The federal government has awarded a contract for the renovation of two major Lagos ports — Tin Can and Apapa — to Chagoury Group, TheCable understands.

Chagoury Group is a multinational conglomerate led by Gilbert Chagoury, a Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire.

Sources close to the conversation said the federal executive council (FEC) approved the contract in February.

“Yes, the award was given to Chagoury Group after it followed due process,” a source said, responding to TheCable’s enquiry.

“FEC gave the approval sometime in February and the agency in charge, that is the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), will make the announcement soon.”

The NPA, in November 2023, announced plans to commence the rehabilitation of ports across the country, valuing the project at $1.1 billion.

On April 18, 2024, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said it secured a $700 million facility agreement for the rehabilitation of the Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports in Lagos.

Mohammed Bello-Koko, the ex-managing director of the NPA, had said the loan, negotiated with Citi Bank Nigeria, would be funded by the UK Export Finance (UKEF), an export credit agency, for the project.

Although no official announcement has been made yet, Ikechukwu Onyemekara, spokesperson of the NPA, confirmed that the project was awarded to Hitech Construction and ITB Nigeria, stressing that “Chagoury was not stated in the contract”.

TheCable’s checks found that Chagoury Group operates several subsidiaries — including two construction firms, Hitech and ITB Nigeria.

The conglomerate is reportedly responsible for the construction of major projects across Lagos state.

In September 2023, David Umahi, the minister of works, disclosed that Hitech would handle the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Hitech is also said to be the firm that oversaw the construction of the Lekki-Epe expressway and the Ajah flyover in Lagos.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, in May 2024, criticised the federal government for awarding the construction of the coastal highway to Hitech, saying there was a conflict of interest.

Abubakar had said Seyi, President Bola Tinubu’s son, is a director on the board of CDK Integrated Industries, another subsidiary of the Group.

In response to Atiku, the presidency said Tinubu’s son is entitled to pursuehis business interests in Nigeria and around the world within the bounds of the law.

On March 16, Umahi said Tinubu did not recommend any company for the Lagos-Calabar road project.

The Cable

Following the recent 15 per cent increase by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in port and marine fees, berthing charges for vessels at Nigerian seaports have risen from $150,000 to approximately $200,000, according to the Shipping Agencies, Clearing and Forwarding Employers Association (SACFEA).

Addressing the challenges at Nigerian ports during a briefing in Lagos over the weekend, the SACFEA Chairman, Boma Alabi, compared vessel berthing charges across several ports.

She noted that berthing fees at Tema Port in Ghana stood at $15,000, Shanghai $21,000, Lome Port $26,000, Cotonou Port $27,000, Singapore $29,000 and Abidjan $60,000.

According to Alabi, Terminal 3 at Tema Port in Ghana is a well-structured facility, noting that its dedicated container terminal operates three berths and can accommodate ships up to 366 meters in length overall (LOA) with a 16-metre draught.

She referenced a 2024 report by NPS Meridian Port Services Limited, which revealed that Tema Port handles 1.9 million TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) yearly, whereas Nigerian ports process only 1.2 million TEUs per year.

Alabi explained that excessive berthing charges discourage customers and push them towards alternative ports like Cotonou and Lome, with relatively lower charges.

The high cost of doing business in Nigerian ports, she pointed out, makes them less competitive, allowing smaller countries to attract cargo that would have otherwise come to Nigeria.

She further highlighted the sharp increase in container costs, stating that a 20ft container, which previously cost N55,000 now costs N145,000, while a 40ft container, which was N100,000 costs N290,000, excluding port charges and logistics fees.

The SACFEA boss emphasised that the statistics indicate that Nigerian seaports were no longer attractive to investors, who preferred locations that offer better returns on investment (RoIs).

She warned that indirect taxation, imposed through various channels at the ports, make the business environment unfriendly, leading to a decline in manufacturing and a growing unemployment crisis.

Alabi urged the government to review port charges in line with rates in neighbouring countries and called on relevant agencies to engage stakeholders to restore Nigerian ports’ competitiveness.

“If port charges are reduced, cargo throughput will increase, leading to higher government revenue and more job opportunities for youths,” she stated.

Echoing similar concerns, the Deputy Managing Director of CMA CGM Nigeria, Ramesh Saraf, pointed out that despite significant international investment in the Lekki Port/Free Trade Zone, trans-shipment activities remained limited due to high costs.

