Interview

Tinubu’s first year: How lack of proper planning denied Nigerians gains of fuel subsidy withdrawal policy – Hon Teejay Yusuf

Published

2 years ago

June 1, 2024

Naijablitz

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…says quality of representation at national legislature has dwindled

Hon Teejay Yusuf, an economist, former NANS executive at the national level in the 1990s, represented Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency of Kogi, in the 7th, 8th and 9th HoR, a vibrant lawmaker on the floor of the House. In this chat with Naijablitznews Associate Editor, Gloria Ikibah spoke on President Bola Tinubu’s first anniversary, politics of fuel subsidy withdrawal, poor representation at the upper legislature and other national issues, excerpts.

President Bola Tinubu just clocked one year in office, how will you assess his administration so far?
That’s why from day one I promised myself never to contest if I can’t satisfy those I am going to represent.

You’ll be coming, you’ll make this promise, and what have you. And I remember very well, I told God, if you know that I’m going to be like that, and the narrative will be like, after he won, don’t let me win the election. So I don’t want to be part of those statistics.

So it was so bad that it is now becoming a normal narrative in Nigeria that those clichés come for election, and after election, they’re dumped in the dustbin.

So one year, you can say you have one, two, three ministers who have shown character of presence. Like I said, I had an interview a few days ago. I said, one major, major policy somersault that was a good thing to do, but was not properly articulated and managed was subsidy removal. So that took away whatever gain they would have gotten.

I remember I told people that in 2012, on Sunday, January 8, House of Reps came out with a motion against subsidy removal. I moved that motion.

And I articulated then that I’m not opposed to subsidy removal, I’m an economist. But there are processes to removal of subsidy, and there’s no country in the world that doesn’t subsidize.

But it is wrong to subsidize fuel, because you enrich and empower the rich more, and you impoverish the poor, when you subsidize fuel. But you now take subsidy into education.

A man on salary of N30,000, who’s transport from Nyanya to work, used to be N100, subsidy removal would take it to like N150, or N200, or N300.

But he should have a gain by saying, the school fees of my child is being taken care of. He’s aware that if he goes to hospital, that certain things are being taken care of.

So that’s how you do it. So take the effect. In economics, there’s a so-called ripple effect, bandwagon effect. So these things are normal.

When you hear economists define economics as social science that study human behaviour. So the behavioural pattern of an English man, it’s not the same with a Yoruba man.

My mother is a market woman. Fuel subsidy removal, it means that transport from market to market has increased. How goods will increase? She’s not waiting for interest rate. She has no time for analysis.

So until we put these things into perspective, we will not get out of this thing. Our democracy, our policies must take it to cognizance who we are as a person.

My solution would have been, President Tinubu, you know you are removing subsidy. I have a one-year plan. By December 2024, there won’t be subsidy.

But before then, by April, there will be buses out. By so, so, so, there will be this. Not that you take away fuel subsidy, you are now planning palliative. You are not beginning to do palliative. It should have been in place. So the moment you take it off, you pump in, so that this effect will not affect other areas.

Look at it, you took it out, the moment you took it out, look at what’s happening. You are now struggling to manage it and what have you.

That’s why I say, I don’t know who counseled him. I assume it’s a thorough breed politician who should have had this plan on ground for subsidy so that’s why I couldn’t, I would have said oh Eldorado but unfortunately, he’s a lie if I ever say that.

There are those who believe that what the President is doing is just like somebody who planted some crops and require some time to grow and so we are yet to get to the time to harvest. So are you part of those who believe that the time to harvest is still ahead?

It is natural that there is seed time and harvest. But if you do not plow your ground well, don’t you know what is called stunted growth? Yield can be in 30, 40, 60, 100%. So what kind of yield?

It is the suffering going to be in same measure with the result we are getting? I just analyzed something for you now.

And there’s no way, I was trying to say something of recent. There’s nowhere in the world that you have economic policy from IMF and World Bank being adopted in total in an economy and it works.

You have a responsibility to gather your own good eggs, to analyze and domesticate it. I just analyzed behavioural pattern. I told you about interest rate and my mother.

If you remember, I used to tell you then, I told IBB. When IBB said, all policies he has applied failed. Eskor said, no, all policies known to you, that you have not tried our own policies.

So I don’t agree, it’s human nature naturally, you want to build hope. Those who are saying that are trying to encourage themselves because discouragement can bring despondency and a lot of things.

So it’s good for the polity to hear those kind of things. But I don’t have high expectation.

I look at the dollar fluctuation, what have you. It’s only in Nigeria, that the dollar fluctuates. A lot of places, a lot of others, even when Zimbabwe was crashing, economy, you see how dollar rate was sustained for one month.

But in Nigeria, 10 o’clock is one naira. By three o’clock, it’s only in Nigeria. Go and check, there’s nowhere in the world they have those kind of fluctuation. How?

Simple; it’s only in Nigeria that some people does speculation on their business. They don’t go to transact anything. All they do is they buy dollar, keep to sell. It’s only in Nigeria.

So there are things that are common. It’s only in Nigeria that subsidy removal puts more money in the hand of governors. States who were taking four or five billion are now taking 11, 12, 13, 15 billion.

And an average Nigerian is not looking at the state money, we are all focusing on the national. Nobody is questioning that. So you find states buying dollars, this causes dollar fluctuation.

A lot of state governors buy dollar every month when they get their allocation to store wealth. That’s part of the challenge here. It’s only in Nigeria.

It’s only in Nigeria that the federating unit will come to Abuja every month to share money. There’s no federation anywhere in the world where such is practiced.

Canada is almost like us, multilingual, large, whatever, they have oil. There’s nowhere the central government allocate oil blocs in Canada. The regions allocate, pay tax to the centre. You are taxed according to what you are expected to have.

But in Nigeria, we all gathered here at the table. So how do you promote ingenuity? How do you make people think outside the box when they know they are getting a handout every month?

