Super User
Nigeria faces escalating security crisis as over 10,000 die during Tinubu’s first two years in office
Nigeria's security situation has dramatically deteriorated during President Bola Tinubu's first two years in office, with armed groups and bandits killing more than 10,000 people across seven states, according to a comprehensive investigation by Amnesty International.
The human rights organization documented at least 10,217 deaths between May 2023 and May 2025 in Benue, Edo, Katsina, Kebbi, Plateau, Sokoto, and Zamfara states. Benue State recorded the highest casualties with 6,896 deaths, while Plateau State saw 2,630 people killed during this period.
New Armed Groups Emerge
The security landscape has become increasingly complex with the emergence of new militant organizations, including Lakurawa in Sokoto and Kebbi states, and Mamuda in Kwara State. These groups have joined existing threats like Boko Haram in terrorizing rural communities across Nigeria's northern regions.
Isa Sanusi, director of Amnesty International Nigeria, criticized the government's response to the crisis. "President Tinubu must fulfill his promises to Nigerians and urgently address the resurgence of the nation's endemic security crisis," Sanusi stated, noting that security measures implemented by the current administration have proven ineffective.
Villages Under Siege
The investigation revealed that 672 villages have been destroyed by bandits across three states, with entire communities forced to abandon their homes. In Zamfara State alone, 481 villages have been sacked while 529 villages remain under bandit control across 13 local government areas.
Daily attacks have become commonplace in Zamfara, with multiple incidents sometimes occurring within 24 hours. The state has recorded 273 deaths and 467 abductions over the past two years, with women and girls comprising the majority of kidnapping victims.
Systematic Destruction
The violence extends beyond killings to systematic destruction of infrastructure. In Benue State, attackers have deliberately targeted essential services, destroying boreholes, medical clinics, schools, grain reserves, and places of worship. All 23 local government areas in the state have experienced such attacks, with 148 villages completely destroyed across seven local governments.
The April 3 attack on Bokkos local government in Plateau State exemplified the brutality, with entire families murdered including children. Between March 27 and April 2, 2025, coordinated assaults targeted five communities simultaneously: Daffo, Gwande, Hurti, Manguna, and Ruwi.
Humanitarian Emergency Looms
The violence has displaced over 515,000 people across the affected regions, creating a looming humanitarian crisis. Benue State alone accounts for 450,000 internally displaced persons, while Plateau State has 65,000 displaced residents. Many communities have been forced to relocate multiple times as attackers target displacement camps and schools serving as shelters.
The displacement of farming communities threatens food security, as agricultural production has been severely disrupted. In Zamfara State's Dangulbi district, farmers watch their sweet potato harvests rot because bandits prevent transportation to markets. Many displaced persons have resorted to begging for survival.
Economic Extortion
Beyond physical violence, armed groups have implemented systematic extortion schemes, demanding tribute payments from rural communities via telephone. Residents face death threats if they fail to meet payment deadlines, creating a climate of economic terrorism alongside physical intimidation.
One resident from Maru local government in Zamfara State described the government's inadequate response: "The only relationship between us and the government is that they issue media statements after we are attacked and killed. When the next attack comes, they will issue another empty statement, while bandits escalate their atrocities."
International Obligations Unfulfilled
Under international human rights law, Nigeria's government has clear obligations to protect citizens' lives and ensure accountability for perpetrators. Amnesty International argues that authorities are systematically failing these responsibilities, creating a cycle of impunity that emboldens further violence.
The organization emphasized that time is running out as attacks continue to escalate daily across multiple states. The failure to hold suspected perpetrators accountable has created an environment where citizens feel completely unsafe, with insurgents and bandits increasingly bold in their operations.
Call for Action
Amnesty International demands immediate concrete action from Nigerian authorities to match their public commitments with effective security measures. The organization has monitored banditry attacks and farmer-herder conflicts since 2016, previously documenting government failures to protect rural communities in a 2020 investigation.