“Lekki Deep Sea Port began operations in April 2023 at less than half its capacity, and, presently, even fewer activities are taking place. The cost of operations at Lekki Deep Sea Port is nearly three times higher than port charges in other countries,” Saraf said.

He further noted that the number of jobs created at Lekki Deep Sea Port remained far below expectations.

Saraf added that with the 15 per cent increase in port and marine fees, trans-shipment costs in Nigeria are now more than thrice higher than in competing ports.

As a result, Saraf lamented that many Nigerian importers and exporters were diverting their cargo to ports in Ghana and Cotonou, only to find alternative means of bringing their goods back into the country for sale.

The Guardian

Nigeria's inflation rate has dropped to 23.18% in February 2025, down from 24.48% in January, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday. This marks the second consecutive month of decline following the recent overhaul of the country's Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The February figure represents a significant 8.52% decrease compared to the 31.70% recorded in February 2024. On a month-on-month basis, headline inflation stood at 2.04% in February.

Food Inflation Also Declines

Food inflation, a key driver of the headline rate, eased to 23.51% year-on-year in February, down from 26.08% in January. This figure is 14.41% lower than the 37.92% reported in February 2024.

"Compared to January 2025, there was an observed decline in the average prices of food items like Yam tuber, Potatoes, Soya beans, Flour of maize/cornmeal, Cassava, Bambara beans (Dried), etc.," the NBS stated in its report.

Impact of Data Rebasing

The significant drop in inflation figures can be partially attributed to the NBS's recent rebasing of the Consumer Price Index. In January, the bureau changed its base year from 2009 to 2024, leading to the first major drop in inflation in over a decade, with rates falling from 34.80% in December 2024 to 24.48% in January 2025.

This rebasing reflects changes in consumption patterns since the previous base year was established. Despite the technical adjustment, the consecutive monthly declines suggest a potential easing of inflationary pressures that had reached a 28-year high in 2024 following President Bola Tinubu's economic reforms, including the end of fuel subsidies and the devaluation of the naira.

Regional Variations

The NBS report highlighted significant regional differences in food inflation:

- Highest year-on-year food inflation: Edo (33.59%), Enugu (30.72%), and Sokoto (30.19%)

- Lowest year-on-year food inflation: Kaduna (15.45%), Akwa-Ibom (15.53%), and Plateau (15.74%)

On a month-on-month basis, Sokoto (11.98%), Kogi (11.38%), and Edo (8.87%) recorded the highest food inflation rates, while Kaduna (-8.83%), Ondo (-4.78%), and Plateau (-3.73%) saw declines.

Monetary Policy Response

In response to the falling inflation, the Central Bank of Nigeria maintained its key interest rate at 27.5% during its first rate-setting meeting of the year last month, following six consecutive hikes in 2024.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The Local Government Inspector (LGI) of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) office in Eti-Osa, Lagos, Mrs Veronica Abella was absent yesterday when Ushie Rita Uguamaye, a corps member, who used her TikTok handle to express frustration over the deteriorating economic conditions in Nigeria, honoured her invitation.

Uguamaye got a message from the NYSC Local Government Inspector (LGI), instructing her to report to the Eti Osa 3 local government office by 10:00a.m. on Monday without fail.

However, human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, alongside lawyers – Festus Ogun, Adeyinka Oyesomi and Ojienoh Justice accompanied her to the LGI office in Eti-Osa, Lagos but Mrs Abella didn’t show up.

Speaking, Sowore said: “The journey with Uguamaye commenced in Lagos. She is scheduled to appear before the LGI today and we accompanied her to their office.

“We arrived at the Eti-Osa LGI office of the National Youth Service Corps with the Corps member. She was scheduled to appear before the LGI today and we escorted her to their offices with attorneys, Festus Ogun, Adeyinka Oyesomi and Ojienoh Justice, but LGI officials failed to show up throughout our stay. We will be back.”

Uguamaye has been trending on social media platforms after a video she posted on her TikTok account on March 15, 2025 went viral. In the video, she decried Nigeria’s economic hardship and inflation, expressing frustration that hard work no longer translates into financial stability.

She criticised President Bola Tinubu, labelling him a “terrible president” and questioning what the government was doing to ease citizens’ suffering.

Shortly after the video gained attention, she said she began receiving threats, allegedly from NYSC officials, pressuring her to take down the post. She took to her Instagram page to express her disappointment at what she described as an attempt to stifle her voice, insisting that she had only spoken the truth about the country’s reality.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has defended the right of the young NYSC Corper to voice strong criticisms regarding Tinubu’s administration.