NLC is talking about minimum wage and what have you. Yeah, it’s good to have minimum wage, but in a good ideal federation, you don’t have the same rate everywhere.

You go to some area of Canada, you are paid seven times more than the other side, but you pay more tax. VAT, everything is higher in those areas. Housing is higher in those areas. The other side, because you are, the ideal of a federation is that each component unit is at liberty to grow at its own pace and based on its capacity. So we have unitary confederation.

You were a former lawmaker. Now, sometimes when during your own time, maybe when the Executive is coming up with inconsistent policies, the lawmakers will use the instrumentality of lawmaking to correct them and do checks and balances, too. Sir, do you think that this 10th Senate has helped the president to stabilize the economy? And how would you rate the 10th National Assembly?

I was supposed to be part of the 10th National Assembly, I ran for Senate. But those who know me will know that I’m not saying this because I’m not there.

Even as a PDP member, I was standing on the floor against certain policies of PDP. So that’s when APC came.

When you take oath of office, it’s not an allegiance to your party. It’s an allegiance to the nation, when you say, you will commit yourself to the good of that, and you swore an oath to that constitution.

So the 10th Senate, not just the 10th Senate, but any parliament in the world that cedes a right of choice of leadership to the Executive will not be able to perform optimally.

They are supposed to work together, Parliament and Executive, but there’s some degree of independence, when your legitimacy as a leader comes from your members, when you know that you can come in as a Speaker or Senate President and go back as a normal member, because first among equal. But when what sustains you belongs to the other arm of government, it can never. So it didn’t start from the 10th Senate, it started from the 9th Senate, National Assembly.

Going back to your 7th Assembly. You guys, on your own, made Tambuwal…

In the 8th Assembly, look at the contest between Dogara and Gbaja. APC anointed Gbaja, they were both of APC, we stood our ground and elected Dogara.

So, even when you have genuine, passionate, patriotic desire, the environment cannot allow you to operate because you have leaders who are looking around their shoulder not to be seen as being paying evil with good because somebody extended olive branch to help you.

Even when that decision you would take would be of good to the Executive, you don’t know how they would take it. So you now find people on the floor who want the Executive to see them as being good boys.

And to me, being a good boy is speaking truth. If you claim you love me and I’m heading to the ditch and you keep pampering me and I enter the ditch, or you stop me, I don’t like it, but you save me from the ditch. Tomorrow I’ll sit back.

I tell people, my mom, I lost my dad in primary school and my mom was a very tough disciplinarian, so bad that she would be traveling, I would be praying for her to die, not to come back because once you report me, there’s no question I’m the bad person.

So in those days growing up, if your friend wants to fight, you fight nah, why will I report? They will say no, don’t fight him, go and report him. I’ll start begging, because she will not ask question.

So these days when people now see me, oh, T.J,, you have ethics, values and what have you, I say “na beating they carry arrange me”.

So you can imagine if she had not done that, I would have been of best, a very strong bus conductor somewhere today.

So what you don’t understand is that the truth you don’t tell will discipline you tomorrow as a nation.

So the 10th Assembly to me, has not been able to be what it should be because of the manner it came.

And it’s unfortunately too, I’m sorry, the quality of men and women who are being recruited from Nigerian society, so it’s a reflection of where we are as a people, our values. So they didn’t come from Ghana, they are Nigerians.

So the quality has been on the decline. Every year, those who are coming are well ill equipped. And the expectation of Nigerians, too, because they are misplaced, put pressure on them not to do the right thing.

An average Nigerian once you win election is about, my wife gave birth yesterday, my children’s school fees and what have you. But when they are criticizing, they talk about the road. But when they are engaging you, they talk about those things.

So they say the things that make people feel they want development, but when they engage you, it’s about the personal benefit. And once you cannot throw that largess you are not a good man.

So the man who wants to do a good job, will now must be in the good book of the Executive to get things, so I have resources to take it. So that’s why you find a lot of good men lose election and don’t come back.

Sir only yesterday, the Senate passed a law to re-introduce the old national anthem. Is that the kind of decision we’re looking at this point in time?

I sincerely want to defer a bit, inasmuch as there are a lot of burning issues. But if in their wisdom, they look at it that the present national anthem does not really project us.

As a student union leader, we used to sing the older national item. We don’t sing the present national unit present. In fact, we even rebranded it.

I remember in 1992, IBB came to University of Jos to launch a programme. We made sure that Maiyegun was the president then and this my friend that just left now, was NANS President in 1990. The tall guy, Segun Maiyegun just took over then.

And we remember IBB sat down, settled down, we brought Maiyegun in with him when IBB was already sitting. We sang our own old version. Nigeria, we failed thee, our own dear sovereign land, hunger and death are reigning, in mournful mood we stand, Nigerians are sad to mourn, our suffering motherland. We changed Nigeria we hailed it to Nigeria we failed thee.

So at that time, we were convinced that this arise does not project us and that it’s not inspiring enough; so if they feel that, I’ve not really, really taken time to see it but to just say, it’s not. It is in the midst you are solving the big problem.

You see, no nation make tangible progress without some form of indoctrination.

An average American just believe America is the best. They’ve not gone anywhere, they don’t know anywhere. In fact, in their subconscious, PhD holder believe that Africa is just one small place and people live on trees because that is the indoctrination that has been given.

So I am of the opinion that as people, from primary school, let’s teach ethics and value and indoctrinate ourself. These bad things, we can’t change it at the top.

So maybe it is their own cosmetic approach to try to do these things, I can’t totally condemn it because it’s the rise o compatriot that inspiring or do we go to the old way? I don’t know. But I think we need some reorientation as a people.

But I don’t think it should be at the top. It should start from school. A child should know that, hey, I have a responsibility to make Nigeria a better place that I can lay my life to sacrifice. Do you have such? No.

