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How Do We Save Nigeria from Completely Falling Apart?
By Joel Popoola
The 2023 election may feel like a long way off, but the battle to succeed President Buhari is already underway.
But who would want to step into his shoes?
Just this week the influential international news agency Bloomberg asked the question “is Nigeria falling apart?”
It’s hard to argue that it isn’t.
The real question is “how are we going to fix it?”
How are we going to fix an economy where unemployment is 33% and inflation is running at 18%?
What are we going to do to improve the lives of the 80,000,000 Nigerians who live on the equivalent of less than $2 a day – a figure the World Bank predicts may rise to 100,000,000 following COVID-19?
How is a nation economically dependent on oil going to face up to a post-oil future?
What is to be done to repair an education system where more children are out of school than any other country on Earth?
And critically, how are we to unite a nation which has in recent months seen youth clashing with police, jihadist attacks in the north east, herder attacking famers in the central belt, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, separatism in the south east and kidnappings and corruption pretty much everywhere?
People complain that President Buhari has no answers to any of these issues – but does anyone?
Perhaps Nigeria can be healed with a combination of the technology of the future and a traditional south-eastern practice of the past – the Igbo Apprenticeship System.
The Igbo Apprenticeship system has been described as an example of “stakeholder capitalism”– an economic system in which the aim of businesses is not just to make money, but to elevate their communities and where successful businesses aim to support the growth of other businesses in the local area and supply chain, rather than crushing the competition.
Stakeholder capitalism is underpinned by the idea that instead of accepting a society where a handful of businesses or individuals are super-powerful, we aim for a society where everyone is dependent upon each other, where everyone has an incentive to co-operate, where everyone is involved and where everyone has a say.
The idea that we will all achieve more if we work together is so basic we all teach it to our children practically from birth. So why has the concept become so alien in our economy!
Inclusive growth leads to shared prosperity by encouraging co-operation aimed at economic growth – and everyone benefits!
More importantly, the benefits to stakeholder capitalism aren’t measured in money. While Nigeria has average literacy rate of 62%, states where it is commonplace regularly record literacy rates in excess of 90% Nigeria needs a stakeholder society – a society where everyone has a say.
People need to know that their voices will be heard. Leaders need to listen. But in a complicated, diverse and dispersed modern world both sides need technology to make that engagement possible.
At the digital democracy campaign I lead, we’re trying to develop the digital platforms necessary to deliver a stakeholder society.
We have created a free smartphone app called Rate Your Leader which puts people in direct contact with their elected leaders – making sure their voices are heard by the people who take the decisions which affect their lives.
To make sure that the conversation is courteous and constructive, Rate Your Leader’s abuse-proof technology also makes insulting or offensive messages impossible.
Rate Your Leader also allows other registered local voters to contribute to these discussions – letting local leaders know what matters most to the people who elect them and accurately assess how widespread these views are. And voters can even rate their elected officials on transparency and accessibility – helping their peers to see what candidates are worth voting for.
The app empowers electors and elected to come together to address matters of community concern and to collaborate to make local areas better, as well as immediately highlighting issues in need of addressing to the people with the power to address them.
This sort of engagement, which can be carried out from the comfort of the home at the touch of a button, could be the first step towards a truly stakeholder society.
The problems faced by our nation can feel insurmountable. But they are not, as long as we aim work together and utilise the technology of the digital age to bring us together.
Joel Popoola is a Nigerian tech entrepreneur and digital democracy campaigner. He is the creator of the Rate Your Leader app. Follow Joel on Twitter @JoPopoola
The Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) has constituted the LSSTF Monitoring Team with clear guidelines detailing their baseline expectations, roles, responsibilities, and performance. This is to ensure that all security agencies based in Lagos that benefit from the LSSTF largesse are responsible and responsive to the public goodwill which is reposed on them.
The constitution of the LSSTF Monitoring Team is in fulfillment of the pledge of the Executive Secretary/CEO of Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Dr. Ayo Ogunsan at the recent Strategic Media Parley with Senior Editors and Media Executives. He had assured the journalists that the era of abuse and misuse of public resources is over.
It will be recalled that Ogunsan outlined his leadership focus at the media Parley which held at the Agency’s Headquarters on 5th December 2025. ‘Public confidence in the Fund is essential. Under my leadership, transparency will be the standard not the exception. We will, maintain strict oversight on contractor performance, monitor all funded projects closely, publish updates on the utilization of donations, strengthen internal governance and reporting, and deepen stakeholder communication and feedback mechanisms.’