HURIWA affirmed that every citizen has the right to express their opinions and concerns about governmental performance without fear of intimidation or retribution.

The rights group said the provisions of fundamental human rights including freedom of expression encapsulated in chapter 4 of the Nigerian constitution is higher and far more superior than the NYSC bylaw.

According to the group, the extant NYSC bylaw does not negate the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of citizens including youth corpers. HURIWA in a statement by its national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko yesterday kicked against any attempt to harass, intimidate or threaten the corps member.

The group stated that the loyalty of corps members is to Nigeria and not to any specific holder of the office of the President of Nigeria. “In accordance with Section 39(1) of the Nigerian Constitution, it is stipulated that “every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.

“This fundamental right is the cornerstone of our democracy, allowing citizens to hold their leaders accountable and advocate for positive change,” it stated.

HURIWA urged the NYSC leadership to reconsider any measures taken against this brave individual and to encourage a culture of free speech among all corps members, stressing that it is crucial for our democracy that young voices, especially those of future leaders, are not stifled but rather nurtured and empowered to contribute to national discourse.

Ceasefire over as Israel strikes Gaza after Hamas refused to release hostages, officials say

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is over as Israeli fighter jets began striking the Gaza Strip after Hamas refused repeated hostage deal offers, officials said. 

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began striking Hamas terrorist targets across Gaza "in order to achieve the war objectives set by the political leadership, including the release of all our hostages—both the living and the fallen," the office of Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a letter. 

"This decision comes after Hamas repeatedly refused to release our hostages and rejected all proposals presented by U.S. President’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, as well as the mediators," the letter states. 

Israel will intensify its military actions against Hamas moving forward, authorities said.

"Under the direction of the political echelon, the IDF and Shin Bet are widely attacking terrorist targets of the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip, more details below," the IDF and Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, said in a joint statement. 

Strikes were reported in multiple locations, including northern Gaza, Gaza City and the Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah in central and southern Gaza Strip

The Israeli military, which said it hit dozens of targets, said the strikes would continue for as long as necessary and would extend beyond air strikes, raising the prospect that Israeli ground troops could resume fighting.

The attacks were far wider in scale than the regular series of drone strikes the Israeli military has said it has conducted against individuals or small groups of suspected militants and follows weeks of failed efforts to agree an extension to the truce agreed on January 19.

In Washington, a White House spokesperson said Israel had consulted the U.S. administration before it carried out the strikes, which the military said targeted mid-level Hamas commanders and leadership officials as well as infrastructure belonging to the militant group.

"Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war," White House spokesperson Brian Hughes said.

Fox News/Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Trump and Putin to discuss power plants, land in talks to end Ukraine war

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would speak to Russia's Vladimir Putin on Tuesday morning about ending the Ukraine war, with territorial concessions by Kyiv and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant likely to feature prominently in the talks.

"What's happening in Ukraine is not good, but we're going to see if we can work a peace agreement, a ceasefire and peace, and I think we'll be able to do it," Trump told reporters in Washington on Monday.

Trump has been trying to win Putin's support for a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine accepted last week, as both sides traded heavy aerial strikes early on Monday and Russia moved closer to ejecting Ukrainian forces from their months-old foothold in the western Russian region of Kursk.

Trump said Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region were "in deep trouble," surrounded by Russian soldiers.

He said his freeze on military aid to Ukraine earlier this month and his contentious Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy may have helped persuade Kyiv.

"A lot of people are being killed over there, and we had to get Ukraine to do the right thing," he said. "But I think they're doing the right thing right now."

Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, accused Putin of prolonging the war, saying that when the Russian leader speaks to Trump, he will have been aware of the ceasefire proposal for a week.

"This proposal could have been implemented long ago," he said. "Every day in wartime means human lives," he said.

Asked late on Sunday what concessions were being considered in ceasefire negotiations, Trump said: "We'll be talking about land. We'll be talking about power plants ... We're already talking about that, dividing up certain assets."

He gave no details, but appeared to be referring to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia facility in Ukraine, Europe's largest nuclear plant. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of risking an accident at the plant with their actions.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told a regular briefing on Monday that Trump and Putin would discuss a power plant "on the border" of Russia and Ukraine.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Trump's remarks about land and power plants.

The Kremlin said on Friday Putin had sent Trump a message about his ceasefire plan via U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who held talks in Moscow, expressing "cautious optimism" that a deal could be reached to end the three-year conflict.

On Sunday, Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Trump's National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz, emphasized there were still challenges to be worked out before Russia agrees to a ceasefire, much less a final peaceful resolution to the war.

