Editorial
APC’s Insensitive Form Price

The sale of the expression of interest and nomination forms for aspirants contemplating various elective positions on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is not only outrageous, but it is also against Nigerian youths interested in contesting in the 2023 general election. The announcement sparked verbal attacks on the ruling party, with many questioning the rationale behind the fixing of the amount, which has been described as “ridiculous”.
The APC has pegged the amounts for expression of interest and nomination forms for presidential, governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly seats for N100 million, N50 million, N20 million, N10 million and N2 million respectively. Except for a criminal and a corrupt person, an average Nigerian cannot contest for a position in the ruling party, further exposing its depraved tendencies.
Clearly, the outrageous cost of forms vitiates the principles upon which the party campaigned and was voted into power. Nigerians should be concerned that the APC, which was supposedly founded on the values and ideals of progressive philosophy, would make pre-qualification for elective offices – at state and national level – the exclusive preserve of party members with either great personal wealth or that have unlimited access to other sources of funding.
Some persons have argued that the reason for the exorbitant cost of nomination forms was simply to prune the number of contenders or to delineate the pretenders from the contenders. However, we insist that the argument is flawed. There are ample objective criteria such as integrity, experience, character, political antecedents, empathy, intelligence, and goodwill, among others, which could be employed to enable the emergence of genuinely qualified candidates.
The danger this poses to the party is that many prospective and otherwise eminently qualified office-seekers that do not possess enormous personal wealth will, in every practical sense, be precluded from seeking party nomination, regardless of the depth and breadth of their popular support. Personal wealth was not the yardstick of assessment that enabled President Muhammadu Buhari to emerge as the flag-bearer of the party in 2015 and 2019.
The APC owes it to itself and the teeming Nigerians who voted it into power for two consecutive terms, to remain a party of true progressives and a true party of progressives. The current party position on the cost of forms for expression of interest and nomination for elective offices appears to vitiate the very principles upon which the party campaigned and was elected.
For the 2019 general election, the party pegged its presidential form at N45m, while in 2015, it collected N27.5m. Recall that President Buhari had, while picking the form in the build-up to the 2015 general election, lamented its cost and also claimed to have taken a loan to buy it. Unlike the ruling party, the leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had pegged its presidential forms for the 2023 general elections at N40m. In 2018, the party sold it for N12m.
A Nigerian President receives a total salary package of N1.17 million monthly. This sum is inclusive of a basic monthly salary of N292,892, a hardship allowance of N146,446 monthly, and a consistency allowance of N732,230 per month. The annual salary of a Nigerian President stands at N14.05 million. In seven years, the figure would jump to N98.5 million. In four years, the maximum a President can earn is N56.2 million, slightly above half of what APC is asking presidential aspirants to pay to get the country’s top job.
Undoubtedly, the imposition of such exorbitant costs will embolden fraud and become a vehicle to completely marginalise and exclude some people from the presidential race. Moreover, the cost of the forms is not part of the several billions of Naira aspirants will incur to campaign around the country. They fly chartered aircraft and pay high accommodation costs to lodge their guests and mobilisers.
It is heartrending that President Buhari, who rode into office in 2015 on the promise to fight corruption, has kept mum about the outrageous cost of forms. In 2014, Buhari described the N27.5 million fee for the forms as exorbitant, confessing he had to take out a bank loan to purchase his party’s intent form for the presidential race. The N100 million pegged for the 2023 presidential intent form is several per cent higher than what the party collected for the 2015 election.
Denouncing the astronomical cost of nomination and expression of interest forms of the APC, National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Jare Ajayi, said only dishonest politicians could afford it. We agree with him, no less. The APC’s despicable decision only aims at marginalising youths, women and the average citizens who have clamoured to improve opportunities to exercise their rights to declare their interests and contest in the elections.
The cost of the forms has defeated the essence of the Not Too Young Act, signed by the President on May 31, 2018. This administration signed the Not Too Young To Run Act to give youths a chance at participating in the political process. Now, what kind of job would a youth of perhaps 30 years have done to save as much as N50 million regarding the APC? It is hard to imagine a young person who can muster the courage to buy the form at such an enormous cost.
Given the high price of the forms, the ruling party is simply saying that politics is not for the poor but the rich. It also means that anybody who gets into office after paying such a tremendous nomination fee will have to recoup their money, thereby enabling corruption in public offices. This party has devalued and destroyed the Naira and might want to erode it further.