With the LSSTF Monitoring Team duly constituted, Ogunsan gave them the marching orders to include: ‘Monitoring and tracking of vehicles and other security assets belonging to RRS; Conducting routine field inspections to determine the state of Fund’s assets; Maintaining accurate records of assets deployed by the Fund to the RRS and providing operational reports; Accessing the application of assets provided to the security agencies as a prerequisite for further allocation; Monitoring repairs and refurbishments embarked upon by the Fund; and Any other duty as may be assigned from time to time.’
The inauguration and public presentation of a monitoring vehicle to facilitate the efforts of the LSSTF Monitoring Team will be held very soon.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos Sector Command, has confirmed a tanker explosion that occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, 17th December 2025, along the Temu–Sabo route, by the Bypass Pobona area of Epe, Lagos State.
The incident, according to a statement by the Public Education Officer, SRC Oluwadamilola Jayeola, made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), occurred at about 0205hrs and was reported at 0210hrs. Operatives of the FRSC Epe Unit Command responded promptly and arrived at the scene within minutes.
Speaking on the incident, the Sector Public Education Officer, Superintendent Route Commander (SRC) Oluwadamilola Jayeola, stated that preliminary findings revealed that the explosion involved a commercial MACK tanker and five other vehicles, bringing the total number of vehicles affected to six (6).
She explained that the crash was attributed to brake failure, which resulted in loss of control and a subsequent lone crash. Although two adult persons were involved in the incident, no injuries or fatalities were recorded.
Traffic control was immediately established by FRSC operatives to prevent secondary incidents. The Corps worked in synergy with the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), and the Lagos State Fire Service, which successfully contained and extinguished the fire.
A private tow truck was also contacted and placed on standby to facilitate the prompt recovery of the affected vehicles and clear the obstruction along the route.
The Sector Commander, FRSC Lagos Sector Command, Corps Commander Kehinde Ganiyu Hamzat, reiterated his advisory to motorists, particularly operators of heavy-duty vehicles, to ensure regular and thorough vehicle maintenance, with special emphasis on braking systems, before embarking on any journey.
The Lagos Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps remains steadfast in its commitment to prompt emergency response, effective traffic management, and the safety of all road users.
Chairman, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has formally submitted a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Ahmed Farouk, over alleged corruption and financial impropriety.
The petition, dated December 16, 2025, was submitted through Dangote’s lawyer, Dr. Ogwu James Onoja, SAN, and received at the office of the ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN.
In the petition, Dangote called for the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the NMDPRA boss, alleging that Farouk has been living far above his legitimate means as a public servant.
Dangote specifically accused Ahmed Farouk of allegedly spending over seven million United States dollars on the education of his four children in Switzerland, paid upfront for a six-year period, without any lawful explanation for the source of the funds.
According to the petition, the four children and their respective schools in Switzerland were clearly identified, along with the amounts paid on their behalf, to enable the ICPC verify the allegations.
The industrialist further alleged that Farouk Ahmed had been using his position at the NMDPRA to embezzle and divert public funds for personal gain and private interests, actions which he claimed had recently triggered public protests and widespread criticism of the agency.
Dangote maintained that Ahmed Farouk has spent his adult life working in Nigeria’s public sector, adding that his cumulative earnings over the years could not reasonably account for the alleged seven million dollars reportedly spent on the overseas education of his children.
“It is without doubt that the above facts in relation to abuse of office, breach of the Code of Conduct for public officers, corrupt enrichment and embezzlement constitute gross acts of corruption, for which your Commission is statutorily empowered under Section 19 of the ICPC Act to investigate and prosecute,” the petition stated.
It further noted that under the same section of the ICPC Act, any person found guilty of such offences is liable to imprisonment for a term of five years without an option of fine.
Dangote urged the commission to act decisively, stressing that the ICPC, alongside other anti-graft agencies, is strategically positioned to investigate and prosecute corruption-related offences.
“In view of the foregoing, we call on the Commission under your leadership to investigate the complaint of abuse of office and corruption against Engr. Farouk Ahmed and to accordingly prosecute him if found wanting,” the petition added.
The Dangote Group Chairman also expressed confidence that the matter, being in the public domain, would not be ignored, urging the ICPC to act in the interest of justice and to protect the image of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Dangote further pledged his readiness to provide additional evidence to substantiate his allegations of corrupt enrichment, abuse of office and impunity against the NMDPRA Managing Director.
