News
Opinion: That Malaria Dream of Interim National Government
By Solomon Idachaba
The preposterous proposition for an Interim National Government currently championed by some individuals and groups is indicative of an underlying illness perhaps being suffered by those calling for it. There is definitely no doubt that such persons are nothing but desperate and pathetic miscreants trying to grasp at straws as a last bid to achieve the demented ambition of clinching power. Like drowning men, the illusions of installing a caretaker government is indeed their only hope of satisfying wicked, selfish and inglorious interests. Nothing justifies these senseless calls for Interim government in Nigeria considering that a seamless democratic form of Government has been practiced in the past two decades.
In fact, the country has just successfully conducted its seasonal elections from which a new government was duly elected and will be sworn in on 29th May, 2023. Not only that, the current security atmosphere has remained relatively peaceful and normalcy has returned with citizens going about their daily activities. Only naysayers are grandstanding.
So on what grounds are the despicable agitations for an interim national Government? On what basis should it be formed? Is Nigeria in a crisis situation? Are we in any emergency or chaotic circumstances? Is the Nation bedevilled with violence or experiencing general sense of instability? The answer is NO! It is crystal clear that these psychotic agitators of a government that could threaten the country’s existence are acutely diseased by Malaria and its accompanying symptoms of a high fever thereby blindsiding their thought processes. Otherwise, those calling for it, would have understood its meaning. Nigeria has bid bye even to the circumstances that once warranted it. Its justification is clearly non-existent in our statutes.
Since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, the tradition of transition from one government to another has been steady and ceremonial every May 29. Curiously, these unwarranted palpitations for interim government started prior to the 2023 general elections apparently by those who have calculated their chances of winning the elections and were certain of a resounding defeat.
When out of the blues, the likes of Aare Afe Babalola (SAN) in the last quarter of 2022, called for an Interim Government after the expiration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, what came to mind was that the 93-year-old “elder statesman” was daydreaming.
For Babalola and his other unstated cohorts, the sentiments upon which an ING is premised or perceived cannot even hold water. All the illogical reasons are old fashioned. To push their agenda forward, after the general election and following their abysmal failure to win, which of course, was in tune with their earlier predictions of failing at the polls, they collaborated with subversive groups and dubious interests, thus, the recent growing pressure to install an interim government. Once again, I ask, on what grounds?
One thing that is clear is that those beating the drums for Interim National Government are hell bent on truncating our cherished democracy and eroding the gains and growth achieved as a country in the last 24 years. These Malaria stricken persons calling for such, must understand that this ill-advised option is not a silver bullet solution to Nigeria’s problems. approach to address them. An interim government will not in any way solve our underlying problems. But alas, these enemies of Nigeria, its peace, stability and progress are ignorant.
The so called clamour for an interim government is definitely a ploy by political elites, failed politicians and agents of destabilisation to gain power. It is not an exaggeration that these persons are not interested in addressing the problems facing the country but rather in securing political and economic influence in addition to other personal gains. But these fruitless efforts are nothing but a lost cause. Nigerians have spoken through the ballots and elected their next President that will take over the mantle of leadership come 29th May. No amount of threats, mischief or propaganda will stop or prevent this peaceful transition.
Contrary to the lies and falsehood being circulated by fake news merchants, President Buhari has strongly assured that he would indeed hand over power to the newly elected President. Those peddling fake news and spreading baseless conspiracy theories around the inevitable transmission of power on democracy day are only beating a dead horse. Their ploy will never come to fruition; only disgraceful defeats await them. The Country’s electoral umpire has advised those aggrieved by the outcome of the 2023 general elections to seek legal redress. And they are doing so.
It beats rationality that they would want to be on the street and in the courts. Let them choose one. If they choose the streets and recalcitrance, let them be treated as dissidents and outlaws. But if they are in the courts, let them be served justice. During the waiting time, let us all be patient, law abiding and of good behaviour. Those Malaria afflicted peddlers of an inconceivable and futile interim government should take full dose of their drugs and be healed.