Waltz was asked in an ABC interview whether the U.S. would accept a peace deal in which Russia was allowed to keep Ukrainian territory it has seized, and replied: "We have to ask ourselves, is it in our national interest? Is it realistic? ... Are we going to drive every Russian off of every inch of Ukrainian soil?

'IRONCLAD' GUARANTEES

Zelenskiy has not responded publicly to Waltz's remarks.

He has said he sees a good chance to end the war after Kyiv accepted the U.S. ceasefire proposal, but has also consistently said Ukraine's sovereignty is not negotiable and that Russia must surrender the territory it has seized.

Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and controls most of four eastern Ukrainian regions after it invaded the country in 2022.

Russia will seek "ironclad" guarantees in any peace deal that NATO nations exclude Kyiv from membership and that Ukraine will remain neutral, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Russian media outlet Izvestia in remarks published on Monday that made no reference to the ceasefire proposal.

"We will demand that ironclad security guarantees become part of this agreement," Izvestia cited Grushko as saying.

Moscow has also demanded that it keep control of all Ukrainian territory seized, and that the size of the Ukrainian army be limited. It also wants Western sanctions eased and a presidential election in Ukraine, which Kyiv says is premature while martial law is in force.

Putin says his actions in Ukraine are aimed at protecting Russia's national security against what he casts as an aggressive and hostile West, in particular NATO's eastward expansion. Ukraine and its Western partners say Russia is waging an unprovoked war of aggression and an imperial-style land grab.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said on Monday the conditions demanded by Russia to agree to a ceasefire showed Moscow does not really want peace.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said "a significant number" of nations - including Britain and France - were willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal. Defence chiefs will meet this week to firm up plans.

Russia has ruled out peacekeepers until the war has ended.

"If they appear there, it means that they are deployed in the conflict zone with all the consequences for these contingents as parties to the conflict," Russia's Grushko said.

"We can talk about unarmed observers, a civilian mission that would monitor the implementation of individual aspects of this agreement, or guarantee mechanisms. In the meantime, it's just hot air."

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Kiev has come to terms with ceding territory – Independent

Kiev is reportedly prepared to cede territory as part of a ceasefire agreement with Moscow, The Independent reported on Sunday, citing high-level Ukrainian sources briefed on the ongoing negotiations.

Kiev claims sovereignty over Russia’s Crimea, Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR, LPR), and the regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye. The territories became part of Russia following referendums in 2014 and 2022, and Moscow has insisted that their status is non-negotiable.

Nevertheless, Ukraine has refused to rescind its claims, and has repeatedly suggested that it will take them back by force. Russia currently controls around 75% of the DPR, Zaporozhye, and Kherson, and nearly 99% of the LPR, according to a report by the Russian General Staff last month.

Meanwhile, amid its ongoing attempts to negotiate a ceasefire in the conflict, the administration of US President Donald Trump has suggested that Kiev’s ambitions are “unrealistic.”

According to Politico, Ukrainian officials are now saying they have “come to terms with the current battle lines freezing, with Russia holding on to some territory for now for a ceasefire to work.”

The anonymous officials told the outlet, however, that ceding additional territory would be a “red line” for Kiev. “It is not reasonable to demand that, for example, Zaporozhye and Kherson be fully handed over,”the Ukrainian sources said.

Speaking to ABC News on Sunday, Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, also reiterated that Kiev must be prepared to give up certain territories as part of any peace negotiations with Russia in order to receive security guarantees.

He stressed that any attempts to “drive every Russian off of every inch of Ukrainian soil, including Crimea” would be unrealistic and suggested that diplomatic efforts should focus on the “realities of the situation on the ground.”

Previously, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that territorial concessions were one of the issues discussed by Washington and Kiev in Saudi Arabia last week. He added that neither Russia nor Ukraine are likely to “militarily achieve their maximalist goals.”

Following the US-Ukraine talks in Jeddah, Kiev announced that it would agree to a 30-day ceasefire. Since then, Washington has been in contact with Moscow to negotiate a settlement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has since stated that he is open to the idea of a ceasefire, but stressed that several issues must first be addressed – including the fate of Ukraine’s incursion forces who have been encircled in Russia’s Kursk Region, as well as guarantees that Kiev won’t use the truce to rearm and replenish its ranks.

Reuters/RT

It is safe to assume that many are concerned with the diminishing power of the United States of America (US) to keep things together on the international landscape beyond the blustering from President Donald Trump which would be more about pretending that things have not significantly changed.

