News

Resign Now, Northern Youths Tell Buhari …PDP Reacts As Borno Residents Boo President In Maiduguri …Nigeria’s Security Architecture Has Collapsed -CAN

Published

7 years ago

February 13, 2020

The Coalition of Concerned Northern Youths (CCNY) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to honourably resign as President, adding that he has failed woefully.
In a statement signed by its National Convener, Muhammed Ishaq and made available to newsmen, yesterday, the coalition cited the President’s lack of the will power to tackle the security challenges facing the country.
This call by the youths’ coalition followed a similar call by the Ango Abdullahi-led Northern Elders Forum (NEF), which had last weekend declared the administration of President Buhari a total failure.
The group said it had warned Nigerians that Buhari has nothing to offer to them, adding that the President has failed to tackle insecurity and improve the economy.
NEF said Buhari-led government appeared helpless in finding solutions to the numerous challenges the country is faced with
The Northern youths added, “The above named coalition wishes to make its position clear regarding the insecurity problem that has been ravaging Nigeria, particularly the Northern part for long.
“We, as a coalition that represents millions of youths from various nooks and crannies of Northern Nigeria, are pained by the insecurity problem that threatens to consume our region, the North.
“It is a glaring fact that security situation of Nigeria is seriously deteriorating and our agony as victims is aggravating. This lingering insecurity problem is one of the major reasons that made us to clamour for change and voted Goodluck Jonathan out in 2015.
“But instead of getting panacea for the problem, we just got respite, and now, the problem has been resurfacing with escalating dimension under the watch of someone that vowed to be our saviour.”
The group noted that is almost five years now and the country under the watch of Buhari is either worse than the Jonathan administration or it is no different from the previous government despite the fact that in his first term, “Buhari pledged that his government would bring an end to the national suffering inflicted by insecurity.
“Our stance as youths and backbone of our nation is that we grow tired of excuses while our lives are being taken on hourly basis.
“We cannot continue watching while our region is being turned to ashes and cemetery.
“We cannot keep mute while our future is being punctured and fractured due to the carelessness and negligence of those that are entrusted with our protection.
“Our investigation revealed that about 80 per cent of the victims of this insecurity are Nigerian youths, particularly Northerners considering the fact that the kidnapped and the kidnappers are mostly youths, the killed and the killers are mostly youths, the soldiers on warfront and the terrorists are mostly youths also.
“It is on reliable and available records that not less than 245 persons were killed in violent attacks across Nigeria in January, 2020 only.
“The Expat Insider Survey of 2019 by Inter Nations has revealed that Nigeria is the third most dangerous country in the world due to widespread insecurity and corruption.
“The aforementioned facts have irrefutably shown that Muhammadu Buhari as President of Nigeria has woefully failed to secure the lives of Nigerians due to probably lack of will, commitment or competence.
“If we did not forget, when Nigeria was boiling under Jonathan with Boko Haram massacring thousands and over-running military barracks, almost all Nigerians believed Jonathan was not fit to rescue Nigeria and was voted out.
“Now that the same insecurity problem is replaying itself under President Muhammadu Buhari, we are left with no option than to respectfully but vehemently call on President Muhammadu Buhari to honourably resign to give room for someone who has what it takes to address the security problem that constantly turns our nation to another version of Somalia.
“The above call is made in the best interest of the nation having considered the fact that insecurity problem is caused and maintained by nothing but the failure of leadership.”
Similarly, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to go beyond his sympathy visit to Borno State and take decisive steps to end the killings across the country.
This is even as the party described the alleged booing of President Buhari in Borno State, yesterday, as a clear message to him that Nigerians hold him responsible for the escalated insecurity in the country.
A statement signed by the party’s spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan read: “The PDP demands that Mr. President should not limit his visit to Borno State but also visit other parts of the country, including Kaduna, Kano, Benue, Plateau, Yobe, Adamawa, Zamfara, Kogi, Niger, Taraba and other states to face the feelings of Nigerians as well as view the national devastation his poor handling of security and infrastructure has caused our nation.
“The party hopes that the visit to Borno State, which came only after the PDP and Nigerians criticized Mr. President for his aloofness, particularly over the Auno killing on Sunday, is not part of the usual presidential media stunts that will not be followed with a corresponding action to track down killers and end terrorism.
“It (booing) shows a loss of confidence in the Buhari Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The PDP further charges Mr. President to endeavour to go on subsequent visits by road in order to see and feel the agony Nigerians are being subjected to with the parlous state of our road infrastructure and security network under the incompetent and unresponsive Buhari Presidency and APC.
“Our party holds that Nigerians do not deserve a distant President, who sits in the comfort of the Presidential villa and luxury jets, remaining indifferent to the pains, anguish and torments that compatriots suffer on daily basis.