An average Nigerian is thinking how to get out of this country. In fact it is only in Nigerian people make money and go and spend it abroad.

You are a leader, you have demonstrated that severally in the House of Reps and in other capacities. We can’t just keep lamenting, we need solution. How do we, all of us cannot embrace the “japa syndrome”. How do we take Nigeria out of the woods?

It starts from the family, our family value. I just told you about my growing up, how my mom would beat us. Do we have such discipline now? Are churches, mosques teaching those values again? You can’t give what you don’t have.

The politics, the politicians, the bankers, the doctors are a microcosm of the macro society. They are a reflection of who we are.

So what is the role of government? The government, that’s why I proposed, I supported Jonathan’s proposal for single six term of 30 years rotation, since we have six geopolitical zone, it goes around.

Because when you come into office, the first one and a year plus, or a year plus you are trying to stabilize, appointment, what have you. Second year, you are starting to get your rhythm to governance.

But at the end of that second year, by third year people are already talking about your election. You have no governance, so the next two years. So it means that a four years tenure, you work for one and a half years; two and a half years is politics.

Once you win the second term, you come in and start to stabilize again. By the time you are in second year, they remind you, you are leaving office. How can do, you must help yourself?

So in eight years, the best you can get is three and a half years or three years of governance. And look at the humongous amount you spend in election.

That’s what I say and to help us build trust and confidence such that election will not be where you come from, where you don’t come from. Let’s have this rotation first of single term of six years.

So build confidence that zone A knows that he will come to us. Zone B, so if you like when it is your tenure, do us shege, it will come to us; so until you build that confidence now.

For now, I tell people, that’s why I keep telling people who say PDP, I’m a PDP man. But PDP cannot nail his own policy on the head and expect to reap from it.

2014, Jonathan had won 2011 election. Yaradua was the president who died, he finished his tenure and what have you and the North felt, no, Obasanjo did this eight years. Yaradua was doing its time, he is going, no, PDP must give it to the North.

And five governors plus Atiku led that revolt, went to APC, got to APC, he didn’t get the ticket but he was still committed to that agenda, supported Buhari to become president.

Buhari now did eight years, he said he wants to be president. How does it sound if after eight years of Tinubu let’s assume now, a Southerner says he wants to be president? How does it sound? Because our election is still on where you come from and what have you.

Is that why people are saying that PDP is gradually going into extinction?

I disagree with that. A party with 13 governors cannot be going to extinction.

APP, that joined to form APC, had only one governor at that time. CPC had only one and this one; a party with 13?

The ambition of those governors is enough to keep the party, their ambition alone. They will want to re-contest now. Or let’s assume six left, remain seven; seven governors?

So when people say, yes, we are not taking our rightful place. The last election to me, we threw it away.

I believe 2019 that we won, that we were robbed. But this last one, we bungled it.

So until we come back to the drawing board, teach ethics and what have you, and lead by example. It should not be that today because it suits you, this is good, tomorrow it doesn’t suit us, it is not good.

If we say it should be the turn of the North in 2015, it should be the turn of the South in 2023. That’s what it should be.

So our children should not just hear what you say, they should see what we do, so as to imbibe those cultures and those values, and know that this are no go area.

So when we evolve that’s my suggestion, after those things, you can now be focusing on wherever you come from, your capacity, if you are the best man, if you want to do 100 years, do it.

But we are not there yet. We are deceiving ourselves if you say we are there. We are so divided by where you come from. That’s where we are, for now.

The call for a shift from Presidential to Parliamentary system of government. What is your take on this?

I would want to reserve my comment about that. I see it as, yeah, it’s political. Parliamentary is more accountable. But would you have equity in the present distribution of legislation, if we are to do parliamentary?

Kano has 24. Jigawa 16 that is 40. Old Oyo, comprising of Oyo, Osun, Oyo 13. Osun 7, all together 21 and Ibadan was acclaimed to be the biggest city in West Africa. “No be human dey there”; so old Sokoto, Zamfara, so this dynamics will come to play in those things.

The idea is good but do we have the tools now? No. I talked about our cleavages, ethnic nationality, and what have you.

Will I feel secured if I don’t have a voice there as a Kabba man from Kogi? And they did not give me. Or let’s say an Isoko man from Delta, if the parliament as constituted, will an Isoko man find himself in a place there?

So, we must look at all these things. So, it must go with standing reforms of our politics. And we have to take something off the constitution.

We did, in a little way, I shouted. Everything should not be in the constitution. The name of local governments in constitution, in state assembly, we wanted to correct Ibarakpa was wrongly spelled, people voted against it. They assume they want to create another local government, just the spelling.

So, there are certain issues that should not be, even local government creation should not be in the constitution. States should be able to do that.

Allocation to me that we’re even fighting now should go to local government and what have you. We should have law.

Kogi state is getting N10, if they like, have 100 local governments; there’s a procedure, there’s a law, how they will share it, it must go to them.

Development in pre independent and early part of post-independent, local governments were doing work, why? Because they own their allegiance to the people and they know what will happen.

But now, and for us Nigerians elites, we over focus on the centre, it’s good, it’s not good again. We leave the states.

I just told you just now, after subsidy removal, most states got triple what they used to get. Has anybody turned the search light on those states?

So, why we not see the ripple effect of those things in life of the people so as to cushion the effect of subsidy; why are we not seeing them?

So, I have never in any way deceived myself that I have monopoly of wisdom, I know it all and what have you. My belief that with the privilege of my relationship, I have some ideas, I can sell.

And human development will naturally, devolve with time. You make mistake, you correct yourself.

THE END

Interview

Coup was planned before Tinubu’s inauguration – Defence minister

Published

3 months ago

February 3, 2026

Admin

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In this interview on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics, the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), speaks on his transition from Chief of Defence Staff, the alleged coup plot, military reforms among other issues.