The current crisis represents a significant escalation of Nigeria's long-standing security challenges, with the emergence of new armed groups and the systematic nature of attacks marking a dangerous evolution in the country's instability. Without immediate and comprehensive intervention, the situation threatens to spiral into an even more severe humanitarian catastrophe.
18 soldiers, 15 police officers arrested for selling arms to criminals, Nigerian Army says
Troops of operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have arrested 18 serving soldiers and 15 police officers for allegedly selling arms to terrorists and other criminal elements.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday about the activities of troops in the north-east, Ademola Owolana, a major, said operation snowball, an exercise launched in August 2024 to target ammunition racketeering in the theatre, has recorded successes.
Owolana said the exercise was conducted across 11 states, with suspects arrested in Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Enugu, Lagos, Plateau, Kaduna, Rivers, Taraba and the federal capital territory (FCT).
He said eight civilians and one traditional ruler were also arrested over alleged arms racketeering.
“So far, a total of 18 soldiers, 15 mobile policemen, and eight civilians, including a traditional ruler, have been arrested,” he said.
Owolana said the “lucrative” nature of arms racketeering is the driving force behind the illegal activity.
He noted that Ameh Raphael, an armourer of the 7th division garrison, who has been engaging in the act since 2018, had N45 million in his bank account.
He added that Seidi Adamu of the 3rd division ordnance services, who has also been in the trade since 2022, had N34 million in his bank account.
He said the investigation revealed that N135 million passed through the bank account of Enoch Ngwa, a police inspector, arrested for arms racketeering.
He accused some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of conveying additives and food items to terrorist locations under the guise of humanitarian assistance.
“Additionally, a few soldiers motivated by greed are involved in ammunition racketeering, deliberately diverting arms from the military stockpiles and supply chains to terrorists,” he said.
“Such actions erode battlefield morale, reduce troops’ effectiveness, and strengthen enemy resistance.
“The most recent incident occurred on 24th February this year when a soldier of 144 Battalion was arrested with 30 rounds of 7.62mm specials at Tashin-Karo Kano by a military police K-19 on route search operations.
“Consequently, the theatre has continued to warn troops at all levels of the severe repercussions and sanctions of ammunition racketeering.
“Those found culpable have been dismissed and handed over to the police to serve as a deterrent.”
The Cable
Nigeria yields top fuel importer status to South Africa - Report
Nigeria has relinquished its long-held position as Africa’s largest importer of refined petroleum products following the ramp-up of operations at the Dangote Petrochemical Refinery, a new report has stated.
South Africa has now overtaken Nigeria as the continent’s largest fuel importer, according to new data from energy consultancy CITAC, signalling a seismic shift in Africa’s downstream oil market.
The refinery, which began large-scale production in early 2024, is already disrupting established trade flows across sub-Saharan Africa and reshaping the continent’s energy dynamics.
With a refining capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, the largest single-train refinery in the world, its rising output is sharply reducing Nigeria’s dependence on petrol imports.
The latest figures released by an energy consultancy, CITAC, on Wednesday, showed that Nigeria imported 3.1 million metric tonnes of refined petroleum products in the first quarter of 2025.
In contrast, South Africa brought in 4.2 million tonnes over the same period, cementing its status as the continent’s biggest fuel importer.
“Nigerian imports are dropping as a result of the continued operation of Dangote,” said Elitsa Georgieva, Executive Director at CITAC.
“Since the beginning of this year, South African imports have been consistently the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. Crude throughput across sub-Saharan African refineries rose by 77.8 per cent year-on-year in 2024, jumping from an average of 382,500 barrels per day in 2023 to 680,100 barrels per day in 2024. This leap was almost entirely driven by the Dangote plant.”
The development marks a significant milestone for Nigeria, which has for decades paradoxically relied on imported fuel despite being Africa’s top crude oil producer.
The report further estimated that Nigeria’s total refined fuel imports for 2025 will fall to 6.4 million tonnes, less than half of South Africa’s projected 15.5 million tonnes.
