Editorial
Enough Of These Killings
For the umpteenth time, Nigerians began a New Year with national tragedies. The horrific killing of 17 persons in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State on the eve of the New Year, the killing of over 50 persons by herdsmen in Benue State, the brutal murder of a traditional ruler and his wife in Kaduna State and the mayhem that led to the destruction of properties in Kwara State which also resulted in rape of women and young girls, certainly are not the best way to start the New Year.
These orgies of bloodletting are not only tragic but also portend danger to the corporate existence of the country. These should, therefore, be curbed now to avert a more dangerous reaction from the survivors or those who are at the receiving end of this spate of wanton acts of violence.
While The Tide shares in the pains of the survivors and families of the victims of these acts of mindless violence, we are at a loss as to what could have made a group of persons to resort to the killing, maiming and raping of their fellow human beings especially at the Yuletide season when every Nigerian was expected to share love and make merry with each other.
The killings across the country clearly show the inefficiency of the crime detecting and preventive apparatus by security agencies, as people are no longer safe in their homes and places of worship, just as the highways have now become a hunting ground for kidnappers and men of the underworld.
At a time like this when the country needs direct foreign investment to revive its ailing economy, these acts of mindless violence are not only uncalled for, but also embarrassing as it would discourage those who want to do business in Nigeria.
It is against this backdrop that we urge the Federal Government to put in place necessary measures that will guarantee the security of lives and property of all Nigerians irrespective of their places of abode.
For these killings to happen at this time, we believe that the Federal Government whose primary responsibility is to safeguard lives and property failed in its duty, and therefore, should make amends by beefing up security nationwide. The government should not only increase the number of security personnel in the country which falls far short of the United Nations standard in policing, but should also equip the force adequately.
The Federal Government should note that it is quite incongruous and unacceptable that in a country where billions of Naira are budgeted for security yearly, unchecked acts of criminality and banditry still reign supreme.
The government should, as a matter of urgency, dispel insinuations that it is not serious in combating crime by ensuring that the perpetrators of these acts of wickedness are apprehended and prosecuted in the courts. This is against the backdrop of the fact that just few days ago, protesters against the recent pogrom in Benue State were shot at by security agents.
If the Federal Government can use its might to crush the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Boko Haram, what then stops it from eradicating the menace of hersmen and cultists in the country? We believe that selective policing will do the nation no good as it will bring about disaffection and anarchy.
We, however, commend the Rivers State Government for showing commitment in the fight against banditry by placing a N200m bounty on the perpetrators of the Omoku massacre. But beyond that, the Federal Government and its security apparatus should brace up to their responsibilities by ensuring that the fight against criminality is not only effective but modernised to achieve quick results.
While we condemn the politicisation of security issues that have to do with the lives of Nigerians, we also appeal to community development committees, the traditional institution and the public to make information available to security agencies in making our society safer and investment friendly.
There are moments in the life of a legislature when plain speaking becomes a public service. Senator Adams Oshiomhole provided such a moment on the floor of the Senate when he accused the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, of manifestly neglecting critical federal arteries in Edo and Delta States, and implored his colleagues to prevail on the Minister to adopt a more equitable and genuinely national approach to road infrastructure delivery. It was blunt, it was uncomfortable, and it was necessary.
The specifics of his complaint deserve restating. Drawing attention to the recent approval of some 20 new road projects despite the parlous state of existing ones, the former Edo State governor lamented that Nigerians cannot travel from Benin to Warri, Benin to Asaba, Benin to Auchi, or Auchi to Okene without encountering severe distress. He alleged a deliberate omission of these corridors from the national budget in the last three years, save for palliative interventions directed by President Bola Tinubu through tax credit arrangements. His question — “What have we done wrong?” — resonates far beyond the chambers of the National Assembly.
We lend our full and unequivocal support to that call. The Auchi-Benin Road, for instance, has been in a deplorable and near-impassable condition for several years, turning what should be a two-hour journey into an all-day ordeal of broken axles, extortionate fares, and despondent commuters. The media have, on multiple occasions, chronicled the suffering of motorists, traders, and students who ply that route. To describe it as a federal road today is to stretch the meaning of the term beyond recognition.
