Constitution Amended
By Adedapo Adesanya
President Muhammadu Buhari has been advised by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) to review and withdraw the pardon granted to former governors of Plateau and Taraba States, Mr Joshua Dariye and Mr Jolly Nyame, respectively, who were jailed by the court for corruption.
SERAP is also urging him to “propose a constitutional amendment to the National Assembly to reform the provisions on the exercise of the prerogative of mercy to make the provisions more transparent, and consistent and compatible with Nigeria’s international anti-corruption obligations.”
Last week, the National Council of State endorsed the presidential pardon of Mr Dariye, Mr Nyame and 157 others serving jail terms following the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.
In the letter signed by SERAP deputy director, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “Impunity for corruption will continue as long as influential politicians escape justice for their crimes. The constitutional power of prerogative of mercy ought not to be an instrument of impunity.”
SERAP said, “The pardon power ought to be exercised in a manner that is consistent with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], particularly the provisions on oath of office by public officers, and section 15[5] which requires your government to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.”
It also said, “Indeed, the presidential pardon power must be exercised in good faith, and in line with the provisions of Chapter 4 of the Nigerian Constitution on fundamental rights.”
According to SERAP, “We would like your government to clarify if the pardon granted to Mr Dariye and Mr Nyame would entitle them to the return of the stolen assets already forfeited to the government.”
The organisation said, “The pardon also constitutes an interference in the exercise of judicial power. Because the pardon appears to be arbitrary, it undermines the authority and independence of the judiciary and access to justice for victims of corruption.”
The letter, copied to the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, read in part: “The pardon is clearly inconsistent and incompatible with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution, and the country’s international obligations including under the UN Convention against Corruption.”
“Presidential pardon for corruption cases is inconsistent with the rule of law, and the public interest, as it undermines the principle of equality before the law. It will undermine public confidence in your government’s fight against corruption, and the justice system.”
“SERAP is concerned that while the pardon power is routinely exercised to shield influential politicians and politically exposed persons from justice and accountability, ordinary people who have committed petty offences but with no money or influential politicians to speak for them, languish in prisons and are rarely considered for pardon.”
“While there is no doubt that Section 175 of the Constitution vests wide discretionary power in the Nigerian president to grant pardon, it does not stipulate the conditions under which such power should be exercised.”
“However, when section 15(5) of the Constitution is read together with the oath, it would seem to impose some ethical conditions on you to ensure that the exercise of the discretionary power of prerogative of mercy is not such that it will encourage corruption or impunity of perpetrators.”
“Mr Dariye and Mr Nyame should have been allowed to complete their jail terms. The exercise of the presidential pardon in their cases would seem to be unfair and undeserving.”
“The investigation and prosecution of the corruption cases involving the pardoned former governors Dariye and Nyame reportedly cost over N300 million of taxpayers’ money. The cases went from the High Court to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”
“Section 15(5) of the Nigerian Constitution provides that ‘The State shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.’ Similarly, article 26 of the UN Convention against Corruption requires your government to ensure ‘effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions in cases of grand corruption.”
“Article 26 of the convention complements the more general requirement of article 30, paragraph 1, that sanctions must take into account the gravity of the corruption offences.”
“SERAP notes that in your inaugural speech on May 29, 2015, you stated that, ‘We are going to tackle pervasive corruption head on. Nigerians will not regret that they have entrusted national responsibility to us.’”
“However, the latest Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index shows that Nigeria scored 24 out of 100 points, and ranked 154 out of 180 countries surveyed, falling back five places from the rank of 149 in 2020. This places Nigeria as the second most corrupt country in West Africa.”
“The pardon power, if properly exercised, can help to protect citizens against possible miscarriage of justice.”
“SERAP, therefore, urges you to urgently withdraw the presidential pardon granted to Mr Dariye and Mr Nyame, and to propose amendment to section 175 of the Nigerian Constitution that will make the exercise of the power to pardon more transparent and consistent and compatible with the country’s international obligations.”
“Any proposed amendment should also empower the citizens to challenge the legality of any arbitrary exercise of the power of prerogative of mercy.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Chairman of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Mr Segun Ogunsanya, has called for greater mobilisation of domestic capital from local institutions to drive Nigeria’s economic development.
