ONE YEAR OF TINUBU GOVT TRAGEDY, NOT ONE PROBLEM SOLVED – BUGAJE

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ONE YEAR OF TINUBU GOVT TRAGEDY, NOT ONE PROBLEM SOLVED – BUGAJE

A former member of House of Representatives, Usman Bugaje, has said that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has been a tragedy to Nigerians in his one year in office.

Bugaje, featured on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday evening, said President Tinubu’s government has not solved a single problem in Nigeria but created more problems than it met.

He described Tinubu’s government as groping in darkness and added that it is unfortunate that Nigeria has no metrics to evaluate governance and compel leaders to scientifically present their achievements to the people.

Bugaje said, “For citizens and the people who have been in government, clearly the last one year has been a tragedy. There is no one problem they have been able to solve.

“I cannot see any other than no clue. I gave them the sense. They are feeling the pressure on the faces of Nigerians and perhaps they are trying to see how they can assuage this anger because the people are angry.”

He said since the administration came to power on May 29, 2023, “I have not seen one problem that they have solved”.

“If anything, the policies they started with have created far more problems than they found, and in this one year, they are clearly groping in the dark,” he said.

He continued, “This is the time for them to admit and seek help from those who know. Nigeria is full of people with the experience, with the expertise. They may not be in your party, they may not even be in politics but this is the way many countries have been able to get out of their problems.

“What we are going through is not new. Countries go through these from time to time but what do they do, they draw from their resources, their intellectual resources, their administrative resources, the people who have experiences. This country is full of them but they (leaders) lock themselves up and they are not delivering.”

Speaking further, he said, “I feel uncomfortable discussing this without even defining what their metrics are. We as a nation should have by now developed metrics for evaluating governance. In the academic world, there are statistics.

“Every government should have come with a baseline, after one year, they would be able to say scientifically this is the production in terms of agriculture, what we found in 2023 and this last season, we have improved by number of these metric tonnes.

“In the area of security, these are the figures we would have improved. The first thing in the morning was about 20 people picked up by bandits right in Gwarinpa, in an estate.”

“If Abuja, with all the presence of the government, is not safe, this is a centre shock to many residents of Abuja. Other citizens in Sokoto, in Zamfara, in Benue, in Cross River, and wherever they are, are constantly being killed, being maimed, and displaced. We must be concerned.

“My point is, what I have heard so far is empty rhetoric that has not spoken to the problems on the ground. If you are talking about more money to the states, that is not your business.“That is a revenue allocation formula. You are not doing a favour to anybody. You are simply implementing the revenue allocation formula. It is a law,” he said.

  • Dons Eze

    DONS EZE, PhD, Political Philosopher and Journalist of over four decades standing, worked in several newspaper houses across the country, and rose to the positions of Editor and General Manager. A UNESCO Fellow in Journalism, Dr. Dons Eze, a prolific writer and author of many books, attended several courses on Journalism and Communication in both Nigeria and overseas, including a Postgraduate Course on Journalism at Warsaw, Poland; Strategic Communication and Practical Communication Approach at RIPA International, London, the United Kingdom, among others.

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    ATIKU, EL-RUFAI, TANKO FORM COALITION TO CHALLENGE TINUBU IN 2027

    ATIKU, EL-RUFAI, TANKO FORM COALITION TO CHALLENGE TINUBU IN 2027 Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, alongside other key political figures, has announced the formation of a new opposition coalition aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election. The announcement was made during a press conference at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja on Thursday, where Atiku, flanked by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Labour Party spokesperson Yunusa Tanko, and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Emeka Ihedioha, addressed journalists. Responding to a question on whether the gathering signalled the launch of a coalition to remove Tinubu from office, Atiku confirmed, “Yes.” The opposition leaders strongly condemned Tinubu’s recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, which led to the suspension of elected officials, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu. Atiku described the action as unconstitutional and an overreach of presidential powers, calling on Nigerians to reject it. “We have come together to address the dangerous and unconstitutional actions taken by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on March 18, 2025—to wit, the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the illegal suspension of the democratically elected governor, deputy governor, and state House of Assembly,” Atiku stated. “This action is not only unlawful but also a clear subversion of democracy and an imposition of autocratic federal control over a duly elected state government,” he continued. Atiku accused Tinubu of failing to follow due process, arguing that the Nigerian Constitution does not empower the president to remove a sitting governor. He cited Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, which allows a state of emergency only in extreme situations threatening national security, sovereignty, or public safety. “Section 305 of the Constitution allows the President to declare a state of emergency only in extreme cases where public safety, national security, or Nigeria’s sovereignty is at serious risk. However, it does not grant him the power to suspend elected officials or to demolish democratic structures as he has brazenly done,” he said. He further pointed out that even if Tinubu’s emergency declaration were valid, it would require a two-thirds majority approval from the National Assembly, which had not been obtained. Atiku accused the federal government of using the crisis in Rivers State as a pretext for political control. “Rather than allowing the law to take its course, the federal government has engineered a crisis to justify this obviously premeditated and brazenly cynical unconstitutional action,” he said. The coalition called on the National Assembly to reject Tinubu’s declaration and urged the judiciary to strike it down to prevent a precedent that could be used to arbitrarily remove elected governors in the future. Atiku also referenced past administrations that declared emergency rule in conflict-ridden areas without removing governors, arguing that Tinubu’s decision represents “a new low for our country.” Among the opposition leaders present at the press conference were Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi (represented by Yunusa Tanko), former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties Peter Ahmeh. Other prominent politicians, including former governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), and former APC National Chairman Abdullahi Adamu, were absent but sent their apologies. The newly formed coalition signaled the start of what could become a major political movement ahead of the 2027 elections, with leaders pledging to unite opposition forces against Tinubu’s administration.

    BREAKING: TINUBU SWEARS-IN IBAS AS RIVERS SOLE ADMINISTRATOR

    BREAKING: TINUBU SWEARS-IN IBAS AS RIVERS SOLE ADMINISTRATOR President Bola Tinubu has sworn- in the sole administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.), into office. Tinubu swore Ibas into office at about 03:00 pm at the State House, Abuja. The brief ceremony was witnessed by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and the Principal Secretary to the President, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola. Ibas arrived at the Presidential Villa at about 12:48 pm (local time). On Tuesday night, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months. In a national broadcast, Tinubu cited prolonged political instability, constitutional breaches, and security threats as reasons for the extraordinary measure. The crisis, which had paralysed governance in the oil-rich state, stems from a power struggle between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. As part of the directive, the President also appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.) as the sole administrator to oversee the state’s affairs until normalcy is restored. Ibas served as Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari. Tinubu announced, “In the circumstance, having soberly reflected on and evaluated the political situation in Rivers State the Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State has failed to make a request to me as President to issue this proclamation as required by section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, it has become inevitably compelling for me to invoke the provision of section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with effect from today, March 18, 2025 and I so do. “By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months. “In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (retd.) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State. For the avoidance of doubt, this declaration does not affect the judicial arm of Rivers State, which shall continue to function in accordance with their constitutional mandate.”

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