This pattern of sidelining is not confined to Edo or Delta. Even here in Rivers State, the disposition of the Federal Ministry of Works has left much to be desired, particularly along the Eleme axis of the East-West Road. That road, which ought to be a flagship of federal presence in the Niger Delta, has remained in a wretched state for long. Those who use it daily — workers at the Eleme Petrochemical Complex, the two refineries, Onne Port, and the countless ancillary industries — can attest to its deterioration. Work has proceeded in fits and starts without the sustained urgency such a strategic road demands.
The Eleme stretch is not a mere intra-state byway. It is the gateway to the nation’s economic jugular. According to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing’s 2023 Highway Condition Survey, only about 35 per cent of the country’s 36,000 kilometres of federal roads are rated as being in good or fair condition, with the remainder classified as poor or very poor. The East-West Road, conceived in the 1970s to bind the entire Niger Delta, remains unfinished in critical sections more than four decades after. If it had been treated as a priority, the perennial gridlock, carnage, and economic loss on the Eleme-Refinery junction would have long been consigned to history.
The irony is as painful as it is glaring. The Niger Delta remains the goose that lays the golden eggs. Data from the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative [NEITI 2023 Oil and Gas Audit] show that the region still accounts for over 78 per cent of Nigeria’s federally collected export earnings and about 65 per cent of total government revenue. The National Bureau of Statistics [NBS Foreign Trade Report Q4 2024] similarly confirms that crude oil continues to dominate export receipts. By every metric of equity and economic logic, a region that sustains the national purse deserves first-rate consideration in the allocation of infrastructure, not afterthoughts and tokenism.
Road infrastructure is not largesse to be dispensed by favour; it is the skeleton upon which commerce, cohesion, and citizenship hang. When contracts are concentrated in one geopolitical zone while other zones are left to contend with craters, it erodes trust in the federation itself. The World Bank’s Nigeria Development Update [June 2023] estimated that poor transport connectivity inflates the cost of moving goods by up to 40 per cent and costs the Nigerian economy an estimated $1.5 billion annually in lost man-hours and vehicle maintenance. If we profess to be one country, then equity must be the compass that guides key institutions before any project is executed. Development must spread round, not pool in one place as though other regions do not matter.
There is also a grave security dimension that can no longer be ignored. The deplorable condition of federal roads has become a veritable enabler of criminality. The NBS Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey reported over 2.5 million incidents of kidnapping-related occurrences nationally, with transport workers identifying bad road spots as prime ambush points. When vehicles are forced to crawl at 10 kilometres per hour through failed sections at Auchi, Sapele Road, or Eleme, they become sitting ducks for armed gangs. Fixing bad roads, therefore, is not merely about convenience; it is about safeguarding lives.
By his intervention, Senator Oshiomhole has hit the nail on the head and reminded Minister Umahi of a fundamental constitutional truth: public office is held in trust. The Ministry of Works is not a personal estate where contracts are awarded according to whim or political convenience. It is a national institution funded by the collective resources of Nigerians, including the oil and gas rents from the very communities whose roads are now neglected. The Minister must demonstrate balance, transparency, and a pan-Nigerian outlook in the distribution of projects that impact the daily existence of citizens. Selective neglect breeds suspicion, and suspicion is corrosive at a time when the nation is preaching unity, oneness, equity, and justice.
Consequently, the National Assembly must go beyond rhetoric and assert its oversight powers with vigour. Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution [as amended] empower the legislature to investigate and expose any maladministration in the execution of federal projects. If an office holder is not acting rightly, it is the duty of the Senate and the House of Representatives to call him to order. Oversight must not be reduced to budget approval ceremonies; it must translate to field verification, public hearings, and insistence that the Federal Character principle, as enshrined in Section 14(3) of the Constitution, reflects in road awards.
Let the Auchi-Okene, Benin-Warri, Benin-Asaba, and Eleme East-West gangways be restored to motorable dignity. Let priority be given to completing existing, economically vital roads before embarking on new ones. If those who, through their resources, sustain the federation are sidelined in the distribution of tangible dividends, it tells poorly of our nationhood. Bad roads must be fixed, and they must be fixed now, with fairness as the guiding standard.