You moved straight from being Chief of Defence Staff to Minister of Defence, with barely any break. How does that feel?

In my 39 years of military service, I never really had two weeks away from work. If you sit down doing nothing, you feel something is wrong. I am grateful to God and to Mr President for considering me worthy. It is a big task, but with the love and support of Nigerians, I am encouraged to do more.

How easy was the transition from CDS to Minister of Defence?

The military prepares you for both sides — being in uniform and being a civilian. You know that after 35 years, you will return to civilian life, so it’s a mindset. As CDS, you are more military than civilian. As a minister, you combine both. That gives me an advantage because I understand how the military works and how to interface with civilians.

Are you now a politician?

I’ve not transitioned yet. I’m in transition.

Are you now a member of the APC?

Not yet. But I think I will be, definitely. The APC has given me the platform to present myself right from when I was CDS till date, so why not? Mr President needs all the support. I will give him all my support. Whatever I can do to make sure that he succeeds in his duties, including moving forward to the second term, I think I will give him my very best.

There are those who think that you were compensated for some reason by the President. Did you help in saving his life during the coup plot?

I was not compensated. I know the President; he has an eye for picking the best for whatever task is at hand. I believe he saw that I had something to add, something of value. I am grateful that he considered me worthy. I will continue to do my best for my country and for the President, to show that he did not make a mistake—that his decision was justified.

You were also instrumental in helping save his life and the lives of others who might have been killed in the planned coup.

I was also a target. I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was to be shot. But that is the job. Anyone who goes into a coup zeros his mind. You either succeed or you fail, and whatever consequences come, you accept them. But honestly, these individuals were very unserious. They did not understand what they were getting into. If you look at their calibre, you wonder what got into their heads to think they could take on the Armed Forces.

Nigerians themselves would have resisted them. Even without the Armed Forces, Nigerians would have stood against them. Nigerians have fought against military rule for a long time. That is why Mr President has always stood with the people. For anyone to think they could wake up one morning and do that in Nigeria, something clearly went wrong in their thinking. They need to reset their minds.

Did they understand the consequences?

Definitely. Most definitely.

Have all those involved been apprehended?

So far, most of them have been caught. If anyone remains, perhaps one or two, but the majority have been arrested. It started with the colonel, who felt disgruntled because he was not promoted. He did not meet the required standards. The Armed Forces’ promotion system is very strict. So, he went around recruiting others who felt aggrieved—those not promoted or dissatisfied with postings. My pain is for the young officers who did not understand what they were getting into. He dragged them into a mess, and now they must face the consequences.

A lot of money was reportedly committed to the coup plot.

Yes, but it was centred on him as an individual. Everything revolved around him as a colonel. Frankly, I cannot imagine a colonel attempting such a thing. That era is past. This is not the Nigeria of the past. It is almost impossible today.

Why was the plot not detected earlier?

You do not act on speculation; you act on facts. You must be able to present evidence in court. Otherwise, the case collapses. The situation was monitored until facts were clear, then action was taken.

We also wanted to avoid implicating innocent people. That was why the process was painstaking. I inaugurated the board and ensured investigations were carried out thoroughly by the DIA, alongside the NIA, DSS, and other agencies. It was a holistic investigation.

From what we gathered, the planning dated back to around May 29, 2023—before the President took office. This was not because they thought the government was underperforming. They planned it knowing he had won the election. That makes it even more unfortunate.

Would it have been a bloody coup?

Based on the plan, yes; but execution is another matter. They probably thought Nigeria was another country. That kind of thing cannot succeed here today.

Were there loopholes within the military?

There are good, bad, and ugly people everywhere. No system is perfect. That is why we keep monitoring, reinforcing discipline, and ensuring every officer understands his responsibility. For anyone to attempt to truncate democracy at this stage is deeply troubling. We have strengthened the system. It is almost impossible to carry out a coup in Nigeria now—especially within the military. The Armed Forces are united.

What about civilian collaborators?

Historically, civilians have often instigated coups. It has never worked and will not work again. Nigeria has moved beyond that. Democracy is what we stand for. Interpol has been contacted. Those involved will be tracked. It is only a matter of time. Some of those named are alleged to be politically connected. Greed and self-interest drive such actions. But consequences always follow.

What about the families of those arrested?

This is part of the tragedy. Families bear the consequences of actions they did not commit. We have informed them clearly, and the Armed Forces are ensuring their welfare is protected, so they are not punished for the actions of their spouses.

One suspect escaped briefly. Why?

He was re-arrested almost immediately. As humans, nothing is 100 per cent. There was no denial. We followed due process. Coup allegations are serious; you must be certain before making them public. The president has been fully briefed at every stage.

There are concerns about security at Aso Rock

No place is completely immune. Even the White House and Buckingham Palace have had breaches. Aso Rock is heavily fortified. However, the incident revealed areas for improvement, and measures have been taken.

What lessons should Nigeria learn?

Nigerians must remain vigilant. Perception can be dangerous. We must move beyond ethnic blame and historical grievances. Sixty years after independence, we should not still be blaming colonialism. We must draw a line between the past and the future. Nations progress when they let go of destructive narratives. Nigeria has what it takes to succeed. Very few people damage our image, but we must do better at celebrating the many Nigerians excelling globally.

The ethnic composition of the arrested officers has raised concerns

I believe it was coincidental. The military operates like a family; people recruit those around them. There was no deliberate ethnic agenda—just foolishness, and they will face the consequences. We cannot still be debating civil war narratives in 2026. We must learn from history and move forward.

Are coups likely in the region?

Many of the countries experiencing coups are not Anglophone. Nigeria remains one of the most stable democracies in the region, alongside Ghana. Recently, we intervened to prevent a coup in Benin Republic. Within 12 hours, we secured the situation. That shows our capacity. We must continue to build our strength to secure Nigeria, the region, and Africa. When Benin needed help, its president called ours directly. The directive was given, and we acted swiftly.