Mr Ogunsanya made the remarks during his address at the Invest in Lagos 3.0 Summit, themed Lagos: The Business Gateway to Africa, urging policymakers and investors to tap funds from pension administrators, insurance firms and banks rather than relying heavily on foreign development finance institutions (DFIs) and external funding sources.
He said Nigeria must move beyond heavy reliance on DFIs and external funding, arguing that significant untapped capital exists within the country’s financial ecosystem.
“I would like to see a deeper level of local capital formation. I’ve seen a lot of emphasis on DFIs and the money coming in from outside the country. But if you look deeply, we need to find ways of harnessing local capital, capital from pension funds, capital from insurance companies, capital from banks,” he said.
According to him, domestic pension funds, insurance assets and banking liquidity represent a sustainable source of long-term financing that can be structured to support infrastructure through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) frameworks.
Mr Ogunsanya disclosed that NSIA is currently anchoring a $1 billion infrastructure fund in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), designed to strengthen infrastructure investment and de-risk large-scale projects.
“A couple of days ago, we just got some confirmation from IFC. They’re going to be part of a $1 billion fund that we’re anchoring. This $1 billion fund is to provide some sort of guarantee for infrastructure investment,” he said.
He explained that the fund would cover key stages of infrastructure delivery, including project preparation, project development, risk guarantees and risk capital support.
“The World Bank IFC just came in again, and this funding is meant to cover four different areas of any infrastructure investment — the project preparation phase, the development phase, those who want guarantees, and also to provide the risk capital itself,” he said.
Mr Ogunsanya noted that the initiative is aimed at improving project bankability while ensuring strict financial discipline and due diligence in investment selection.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Oyo State Police Command has revealed that a person attached to a member of the family of former Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, allegedly worked in collaboration with kidnappers to abduct his sister and her two children in Ibadan.
Police spokesperson, CSP Olayinka Ayanlade, disclosed that preliminary investigations indicate an insider role in the operation, suggesting that the abduction may have been facilitated by someone close to the family.
Mrs Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul, were abducted on June 3, 2026, at the Elewura area of Challenge, Ibadan.
The victims regained their freedom on Saturday (June 6) after a coordinated intelligence-led operation by operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) and the Oyo State Police Command.
According to the Command in its latest update, the suspect allegedly provided support to the kidnappers during the incident, which led to the abduction of the victims in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Security operatives said investigations are ongoing to track down all individuals connected to the crime and ensure the safe rescue of the victims.
The police assured residents that efforts are being intensified to dismantle the network behind the kidnapping and bring all perpetrators to justice.
On Monday, the Oyo State Government demolished a three-bedroom bungalow allegedly used as a hideout by kidnappers involved in the abduction of the younger sister of the former Minister of Power and her twin sons.
The property, located at Lakoun Estate along Olomi-Olojuoro Road in Oluyole Local Council of Oyo State, was pulled down by officials of the state Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, accompanied by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force.
Officials added that the demolition also underscores the government’s determination to confront rising security threats and send a strong message to criminal elements operating within the South West state.
The Ojude Oba Festival is no longer merely one of Nigeria’s most celebrated cultural gatherings; it is rapidly emerging as one of Africa’s most influential cultural brands.
A newly released Media Intelligence Report by P+ Measurement Services reveals that Ojude Oba 2026 recorded its strongest media performance to date, achieving significant growth across audience reach, media visibility, social engagement, international attention and digital discoverability.
The report analysed media conversations and coverage generated between May 20 and June 5, 2026, across print, online, social media and broadcast platforms, while benchmarking performance against the 2025 edition of the festival.
The findings paint a compelling picture of a cultural institution that is not only preserving heritage but also increasingly shaping conversations across modern media ecosystems.
According to the report, total media mentions grew by 56 per cent year-on-year, increasing from 18,420 mentions in 2025 to 28,735 mentions in 2026. Audience reach expanded even more dramatically, growing by 75 per cent from 124.8 million to 218.6 million people globally.