“The PDP hereby calls on Mr. President to quickly embark on these visits and monitor, on first hand basis, the damage which his administration has caused and for which Nigerians are demanding that he resigns and allow more competent hands to manage the affairs of our nation. It is only after these visits that the Buhari Presidency will appreciate that those calling on him to rejig the nation’s security architecture mean well for our dear country.”
However, the songs of welcome have changed in Maiduguri for President Muhammadu Buhari, from being friendly and warm to being openly hostile.
According to video published online, yesterday, as the President’s convoy blitzed through the streets of the Boko Haram threatened city, the crowd that lined the streets shouted “Bama so”, “Bama so”, which means “We don’t want you”.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has called on the people of Borno to cooperate with the military and other security agencies to facilitate successful implementation of the counter-insurgency campaign.
The President made the call when he paid a condolence visit to the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar El-Kanemi, yesterday, in Maiduguri.
Recall that the president is in Borno to sympathise with government and people of the state over the Boko Haram insurgents’ attack which claimed many lives at Auno in Konduga Local Government Area.
The insurgents had, last Sunday, attacked Auno community, killing dozens of stranded passengers, destroyed houses, vehicles and properties worth millions of Naira.
Buhari noted that the fight against insurgency could not be executed without good intelligence and support of the people.
“Boko Haram, or whatever they are, cannot come up to Maiduguri or its environs without the local leadership knowing; traditionally, the local leadership is in charge of security in their own respective areas.
“With my understanding of our culture, I wonder how Boko Haram survives up to this end.
“As the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, I campaigned in 2015 and last year on three fundamental issues which include security – you cannot preside over an institution or a country if it is not secured.
“This is just common sense, everybody knows this, even those that have not gone to school knows this.
“On the issue of economy, the Nigerian youths are over 60 per cent of our population with many of them below 30-years. We have to remind them that they must help us to stabilise the country so that they can have a better future.
“If they do not cooperate with government; they are endangering their future; I am already 77 now, how many years do I expect under normal circumstances?”
Buhari reiterated his commitment to work with the security agencies to enhance security, protect lives and property in the country.
“We are working for you in this country; as Commander-in-Chief, I am dealing with the security institutions, and I believe there is improvement in security.
“I urge the people of the state to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies; let us deny Boko Haram access to our loyal citizens and encourage displaced people to go back to their land,” he said.
The President noted that his visit to the state was to sympathise and show his respect to the governor and the people of the state.
Speaking on the economy of the nation, Buhari said that government had saved millions of dollars through agriculture which enhances livelihood of farmers and food security, and also improved the social and economic state of the people.
Buhari said that the Federal Government had adopted proactive measures to check smuggling through the land borders in the country.
According to him, government has created an enabling environment for educated Nigerians to venture into legitimate and sustainable agriculture to enable them become self-reliant and employers of labour.
The President, however, commended the state Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum for providing quality leadership in the state.
Also speaking, Zulum called on the military to take the fight to the insurgents in the fringes of the Sambisa Forest, Lake Chad Basin and other identified hideouts of the terrorists.
Zulum urged the military authorities to foster greater unity between them and the civil authorities with a view to closing the existing discrepancies in their relations.
Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) says the killing of over 30 people in Auno near Maiduguri by Boko Haram has again proven that the security architecture in Nigeria has collapsed.
CAN wondered why President Muhammadu Buhari was dragging foot on the need to overhaul the security hierarchy.
In a statement yesterday, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, spokesman to CAN president, Rev Samson Ayokunle, commiserated with families of the bereaved, Muslims in Nigeria, the people and Borno State Government.
It said that the Nigerian Army and Buhari Government had severally claimed that terrorists had been decimated, technically defeated and chased away from the country.
CAN lamented that the insurgents have actually become more daring in their deadly operations, consistently attacking communities, killing, maiming, abducting and burning property with minimal or without any resistance from the frontline troops.
Condemning the claim, CAN has insisted that that the security arrangement in the country, especially in the North-east has been compromised.
“Except the security system is completely overhauled, Nigerians will remain helpless and Federal Government may never be able to contain the current nightmarish security situation”, it warned.
“There is no doubt that sabotage and compromise are largely responsible for the prolonged terrorism, banditry, kidnappings and herdsmen killings in the country, an allegation that has been confirmed by authoritative voices in the country’s security circle at the highest level.
“It is, however, sad that Federal Government nay the Commander-in-Chief is still turning a deaf ear to the desperate calls for the rejigging of the security architecture by Nigerians.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) says the killing of over 30 people in Auno near Maiduguri by Boko Haram has again proven that the security architecture in Nigeria has collapsed.