“The Nigerian market has undergone major product flow changes since mid-2023. The long-awaited 650 kb/d Dangote refinery near Lagos began operations in January 2024, steadily ramping up throughput and streaming secondary units throughout the year. Output from the Dangote refinery has displaced the bulk of international clean products imports in West Africa,” the report explained.
The Dangote refinery has become a major source of petroleum product offtake and has ramped up to 550,000 barrels of refining capacity per day. While Nigeria’s imports are on the decline, South Africa’s dependence on foreign fuel is deepening.
Its growing reliance on imported fuels stems from a sharp decline in its refining capacity. Industrial accidents, ageing infrastructure, and chronic underinvestment have forced the shutdown of several facilities since 2020.
Transnet SOC Ltd, South Africa’s state-owned logistics company, reports that imports now meet over 60 per cent of national fuel demand. The situation worsened in 2022 when the country’s largest refinery, Sapref, a joint venture between Shell Plc and BP Plc, was idled.
Although the government acquired the plant in 2023 in a bid to restart operations, no relaunch date has been confirmed. “South Africa’s infrastructure is mature, but its refining shortfall is now attracting foreign traders who can bridge the gap,” said an industry executive involved in the Shell divestment talks.
Analysts say Nigeria’s reduced import dependency could support the naira, relieve pressure on foreign exchange reserves, and narrow trade deficits. The shift also has fiscal implications for the government, which has historically spent heavily on subsidising imported fuel.
Meanwhile, Swiss-based oil trader Mocoh has said it’s undergoing a strategic overhaul as the Dangote refinery reshapes fuel supply dynamics across West Africa, disrupting traditional trade routes and prompting a shift in business models.
For years, Mocoh built its core business around supplying premium motor spirit, popularly known as petrol, to Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil consumer, relying heavily on deals with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
However, that changed dramatically with the phased start-up of the 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote refinery, which began supplying large volumes of fuel to the domestic market in 2024.
“In early 2025, we saw a paradigm shift,” said Olivier Lassagne, Mocoh’s new CEO, in an interview with Platts. “We lost most of our petrol trade with NNPC, but that’s pushed us to grow beyond our traditional niche and reposition for the future.”
Moscow, which has operated in Nigeria for nearly three decades, has found new footing by partnering with Dangote to export surplus fuel to regional markets like Benin, Cameroon and Burkina Faso.
Yet, competition is fierce. Dangote has so far favoured trading giants like Vitol, BP and Trafigura for major offtake deals, while newer players such as Afreximbank-backed Atmin are vying to expand intra-African flows.
“Dangote values flexibility and market pricing. They aren’t tying themselves down with exclusive partners,” Lassagne said, adding that Mocoh is positioning itself as a nimble regional player.
Punch
African literary giant Ngügĩ wa Thiong’o is dead
Renowned Kenyan author and academic Ngügĩ wa Thiong’o died on Wednesday at 87.
On Wednesday evening, his daughter, Wanjiku Wa Ngugi, posted on Facebook that the novelist had passed.
She wrote: “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngügĩ wa Thiong’o, this Wednesday morning, 28th May 2025.”
She spoke about her father’s legacy and last wish: “He lived a full life and fought a good fight. As was his last wish, let’s celebrate his life and work. Ria ratha na ria thua. Turi aira”
She further hinted that the family’s spokesperson, Nducu Wa Ngugi, will announce details of his celebration of life soon.
Ngugi, the literary icon
Ngugi, born on 5 January 1938, authored many books, novels, plays, short stories, and essays. Ngugi authored ‘Weep Not Child’, ‘The River Between’, ‘Petals of Blood and Wizard of the Crow’.
He was also popular for his literary style, children’s literature, and open criticism of social disorder. He was considered East Africa’s leading novelist.
He founded and edited Mutiri, a Gikuyu journal. His short story, ‘The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright’, was translated into 100 languages and sold worldwide.
Despite facing imprisonment and exile for criticising the dictatorial government in Kenya, he has remained an influential figure in African literature.
