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Buhari Has Destroyed Nigeria, Ozekhome Laments
Human rights lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, has alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari has destroyed Nigeria.
The senior lawyer noted that Buhari has failed in his tripod policies through which he campaigned and won election in 2015 which are: Economy, security and anti-corruption.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria spoke at a human rights lecture organised by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), with the theme: “Nigerian School Children; Insecurity and Human Rights”, held in Abuja.
He pointed out that many children can no longer go to school, adding that more than 70percent school children in Nigeria were out of schools.
According to him, from Jangebe to Chibok; from Dapchi to Kaduna between December, 2020, till date, over 700 school children have been kidnapped with some of them killed or forced into marriage.
“[They were] not kidnapped in the forests but from their schools. It got so messy in Kaduna that the kidnappers demanded bags of rice, vegetable oil, salt, beans and other condiments to be cooking for their children pending when they will get enough money to get them released on ransom,” Ozekhome lamented.
He went on to say that Nigeria was currently a failed state and cannot even be called a country anymore, explaining that non-state actors such as Boko Haram, bandits and other terrorists now possess enough powers to challenge the government.
“Is that a country? Does any of you who have children living in hostels and dormitories sleep with your two eyes closed, not knowing of when next they’ll strike? he asked.
“When President Muhammadu Buhari was campaigning for this office…I like my President but I do not like his governance style and policies.
“Policies that have impoverished Nigeria; policies that have made Nigeria the poverty capital of the world, overtaking India. Policies that have made Nigeria that was until 2015 the biggest economy in Africa overtaking South Africa and one of the seven fastest growing economies in the world.
“His tripod policies were on economy, security and anti-corruption. The bad news is that he has dismally failed in all of them. Security is worse right now…Boko Haram we used to have that time, at least, people were able to vote for him in 2015, and he won in the North-East, showing that though Boko Haram existed, they were not so rampant to prevent people from voting.
“Boko Haram has since graduated, strutting around like a proud peacock. Armed banditry has escalated; kidnapping is the order of the day. Insecurity, he has failed.
“In economy, I have already told you, we’re now the poverty capital of the world. What of anti-corruption? Go and check, we’re 168 out of 180 covered by Transparency International.
“In West Africa, we’re the 3rd most corrupt country. So, where have the President and the government helped Nigeria? I had on television and in my write-up challenged Nigerians that anyone who can carry the Holy Quran or take up the Holy Bible or if you’re an atheist, pick up a piece of Sango Iron and say your life is better off today than you were in 2015.
“I challenge the person for a national debate but until now, no one has taken up the challenge because everybody knows things are not right. The deaf can hear it; the dumb can speak it; the blind can see it, and even the numb can feel it.
“So, it’s not a question of whether you are in APC, PDP, APGA, Labour, Zenith or PPA. Hunger knows no strike, religion or nationality. The fact is that things are bad for everyone whether Muslim or Christian, atheist, old men, women, youth and children.
“Things are bad and it could be worse except Nigerians come together and go back to the drawing board. Some people are saying that Nigeria is a failing state, and I say no. I don’t agree.
“If you asked me, with all due respect, I’ll say Nigeria is a failed state. Do you know why? It is because one of the greatest indices of a failed state is when non-state actors like Boko Haram, kidnappers, armed bandits have efficient and commensurate powers to match state actors like security forces. That’s a failed state.
“When Boko Haram, bandits and kidnappers begin to tell the government, ‘this is what we want.’ Taking over lands and planting their flags as Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State and Sani Bello of Niger State have cried out that in some lands in their states, they have planted flags; they’re demanding for taxation; they issue identity cards and give pass to people to pass.
“We don’t need any other evidence of a failed state. It’s not about liking or not liking a government, it’s about saying the reality on the ground. Please, Nigerians, let’s go back to the drawing board. If you like, bring all the helicopters and fighter jets you can, the truth is that the problem is more endemic than you can see.
“Because on the surface, it looks like insecurity but beneath, it is what we call social injustice and lack of egalitarianism…Nigeria is wobbly, gobbling and fumbling because it was not neatly packaged on the 1st of January, 1848 by Lord Lugard.
“It started with Lady Flora Louise Shaw on the 8th of January, 1897 in an article she wrote on Economic Times where she gave Nigeria her name ‘Niger Area’. And we agreed to live together. And if we agreed, let us live together in peace and unity. Let’s not always say ‘Nigeria is indivisible; it’s indestructible.’