The only reasonable alternative left is for the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to rethink its position on the matter, which is already generating a lot of debate and controversy from within and without the party. It is never too late to reduce the cost and make refunds. Truly, the APC has inadvertently been made a party of the wealthy by the wealthy for the wealthy.
Editorial
Easter: A Call For National Renewal

Yesterday was Easter Sunday, a day when Christians around the world celebrate their belief that Jesus Christ rose from the dead after being crucified and buried. The day is a moment for deep reflection and spiritual renewal. The Lenten season before Easter promotes self-examination, fasting, and prayers to help believers grow closer to God. This time of reflection leads to the joyful celebration of resurrection. The Risen Christ represents hope and the promise of life after death, highlighting themes of love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
For those who truly understand Easter as celebrating life’s victory over death, the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth—unjustly executed by Roman authorities—represents justice overcoming injustice, love conquering hatred, and divine compassion transcending human malice. This Easter message challenges humanity broadly and Nigerians specifically. Amid politics often devoid of morality, Easter calls us to prioritise the power of love over the love of power.
This year, Nigerians marked Easter amid a climate of insecurity, with citizens facing abduction for ransom on streets and from homes, and murder on farms and in places of worship. For many years, Nigeria has been entombed in darkness of injustice, sealed with the heavy stone of oppression. This oppression weighs down millions of citizens, preventing them from realising their God-given potential. Our national history reflects disturbing uncertainty and unnecessary, avoidable hardship for many.
Many individuals who pursue or currently occupy positions of public office have unfortunately succumbed to a distinctive form of blindness that accompanies power—a perceptual impairment that renders them unable to recognise a fundamental truth: that no nation built upon the foundation of injustice can truly endure or thrive in the long term. This deliberate refusal to see reality clearly has, over generations, enabled and perpetuated destructive cycles of inadequate governance, institutional failure, and widespread suffering among the very populations these officials have sworn to serve.
Beyond Easter’s religious festivities, we must confront the reality that our population has often fallen prey to dubious religiosity, fake patriotism, and criminally deceitful politics. Nigeria stands as a land immensely blessed by the Creator yet mindlessly damaged by negative attitudes of both leaders and citizens. Despite abundant natural endowments, our country remains populated by impoverished people.
An alarming number of young Nigerians are succumbing to despair. They see no future in their homeland and actively seek opportunities to leave a country that offers little hope to its children. Yet, Nigeria can and should rise from this tomb of hopelessness—Easter’s celebration symbolises precisely this restoration of hope in seemingly impossible circumstances.
Our collective hope must be rekindled and nurtured back to full strength. All Nigerians—from those in the highest positions of leadership to everyday citizens in communities across the nation—need to work diligently and conscientiously toward rebuilding and restoring genuine hope for the younger generation who represent our future. This essential task requires tangible, meaningful actions that clearly demonstrate a sincere commitment to positive, sustainable change rather than continuing the pattern of empty rhetoric and unfulfilled promises that has too often characterised past efforts.
If we genuinely wish to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and apply its meaning to our national situation, we must resolve to operate differently. We must commit to building a nation where oppression has no place, where elections proceed without acrimony or ethnic profiling, where voter intimidation and vote buying are eliminated, and where results reflect the true will of the people.
Easter encapsulates the profound message of new beginnings and spiritual renewal, challenging us to apply these transformative principles to the rebirth of Nigeria by wholeheartedly embracing and actualising our lofty ideals. Indeed, the generations yet unborn, who will inherit the Nigeria we shape today through our actions and commitments, deserve nothing less than a thoroughly transformed country that lives up to its full potential as the giant of Africa.
For this new Nigeria to emerge, each citizen must commit to living with a completely renewed attitude. We must embrace transformation at both personal and collective levels. The journey toward national renewal begins with individual change—in our homes, workplaces, and communities. Easter should be understood not merely as a celebration but as a sacred obligation to our nation and one another. It represents a profound opportunity for rebirth and restoration. Just as the Easter story speaks of sacrifice leading to new life, our nation requires our collective sacrifice and dedication to experience true renewal.