Idachaba writes from Makurdi, Benue State
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested a former chairman of defunct Skye Bank Plc, Tunde Ayeni, over alleged money laundering, misappropriation and diversion of funds amounting to N36.54bn and $30m.
Ayeni, a businessman, was arrested in Abuja on Thursday, and is currently being held at the commission’s facility.
The arrest followed an EFCC probe into alleged misappropriation and diversion of funds said to have been obtained from Polaris Bank through multiple entities linked to him.
“Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested a former board chairman of defunct Skye Bank Plc and businessman, Tunde Ayeni, in connection with alleged money laundering, misappropriation and diversion of funds to the tune of N36,540,058,400.00 and $30m.
“Ayeni was arrested sequel to the investigation of the EFCC into alleged misappropriation and diversion of funds to the tune of N36,540,058,400.00 and $30m obtained from Polaris Bank Plc by different entities linked to him.
“The funds were loans obtained allegedly for specific investment projects but subsequently transferred to other entities’ accounts. Investigations showed that, though the loans were obtained for purposes such as finance of marine security activities, electricity distribution contract, estate development, they were diverted to the NITEL/MTEL asset acquisition through NATCOM account,” one of the sources said.
Another source said the commission is currently probing 12 companies allegedly linked to Ayeni, which it said were used to obtain the loans from Polaris Bank.
“Twelve different companies linked to Ayeni are being investigated by the EFCC. They are entities he allegedly used to obtain loans from Polaris Bank for his shady activities. The loans are depositors’ funds fraudulently obtained and frittered into diverse wasteful purposes. Ayeni will be arraigned in due course upon conclusion of investigations,” the source said.
When contacted, EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale confirmed the arrest but declined to give further details.
The Punch
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
To be fruitful is to be productive, profitable, and successful in all areas of your life. When one is fruitful, he will attract many opportunities and values. When we are fruitful, we won’t be barren because we will be producing fruits and results with our work. Even the book of life said no woman will be barren in your land. That’s being fruitful.
Fruitfulness permeates every area of our life. When you are fruitful, your life, marriage, business, academic, ethics, relationship/network will flourish. Our business must be fruitful to survive, otherwise it will be out of business. We shall discuss several areas where one can be fruitful.
Parents
The joy of every father is for the child to be greater than him. Any father that wants to be greater than his son is not a good father in my understanding. Parents, mentors, government, teachers, leaders of faith, etc. all want us to be fruitful.
Let’s take a case study of parents. They sacrifice their time, resources and health just to give us a decent life. They do it because they want us to be successful in life.
Personally, I watched my late father and mother deprive themselves of the luxury of life just to give me and my siblings a decent life. My late parents never had the opportunity of having a decent education, it won’t be out of place for one to say they are unlettered, but they knew the value of education.
My late dad will always say, he’s not concerned about building houses, or living a luxury lifestyle, to him, those are secondary needs of life. His primary concern is for his children to have a good education. My late dad will always say assuming he’s educated, he would have excelled higher in life.
My late mother is not an exemption. I vividly remember one day my late mother said to me, her colleagues are buying jewelry, shoes, clothes, making their hair, etc. to fit into trends, but she’s not concerned about that, her major concern is for her children to have a decent education and look good.
Most people don’t understand the inspiration behind why I do what I do today. My late parents were and remained my biggest supporter. Apart from going to heaven, my greatest goal is to make my late parents and children proud. The moral of this analysis is my late parents sacrificed even their life for me and siblings just because they want us to be successful and fruitful.
Mentors
Mentors are not left out of this equation; mentors can be regarded as gatekeepers because they have paid the price of success. It is the fruitfulness of mentors that attracts values and mentees to them. When a mentor accepts a mentee into his fold, he’s simply telling the mentee, “I want you to be successful, I don’t want you to fail. However, it is important to state that before a mentor can accept to mentor a mentee, the mentor would have seen some potential in the mentees.
It’s instructive to mention that there are five types of mentors namely:
- Position Mentor: People follow you because they have a right to follow you which can be because of the position you occupy.
- Permission Mentor: People follow you because you allow them. For example, in relationships when you decide to allow people to build relationships with you.
- Production Mentor: People follow you because of what you have done for the organization or association. This is result oriented.