News

SERAP Drags FG To ECOWAS Court Over N78.8bn Cash Transfer

Published

4 days ago

October 26, 2026

The Tide

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued the Federal Government at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice over alleged diversion, irregular expenditure and failure to account for N78.8bn allocated to cash-transfer and social-protection programmes.

SERAP, in a statement released by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, yesterday, said the allegations involved the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the National Cash Transfer Office and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office.

The allegations were documented in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2024 Annual Report, published on August 7, 2026.

According to the report, the findings covered various periods between January 2023 and December 31, 2024.

In the suit, marked ECW/CCJ/APP/42/26 and filed last week, SERAP is seeking a declaration that the government’s failure to account for the funds violates Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.

The organisation is also asking the court to order the government to provide a comprehensive account of the questioned funds, investigate the alleged irregularities, recover any money improperly spent or diverted where established, and strengthen financial oversight of social-protection programmes.

SERAP argued that the alleged financial irregularities could undermine the rights of vulnerable Nigerians to social security and an adequate standard of living, including access to food, clothing and housing.

The statement party read, “The funds were intended to benefit over 3.2 million households across 35 states, whose access to financial assistance has been affected by the allegations made by the Auditor-General.”

The suit, filed by SERAP’s lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Kehinde Oyewumi, stated that the government’s failure to investigate the allegations and recover any improperly spent funds violated its obligations to protect vulnerable households.

“The failure to investigate the N78.8 billion cash-transfer scandal, account for the questioned funds and recover any unlawfully spent amounts violates Nigeria’s obligations to protect the human rights of vulnerable households,” the suit partly read.

The organisation said it instituted the case to protect affected households and ensure accountability for public funds allocated for their benefit.

“SERAP brings this public-interest case to protect the interests of affected households and ensure accountability for public funds allocated for their benefit,” it stated.

The organisation maintained that cash-transfer programmes could help address extreme poverty and enable vulnerable people to meet their basic needs, but argued that the government had a duty to ensure the funds were properly managed.

“The right to social security cannot be effectively realised merely by establishing a formal cash-transfer programme where the State fails to maintain reasonable systems for identifying beneficiaries, maintaining records, reconciling disbursements, monitoring expenditure, investigating irregularities and remedying losses,” the statement further stated.

According to SERAP, the Auditor-General questioned approximately N33.751bn reportedly transferred to more than 3.2 million households across 35 states in 2023, noting that adequate records to verify the payments and reconcile beneficiary records were not provided.

The report also identified N36.744bn in payments allegedly made without prepayment audits, N4.616bn in unsupported expenditures, N350.182m for enrolment, N89.511m for store purchases and N17.422m in diesel advances.

SERAP said the suit was brought under Article 9(4) of the ECOWAS Court Protocol to protect affected households and ensure accountability for public funds intended for social protection.

“The issue is whether the government has discharged its obligations under applicable human-rights treaties to safeguard resources allocated for social protection, investigate documented financial irregularities, provide effective remedies and ensure that those resources are applied for their intended purposes,” it stated.

The organisation also cited the constitutional responsibility of the Auditor-General to audit and report on the public accounts of the Federation and the offices and agencies of the Federal Government, describing the findings in the annual report as important official records of public expenditure.

It relied on Articles 1 and 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, arguing that the government had obligations to give effect to protected rights and ensure that failures in administering social-protection programmes did not result in discriminatory exclusion or unequal access to benefits.

“The Nigerian government has the obligation to take effective measures to prevent and address corruption and related misuse of public resources. The government has failed to take appropriate measures in response to the allegations made by the Auditor-General”, the statement added.

SERAP said it had previously urged President Bola Tinubu and relevant authorities to account for the questioned funds, publish audit records, investigate irregular expenditures, recover any funds unlawfully spent or diverted and take appropriate action against those responsible.

Following the publication of the Auditor-General’s report, the organisation issued a public statement and sent a letter dated September 5, 2026, requesting action on the findings. It also sought payment and beneficiary records, verification documents and an explanation for the missing REMITA records.

“The deadline given to the government to address the Auditor-General’s findings had elapsed without adequate action,” it stated.