Nigeria recently signed a defence cooperation agreement with Türkiye. What exactly does it cover?

The agreement covers military education, exchange of officers, training, intelligence sharing and defence industry cooperation. Importantly, it allows the co-production of military hardware in Nigeria. We don’t want to keep buying equipment; we want to build capacity, save foreign exchange and create jobs. So, it is a holistic issue for us. Türkiye, globally speaking, ranks very high—perhaps among the top six countries—with the capacity to produce military hardware.

What is new that we have gotten from Türkiye?

As I said, we have now made it very official. They can come here, and we can produce together. What we told them is that we do not want a situation where we constantly go to buy equipment and bring it home.

This time around, we want to use our own defence industry, produce here, and build our own capacity. We are confident that if we are able to do that, we can also reach out to our neighbours within the region and across Africa.

What makes Türkiye a strategic partner?

Türkiye has transformed its defence industry remarkably. They produce highly sophisticated air, land and sea platforms and are willing to transfer technology. That is crucial for us.

In terms of hardware, are we getting intelligence support?

Yes, we are sharing intelligence. They have a very strong intelligence system, being positioned between Europe and Asia. Some of these terrorist groups are receiving external support. Türkiye can help us identify funding sources, logistics, command structures, and other critical details. That will greatly enhance our intelligence capacity.

Our baseline intelligence surveillance relies on satellites. We have a bit of a handicap there. We have one satellite, but it does not give us what we need. It takes about four days for a round trip. What we need is real-time intelligence—being able to see what is happening and respond immediately. Modern warfare is very complex because the enemy is within.

Is there any low-hanging fruit in terms of surveillance?

Many security experts will tell you that response time is sometimes more important than the attack itself. Yes, attacks may happen. I remember visiting the White House as a tourist and being told that if there is an attack on the White House or Congress, response time is less than five minutes, with a whole battalion deployed.

Those are the things we are working towards. Quick response requires helicopters, drones, MRAPs, and light infantry vehicles that can move quickly. One of the major challenges we face is infrastructure. In many operational areas, covering 10 kilometres can take six hours. You often need someone ahead with a handheld probe checking for IEDs. If a vehicle hits an IED, everyone inside is gone. That is what makes operations extremely difficult. Once troops move into an area, informants alert the terrorists, and they retreat to isolated locations.

How soon will Turkish technology be deployed on the ground?

Very soon. Some of them are already ready. We are on the paperwork now, and the designs have been completed. There will be discussions, training, and implementation. Some of the equipment will arrive quickly and be deployed as soon as possible.

What about integration challenges?

We use U.S., Russian, Chinese, and other technologies. They all operate on common platforms. We conduct specific training for each system. We already have six Turkish helicopters performing very well, and our pilots are trained.

We are training more pilots, so when additional helicopters arrive, they can be deployed immediately. We also operate drones. For every system, we prepare in advance—training, spare parts, and maintenance systems—because these are not off-the-shelf items. They are produced specifically for our terrain and needs.

Night-vision infrastructure is also included. It is comprehensive. All the technologies are integrated and communicate with each other. This eases our burden because Türkiye is now our partner. I hope this does not upset the United States. We have also seen benefits from the NSA’s trip to the U.S. There have been deliveries of American military equipment.

Nigeria is a non-aligned nation. That allows us to partner with everyone. We can work with China, Türkiye, and the United States. Isolating yourself to one bloc is not in your best interest. Egypt, for example, receives support from multiple partners. Maintaining that leverage allows you to move forward.

Let me come to the reality on the ground. You said some commanders of terrorist groups and bandits have been neutralised—killed, as we would rather say. Who are these people? Where were they killed? Mostly in the North-West, North-East and North-Central. There is an ongoing war. We are expanding operations in Niger and Kwara states to prevent infiltration towards the South, which would be very dangerous.

They understand this, so what they do is hit soft targets—set fire to one or two buildings—and move on. That is what makes the news. But we are winning. I am glad we are winning. For the first time in December, people returned to the South-East from abroad and stayed through Christmas and into January. That has not happened before. We are working, but it is not yet Uhuru. These groups will continue to try to cause pain. No country is 100 per cent safe. We are working, we are winning, and we will continue to work harder.

However, people see reports of attacks—churches burned, police stations attacked, kidnappings in Kaduna—and they ask: if we are winning, how are these attacks still happening?

As I said, no country is completely safe. Even in the U.S., despite all the technology, attacks still happen. Asymmetric warfare is very difficult, especially when the enemy is ideologically driven and has nothing to lose. In the past, attacks were widespread. Now, they are limited to fewer areas. Because of pressure, they are fleeing. When they find an exposed community, they strike and run. That creates the impression that nothing has been done. But a lot has been done.

Are we using mercenaries?

No. We do not have mercenaries on the ground. What we do is partner with friendly nations to enhance capacity—training in special warfare, helicopters, drones, and so on. That is part of military tradition.

One of the president’s promises is to put more boots on the ground. There is a directive for increased recruitment in both the military and the police. That process has begun. For the army, beyond the depot in Zaria, we have opened two new training depots, including one in the South-East. The police and other security agencies are also expanding capacity.

Recruitment is painstaking. You must assess who you are bringing in. That again brings us back to data and databases. Security has both kinetic and non-kinetic aspects. The military handles the kinetic. The non-kinetic—good governance, border control, infrastructure—can speed things up.

Is Nigeria talking to Israel?

Yes. Israel is our partner. We have an embassy there, and they have one here. We talk to everyone who can add value.

Banditry and the conflicts we are fighting—are we seeing a new tone in ideological warfare? Are we seeing infiltration from outside? Are these foreign elements, or are they local initiatives by insurgents?