Social media emerged as the primary engine of visibility, generating over 81,000 public conversations during the monitoring period, representing an 88 per cent increase compared to the previous year. Engagements more than doubled, rising by 115 per cent from 3.9 million interactions in 2025 to 8.4 million interactions in 2026.
Perhaps most notable was the improvement in public sentiment.
Positive sentiment increased from 60 per cent in 2025 to 79 per cent in 2026, while negative sentiment declined by half, dropping from 10 per cent to just 5 per cent. Conversations around cultural pride, heritage preservation, fashion, equestrian displays, community identity and the enduring legacy of the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, drove the overwhelmingly positive perception.
The report identified the legacy narrative of Oba Sikiru Adetona as the single most influential thematic driver of media coverage throughout the reporting period.
Unlike previous years, where conversations focused primarily on spectacle and pageantry, the 2026 edition witnessed a deeper engagement with themes of history, leadership, continuity and cultural preservation, elevating the festival beyond entertainment and positioning it as a significant cultural institution.
International visibility also recorded substantial growth.
While Nigeria remained the dominant source of conversations and media coverage, the festival generated measurable attention across the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, France, Germany, South Africa, Ghana, the United Arab Emirates, Kenya and the Netherlands. This expansion contributed to a near doubling of the festival’s global footprint and reflects the growing interest in African cultural experiences among international audiences and diaspora communities.
The report further found that social media accounted for the largest share of total conversations, followed by online news platforms, print publications and broadcast media. Coverage was amplified through extensive reporting by Channels Television, TVC News, OGTV, City People TV, Araba TV and GoldMyneTV, alongside significant digital coverage from leading Nigerian news and entertainment platforms.
Among personalities driving online conversations, Farooq Oreagba once again emerged as the most discussed cultural figure associated with the festival. Other highly visible personalities included Eniola Badmus, Lateef Adedimeji, Rotimi Salami, Jide Awobona and Samuel Banks, whose appearances and social media mentions helped sustain public interest throughout the event period.
Corporate sponsorship continued to play a critical role in the festival’s visibility ecosystem.
Globacom retained its position as the most visible sponsor, followed by Orijin, FCMB, Goldberg, Rite Foods, Maltina, Honeywell Foods, Adron Homes, Maggi, SIFAX Group and Seaman Schnapps. The report notes that brands increasingly view Ojude Oba as a strategic platform for cultural storytelling, community engagement and reputation building.
One of the most significant additions to this year’s report is the application of the AMEC GEO Framework, the newly introduced global measurement model designed to help organisations understand how reputation, content and visibility influence outcomes in AI-driven information environments.
Using the framework’s three core dimensions—Upstream Reputation Signals, Search and Content Readiness, and Downstream AI Outputs—the analysis assessed Ojude Oba’s performance not only in traditional media but also within emerging AI-powered discovery systems.
The assessment found strong performance across earned media authority, cultural relevance, content visibility and reputation consistency. The festival demonstrated growing discoverability within AI-assisted search environments and generated strong indicators for future cultural visibility across generative search platforms.
According to P+ Measurement Services, this represents a fundamental shift in how cultural events should be evaluated.
“Media success is no longer defined solely by coverage volume or impressions,” the report notes. “In an AI-driven information ecosystem, discoverability, authority, narrative consistency and reputation signals increasingly determine whether institutions remain visible, trusted and relevant. Ojude Oba’s performance demonstrates the importance of measuring cultural influence through both traditional media metrics and emerging AI visibility frameworks.”
The report concludes that Ojude Oba has evolved beyond its traditional role as a cultural celebration and now functions as a powerful platform for tourism promotion, economic storytelling, cultural diplomacy, national branding and global heritage engagement.
As governments, tourism agencies, brands and cultural institutions seek new ways to compete for attention in an increasingly fragmented media environment, Ojude Oba offers a compelling case study in how heritage can be transformed into measurable influence, sustained visibility and long-term reputation value.
With record audience reach, stronger public sentiment, expanded international visibility and growing AI discoverability, the 2026 edition marks a defining moment in the festival’s evolution from cultural event to global cultural brand.
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