The organisation further cited Articles 1 and 21 of the African Charter, alongside Article 9 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, as requiring effective measures to protect rights and resources, promote transparent public financial management, investigate irregularities and recover public funds where losses or improper expenditure were established.

SERAP also relied on the works of legal scholar Kolawole Olaniyan, including Corruption and Human Rights Law in Africa, published by Hart Publishing in 2014, and Ownership of Proceeds of Corruption in International Law, published by Oxford University Press in 2023. It said the publications provided persuasive academic authority on corruption’s effects on human rights, public resources, accountability and international legal remedies.

“SERAP accordingly submits that the Auditor-General’s findings cannot be treated merely as administrative irregularities where public funds allocated for social protection may have been lost, improperly spent or left unaccounted for, and the government fails to take effective corrective action,” the statement added.

SERAP is asking the court to direct the government to conduct an independent, prompt and effective investigation into the identified irregularities, recover public funds improperly spent, diverted or lost where established, and take appropriate legal or administrative action against those found responsible, in accordance with due process.

It also wants the government to strengthen financial accountability, beneficiary verification, auditing, reconciliation and oversight mechanisms to prevent a recurrence of the alleged irregularities and ensure that eligible vulnerable households receive their intended benefits.

The organisation is further seeking an order restraining the government from administering or disbursing cash-transfer and social-protection funds without adequate accountability and oversight mechanisms, as well as appropriate remedies for any established adverse effects on beneficiaries’ protected rights.

No date has, however, been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

News

FG releases N38.93bn to upgrade 166 tertiary institutions

Published

4 days ago

October 26, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has released N38.93bn to 166 public tertiary institutions nationwide under the Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund to address infrastructure deficits and improve teaching and learning facilities.

The intervention covers 79 universities, 46 polytechnics and 41 colleges of education, with universities receiving the largest share of the allocation.

The Federal Ministry of Finance disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Head of Media, Efe Ovuakporie, explaining that the funds would support approved projects in beneficiary institutions.

The statement read, “The Federal Government has disbursed N38.93bn to 166 public tertiary institutions nationwide under the Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund.”

According to the ministry, the university component accounts for N28.5bn, while N5.8bn has been allocated to polytechnics and N4.7bn to colleges of education.

An analysis of the allocations by PUNCH Online showed that universities would receive approximately 73.2 per cent of the announced N38.93bn intervention, making them the largest beneficiaries.

Polytechnics would account for about 14.9 per cent, while colleges of education would receive approximately 12.1 per cent.

The ministry explained that the intervention was intended to address longstanding infrastructure challenges in public tertiary institutions and support the implementation of agreements reached between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

It stated, “The intervention forms part of the Federal Government’s efforts to address the needs of public universities and support the implementation of agreed measures under the Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.”

The Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund is designed to support improvements in institutional infrastructure and other identified needs, particularly in public universities, where inadequate facilities have remained a recurring concern in negotiations between the government and academic unions.

The ministry said the latest disbursement would enable beneficiary institutions to begin new projects or continue previously approved interventions aimed at improving their operational capacity.

“The funds are expected to enable beneficiary institutions to commence or advance approved projects addressing critical infrastructure and other identified institutional needs, with the overall objective of strengthening the quality of tertiary education in Nigeria,” it added.

The government also emphasised the need for coordination among the Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Ministry of Education and beneficiary institutions to ensure that the released funds produced measurable improvements.

It noted that effective collaboration would be necessary to translate the financial intervention into improved infrastructure, institutional capacity and learning conditions.

News

Senate Passes Bill For Establishment Of Federal University Of Agriculture In Rivers

Published

4 days ago

October 26, 2026

The Tide

The bill to approve the establishment of the Federal University of Agriculture, Emughan, Abua-Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State has passed third reading.

The Bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Federal Universities of Agriculture Act, Cap. F22, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2024” was sponsored by Senator Ipalibo Harry Banigo representing Rivers West Senatorial District.

The bill seeks to amend the existing Federal Universities of Agriculture Act to provide for the establishment of the proposed institution in Emughan community in Rivers State.

The passage of the bill by the Senate marks a significant legislative milestone towards the establishment of the proposed university.

When established, the institution is expected to expand access to higher education, promote agricultural research and innovation, develop skilled manpower, and contribute to the economic growth of Rivers State and Nigeria at large.

According to a statement made available to The Tide, the bill, having passed the Third Reading in the Senate, will now proceed to the House of Representatives for concurrence as part of the legislative process towards its enactment into law.

The bill underscores Senator Banigo’s commitment to advancing educational opportunities and strengthening agricultural development in Rivers State.

By: Kevin Nengia