Funding of Politics with State Funds: ActionAid Demands Impeachment of Governors Found Culpable

By: Michael Mike

Human rights and anti-poverty organisation, ActionAid Nigeria, has called for the immediate impeachment of any governor found guilty of using state resources to fund political campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The organisation made the demand in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by its Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, following growing public concerns over alleged movement of huge sums of money by some political actors for campaign-related activities.

ActionAid Nigeria said the allegations have raised serious questions about the source of the funds allegedly being deployed for political mobilisation and consolidation of power ahead of the next election cycle.

Mamedu described the reports as disturbing and unacceptable, especially at a period when millions of Nigerians are grappling with economic hardship, rising inflation, insecurity, unemployment and worsening living conditions.

According to him, it would amount to a grave abuse of public trust if state resources meant for governance and development were diverted for partisan political purposes.

“It is appalling that at a time when Nigeria is drowning in debt, workers are struggling with the rising cost of living, public hospitals are underfunded, schools are collapsing, insecurity is spreading, and millions of Nigerians are battling hunger and extreme economic hardship, that any suggestion of public resources are being diverted or deployed for political campaigns,” he stated.

The organisation stressed that governors were elected to serve the people and not to convert state resources into what it described as “political war chests.”

ActionAid Nigeria challenged governors and political actors allegedly linked to the claims to publicly explain the source of the funds being used for political activities, insisting that Nigerians deserve transparency and accountability.

The group further urged anti-corruption agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, as well as State Houses of Assembly, to commence immediate investigations into the allegations.

According to the organisation, any governor found culpable should face impeachment, prosecution and recovery of diverted public funds.

“Any governor who diverts public resources for political campaigns has violated public trust and abused the mandate given to them by citizens. Such individuals should not remain in office,” Mamedu said.

He warned that unchecked misuse of public resources could weaken democratic institutions and create an unfair political environment where incumbents enjoy undue advantage over other contestants.

The organisation also noted that while political parties have the right to organise campaigns and raise lawful support, such activities must not involve public funds, government assets or state institutions.

ActionAid Nigeria cited countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Germany and South Africa as examples where strict accountability measures exist to prevent incumbents from using state resources for partisan political activities.

The organisation called on citizens, civil society groups, journalists, whistleblowers and anti-corruption advocates to remain vigilant and expose any suspicious use of public resources for political purposes ahead of the 2027 elections.

ActionAid Nigeria maintained that safeguarding democracy and protecting public resources must remain a collective responsibility of both institutions and citizens.

Funding of Politics with State Funds: ActionAid Demands Impeachment of Governors Found Culpable

Execution Discipline Will Define Tegbe’s Agenda for Nigeria’s Power Sector-

By: Adeola Labzy

When the Minister-Designate for Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, told the Nigerian Senate that there was “no quick fix” to Nigeria’s electricity crisis, the statement stood out for departing from the familiar rhetoric that has long shaped public conversations about the sector. In a country where ambitious declarations on power reform have often generated headlines faster than measurable outcomes, Tegbe’s remarks offered an early signal of a different leadership posture, one anchored less on spectacle and more on execution.

This matters because Nigeria’s power sector has spent decades trapped in cycles of overpromising and institutional under-delivery. Successive reform efforts have come with bold projections, aggressive timelines, and repeated assurances. Yet the sector continues to struggle with liquidity constraints, weak market confidence, transmission vulnerabilities, collection inefficiencies, infrastructure deficits, and operational instability. Over time, the deeper casualty has not only been electricity supply, but institutional credibility.

Against that background, Tegbe’s emphasis on transparency, execution discipline, and operational realism should be read as a useful starting point, not a completed achievement. Nigeria’s electricity market does not suffer from a shortage of reform language. The problems are already well known to policymakers, operators, investors, regulators, and consumers. What has consistently undermined progress is fragmented implementation, weak accountability, poor coordination across the value chain, and the absence of sustained commercial discipline.

In that sense, Tegbe’s early posture appears calibrated toward restoring confidence in the system’s ability to execute before pursuing grand transformation narratives. This is particularly important in a sector where investor confidence, market liquidity, and operational stability are deeply interconnected. Markets respond not merely to ambition, but to predictability, governance credibility, and measurable execution. Each part of the value chain affects the other. Generation without evacuation capacity creates waste. Tariff reform without metering creates distrust. Investment without payment discipline weakens confidence. Policy statements without visible milestones deepen cynicism.

Financial sustainability will be one of the defining pillars of any credible reform effort. For years, the electricity market has operated within a fragile commercial structure marked by accumulated debts, subsidy pressures, payment shortfalls, collection gaps, and uncertainty over cost recovery. The long-term viability of the sector depends not only on expanding infrastructure, but on restoring commercial discipline and rebuilding confidence in the market itself.

This is where transparency becomes strategically important. Transparent reforms reduce uncertainty, strengthen accountability, and give investors, operators, consumers, and policymakers a clearer basis for judging progress. In practical terms, transparency is not merely a governance principle; it is an economic stabilisation tool. It can help rebuild trust in tariff decisions, improve confidence in sector data, and create a more disciplined environment for investment and performance monitoring.

Equally important is execution discipline. Infrastructure projects rarely fail only because funding is unavailable. Many fail because coordination weakens, procurement becomes opaque, implementation drifts, and accountability is diluted. In the power sector, credibility will not be rebuilt by rhetoric alone. It will require visible, measurable, and sustained improvements in the operating system of reform.

Nigeria’s power sector does not require another cycle of exaggerated optimism followed by institutional disappointment. It requires leadership capable of confronting difficult realities honestly while building a credible pathway toward operational stability, financial sustainability, and long-term reform credibility.

That is why Tegbe’s insistence on transparent reforms and execution discipline is important. Its significance will not lie in the statement itself, but in whether it becomes a governing method. In a sector where credibility has become almost as scarce as stable electricity, restoring confidence in governance may be the first and most important reform of all.

Adeola Labzy writes from Abuja, Nigeria.

Execution Discipline Will Define Tegbe’s Agenda for Nigeria’s Power Sector-

Troops Intervene in Farmer-Herder Clash in Riyom, Recover 37 Sheep

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP) have intervened in a farmer-herder clash in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, rescuing the injured parties and securing livestock pending peaceful resolution of the dispute.

Security sources Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred at about 2:00 p.m. on May 11 at Potok Fongon village in Ganawuri District of Riyom LGA.

The sources said troops of Sector 6 OPEP deployed at Ganawuri responded swiftly following reports of a clash between a farmer, Mr Fon Gehgeh, and a herder, Mr Usman Iliyasu, over alleged grazing on farmland.

According to the sources, troops arrived at the scene and found both men with varying degrees of injuries sustained during the altercation.

The victims were immediately evacuated to the Primary Health Centre in Ganawuri for medical treatment.

The troops also recovered 37 sheep belonging to the herder and moved them to a safe location pending amicable settlement of the dispute by relevant authorities and community leaders.

Security officials said efforts were ongoing to ensure peaceful resolution of the matter and prevent escalation of tensions within the community.

Troops Intervene in Farmer-Herder Clash in Riyom, Recover 37 Sheep