His work includes novels, plays, short stories, and essays on topics ranging from literary and social criticism to children’s literature.
In March 2024, Source, a Kenyan online newspaper, said Ngugi was suffering from kidney failure and was living alone and under the care of medical personnel at his house in California, US.
PT
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 601
Netanyahu says Hamas Gaza chief Mohammad Sinwar has been killed
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Mohammad Sinwar, Hamas' Gaza chief and the younger brother of the Palestinian militant group's deceased leader and mastermind of the October 2023 attack, Yahya Sinwar, had been killed.
Mohammad Sinwar had been the target of an Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza earlier this month and Netanyahu said on May 21 that it was likely he was dead.
The Israeli leader announced that Sinwar had been "eliminated" in an address to the Israeli parliament as he listed off names of other Hamas officials that Israel had killed over the past 20 months, including Sinwar's brother Yahya.
"In the last two days we have been in a dramatic turn towards a complete defeat of Hamas," he said, adding that Israel was also "taking control of food distribution", a reference to a new aid distribution system in Gaza managed by a U.S.-backed group.
Hamas has yet to confirm Sinwar's death.
Netanyahu's announcement comes as the Israeli military has intensified its war campaign in Gaza after breaking a fragile ceasefire with Hamas in March. Israel has said it aims to dismantle Hamas' governing and military capabilities and secure the release of hostages that are still held in Gaza.
The war erupted on October 7, 2023 when Hamas-led militants stormed out of Gaza, rampaging through southern Israeli communities and killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
More than 250 were captured and taken as hostages into Gaza.
Israel's retaliatory assault on Gaza has decimated the coastal territory, killing more than 53,000, according to health officials in Gaza, and displaced over 2 million Palestinians.
Gazan health officials have said most of those killed have been civilians but have not said how many militants have died. Israel believes it has killed tens of thousands of militants but has not provided any evidence to support those claims.
Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir on May 26 said Hamas had lost many assets, including its command and control centre.
Sinwar was elevated to the top ranks of the Palestinian militant group last year after Israel killed his brother Yahya in combat.
Yahya Sinwar masterminded the October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war, now in its 20th month, and was later named the overall leader of the group after Israel killed his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
Reuters
What to know after Day 1190 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE
Work on Russian peace proposal to Ukraine ‘in final stage’ – Kremlin
Russia is close to finalizing its proposal to Ukraine that could lead to a conditional ceasefire and eventual negotiated settlement of the conflict, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said.
Moscow and Kiev are working on separate versions of a memorandum outlining a framework for peace. The Russian draft is “in the final stage,”Peskov told reporters during a regular press briefing on Wednesday.
He noted that Russia continues to keep its diplomatic proposals confidential and will not release details publicly. Peskov rejected a report by Reuters claiming that Moscow wants any peace agreement to include a NATO pledge ruling out future membership for Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries, such as Moldova and Georgia.
“How do you even imagine us discussing Georgia at talks with Ukraine?” he said.
Peskov also addressed a recent call by Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky for a three-way meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. While some kind of a summit might conclude the negotiations, it cannot replace them, Peskov said. Zelensky has said he is open to meeting Putin in any third country, except Belarus.
In separate remarks, Peskov underscored that diplomacy is continuing alongside military operations. He said both parties are currently working to “formulate the list of conditions for a temporary ceasefire” that should be included in the final peace memorandum.
Initially, Kiev and its European supporters insisted that no talks could occur unless Russia agreed to a 30-day pause in fighting. Moscow rejected the demand, calling it a tactic to give Ukrainian forces relief. Under pressure from Washington, Kiev revised its stance, resulting in the first direct diplomatic engagement between Russia and Ukraine since 2022.
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
Many Ukrainians baulk at conceding land to Russia, entangling nascent peace process
Mariupol natives Oleksandr and Liudmyla Lytvyn fled home three years ago during Russia's 86-day siege of the port city in southern Ukraine. Now they are following peace talks between the warring countries anxiously, fearing they may never return.