“We don’t say that by words of the mouth, we nurture it. Pakistan and India used to be one country; Eritrea and Ethiopia used to be one country as well as Sudan and Southern Sudan. So, it’s not by merely saying it, you have to nurture it.
“We must have peace and social justice… we are talking about the kind of peace and social justice Chief M.K.O. Abiola preached…Let us reformat and reengineer Nigeria. Let’s make a new constitution for ourselves. A constitution that will be… Indigenous, owned by the people and respected by all and legitimate.
“Not a constitution that was imposed by the General Abdusalami Abubakar government when they were going back to the barracks. How many of you know that Nigerians actually contested the 1999 elections without a constitution? Nigerians never made the constitution by themselves but even if we’re to manage it, Section 14 of that constitution said that the primary purpose of the government is to provide welfare and security for the people. Are we having it?”, he asked.
The Rivers State Government has called on stakeholders, community leaders, parents and relevant education authorities to intensify efforts to identify and enrol out-of-school children across Nigeria, stressing that every child deserves access to quality and inclusive education.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara made the call, yesterday, during the regional campaign on engaging community structures to promote the enrolment of out-of-school children and the regional flag-off of the 2026/2027 enrolment drive for southern states, held in Port Harcourt.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Dagogo Wokoma, Governor Fubara reaffirmed that education remains a fundamental pillar of sustainable development and emphasised the need to ensure that no child is left behind because of economic hardship, social background or other barriers to schooling.
He noted that expanding access to education was essential to promoting sustainable development, social inclusion and equal opportunities, enabling children to reach their full potential and contribute meaningfully to society.
The governor urged participating states and communities to translate their commitments into concrete and measurable actions by reaching vulnerable children, strengthening community engagement and encouraging parents and guardians to make their children’s education a priority.
He reiterated the state government’s commitment to initiatives aimed at expanding access to education, particularly for children excluded from formal schooling.
“Rivers State remains committed to supporting initiatives that expand access to inclusive and quality education, particularly for vulnerable children who may have missed the opportunity to attend formal schools,” Fubara stressed.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba, described the growing number of out-of-school children as one of the major challenges confronting the education sector.
She called for a collective and collaborative approach among governments, communities, parents and other stakeholders to address the problem, stressing the need to ensure that no Nigerian child is denied the fundamental right to education.
The programme was organised by the Universal Basic Education Commission in collaboration with the Rivers State Government, as part of efforts to strengthen community participation and promote school enrolment across the southern states for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared the sum of N2.428 trillion among the Federal Government, 36 states government and the 774 Local Government Councils (LGCs) as revenue for the month of September.
The Director, Press and Public Relations, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), Mr Bawa Mokwa, said this in a statement in Abuja, yesterday.
Mokwa said the allocation was approved by FAAC at its October meeting held in Abuja.
He said the N2.428 trillion distributable revenue comprised of statutory revenue of N1.672 trillion, distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N756.587 billion.
Mokwa quoted the FAAC communiqué as saying that total gross revenue of N3.913 trillion was available in the month of September 2026.
He said a total deduction for cost of collection was N131.758 billion while total transfers, refunds and savings of N1.352 trillion.
According to him, a gross statutory revenue of N3.096 trillion was received for the month of September 2026.
“This was higher than the sum of N2.850 trillion received in the preceeding month by N246.384 billion.
“Gross revenue of N816.872 billion was available from the Value Added Tax (VAT) in September 2026.
“This was lower than the N834.843 billion available in the month of August 2026 by N17.972 billion,” he said.
Mokwa explained that the Federal Government received N832.242 billion and the state governments received the sum of N799.872 billion.
He said the LGCs received N560.660 billion, while the sum of N236.049 billion (13% of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting state as derivation revenue.
Mokwa said in the N1.672 billion distributable statutory revenue, the Federal Government received N756.583 billion and the State Governments received N383.749 billion.
He said the LGCs received N295.855 billion and the sum of N236.049 billion (13% of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting States as derivation revenue.
The director said from the N756.587 billion distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue, the Federal Government received N75.659 billion, the State Governments received N416.123 billion and the LGCs received N264.805 billion.
“In September 2026, Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), Hydrocarbon Tax (HT), Petroleum Royalties, Import Duty, CET Levies and Excise Duty increased significantly.
“Also, Companies Income Tax (CIT), CGT & SDT, Value Added Tax (VTA), Mineral Royalties, and Gas Flared Penalty, Rental Gas Flared Fee and Misc. Oil Revenue decreased considerably,” he said.
