Tinubu’s Greatest-Ever Leader Claim Rests on Reform, Institution-Building — PEBEC DG

By: Michael Mike

President Bola Tinubu’s claim to a place among Nigeria’s most consequential leaders should be measured by the structural reforms he has undertaken, the institutions he is building and his willingness to confront problems successive administrations postponed, the Director-General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu has argued.

Audu, who is also the National Publicity Secretary of the City Boy Movement, made the case in an opinion article titled “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Is Nigeria’s Greatest-Ever Leader,” contending that the President’s leadership should not be assessed solely by the immediate economic hardship associated with his policies.

She acknowledged that the reforms had imposed genuine difficulties on Nigerians but argued that the more important question was whether the old economic arrangements could have been sustained indefinitely without imposing greater costs on the country.

According to her, Tinubu’s decision to remove the petrol subsidy represented a break with what she described as Nigeria’s “political economy of postponement,” in which governments repeatedly deferred difficult decisions because their political costs were immediate, while the consequences of inaction were transferred to the future.

“Leadership sometimes requires choosing not between difficulty and comfort, but between the difficulty of adjustment today and the greater danger of structural failure tomorrow,” she stated.

Audu’s argument places the administration’s economic reforms within a broader assessment of state capacity, presenting the reduction of bureaucratic obstacles to businesses as an essential component of national development.

She said permits, customs procedures, company registration, commercial courts and the time required to obtain government approvals were not merely administrative matters but factors that directly affected investment, productivity and economic competitiveness.

Through PEBEC and the broader business-facilitation framework, she said, the administration was pursuing a philosophy in which government would facilitate legitimate enterprise rather than obstruct it.

“Every unnecessary procedure imposes a cost. Every unpredictable regulation introduces uncertainty. Every hour an entrepreneur spends navigating bureaucracy is an hour unavailable for production, innovation and expansion,” she said.

The PEBEC Director-General further linked the reforms to President Tinubu’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030, arguing that the objective required more than economic declarations.

She maintained that a stronger economy would depend on institutions capable of mobilising revenue, formulating policy, executing decisions, enforcing rules predictably and creating conditions for private enterprise to flourish.

Audu also argued that Tinubu’s political significance could not be understood solely through his presidency, insisting that his record of political organisation and institution-building stretched back several decades.

She recalled his experience as a senator during the Third Republic, his association with the struggle for democratic restoration during military rule, his period in exile and his return to Nigeria, where he served as governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007.

She said his political influence continued after leaving office, particularly through his role in opposition politics and the coalition-building that contributed to the formation of the All Progressives Congress and the party’s victory in the 2015 presidential election.

According to her, the ability to remain politically consequential after leaving formal office distinguished Tinubu from many politicians whose influence depended largely on occupying public positions.

The article also presented Lagos as an early expression of what Audu described as Tinubu’s philosophy of the capable state.

She argued that the central challenge confronting Lagos in 1999 was not simply the absence of private economic activity, but the inability of public institutions to match the dynamism of the population and businesses operating within the state.

“States do not become effective because their leaders possess admirable intentions. They become effective when institutions can mobilise revenue, formulate policy, execute decisions, enforce rules predictably and create the conditions in which private enterprise can flourish,” she said.

Audu acknowledged that Nigeria had produced other leaders whose contributions remained significant, but argued that Tinubu’s political journey was unusual in its combination of democratic struggle, executive experience, opposition organisation, coalition-building and national economic reform.

She, however, conceded that the President’s work remained unfinished and that history’s final judgment could not yet be written.

“Giving President Tinubu his flowers does not mean suspending scrutiny,” she said, urging Nigerians to continue demanding improved living conditions, social amenities and infrastructure.

Her position is that such demands should coexist with recognition of the administration’s reform agenda, rather than automatically disqualifying it from historical consideration.

The debate over Tinubu’s legacy comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s long-running economic challenges, including fuel-subsidy costs, foreign-exchange pressures, weak public revenues, infrastructure deficits and administrative inefficiencies. These challenges have shaped successive governments’ policy choices and continue to influence public assessments of the President’s economic programme.

Audu’s central contention is that leadership should ultimately be judged not only by the comfort it preserves in the present, but also by the institutions it strengthens and the future it makes possible.

She added that Tinubu’s place in Nigerian history was already difficult to ignore, even though the ultimate verdict on his presidency would depend on the outcomes of the reforms now underway.

Tinubu’s Greatest-Ever Leader Claim Rests on Reform, Institution-Building — PEBEC DG

Nigeria Reaffirms Support For WTO, Multilateralism At BRICS Summit

** *As VP Shettima hails Nigerian diaspora’s global contributions

By: Our Reporter

Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to the World Trade Organisation and the multilateral trading system, saying no country can prosper in isolation from the global community.

Specifically, Vice President Kashim Shettima, who restated the nation’s position, assured that Nigeria would continue to support the WTO in strengthening multilateralism and promoting a global system built on cooperation rather than isolation.

Senator Shettima spoke on Saturday during a meeting with the Director-General of WTO, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on the sidelines of the ongoing BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, India.