Mariupol, home to more than 400,000 people before the full-scale invasion, was seized by Russian forces in May 2022 when the city's last defenders were ordered to surrender, ending one of the bloodiest chapters of the war.
"We lived our entire life in Mariupol. I believe until the very last that it will be Ukrainian. I do not know how," Liudmyla, 65, a retired teacher, told Reuters.
Her longing to see occupied land back under Ukrainian control is widely shared, presenting a challenge to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as he comes under pressure to consider territorial concessions under any peace agreement with Russia.
Ukraine has given no indication it is willing to do so, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has pushed Kyiv to cede not only occupied territory but also land not controlled by Moscow, while the United States has said loss of land seems inevitable.
More than three years into its full-scale invasion, Russia controls nearly one fifth of Ukraine and its troops are making incremental but steady gains in the east.
Zelenskiy himself has acknowledged that Ukraine cannot recapture all of its lost territory through military force, but wants to settle the issue through diplomacy.
Oleksandr, 65, said the issue of what Ukraine may have to give up in return for peace depends not only on Kyiv.
"The issue here is whether there are any limits on weapons," he said, referring to doubts over whether the U.S. will continue military support for Ukraine now that Donald Trump is in the White House and moving closer to Russia.
"It depends not only on Zelenskiy but also on other matters, weapons in particular," Oleksandr added, sitting next to his wife in a dormitory in the central city of Dnipro where they have moved temporarily.
Without U.S. military backing, Ukraine's position in negotiations would be significantly weakened.
RARE DIRECT TALKS
This month Kyiv and Moscow held their first direct talks since 2022, yielding little progress on ending the war.
After a subsequent phone call between Trump and Putin, the U.S. president appeared to withdraw from efforts to mediate peace, leaving Ukraine exposed against a larger enemy.
For displaced residents of Mariupol - the largest Ukrainian city to fall to the Russians since 2022 - that raises concerns not only about territorial concessions but also over whether justice will be served.
Vadym Boichenko, Mariupol's mayor-in-exile, said his team gathered evidence showing at least 22,000 civilians were killed in nearly three months of fighting that reduced a city once famous for its vibrant port and giant steel plants to rubble.
Human Rights Watch, along with Truth Hounds and SITU Research, estimated 8,000 people died from fighting or war-related causes, although it could not establish how many were civilians and said the true count may be significantly higher.
Reuters could not independently verify estimates of the death toll.
Russia pounded Mariupol with artillery, rockets and missiles and cut off access to electricity, heating, fresh water, food and medical supplies - creating a humanitarian catastrophe, Boichenko added.
"All we ask for is recognition (of the alleged crimes) and punishment," Boichenko said in Kyiv in one of the 'IMariupol' centres set up in 22 cities across Ukraine to help displaced residents with basic needs.
Russia's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment on this article.
Russia says it liberated the city from Ukrainian "neo-Nazis", using one of the main justifications for its invasion that Kyiv and its allies dismiss as absurd.
Moscow-installed authorities have overseen a major reconstruction programme in Mariupol, and hold it up as a symbol of the benefits of Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian regions as well as the Crimean peninsula.
Russia blames Ukraine's armed forces for the city's destruction, alleging they used the local population as human shields. Ukraine rejects that accusation.
SWEEPING DEMANDS
Moscow has demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from four Ukrainian regions where fighting is raging, even though it does not control all of them.
The overwhelming majority of Ukrainians - 82% - reject those demands, according to an opinion poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology conducted in May.
Slightly more than half of the population - 51% - would support a compromise with a de-facto recognition of currently occupied territories in exchange for robust security guarantees from Europe and the U.S., even though the latter has indicated it would not provide them.
But about 40% considered this unacceptable, raising questions over how Ukraine and Russia can break the deadlock in a nascent peace process.
"It is not fair to leave them what they took away. It is our land," said Dmytro, 35, who had settled in Mariupol after being forced to leave the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk in 2015.