Terrorism started in the North-East, although there were earlier manifestations that were quashed. What affects us most is that when these things start, reports are made and no action is taken. It did not start today. It has been ongoing for a long time, and we needed to be proactive. Just like the coup attempt was quickly followed up with arrests, we should have done the same with this.

Instead, we downplayed it until they became monsters. This has happened repeatedly. If you allow a monster to grow because you think it is fighting your enemy, it will eventually turn against you. That is why we must unite and fight anyone who does not mean us well.

On the question of terror financiers and why it has been difficult to name them: some names have been mentioned, arrests have been made, and prosecutions are ongoing. These things take time. You do not want to present a case that will be thrown out by the courts due to a lack of evidence. Gathering facts is difficult and requires careful follow-up.

The reported execution of General Uba was very sad. The audacity of those involved is disturbing. Is the military angry enough to go after those responsible?

As we speak, we are operating in and around the area. However, we are not yet certain he is dead because we have not recovered any remains. If you observe the video, when such acts occur, the perpetrators usually leave the body behind. In this case, that did not happen. He is currently classified as missing in action, not killed in action. We have information suggesting he may still be alive, and we remain hopeful. I visited the family to reassure his wife and children that efforts are ongoing.

This underscores why we must not allow crime and criminality to fester—whether under the guise of religion, tribe, or ethnicity. We must unite and stop the blame game.

Have operations returned to the area?

Yes, they have.

Sambisa Forest?

Yes. We are operating there daily. The terrain is vast. When pressure mounts, they flee to neighbouring countries.

There have been reports about you possibly being considered as a vice-presidential candidate. How would you feel about that?

For me, that is distracting. The president appointed me to ensure peace and security in Nigeria, and that is my focus. Political considerations are for the president. I have a task, and I want to face it squarely without distraction.

Interview

WEEKEND CHAT: Nigerians should be expectant of good things as the PDP is fully back-Hon Teejay Yusuf

Published

9 months ago

July 26, 2025

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…says the era of ‘jumpology’ is over in PDP

…insists no matter what you provide for a nomad, he likes being on the move(defections)

By Emmanuel Agaji

Hon Teejay Yusuf left no one in doubt in this interview after the Peoples Democratic Party PDP 101st NEC meeting that Nigeria’s main opposition party is back to right all the wrongs of the past as the estate developer and economist turned politician x-rayed outcome of the meeting and the way forward with the big umbrella party, excerpts.

Let’s kickstart with your 101st NEC confab, It was a long-awaited one, and very many people expected that certain things will happen. What exactly does this portend for the party? The ability to now come together and have a meeting and articulate issues, especially for a party that has seen a lot of movement in the very recent past.

Positive. It shows that in spite of whatever has been going on we can still sit down, jaw-jaw, and channel our energy towards making the party more robust. Leadership is not just giving instruction. It’s the ability to resolve issues. So, yes, it took a long time, but finally it was resolved.

And I remember somewhere then …and I told people that I don’t see PDP being diisabled because of this crisis. We will come out of it. Our challenge has always been people who do not believe in the ideals of the party, but see the party only as a vehicle to achieve political ambition. It is not out of place.

Isn’t that the problem of all Nigerian politicians?

Not all, but a lot who are more vocal, a lot who kind of become the face of politics in Nigeria. And a lot of our fathers who should be a good example are in this nomadic movement, nomadism.

You know, a nomad, no matter how, if you give a pasture, I mean, get him, store him in the place for a nomad, he still want to go out, no matter how, whatever you provide for a nomad.

So, there are politicians who just assume that the moment the situation does not favour them. And I keep telling people, when you leave a house because of issues, who told you there are no issues in the other house you are going to?

Is there any human organisation without challenges? Families. So, you cease to be a member of your family because there are issues. So, I believe – I’m not saying PDP in that way like a cult or whatever. I mean, free exit and free entry.

However, there should be some degree of commitment. So, that’s why I kept saying that we are not, as a people, Nigerians, politically develop democratic ideas and values and party ideology.

Why are you in party A? It’s because I believe so-so policies of the party. That’s my interest. So, it won’t be that easy for you to jump. That’s what we call in the university, we call something jumpology. If you call me jumpology, if it’s not here, we are back here.

And if you observe, even the scriptures say it, there is need for consistency. The Bible talk about having done all that you need to do. Stand in due season. It is not in your hand to know due season. It’s the hand of God. You do your part, but you move. I don’t want to go into individuals because, I mean, you are out, you are out. Let’s focus on our party.

Let me ask you this because you talked about something that caught my attention, that leadership is not just about dishing out instructions, but also about resolving issues. On Tuesday, four senators elected on the platform of the PDP decamped to the ruling APC on the floor of the Senate and their letters were read out by the Senate President.

Now, if that happened just three days ago, or two days before the NEC meeting of the PDP, how well would you say that the NEC has been able to resolve the issues causing the political nomadism, or is it political jumpology now, that we’ll call it?

There is no issue. Before now, everybody was trying to hinge on the fact that we have issue of the secretary-ship. Do we have any issue on secretary-ship again? No. So, but people will always find justification for whatever they are doing.

Don’t forget, in 2013-14, we had about 40 to 50 members of House of Representatives left PDP for APC. We had senators. So, it is now a culture in Nigeria that people cannot stay in opposition, they jump into the ruling party.

And they come with this idea, we want to get more democratic dividends for our people. We have to be so, so, so. I don’t begrudge them, but they should not tell Nigerians that because of a crisis. Is there no crisis in APC?

They refer to irreconcilable differences.

With who?

We will have to talk to them. Because as of today, PDP has no crisis anywhere as pal who is the secretary of the party. That is why the NEC was convened, signed by Senator Anyanwun; communication to INEC, signed by Anyanwun as the chairman. That was the issue before.

The Abuja local government primaries and results and what have you, the transition of candidate to INEC was signed by them. So, we had this before. It has been resolved.

