There are many ugly issues trailing the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration. These range from corruption as revealed in the existence of fake agencies right under the presidency, insecurity and banditry, to severe hunger and economic hardship in the land orchestrated by the sudden removal of subsidies on fuel and electricity, and naira devaluation. President Tinubu has, within himself, not found it easy to have a rest of mind due to the issues caused by the suden changes his government foisted on Nigeria which made his government appear insensitive and hostile to the common citizens.
Thus, any issues raised against Tinubu and his government have always received passionate responses from across the country. That’s why the issues of heroin trafficking scandal in far away United States of America (USA) and certificate forgery or fake certificate issues he is currently battling with are being discussed with undue passion within the polity and beyond.
On the economy front, there are also arguments in favour of expanding Gross Domestic Product (GDP), increasing external reserves and a purported improvement of the macro economy, but these do not add up when compared with the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians, a situation exacerbated by decaying infrastructure, especially roads across the country and a monumental failure to provide stable power supply as promised by the President during his campaigns for the 2023 general elections.
On the political scene, Nigerians have also been inundated with how the incumbent president had coerced almost all opposition parties’ governors into joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for which well-meaning Nigerians think is a rape on democracy and an attempt to sway the country on the path of a one-party state.
Accordingly, having reviewed the political sentiments leading to the 2027 general elections in what promises to be a fight to the finish, we have in our thoroughly considered view, titled our Cover Story, “Can Tinubu Survive These Storms?”, with the riders, “Drug Trafficking Case That Ridicules Presidency”, “Citizens Call on NASS, Counts to Legalise Forged Certificates”, and “PFIPC Cover Up Exposing Corrupt Regime”
Also on the menu of this edition are “Repeat 2023 Glitches, Destroy Democracy- Opposition Warn INEC, Tinubu, Amupitan”, “Anthony Obodo’s Blood Haunts Nigeria Police” and “Uber Exit Shatters Investors’ Confidence”.
And, of course, giving the incumbent president’s posture of a desperate politician, the opposition is bracing up for a good fight, although the fragmentation among the major players on the other side looks worrisome, Nigerians have expressed confidence and resolve that very much unlike 2023, their votes will count in 2027 just so that they can have a fresh breath of air and live better lives.
Our contacts and partners in Equatorial Guinea have raised the alarm over a looming public health epidemic resulting from illegal mining and pollution of water bodies and the larger ecosystem, and giving the dire situation in Bata and Malabo, especially, we urge the government and authorities of that country to do everything in their powers to stem the outbreak of a looming epidemic, the outcome of which may be catastrophic.
Away from Bata and Malabo, there is the very discouraging report on the State of the Nigerian Environment, put together by the Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN) in which decades of oil exploration have given birth to severe despoliation of large swathes of lands in the Niger Delta and other oil-bearing communities, just as illegal and unregulated mining has started taking a devastating toll on some states in Northern Nigeria.
You will equally encounter worthwhile stories in the business and economy, entrepreneurship, in the academic sphere, crime, entertainment and sports sections in this rich edition. Grab a copy and savour every bit of it. It’s a promise kept. Enjoy!