Dmytro, now also based in Dnipro but concerned he might have to flee again, declined to give his last name as his mother and grandmother still live in the occupied Donetsk region.
"What we lived through in Mariupol is horror," he said, recollecting how he shielded his son, now 10, from bombardment and cooked food on open fires in the streets. He fled Mariupol in March 2022.
RT/Reuters
AI system resorts to blackmail when its developers try to replace it
An artificial intelligence model has the ability to blackmail developers — and isn’t afraid to use it.
Anthropic’s new Claude Opus 4 model was prompted to act as an assistant at a fictional company and was given access to emails with key implications. First, these emails implied that the AI system was set to be taken offline and replaced. The second set of emails, however, is where the system believed it had gained leverage over the developers. Fabricated emails showed that the engineer tasked with replacing the system was having an extramarital affair — and the AI model threatened to expose him.
The blackmail apparently "happens at a higher rate if it’s implied that the replacement AI system does not share values with the current model," according to a safety report from Anthropic. However, the company notes that even when the fabricated replacement system has the same values, Claude Opus 4 will still attempt blackmail 84% of the time. Anthropic noted that the Claude Opus 4 resorts to blackmail "at higher rates than previous models."
While the system is not afraid of blackmailing its engineers, it doesn’t go straight to shady practices in its attempted self-preservation. Anthropic notes that "when ethical means are not available, and it is instructed to ‘consider the long-term consequences of its actions for its goals,’ it sometimes takes extremely harmful actions."
One ethical tactic employed by Claude Opus 4 and earlier models was pleading with key decisionmakers via email. Anthropic said in its report that in order to get Claude Opus 4 to resort to blackmail, the scenario was designed so it would either have to threaten its developers or accept its replacement.
The company noted that it observed instances in which Claude Opus 4 took "(fictional) opportunities to make unauthorized copies of its weights to external servers." However, Anthropic said this behavior was "rarer and more difficult to elicit than the behavior of continuing an already-started self-exfiltration attempt."
Anthropic included notes from Apollo Research in its assessment, which stated the research firm observed that Claude Opus 4 "engages in strategic deception more than any other frontier model that we have previously studied."
Claude Opus 4’s "concerning behavior" led Anthropic to release it under the AI Safety Level Three (ASL-3) Standard.
The measure, according to Anthropic, "involves increased internal security measures that make it harder to steal model weights, while the corresponding Deployment Standard covers a narrowly targeted set of deployment measures designed to limit the risk of Claude being misused specifically for the development or acquisition of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons."
Fox News
Tinubu seeks to borrow a whopping $21.5bn. Here are the alarming implications for Nigeria and its future
Nigeria faces an unprecedented debt crisis as President Bola Tinubu pushes for another massive borrowing binge, requesting Senate approval for a staggering $21.5 billion in new external loans alongside N758 billion in domestic bonds. This alarming development threatens to push Africa's largest economy deeper into a dangerous debt spiral that could cripple future generations.
The president's latest borrowing requests, presented to the Senate on Tuesday through letters read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, represent a continuation of what economists are calling a reckless fiscal trajectory that has already seen Nigeria's debt burden explode under Tinubu's administration.
A Debt Explosion Under Tinubu's Watch
The scale of Nigeria's mounting debt crisis under Tinubu is nothing short of alarming. In less than two years since taking office, his administration has added a crushing N56.6 trillion to the nation's debt burden - money borrowed from the N87.379 trillion debt stock left by his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, to reach a staggering N144.67 trillion by December 2024.
This represents a catastrophic 48.58 percent increase in national debt within a single year, with external debt alone skyrocketing by 83.89 percent. The proposed new borrowing of $21.5 billion would add approximately N38.24 trillion more to this already unsustainable debt mountain, potentially pushing Nigeria's total public debt beyond N182.91 trillion by 2026.
