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Amb. Hussaini Coomassie Urges President Tinubu to Reconsider Unfriendly Policies Amid Nigeria’s Hardship
Amb. Hussaini Coomassie, Global Vice Chairman (Africa) International Commission for Peace and Good Governance (ICPGG), has raised an alarm over the current economic policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
In a recent statement, Dr. Coomassie expressed deep concern over the mounting difficulties faced by Nigerians, citing high fuel prices, electricity tariff, rising cost of living, and widespread poverty as pressing issues pushing the country towards a breaking point.
Speaking boldly about the current state of affairs, Coomassie criticized the administration for enacting policies that he described as “unfriendly” and “out of touch with the realities on the ground.”
The increasing price of petrol and electricity tariff, which are crucial commodities in Nigeria, has led to a ripple effect on the cost of transportation, food, and basic services, leaving many citizens in a state of depression.
Coomassie warned that if the government does not urgently reverse its approach and make necessary adjustments, the growing dissatisfaction among Nigerians could lead to severe consequences.
In as much as we discouraged Nigerians from embarking on any kind of strike, the FG should also find urgent measures of addressing the current economic crisis that has engulfed our beloved country and stop the blame games. “The people should not be pushed to the wall,” he stated emphatically.
“If the right things aren’t done, there will be a big problem. It is time for the president to listen to the voices of the masses.”
The global vice chairman who also doubles às Head of Mission-Nigeria, International Peace Commission (IPC) emphasized that governance should be centered around the welfare of the people, urging President Tinubu to adopt policies that provide relief to the suffering populace rather than compounding their challenges with persistent increase in pump price and electricity tariff.
“Nigerians deserve better,” he said, calling for immediate measures to alleviate the burden on citizens, including reducing the high pump price of fuel, electricity tariff, taxes and addressing the escalating cost of living.
Dr. Coomassie’s comments come at a time when many Nigerians are increasingly vocal about the hardships they face, with protests and unrest growing in some parts of the country. His warning highlights the urgent need for the government to not only engage with the concerns of the people but also to enact meaningful changes that foster social justice and economic stability.
As the calls for reform intensify, it remains to be seen how President Tinubu’s administration will respond to the mounting pressure to ease the country’s economic woes. Amb. Coomassie’s International Commission for Peace and good governance resonates with the populace yearning for a leadership that prioritizes their well-being in these trying times.
Boko Haram terrorists are holding authorities in some communities in three local government areas of Borno State, according to Senator Ali Ndume.
The Borno South lawmaker said this on Friday when he was featured on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
According to him, there are no civil authorities in those areas, which he said are being governed by the terrorists.
“Yes, three,” he said on Friday’s edition of the show when asked if areas are being governed by the Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East state.
“What we are saying is that there is no civil authority there, and the authority is Boko Haram,” the Borno South Senator said.
He listed the areas as “Gudumbali (in Guzamala LGA), Marte, and Abadam”.
“None,” he said when asked if there are civil authority in these areas.
Senator Ndume said the security agencies are not properly equipped to tackle the insurgency, which he decried is beginning to fester in the North-East state.
His comment came days after the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, decried the rising spate of insecurity in the area.
The governor said the state is losing ground in the fight against Boko Haram, asking for help.
“As I address this important gathering today, it is unfortunate that the renewed Boko Haram attacks and kidnappings in many communities almost on a daily basis without confrontation signalled that Borno State is losing ground,” the governor said, a fact Ndume agrees with.
During the show, the vocal lawmaker of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) said there have been hundreds of attacks in Borno State since the beginning of the year.
“From November last year till date, there were over 250 attacks in the state, and somebody is saying we should ignore the governor,” the APC chieftain said.
“We have lost more than 100 soldiers, nearly 300 civilians even though our soldiers gallantly killed 800 of those terrorists within this period.”
“It is like a stagnated situation,” he said about the state of security in the country, arguing that President Bola Tinubu should declare a state of emergency on security, the welfare of the citizens, and the economy.
The federal government has constituted a sub-committee to evaluate the potential economic impact of the recent tariff measures announced by the United States government.
The decision followed a meeting of the Economic Management Team (EMT), chaired by Wale Edun, minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, according to a statement issued on Friday by Mohammed Manga, director of information and public relations at the ministry.