“I believe the world is greater than one nation. We will continue to support the WTO in championing the cause of multilateralism. We are essentially one human family and interconnected. You cannot divorce yourself from the global community,” he said.

VP Shettima also made a case for migration as an important driver of development, innovation and economic growth, noting that immigrants have historically contributed to the building of nations and cities across the world.

“Nations are built by immigrants. Even cities are built by people who came from outside, not just by the locals. That goes to show that we have so much to gain from global migration,” he explained.

Citing the Nigerian diaspora as an example, the Nigerian Vice President said Nigerians abroad have continued to distinguish themselves through education, enterprise and professional achievement.

“Recent Pew Research Center analysis of 2024 US Census Bureau data showed that 67 per cent of Nigerian-born Black immigrants aged 25 and above in the United States held at least a bachelor’s degree, the highest proportion among the major Black immigrant groups examined,” he stated.

The Vice President also commended Dr Okonjo-Iweala for her leadership of the WTO, urging her to continue deploying her experience in the service of global development.

“You are doing a very wonderful job at the WTO, but you still have a lot to contribute to humanity,” he told the WTO DG.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and first African to head the WTO, began her second four-year term as Director-General in September 2025.

Meanwhile, Vice President Shettima will tomorrow, Sunday, present Nigeria’s partnership and foreign investment opportunities when he speaks to leaders of the BRICS alliance at the ongoing summit themed, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”

While seeking a more inclusive international order, the Vice President will reiterate the objective of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to create sustainable opportunities for its people through reforms, the expansion of infrastructure, and the promotion of private-sector-led growth.

Nigeria Reaffirms Support For WTO, Multilateralism At BRICS Summit

Mwaghavul Militia Killed Three herders, Slaughter 36 cattle in unprovoked attack in Plateau

By: Zagazola Makama

Three Fulani herders have been killed and two others reported missing after armed Mwaghavul Militia attacked a group of herders at Alohom community in Sabon Gari District of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The attack, which occurred on Saturday, Sept. 12, also resulted in the deaths of 36 cattle, while 12 other cattle sustained gunshot wounds, according to a military situation report obtained by Zagazola Makama.

Troops of Sector 8, Operation Enduring Peace, were alerted after receiving information that herders grazing in the area had come under attack. Soldiers deployed from Sabon Gari immediately moved to the location and found the bodies of three herders.

Military sources said the victims had suffered fatal injuries, while the dead cattle were found with gunshot wounds. The surviving herders told troops that two other members of their group were missing, although efforts to establish their whereabouts were ongoing.

Some Fulani eyewitnesses alleged that the attackers were militia men suspected to be from the Mwaghavul ethnic group in Alohom, Gaude and Mangu Halle general areas.

There were also allegations from some Fulani bystanders that some security personnel from sister agency were sighted around the area during the incident without making efforts to prevent the gruesome killings.

Sources said the allegation was also being investigated. Empty tear-gas canisters were reportedly recovered from the scene, although their circumstances and connection to the attack had yet to be established.

The incident has left the area tense, with troops conducting clearance patrols and dominating the general area to prevent further violence and identify those responsible.

A dangerous cycle

Security sources expressed concern that the attack could trigger the familiar cycle of reprisal violence between communities, particularly in an area where disputes and attacks involving herding communities have previously escalated rapidly.

The killing of three herders, the disappearance of two others and the destruction of livestock could fuel anger within the affected community, while any retaliatory attack could in turn produce fresh casualties.

The military has therefore warned the Fulani community against taking the law into its own hands, urging residents to allow constituted authorities to investigate the incident and bring those responsible to justice.

The situation demonstrates how attacks on civilians in Plateau can quickly move beyond the immediate victims, with the killing of people or livestock potentially provoking revenge attacks against other communities that had no direct involvement in the original incident.

The latest attack has also renewed concerns over what many affected communities perceive as selective condemnation of violence in Plateau State, particularly where victims are from the herder community.

For years, critics have accused The Plateau State Government, youth groups and advocacy platforms in Nigeria of responding more forcefully when attacks affect farming communities, while remaining comparatively muted when herders are killed, their cattle are attacked or their communities come under assault.

That perceived imbalance has become a source of deep resentment among herders and communities who argue that the value of a civilian life should not depend on ethnicity, religion or which community is accused of being the aggressor.

The danger in such selective outreach is that silence after one attack can become fuel for the next retaliation. When victims believe that authorities and influential voices will only speak when violence affects the other side, confidence in official channels weakens and the temptation to seek revenge outside the law grows.

Security officials have repeatedly warned that this cycle is particularly dangerous in Plateau, where a single killing can rapidly generate rumours, mobilise youths and provoke attacks against completely unrelated civilians.

Troops under Operation HARD KNOCK are continuing operations in the area to apprehend the perpetrators and prevent further escalation.

The military said its troops remain deployed across the general area to forestall any breakdown of law and order.

Mwaghavul Militia Killed Three herders, Slaughter 36 cattle in unprovoked attack in Plateau