This season imposes upon us the responsibility to rise from the dark tomb into which greed and selfishness have pushed us, embracing a new life dedicated to truth, goodness, and love. If Nigerians continue with business as usual—maintaining corrupt practices and self-serving attitudes—there would be no legitimate cause for celebration. Indeed, the true meaning of Easter for Nigeria lies not in festivities alone but in our collective determination to resurrect our nation from its current challenges toward a brighter, more hopeful future.
Editorial
NAFDAC’s Destruction Of Counterfeit Drugs

Last Friday, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) destroyed fake, counterfeit and substandard drugs worth over N1 trillion in Awka, the Anambra State capital. Recall that for one month, NAFDAC shut the Onitsha Drug Market, restricting shop owners from coming to the market, barricading it with military personnel, while officials broke into and ransacked shops in search of fake drugs.
NAFDAC’s Zonal Director for South-East, Dr. Martin Iluyomade, revealed some of the drugs destroyed to include Analgin, Tramadol, and various paediatric pharmaceuticals, which had been stored in prohibited areas or were banned by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Iluyomade said the closure and raids of the markets where the drugs were confiscated was in response to public complaints regarding the prevalence of fake, substandard and counterfeit drugs in the South-East.
He said: “Many of these drugs are banned, such as Analgin and certain paediatric medications, and they were stored in places that violate WHO regulations. It is our responsibility to ensure that these products are safe and fit for human consumption. These drugs were transported in a 140-foot truck, valued at over N1trillion, and were supposed to be stored at specific temperatures. However, they were kept in markets that do not meet the required standards.
“The volume of drugs found in these two markets could destabilise the country, and many of these are narcotic drugs associated with criminal activities. People who consume these drugs are not only harming themselves but also using them to commit crimes, which contributes to the growing insecurity in our country.”
Unfortunately, that is the chilling reality of counterfeit drugs, and it is a problem NAFDAC is relentlessly fighting. This dramatic action underscores the monumental scale of the problem and the unwavering commitment of NAFDAC to protect public health. The massive destruction highlights the pervasive nature of the counterfeit drug trade and the resources NAFDAC dedicates to combatting it.
Counterfeit drugs are dangerous, even deadly. They can contain the wrong dosage, the wrong active ingredients, or even harmful substances. Imagine taking a pill you believe will cure your illness, only to find it contains something entirely different – something that could worsen human condition or even kill. That is the terrifying reality of the counterfeit drug market.
The insidious world of counterfeit medications poses a grave threat, as these fake drugs often harbour toxic fillers or entirely different, untested chemicals. The consumption of such substances can trigger a cascade of adverse reactions, varying from minor allergic responses to catastrophic organ failure, leaving vulnerable individuals severely harmed. In this critical battle for public health, NAFDAC stands as our frontline defender.
Through tireless monitoring, rigorous inspections, and decisive action against those who peddle these dangerous fakes, NAFDAC acts as a vital gatekeeper, ensuring the safety and efficacy of the medications we depend on. Supporting NAFDAC’s mission is paramount, as it directly equates to safeguarding the lives and well-being of our Nigerians by preventing the proliferation of these harmful and potentially lethal counterfeit medications.
Given the breadth and criticality of NAFDAC’s mandate – regulating everything from food and drugs to cosmetics and medical devices – it is imperative that the Federal Government bolsters the agency’s resources and capabilities. This monumental task, encompassing the entire lifecycle of regulated products from importation to usage, demands substantial investment in infrastructure, advanced technological tools, and a highly skilled workforce.
Under-resourcing NAFDAC risks compromising its ability to effectively monitor and enforce regulations, potentially leading to substandard or counterfeit products entering the market, with devastating consequences for public health and safety. Therefore, increased funding, enhanced training programmes, and optimised operational systems are essential to fortify the agency’s effectiveness and ensure it can continue to protect the Nigerian populace.
No doubt, NAFDAC currently faces numerous hurdles in fulfilling its mandate. These challenges range from inadequate funding and outdated equipment to a lack of personnel and poor training. Insufficient funding directly translates to limited capacity for effective inspection, testing, and enforcement. Imagine trying to police a vast country with only a handful of officers – the task becomes virtually impossible. This lack of resources allows substandard and even dangerous products to enter the market, posing serious risks to public health.
The Federal Government must prioritise NAFDAC’s needs and take decisive action to support, equip, and empower this vital agency. NAFDAC is a cornerstone of public health in Nigeria and its health and economic well-being depend on its support. By providing financial, technological, and human resources, the government can strengthen the organisation’s capacity to protect Nigerians and contribute to national development. Tinubu’s administration must ensure that NAFDAC had the tools it needs to succeed. The lives of millions depend on it.