On April 2, US President Donald Trump announced sweeping global tariffs on all imports into the country, including Nigeria.
A few days later, Edun said Nigeria is well-positioned to withstand global trade disruptions, including the United States import tariffs.
He said plans were underway for possible budget adjustment and prioritisation where possible.
To assess the impact of the tariffs, Manga said the EMT convened earlier in the week with key ministries and agencies to review the fiscal and macroeconomic implications of emerging global trade dynamics.
He said the EMT noted that while Nigeria’s major export — crude oil — has not been directly targeted by the new US tariffs, the policy shift has coincided with a dip in international oil prices, raising concern over potential revenue and budgetary pressures.
“To support evidence-based policymaking, the EMT has established a sub-committee tasked with conducting a detailed review of the direct and indirect economic impacts of both the emerging tariff measures and the global commodity price shifts,” Manga said.
“The sub-committee includes representatives from the ministry of finance, ministry of budget and economic planning, (including budget office of the Federation), and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).”
Manga also said the sub-committee has already held its inaugural meeting and is expected to present its findings to the full EMT without delay.
Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has announced sweeping reforms aimed at improving land administration in the city.
The changes, set to take effect from April 21, 2025, include a strict 21-day deadline for land allottees to make full payments for right of occupancy (R-of-O) bills and associated charges. Failure to meet the deadline will result in the cancellation of the land offer.
The reforms, disclosed in a joint statement by Chijioke Nwankwoeze, director of FCTA land administration, and Lere Olayinka, senior special assistant to the minister on public communications and social media, are designed to address long-standing issues with delayed payments, revenue collection, and land speculation.
Under the previous system, there was no set deadline for payment, causing delays in revenue collection and hindering infrastructural development.
The new policy stipulates that land allottees now have 21 days from the date of receiving an offer to pay all bills, fees, and charges, and submit a completed letter of acceptance alongside proof of payment.
Additionally, the reforms introduce a two-year limit within which all land granted in the FCT must be developed.
“This has caused delay in revenue receivable due to non-collection of Right of Occupancy (R-of-O) and non-payment of bills, slower pace of infrastructural development, sustained land speculation and racketeering while huge expenses have been incurred by the FCT Administration through repeated advertisements and publications notifying the public on the need for collection of R-of-O and timely payment of bills and charges,” the statement reads.
“Consequently, as against the unspecified period within which to collect the Right of Occupancy (R-of-O) and make full payment of the Statutory Right of Occupancy bills and charges, land allottees now have 21 days from the date of offer, to make full payment of all bills, fees, rents and charges prescribed on offers of Statutory Rights of Occupancy and submit a duly completed Letter of acceptance alongside evidence of payments, or lose the offer.
”The period within which to erect and complete developments on any land granted in the FCT is now two years from the date of the commencement of the R-of-O.
“Therefore, any R-of-O bills and any other payments made outside the stipulated 21 days shall be considered invalid while any land granted should be developed within two years.
“On lands previously allocated by Area Councils, the law stipulates that all lands in the FCT are urban land. It therefore becomes necessary that all land documents issued by the Area Councils are considered for regularisation to statutory titles in line with relevant statutes.”
In a bid to streamline land titles, the FCTA will also begin regularising land documents issued by area councils.
Of the 261,914 area council land documents submitted since 2006 for regularisation, only 8,287 have been vetted, out of which only 2,358 were cleared, validated and regularised to statutory titles.
Landholders with successfully vetted documents will have 60 days to pay all relevant fees or risk losing their offers.
The FCTA also plans to tackle longstanding issues with mass housing estates, where occupiers “have not paid bills or charges for decades”.
“Currently, the holders/occupiers of properties within the various Mass Housing Estates in the FCT do not pay and bills, rents, fees and charges to the government despite having held and occupied the properties for decades,” the statement added.
“In recognition of the urgent need to issue titles to the beneficiaries of Mass Housing and Sectional Interests, all applications for titling are to be made by the Subscribers/Developers to the Department of land Administration for processing.”
The FCTA noted that a new operational framework for issuing titles to mass housing and sectional interests will be implemented starting from April 21, 2025.