What I’m trying to make you understand is that more people will say and don’t forget, before election too, some people who have moved that way, can still come back because a lot of them have their eyes on certain things they want to get there.

And there are other blocs in those particular parties they are going to, who feel that, no, we’ve here, we’ve tabernacle over this place for a long time, and we feel that we should be the ones who benefit from largesse. Some of that will be, we’ll run back.

You had at a point, was it 2019? I had one particular, I don’t want to mention his name, under like six months, moved out, moved in, moved out, moved back. So, it’s not about those things you read and they say. It’s about personal interest.

It’s not just those four senators.

A number of governors have moved. And isn’t that a cause of concern, that elected members of the party who were elected on the platform of the party into office, or different offices, are moving?

R: You see, it still boils down to what I’m talking about in Nigeria.

Yeah, but I want to know, what are the concerns of the NEC concerning this?

You see, the NEC definitely raised this issue, and the NEC mandated the leadership to challenge those things. It’s a court process, you cannot just pull anybody out because you have left my party, come and vacate this.

But the challenge in Nigerian nation, need to deal with and need to resolve, is that politics without some sense of honour, integrity and value, should be discarded with.

The idea of jumping from party to party, especially when you are elected on that platform; don’t forget, Nigeria does not have an independent candidature.

You cannot run election on your own. It’s a party that sponsors you.

In fact, if you remember the Imo scenario in 2007, when the party was not comfortable with the Supreme Court judgement about Ararume, and the PDP withdrew from election, Ararume couldn’t run, because he can’t run election without a vehicle, which is a party.

So by implication, whoever, even the Kogi scenario, as much as I disagree with, Abubakar Audu died, and Yahaya Bello inherited Abubakar Audu’s vote, because the court ruled that it was the party that earned the vote.

So if you look at these two scenarios, you now begin to question the legality and legitimacy of people crossing with the mandate given to them. But these are things that must be tried in court. There have been trials in court.

Unfortunately, there’s a clause in the constitution, and I, my little time in the National Assembly, I did at every point in time we amend the constitution to raise that.

Whatever the court says about the movement of anybody to another party, if they say, okay, your movement, your decamping is illegal, until the presiding officer read, confirm, and put a vote before you leave the house, or you leave your seat.

By implication, it’s difficult for parliament, for you too, because of the fact that you have left your political party, lose your seat. Until that section, of the constitution is amended.

And for governors, unwritten, but you’re becoming a norm; governors are becoming leaders of the party in their states. Those days, way back.

Are they becoming or they have become?

They are now. But those days, the party used to be supreme, and it started, that’s why…

When you talk about those days, are you talking about the Fourth Republic, or previous times?

Previous, I’m talking about Second Republic. And even at the beginning of this republic, it was so. Party, I mean, leadership was more respected. Governors would come for meeting and submit themselves to the leadership of the party.

But now, even Governors’ Forum is not recognised by any organ of the party. It’s not in the constitution. But Governors’ Forum takes decision.

APC had a Governors’ Forum meeting, and the president and they came out with the chairman and the party had to endorse.

So, it still boils down to the mentality of an average Nigerian. We bring this mentality of, the oligarchy mentality, where the man who has the biggest office, dish out instruction, until we consciously imbibe some democratic values.

And the long rule of military, too contributed. A man who was in his 20s, 30s, 40s, who have been used to giving instruction; you now come to a meeting, and he is now 70 years old, and the man of 40 is saying, no, I disagree on this. He says how dare you?

He might not voice it out, but within him, he’s not happy, because he has been used to dishing instruction, and it’s been obeyed. So, these are the things that accumulated and brought us to this level that we are.

But for me I have hope, I have a conviction that what we have done yesterday is a step in the right direction, and we should not be putting the government on its toes, because that’s what is expected of us.

We need to begin to look at every policy of the government, make sure that we give Nigeria a better alternative. That’s why I said, I’m not interested in talking about those who have gone, my focus is PDP, and my focus is how PDP become the ruling party in Nigeria.

Now let’s talk about members of the PDP, but who are actively engaged in the activities of other political parties?

What is NEC, or what did NEC have to say about that?

It was very clear, you had a meeting on Tuesday, founding fathers and stakeholders of the party, and those things came up, and it was very clear.

I keep telling people, it’s not a coalition. If you say a coalition, it means party A, B, C, D comes together, and decided that on so, so, so, presidency or governorship, we’ll pick a candidate of this particular party, and we all rally around that candidate. No.

What you have is an assemblage of individuals who believe in the candidature of one man, to become a candidate having that political party, and they move into a party, so it’s no more a coalition.

So, you see, it’s not that PDP, NEC, say, go and do this or SDP NEC took this decision, no. Individuals came together.

So to me, it’s a political party they have every right.

Some of them are still members of PDP.

That is where I am coming to. However, now, NEC has said this. You can’t, it’s illegal to be a member of two political parties. Some of them have taken the initiative, the boldness to resign from PDP.

For those who have not resigned, the moment you have, because some of them, it’s so unfortunate that honour is far from a lot of them. Some of them, tactically, did not resign, and did not take the membership card of that party.

So, legally, it will be difficult for you to challenge what they are doing, he has not resigned from PDP. He didn’t take ADC card. So, in law, he’s still a legal member of PDP.

However, the party has said we are going to the convention now, we going to have election, so new things will happen. Unfortunately some of them will still come back. That’s unfortunate thing.

That’s why some people are angry, that if you keep doing this, if everybody does the same thing, will there be a house for you to come and meet?

You have some key members of your party who have said, look, I am a member of the PDP, but I’m going to work for the President to get a second term in 2027. What’s in store for them from the NEC?

That’s what I explained to you. Our challenge majorly as a party came because we deviated drastically from our norms and values.

Prof. Jerry Gana lucidly enumerated these things, justice, fairness. In 1999, there were a lot of very, very qualified Northerners who would have ran for presidency. They said, no, let’s sit down.