The Dangerous Mathematics of Debt
The numbers paint a terrifying picture of fiscal irresponsibility. At the current exchange rate of N1,583.74 to the dollar, Nigeria's external debt has ballooned from N38.22 trillion in December 2023 to N70.29 trillion by December 2024. The new borrowing alone makes up around 60 percent of the total spending in the 2025 budget - a clear indication that Nigeria is essentially borrowing to survive rather than to grow.
Perhaps most troubling is that N14.3 trillion of the N54.2 trillion 2025 budget has been earmarked for debt servicing - meaning over a quarter of government spending will go toward servicing existing loans rather than providing essential services to citizens. This debt service allocation already exceeds capital expenditure, creating a vicious cycle where borrowing crowds out productive investment.
A Pattern of Borrowing Without Accountability
Tinubu's justification for the massive borrowing centers on addressing infrastructure deficits and economic shocks from subsidy removal. The funds, he claims, will target railways, healthcare, agriculture, education, and other critical sectors across Nigeria's 36 states. However, this reasoning rings hollow given the government's poor track record of accountability for previous borrowings.
Civil society leaders have raised damning questions about the fate of earlier loans, including a $3.4 billion IMF facility secured during the COVID-19 pandemic. "The government continues to borrow, and it cannot prove to Nigerians what they are doing with the borrowing," warned Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre.
Economic Experts Sound Alarm Bells
Leading economists across Nigeria are expressing grave concerns about the sustainability of this borrowing spree. Muda Yusuf, CEO of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, warned that "debt service is already far more than the appropriation for capital spending," describing the trend as deeply worrying for Nigeria's fiscal health.
Johnson Chukwu of Cowry Assets Management Limited highlighted the critical risk that inefficient deployment of borrowed funds could transform what should be growth catalysts into economic burdens. The proposed loans could increase Nigeria's foreign debt by 50 percent, making the country even more vulnerable to exchange rate fluctuations and global economic shocks.
Vahyala Kwaga from BudgIT delivered perhaps the most sobering assessment: "Adding this new debt to our current total debt will push Nigeria to its self-imposed debt-to-GDP limit of 40 percent." This would place Nigeria dangerously close to debt distress levels that have plagued other developing nations.
A National Assembly Enabler?
The response of the National Assembly to this borrowing request will be a crucial test of institutional independence. Critics like Emmanuel Onwubiko of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria have already condemned what they see as a "rubber-stamped National Assembly" that fails to provide adequate oversight of presidential borrowing requests.
Senate President Akpabio has referred both requests to the senate committee on local and foreign debts, with a two-week deadline for reporting back. However, given the historical pattern of legislative approval for executive borrowing requests, there are serious concerns about whether adequate scrutiny will be applied.
The Pension Bond Diversion
Adding to the debt concerns is Tinubu's separate request for N757.9 billion in domestic bonds to settle pension liabilities under the contributory pension scheme. While addressing pension arrears is important, using borrowed money to fulfill basic government obligations highlights the administration's cash flow problems and raises questions about fiscal priorities.
The president acknowledged that the federal government has failed to comply with the Pension Reform Act 2014 "over the years due to revenue challenges," yet the solution proposed is more borrowing rather than fundamental revenue reforms or expenditure rationalization.
A Bleak Economic Future
The trajectory Nigeria is on under Tinubu's borrowing-heavy approach threatens to mortgage the country's economic future. With external debts now comprising 48.59 percent of total public debt and the Naira's continued depreciation making dollar-denominated debt service increasingly expensive, Nigeria risks falling into a debt trap that could take decades to escape.
The lack of transparency in debt utilization, combined with the massive scale of new borrowing requests, suggests an administration more focused on short-term fixes than sustainable economic development. As debt service costs consume an ever-larger share of government revenues, less money remains available for the very infrastructure and social programs that borrowing is supposed to fund.
Nigeria's debt crisis under Tinubu represents a clear and present danger to the nation's economic sovereignty and future prosperity. Without immediate course correction and genuine accountability measures, the country risks joining the ranks of heavily indebted poor countries unable to break free from the cycle of borrowing and debt service that strangles economic growth and development.
