Month: May 2025

The recent proposal by the National Assembly to mandate compulsory voting in Nigeria is not only tone-deaf but dangerously misguided. While high voter turnout is a noble goal in any democracy, attempting to achieve it through coercion rather than trust undermines the very essence of democratic freedom. Instead of punishing citizens for voter apathy, lawmakers should be asking why Nigerians are disengaging from the political process. The answer is simple: decades of broken promises, failed leadership, and rampant corruption have eroded public trust. Nigerians are not refusing to vote because they are unpatriotic—they are refusing because they are tired of being lied to. Voting is a right, not an obligation. And that right includes the freedom not to vote—especially when abstention becomes a powerful act of protest against a political system that consistently fails its people. If the National Assembly is truly committed to rescuing Nigeria’s democracy, it should start by holding elected officials accountable. Instead of proposing a law that criminalizes citizens for staying away from the ballot box, lawmakers should be pushing a bill that jails politicians who willfully abandon their campaign promises. A politician’s manifesto is not a poetic suggestion—it is a binding social contract. When candidates promise jobs, security, infrastructure, and reforms, they are making commitments that must have consequences when deliberately unfulfilled. Introducing legal penalties for serially broken promises would do more to inspire voter participation than any form of mandatory voting ever could. Imagine a Nigeria where public office comes with measurable expectations and enforceable accountability. Where politicians knew that failure to deliver—not due to unforeseen challenges, but due to neglect or deceit—could land them in prison. Such a reform would restore integrity to our elections and separate true public servants from political opportunists. More importantly, it would reignite faith in the system. Citizens are far more likely to vote when they believe their participation leads to real change. Hope, not compulsion, is the foundation of democratic engagement. If Nigerians knew that their votes would lead to real consequences for leaders, apathy would fade—not by force, but by renewed belief in the power of the ballot. Compulsory voting, on the other hand, addresses none of these root causes. It treats the symptom while ignoring the disease. It is a distraction from the real crisis of leadership and accountability. It is not the Nigerian voter who is failing democracy—it is the political class that campaigns on transformation and delivers excuses. Until this trend is reversed, no amount of forced participation will restore legitimacy to our electoral process. Let us stop punishing victims of bad governance, and instead punish those who exploit public trust for personal gain. Let us use our legislative energy not to force votes, but to build a system where votes truly count—and where broken promises come at a cost. Only then will we begin to rebuild the kind of democracy Nigerians not only need—but deserve.

LAGOS, NIGERIA — A construction worker has been confirmed dead following the collapse of a one-storey building under construction at 96 Ishaga Road, opposite Idi Araba Central Mosque, in the Mushin area of Lagos State. The tragic incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, prompting a swift emergency response. The Lagos Territorial Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the fatality and noted that three other individuals were rescued alive from the debris. “So far, one person has been confirmed dead, while three others have been rescued alive. Search and rescue operations are ongoing,” Farinloye said in a statement. Spokesperson for the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Shakiru Amodu, also confirmed the casualty. “Unfortunately, one adult male has been recovered dead,” he stated. Director of the fire service, Margaret Adeseye, clarified that the building was still under construction when it suddenly collapsed. She reported that three adult males were pulled from the rubble with varying degrees of injury and were receiving treatment. According to Adeseye, emergency responders included personnel from the Isolo Fire Station, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), and the Nigeria Police. “The rescued victims were attended to at the scene and later transported to the hospital for further medical attention,” she added. Authorities are continuing investigations to determine the cause of the structural failure. 🔗Kamal Yalwa

The Federal Government has announced that 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have significantly reduced their domestic debt profiles, repaying a combined total of N1.85 trillion between June 2023 and December 2024. This was revealed in the May 16, 2025 edition of The Explainer, a weekly publication of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), which detailed the nation’s debt reduction progress. According to the report, the 36 states and the FCT had a domestic debt stock of N1.66 trillion in December 2014, rising to N5 trillion by June 2023. However, aggressive fiscal reforms under the Tinubu administration, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and naira floatation, helped unlock increased revenue flows to the states. The publication noted that state and local governments shared N6.16 trillion in FAAC allocations in 2023—a 28.6% increase from the N4.79 trillion received in 2022. In 2024, allocations soared further to N9.58 trillion, enabling record debt repayments. Top-performing states in debt reduction include: However, Niger, Enugu, and Rivers States were the only ones that increased their debt burden during the period. Rivers topped this list, adding N138.89 billion in new domestic debt. The Federal Government also made strides in reducing external debt, paying off its entire $3.264 billion obligation to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) within 18 months. By Q2 2025, the outstanding balance of $800.23 million—as of December 2024—was cleared, marking the full repayment. Other federal debt repayments include: In total, domestic debt servicing reached N8.81 trillion over the 18-month period. As a result, Nigeria’s total public debt stock dropped from $113.42 billion in June 2023 to $94.22 billion by December 2024. The NOA praised the Tinubu administration’s fiscal discipline and transparency in public finance management, describing the developments as a “landmark turnaround” in Nigeria’s debt sustainability trajectory.