Editorial
That NiMet’s Forecast

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency’s ominous forecast of severe flooding in nine states as the rainy season draws nearer serves as a reminder of the country’s vulnerability to environmental disasters. With coastal states like Lagos, Ogun, Delta, and Rivers particularly at risk, the immediate need for proactive mitigation measures cannot be overstated.
This warning demands swift and decisive action from state governments, including the activation of urgent environmental interventions and a concerted effort to encourage citizens residing in flood-prone areas to relocate preemptively. Nigeria’s history is unfortunately punctuated by the devastating impacts of floods, a recurring crisis often compounded by inadequate infrastructure, haphazard urban planning, and a frustratingly slow response to impending threats.
The devastating 2024 floods serve as a stark and traumatic reminder of the catastrophic consequences of neglecting proactive flood management. With over 300 lives lost and more than 1.2 million people impacted across 31 states, the scale of the disaster underscores the urgent need for decisive action.
The UN has allocated $5 million to Nigeria to enhance flood preparedness, aiming to strengthen early warning systems, support emergency response initiatives, and provide relief to vulnerable communities. However, the ultimate responsibility for implementing and maintaining effective flood management strategies lies with Nigerian authorities at all levels, requiring a shift from reactive responses to comprehensive preventative measures.
Nigerian governors should take urgent measures, such as alerting residents in flood-prone areas and removing illegal structures blocking waterways to offer a glimmer of hope. The pervasive complacency across some states remains deeply concerning. This reactive approach, waiting for disaster to strike before responding, has repeatedly resulted in devastating consequences and underscores a critical need for a paradigm shift in flood management plans.
Specifically, in states like Rivers which is surrounded by water, a multi-pronged approach is needed, including strengthening infrastructure, enhancing drainage systems, promoting community engagement, and implementing sustainable land-use planning, while also considering nature-based solutions and early warning systems.
The cyclical nature of flooding in the country is exacerbated by human activities. The dangerous practice of constructing buildings on natural waterways and the rampant issue of indiscriminate waste disposal into drainage systems directly contribute to the problem. These actions obstruct the natural flow of water, leading to overflows and ultimately, the widespread flooding that plagues the nation.
The government’s inaction regarding waste management and environmental upkeep is a significant contributor to the looming environmental crisis. The absence of efficient waste disposal systems, coupled with the lack of environmental projects and proper maintenance of vital drainages and waterways, breeds unsanitary conditions and ecological damage.
This negligence carries a high price, manifesting in public health risks, degraded ecosystems, and increased vulnerability to natural disasters. To reverse the trajectory, a comprehensive strategy is paramount. Importantly, regulatory bodies need to step up their enforcement efforts, ensuring strict adherence to environmental regulations and imposing meaningful penalties on those who violate them.
Such measures are vital not only to curb pollution and irresponsible practices but also to send a clear message that environmental accountability will be enforced. There is a pressing need for the government to overhaul waste management systems, ensuring efficient collection and disposal to prevent blockages in drainage channels.
To mitigate future disasters, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) are urged to launch comprehensive awareness campaigns to educate the public about environmental degradation risks and promote personal responsibility in flood prevention. This will empower citizens to adopt sustainable practices, reduce flood risks, and protect vulnerable communities.
The September floodings in Borno State, resulting in the collapse of the Alau Dam, highlighted Nigeria’s vulnerability to disasters. To mitigate the impact, the government and citizens should work together to demolish structures obstructing natural waterways, dredge rivers and canals, and equip emergency response units to act swiftly in case of a flood.
Long-term strategies must focus on sustainable urban planning, the construction of dams, and continuous public education on environmental stewardship. Crucially, transparency and accountability of ecological funds are paramount to ensure that allocated resources effectively address the challenges at hand. Nigeria should draw valuable lessons from countries like Denmark and the United States, which have successfully implemented flood mitigation plans.
Increased awareness efforts have already resulted in a noticeable reduction in flood-related incidents in subsequent years, underscoring the efficacy of effective measures. State emergency agencies must collaborate, sharing resources and information to create a unified front against flooding. By embracing a culture of preparedness and environmental consciousness, Nigeria can safeguard its communities and build resilience against future natural disasters.
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