- People Development Mentor: People follow you because of what you have done for them.
- Pinnacle Mentor: People follow you because of who you are or what you represent. The question now is where do you belong?
For the umpteenth time, I am a product of mentorship. My mentors have really shaped my life.
Teachers
Teachers are not left out. Teachers are generally regarded as professional educators who play a critical role in fostering student achievement, personal growth, and social development. They are seen as the “lifeblood” of the education system, often serving as mentors, role models, and agents of social change.
There are many components of teachers namely:
- Professional Experts: Teachers are trained specialists in pedagogy (the art/science of teaching) and subject matter, holding degrees and certifications that qualify them to guide learners.
- Facilitators and Mentors: Beyond delivering content, they act as guides who help students acquire critical thinking skills and knowledge, shifting from “information dispensers” to active facilitators.
- Lifelong Learners: Effective teachers are viewed as individuals who continuously learn and adapt their practices to new technologies, curricula, and student needs.
- Moral and Cultural Guides: Teachers are often expected to act as stewards of community values, maintaining student safety, and cultivating civic responsibility.
- “Backbone of Society”: They are considered crucial to a nation’s social and economic development by preparing the future workforce. Above all, they assist in making us fruitful human beings.
Leaders of faith
The leaders of faith are regarded as the molders of the human faith because they help to build our faith. When the scripture says in Genesis 1:8, be fruitful and multiply, the scripture is also referring to them because they are regarded as shepherds. As Christians, we expected to be fruitful because our heavenly father is fruitful. Being fruitful here entails bearing fruits with our life and this entails using our life to attract people into the kingdom of God as evidence of our heavenly father who expects us to be Christlike.
Government
Let’s talk about the government. When a government is fruitful, it will reflect on the lives of her citizens, but when the government is performing below expectations, the citizens will be on the receiving end. The principal responsibility of the government is protection of life and security for her citizens. Every other thing is secondary. The government is also responsible for creating job opportunities for the citizens. However, it should be noted the government cannot create for all her citizens, and as such they provide an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive.
Employers/Supervisors/Leaders
These sets of people are regarded as people of influence. You need them at your corner, if you intend to move higher in life. Your employers and supervisors are regarded as your leaders. You can never outsmart them; the best one can try is to be in their good books and tolerate their excesses. When an employee is fruitful and exceeding expectations at work, they tend to be rewarded by their supervisors or employers because of the value they create and the problem they solve
In conclusion, whatever you do in life, please try and be fruitful.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court has adjourned the bail hearing of former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to the first week of June, 2026.
El-Rufai is being arraigned on multiple charges bordering on alleged financial crime and abuse of office by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
“Similarly, another charge, number KDH/KAD/ICPC/01/26, against Mallam Nasir El-Rufa’i and one Amadu Sule (LEDA) has also been filed before a Kaduna State High Court in the Kaduna Judicial Division,” the ICPC said last month.
“The charges in the State High Court case range from abuse of office, fraud, and intent to commit fraud to conferring undue advantage, among others. Both charges were filed by the ICPC on the 18th of March, 2026.”
Speaking after the court session, counsel to the former governor, Ukpon Akpan, kicked against the lingering adjournment of the bail hearing by one presiding judge as politically motivated.
The high-profile case has drawn significant public attention, with heightened security presence observed around the court premises.
The former governor had arrived at the court at about 9 am in a convoy accompanied by ICPC officials and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
During the proceedings, supporters of the former governor gathered outside the courtroom, while security agencies maintained order and restricted movement within the vicinity.
Inside the courtroom, journalists, as usual, were not allowed, as proceedings are expected to focus on arguments presented by both the defence and prosecution regarding the bail request.
At the last sitting, the defence team had maintained that their client poses no flight risk and is willing to comply with all conditions set by the court.
Meanwhile, the prosecution has urged the court to carefully consider the gravity of the charges.
The 66-year-old former governor of Kaduna has been in ICPC custody since February 19 following his release by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
El-Rufai, a former minister of the FCT, was, however, released on March 27 based on compassionate grounds following his mother’s death