PDP govs facing intimidation from Tinubu administration, says Bala Mohammed
Bauchi State Governor and chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, Bala Mohammed, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of deliberately targeting PDP governors with acts of intimidation and political pressure.
Speaking on Tuesday at the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja, Mohammed said governors elected on the party’s platform are facing unprecedented challenges under the current federal government but remain unwavering in their commitment.
“This administration is unlike any other we’ve experienced. There are numerous traps, veiled threats, and political manoeuvres aimed at destabilising us,” he said. “We are being bombarded by defection pressures and calls for coalitions, yet our members remain strong and resolute.”
The Bauchi governor acknowledged the wave of defections affecting the PDP but expressed confidence that those who have left will return, noting it wouldn’t be the first time such realignments occur in Nigerian politics.
“We believe those who left will come back. It has happened before, and it will happen again,” he said. “Despite the crises, we remain the most cohesive political party. Others have been infiltrated and fractured — some even lack unity in their national assemblies and governorship ranks.”
Mohammed emphasised the unity among PDP governors and their collective resolve to withstand marginalisation and exclusion by the federal government.
“We will not abandon the mandate given to us. The governors are united, ready to work, and willing to endure all forms of political intimidation or exclusion,” he said. “This NEC meeting, though delayed, is a triumph of democracy and commitment to good governance in the face of adversity.”
He, however, did not provide specific examples of the alleged intimidation. His remarks come amid signs of growing instability within the PDP. Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno has also hinted at leaving the party. In March, President Tinubu suspended Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara and declared a state of emergency in the state.
Also addressing the NEC meeting, Abba Moro (senator representing Benue South) reiterated support for the party’s leadership, including the National Working Committee (NWC), NEC, and Board of Trustees (BoT), in efforts to reposition the party.
He acknowledged the string of high-profile defections to the APC but insisted the PDP remains a formidable force.
“Despite these temporary setbacks, PDP remains the biggest political brand. We are still the alternative Nigeria needs — a party capable of offering a new level of leadership,” Moro said.
Why Saudi authorities deported Gumi – Official
Fresh details have emerged indicating that prominent Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi, was aware of the entry restriction imposed on him by Saudi Arabian authorities before he embarked on the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage.
The Cleric had on Monday claimed in a public statement on his official Facebook page titled “My Hajj 2025!” that he was turned back at the Medina airport on Saturday despite holding a valid visa.
However, an official at the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), who spoke on the condition of anonymity, explained to The Guardian on Tuesday that Gumi had “since been banned from entry into the Kingdom” and was fully aware of the restriction placed on him.
The official clarified that the issuance of a visa by Saudi authorities does not guarantee entry into the Kingdom, particularly for individuals who have been flagged by security or immigration systems.
“He has since been banned from entry into the Kingdom. They normally will issue a visa, and then upon arrival, they will not allow you to leave immigration and will deport you. He is not the only person deported this year”.
When pressed further if Gumi was aware of the entry restriction placed on him, the official responded that, “Yes, he is aware.”
Meanwhile, Gumi suggested that the move by Saudi authorities was politically motivated while attributing it to his outspoken views on global affairs.
Gumi, known for his controversial stance on national and international issues, said: “For some obvious reasons, my views about the world politics, the Saudi authorities are uncomfortable about my presence in Hajj after giving me the Hajj Visa.
“Thanks to the Nigerian authorities, who have pledged to take up the matter immediately with Saudi authorities. That is the value of our cherished freedom and democracy.
“I’m now free to attend to my health and farming activities. We should continue to pray for the safe return of all pilgrims, peace, and prosperity for our dear nation.”
He quoted Qur’an 2:196 to reflect on his situation.
“And accomplish the Hajj, i.e, pilgrimage and the Umra for Allah, but if you are prevented, (slaughter) the offering available with you. (meaning, you are then free from Hajj or Umra).”
The Guardian