The Buhari Years: What We Ordered vs What We Got – BudgIT reflects on the Buhari Administration and its achievements, shortcomings, and regressive steps. This article focuses on the economic legacy of President Buhari. The outgoing administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will be assessed semi-chronologically, tracing the high and low points of his dual term under the following subheadings: The Economy of the Goodluck Jonathan-Muhammadu Buhari Transition and Beyond Brent oil prices tanked from their heights of $111 per barrel in May 2014 to $54 per barrel per day by late 2014. The currency, heavily defended with copious reserves in…
Author: Adewale A.
I am not a fan of Olusegun Obasanjo (OBJ) and will never be his fan, but Obasanjo has a special grace reserved for men of destiny. It was Gen Hassan Katsina who first discovered this uncommon grace in Obasanjo. In her book titled “Bitter Sweet”. Obasanjo’s first wife and the mother of Iyabo, Mrs Oluremi Obasanjo, wrote that she was with Obasanjo at the Airport in Kaduna in the 60s when Gen Katsina prophetically whispered to her that she should take good care of Obasanjo because God has set him aside to play prominent roles in the life of Nigeria.…
There is an unravelling mystery about the Nigerian press. The custodian of this value is clearly misunderstood and misused in opportunities. But it is for the present crop of journalists to reinvent themselves into relevance; otherwise, the Nigerian press will remain a caricature of itself and the ideas of its founding fathers. Nonetheless, the patriots were also guilty. When it’s time to go back to that story, we will! Thank God the 2022 Osun governorship election has come and gone! A victor has finally emerged and the losers have ‘moved on’. However, the victorious Governor Ademola Adeleke and the Peoples’…
Forces that have kept Nigeria in chains are stronger than the Prince of Persia that withheld Daniel’s answers for 21 days. Tell me how else to describe the frustration faced by candidates who seek redress in court after INEC had declared winners in an election fraught with bare-faced irregularities and deliberate manipulations? The style now is “Let us win first and let them go to Court.” Yes, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a candidate to prove electoral fraud at the Election Petition Tribunal. What is the cost of hiring…
A human rights organization, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) has strongly condemned the way and manner the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) treated the son of legend Afro beat Musician, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Seun Kuti by putting handcuffed in his hand like common criminal, saying that those political class which they mortgaged our economic future and as well involved in financial crime were treated like kings by Police. Also, he condemned the way and manner the Police treated Seen Kuti as if they have arrested a notorious armed robber or murderer by removing all his belongings. It…
Our Client is a consulting and capacity-building international entity currently seeking to employ Researchers & Knowledge Management Consultants to work on projects relating to different areas of specialization. Candidates MUST be PhD holders (any discipline) who are willing to work remotely from within or outside Nigeria. This is an exciting opportunity for enthusiastic PhD holders to join our dynamic Team and for candidates who are looking forward to advancing their careers. Required Capabilities & Experience: Candidate must have a minimum of 5 years of cognate experience. Must have Project Management skills. Must have experience in Research Development and Analysis. Must…
God’s will has started already in its fulfilment. We had an election. The ruling party candidate got 37 per cent luckily he won with that. When an election is rigged one would know that It was really rigged. Peter Obi won all his tribal States. Bola Tinubu won five out of 7 states that belong to his tribe. He has more than 21 friends as State governors that are working for him. Each of them is more than Peter Obi in capacity. Obi is not ruling any state as of February 25. He did not even have the support of…
On Monday, May 1, 2023, the immediate past governor of Osun State, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola inaugurated “an 11-man committee to stimulate, revamp, restructure and reposition the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osun State Chapter”. Nigerians wish the Professor Isaac Adewole-led Committee well in the onerous tasks ahead. That said, there’s a Yoruba adage, which says: ‘Bi omode ba subu, yio wo iwaju, bi agbalagba ba subu, yio wo ehin’ (Upon falling, a youngster looks ahead – for help; but an elder looks back – for the cause. For Osun APC, it can only look back with a view to unravelling what…
Let me start by saying that I am not an indigene of Ekiti State but Oluwafunmilola, my beloved wife, is from the famous Awosusi family in Aramoko-Ekiti, which, by the by, is only a stone’s throw from Ijebu-Jesa, my Native Nazareth in Osun State. So, apart from being a stakeholder in the Ekiti project, so keen has my interest has been in the ‘Fountain of Knowledge’ that I authored a touching tribute, ‘Funmi Olayinka: Yes, I knew her’, to Olufunmilayo Adunni Olayinka, the late Deputy Governor of the State, who died on April 6, 2013. That said, there are basic…
Mutatis mutandis, politics is not the same as repudiating the ethics of public administration. To say that the executive governor of a state has the right or power to stop the payment of workers’ salary – what they earn legitimately – is, to say the least, an evolution throwback! That the society could not be bothered, due to political reasons or factors, is also a tragedy! The Governor of Osun, Ademola Adeleke, has done the unprecedented by withholding the November 2022 salary and allowances of public servants (political appointees) in the state. Not only that, he has also refused to…
Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP) Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, says insinuations that the Rivers APC has been fragmented into factions as is being peddled in a section of the media is not wholly true. Recall that one Tony Okocha, a known political jobber and self-styled Coordinator, South-South, of Bola Tinubu Vanguard, one of the social media support groups whose existence was inconsequential to the emergence of Tinubu as President-elect, has been parading himself as leader of the Rivers APC with the careless claim that he…
The tension around the call for an interim government is that the presidential election petition may not conclude before the inauguration of a new president on May 29, 2023. But it’s very possible to conclude these petitions, provided that the court systems are very proactive. Under Arbitration matters, procedural orders and or directions issue peremptorily to resolve sometimes very complex jurisdictional and procedural issues. The Presidential Election tribunals are urged to adapt the procedures very familiar with the speedy conclusion of Arbitration matters. I Set out three issues in the Presidential Election Petitions that are resolvable by application of procedural…
We read with amusement the rejoinder of the Director of Babajide Owodunni Campaign Group, Mr Owolabi Sosanya, to our position that it was totally wrong for INEC to issue a certificate of return to Jide Owodunni and that it was absurd and criminal for Jide Owodunni to receive a certificate that he doesn’t have the right, in its least form, to collect. Mr Sosanya, in the rejoinder, told us that Babajide Owodunni is the authentic candidate and as such it was for INEC to have issued the Certificate of Return to Jide Owodunni. Mr Sosanya in a deceptive manner claimed…
It has become expedient to allay the fears of the good people of Ikenne State Constituency who displayed uncommon courage in the face of destructive and disruptive tendencies of APC – enabled thugs by massively voting for our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and our candidate, Dr Sulaimon Badmus Adeniye, SB during the last state constituency election which was held on Saturday, March 18, 2023. In all honesty, the party owes it a duty to inform the general public and in particular, the good people and our teeming supporters in Ikenne Local Government, especially in the face of…
Former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze says it is not appropriate for the Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate, Oji Uzo Kalu, to wake up and begin to arrogate to himself the sole right to head the leadership of the 10th Senate which would be inaugurated in a few months. In a statement made available to media houses in Port Harcourt, Eze urged the former Abia Governor whose State has just broken a long record of hostage by godfathers and cabals who have…
BudgIT, a leading public data organization raising active citizens’ participation in nation-building and government-citizen communication for good governance and accountability, has urged the National Population Commission to publish the breakdown for the N896 billion 2023 National Population Census budget. Recall that earlier in March, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, had said a total of N869 billion ($1.88 billion) would be required for the exercise. This figure includes post-census activities. According to him, N626 billion ($1.36 billion) will be used for the census at $6 per citizen, and N243 billion ($527 million) will be used…
Civic Hive, committed to the principles of open data and governance, citizens’ participation, and data transparency, has released an assessment of INEC’s preparedness and conduct of the 2023 Nigeria General Elections. Elections are pivotal to our democracy. Not only do they promote participation in governance, but they are also a prerequisite for sustaining democratic institutions. With over seven general elections held in Nigeria since 1999 and given our size, population, and human capital, it is abysmal and heart-wrenching to see how badly elections are continually conducted in a country posing as the “Giant of Africa.” Not only is our electoral…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cannot in non-compliance with 24(2),(3),(4) and (5) of the Electoral Act, 2022 declare or return a winner in the Ogun State Gubernatorial Election. Clearly, the total number of registered voters in the “cancelled” areas is substantial to the slim margin between Prince Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Hon. Ladi Adebutu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). INEC should declare the election inconclusive and order a rerun at affected polling units at an early date. By section 24(3), the determinant factor of “substantial disruption” is a question of fact which shall…
The Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has petitioned Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over election malpractices and wrongful declaration of a winner in the just concluded governorship election of March 18th, 2023 in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate. The petition was raised against the deliberate disenfranchisement of a large number of voters in some local government areas of the state. The Party’s State Secretary, Dr Sunday Solarin has raised the following two issues in the petition letter to INEC: You will recall that the Commission is aware of the level of thuggery planned and orchestrated by…
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has advised the incoming 10th National Assembly to maintain a bi-partisan approach that prioritises the national interest amid its deliberations. According to him, any approach to the contrary would thwart every attempt by the incoming parliament to achieve stability in governance and maintain a harmonious relationship with the executive that benefits the Nigerian people. Lawan gave the advice, on Tuesday, during a farewell visit by the outgoing British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, to his office at the National Assembly, Abuja. Lawan, in his welcome address said, “I must take this opportunity to…