From G18 to G34 and what have you, we formed this party on the basis of equity and what have you; let the presidency go to the South. If you remember the Jos Conference, Obasanjo and Ekwueme were the leading candidate. Rimi wanted to run, he was qualified imminently but no, we have to do it this way.

So what we did wrong that got us to that, because when you say, hey, somebody is in our party and is supporting another party, you must not treat only symptom, you must treat the root cause.

The root cause was that we failed to zone for the first time. In 2014, some of the leaders of our parties, eminent leaders of the party, said it was a turn of the North that they should not remain in the South.

Five governors walked out of PDP, they formed new PDP and became members of APC.

In 2019, the parties looked at their narrative and 2015 election and say we must continue with our zoning. 2023 will now fail to zone, that is the basis.

So the same way some people felt in 2014, that is the turn of the North. In 2023, some people said, no, it’s the turn of the South.

And unfortunately for us, the same man who led the rebellion of 2014, that it was the turn of the North, is now the one that is now benefiting from 2023 becoming a candidate and at that time the narrative has not changed.

I’m sorry, I hear some people say, the North has only ruled for 10 years. Buhari, eight. Yaradua two. The South, Obasanjo eight, Jonathan six, Tinubu now four, so it should be the North.

I say, did Nigeria begin in 1999? How? This narrative is to suit somebody’s ambition.

And I hope that the PDP gets its act together and stands firmly on its feet.

We are coming back fully. Nigerians should be very, very expectant, something good is going to come.

THE END

Interview

My son who died in Lagos building collapse scored 320 in UTME – Driver

Published

11 months ago

June 1, 2025

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Saheed Akeredolu, relative of the owner of the collapsed building at Ota-Ona Ikorodu, tells GRACE EDEMA how he lost two children and an uncle during the incident

How old are you, and what is your occupation?

I’m 49 years old. I work as a bus driver for a private school.

How did your building collapse?

It was a normal day; all my three children and their mum were home. It was my son and my youngest daughter who were inside the new building. There is a small space inside the compound, and that is where we stayed to get the main building completed.

So, I called my son to help me with some things, and he promised to come soon. I eventually fell asleep inside that small building. Later, he came and saw that I was already asleep, quietly took his phone, and called his younger sister so they could spend some time together in the unfinished building. Their mum, sister, and I were in the small building.

When the building collapsed it was the sound that woke the three of us up; we were in the old building. When we realised what had happened, we started looking for them. That was it.

What were the children doing in the building?

They had gone there to pray. Yes, they were praying at about 1 p.m. on that fateful day. It was while they were praying that the building collapsed. They went to pray in the uncompleted building because of how things are in the community. They usually preferred to go and pray at the mosque, but there is a curfew in our area. My son didn’t want to leave his younger sister behind. So, they all stayed there to pray together.

You talked about curfew; did you mean there was a traditional curfew in your area?

Yes. In our area, we call it Igemo; it is a traditional curfew where women are not allowed to go out. Women are expected to stay indoors.

How old were they?

My youngest daughter, Amira, was 13 and her elder brother was 18.

How many children do you have?

I had three. But now, I’m left with just one; she is 16 years old now.

Why were those two not rescued while all the other workers survived?

From what I’ve learnt, all the workers there survived the accident—about seven of them—because they were mostly on the top floor. The top floor, which is actually the second floor, was where the workers were stationed.

What about your children?

They were on the middle floor, the first floor. That’s where they were trapped, along with my elder brother. My elder brother was there too. My uncle, who also went there to pray, was the one supervising the building.

How old was he?

He was an elderly man; he was 78 years old.

What do you think caused the collapse?

From the beginning, we used solid, high-quality materials. To be clear, every material we used was certified as standard.

Did the government inspect and approve the building?

Yes, both the state and local governments inspected the building at various stages. We have official certificates to prove that. The government gave approvals at every stage before construction moved forward.

If you are asked to provide every document, can the government still access them?

Yes. If the government asks for every single document, we can provide them. Everything is available. They were involved throughout the process.

But what would you say caused your building to suddenly cave in?

I’ll keep saying this: only God knows what happened. Honestly. Even people who used to pass by or live around us often said, ‘Is it the government that owns this house?’ The structure looked very solid. We didn’t use substandard materials.

For example, some people said we used too many iron rods. Others might have reduced the quantity to save cost, but we didn’t. My wife and I were involved in everything right from the start—from when we first secured the land.

At what stage was the work before the building collapsed?

Just before it happened, they were doing the final touches. Two days ago, they finished the external plastering. After that, they started working inside—internal plastering. They began from the last floor to the top and were working their way to the upper floors. They hadn’t even finished before the incident happened.

How would you describe your children?

My son, Abdulmalik, was my firstborn. I worked closely with him. There are many reasons why I’m proud of them. For example, he did very well in his UTME. He scored 320. It was a big achievement. He was an electrician by training and planned to study Electrical Electronics at university, but it’s sad he is dead.

Which university did he get admitted to?

He was accepted into his first choice last year, which is the University of Lagos. The university accepted him because of his performance. Lagos State University was his second choice, and both schools sent congratulatory messages to him.

What about your uncle?

He was about 78 years old; he was my mother’s younger brother. He lived in Egbeda but came here to supervise the building project. He came to support us and helped with the construction.

How about his wife and children?

They are not in Nigeria; they live abroad.

Is there any message you have for the Lagos State Government on your collapsed building?

Well, since the government approved the building, I am really hoping for their support now. Nothing is left with me, nothing at all, except for my wife and my other daughter. That’s all I have now.

How did you fund the building that collapsed?

My mother owned the land. The building was on her land, and her grave is on the land as well. They were six in their family, and it’s the last born who is abroad that has been sending the money we are using to build the house.

Credit: PUNCH