The ultimatum followed a joint meeting of the National Executive Council and Central Working Committee of the NLC held at the Olaitan Oyerinde Hall, Labour House, Abuja.
In a communiqué signed by the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, and made available to newsmen, yesterday, the union said the two-week ultimatum would commence on Friday, October 9, 2026.
It warned that failure by the government to meet its demands would compel the Congress to take further action.
The NLC specifically demanded that the government reduce the price of Premium Motor Spirit to the level it was when the current national minimum wage was signed into law in 2024.
It also demanded the immediate commencement of negotiations for a new minimum wage, implementation of the February 5, 2026, Terms of Settlement reached with the Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Healthcare Professionals, and action on the demands of the Joint Public Sector Negotiating Council.
The Congress further demanded tax relief and immediate wage awards for workers, arguing that the measures were necessary to cushion the impact of rising living costs.
The NLC said, “The current national minimum wage has been rendered worthless by the relentless depreciation of the naira and the astronomical rise in the cost of living.”
It added that workers could no longer meet basic needs, including food, shelter, healthcare, transportation and education, on their current earnings.
The labour body, therefore, demanded that the Federal Government commence renegotiation of the national minimum wage before the end of October.
“NEC-in-session demands that the Federal Government commence the renegotiation of the national minimum wage before the end of this month,” the communiqué stated.
The Congress also linked the erosion of workers’ purchasing power to the high cost of petrol, saying the price of the commodity had continued to drive up transportation costs and the prices of other essential goods.
“The exorbitant pump price of petrol has had a cascading effect on the cost of transportation, food, and other essential goods, further deepening the hardship of workers and the masses,” it said.
The NLC further demanded that the government grant tax relief to workers and immediately introduce wage awards, describing the measures as “the bare minimum required to alleviate the suffering of Nigerian workers and restore a measure of dignity to their lives.”
The latest ultimatum escalates the labour movement’s pressure on the Federal Government after public-sector workers under the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council embarked on a three-day warning strike earlier in October over rising living costs, petrol prices, wage awards and minimum wage negotiations.
The workers had demanded, among other measures, a reduction in petrol prices and the commencement of negotiations for a new minimum wage.
The NLC had also raised concerns in September over the declining purchasing power of workers, with Ajaero arguing that the N70,000 minimum wage had been overtaken by increases in the cost of food, transportation, housing, education and other essential expenses.
The current minimum wage was approved by President Bola Tinubu in July 2024 after negotiations involving the government, organised labour and the private sector.
Tinubu increased the Federal Government’s offer from N62,000 to N70,000 and agreed that the wage should be reviewed after three years rather than five years.
The NLC’s latest demand comes as the Federal Government announced fresh measures aimed at containing petrol-price pressures.
Yesterday, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, said the government was negotiating a ceiling of N1,350 per litre on the ex-gantry or landing cost of petrol, with monthly reviews, as part of measures to reduce price volatility.
The proposed ceiling does not mean petrol would necessarily sell at N1,350 per litre at filling stations.
The government also announced a 30-day discount on petrol dispensed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), with priority given to public transporters.
Oyedele said the arrangement was not a return to subsidy but an effort to sell the product at cost.
However, the NLC is seeking a more substantial reduction, insisting that petrol should return to the price level that prevailed when the N70,000 minimum wage was enacted in 2024.
The Congress also called for the implementation of the agreement reached with JOHESU in February, as well as the demands presented by the Joint Public Sector Negotiating Council.
It warned that failure to respond within the two-week period would have consequences.
“Failure of which the NLC will be compelled to take remedial steps as would be directed by the relevant organs,” the communiqué said.
The union consequently directed its affiliates and allies to remain prepared for further action.
“NEC-in-session reaffirms the historical responsibility of the NLC to resist all forms of exploitation and oppression,” it stated, urging its affiliates to remain “on high alert and fully prepared to engage in decisive efforts against all anti-people policies.”
The development also comes amid fresh labour tensions in Abuja, where the FCT Council of the NLC commenced an indefinite strike on Wednesday over disputes with the FCT Administration concerning teachers’ promotion policies.
The council directed workers across public and private establishments to withdraw their services after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum.
The latest NLC ultimatum puts renewed pressure on the Federal Government to address wage and fuel-price concerns as both sides grapple with disagreements over the implementation of previous labour agreements and measures to cushion the impact of economic reforms.
The NLC said its demands were aimed at protecting workers and the wider population from further deterioration in their standard of living, insisting that Nigerian workers must remain “resolute, organised, and uncompromising” in the struggle for improved living conditions.
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