The truth however is that the structures holding the international system together since the end of the Second World War under the supervision and direction of the US are not only becoming less effective, the strains on them over time and the ponderous nature they are made to work now rather than seamlessly are perhaps signs that they have to be transcended for more meaningful and effective practice going forward. Gone were the day when the US would lay out a plan as solution to any international problem, and all would fall in line as a matter of course and without much ado.

Not any more.

It would seem as if we are coming to the era where some countries do not just shun plans and proposals at the international level by the US, but are openly and actively opposing such without bothering about how the US would react. The US has seen its proposals and plans at the international level being increasingly defeated and left for other plans by lesser powers. Imagine for instance that the proposal by the US on the Russian invasion of Ukraine which did not want to specifically mention and condemn the invasion was roundly defeated at the United Nations General Assembly at the expense of the proposal by other nations explicitly calling out the invasion.

Furthermore, all the sanctions imposed on Russia by the US for its invasion of Ukraine were not only shunned by China and India and Brazil, they all argued that the demands of their national interest would not allow them to go along with the sanctions with the US unable to do anything about their refusal to implement the sanctions. And when the US boisterously announced that it had the magic wand for the problem of Gaza, asking Egypt and Jordan to take in Palestinians while it would take over Gaza and rebuild it, it soon found out that it did not have the power or influence to make Egypt and Jordan take in Palestinians as the two countries flatly and categorically rejected the idea, even as there was no greenlight about its taking over for rebuilding, such that it had to finally concede that it would have to wait for the Arabs to come up with an agreed plan as basis for further talks and discussion. The same way that Russia, perhaps thinking that the US would want to summarily impose the agreement between the two of them as solution to the Russian-Ukrainian war, could rather flippantly dismiss the idea of inviting Europeans into the talks or countenancing the participation of Ukraine, arguing that they could not be trusted as they had been unreliable partners in their earlier intervention and contribution, until reason prevailed for the realization that the peace process would need the consent of the Europeans and the participation of Ukraine to have a viable and workable solution.

Yet, in spite of its diminishing streak, the US still remains the biggest sheriff in town. While some scholars are busy speculating about a nascent multipolarity at the international level, the truth is that no country as yet could compete with the US as the biggest power on the landscape, and no country has the valid wherewithal with which to compete or aspire. Whereas we could indeed be witnessing a gradual transition from American worldpowership and dominance, it is also the case that supplanting and replacing a world power is and does not happen in a hurry nor is it a tea party.

America continues to maintain a hegemony that is difficult to rival on the international landscape. Which would explain why it should be understandable when we see Trump blustering and pretending that he could do anything and everything, it is because he is still the in most powerful person in the world today, on account of American hegemonic power backing him and which he represents, and from where he stands, it would not change anything nor would it matter much for the person representing such hegemonic power to be susceptible sometimes to bouts of exaggeration.

The situation tells us about the complexity of human history, sensitizing us to the fact that changes are often complicated and not straightforward. Going forward, with a declining America still as the hegemonic power in the world, it would mean that really transiting away from and supplanting its worldpowership would still be decades away, if it ever would come!

** Olaitan, Professor of Political Science, was Vice-Chancellor, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.

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Ushie Rita Uguamaye, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving in Lagos, has become a symbol of the struggles faced by ordinary Nigerians under the administration of President Bola Tinubu. Her viral TikTok video, in which she openly criticized the government for its handling of the country’s economic crisis, has sparked a wave of sympathy and outrage after she alleged receiving threats from NYSC officials and the Lagos State government.

In her emotional video, Rita expressed her frustration with the rising cost of living, which has made it nearly impossible for her to survive on her meager NYSC allowance. She described her struggles with soaring prices of food, transportation, and utilities, lamenting that her monthly stipend is insufficient to cover her basic needs. “Every single week, prices increase. I want to know if the government is doing something about this. Is the increment going to stop? I’m so overwhelmed because this is the first time I’m living independently,” she said.

Rita did not mince words in her criticism of President Tinubu, calling him a “terrible president” and questioning his administration’s efforts to address the economic crisis. She also criticized the poor living conditions in Lagos, describing the state as “smelling” and unfit for residents. “Lagos stinks. You can’t even take a walk because the place smells. Being a corps member, there is nothing beneficial. The money I spend on transportation is more than the allowance the government pays,” she added.

Her video quickly went viral, resonating with millions of Nigerians who are grappling with the same economic hardships. However, Rita’s courage to speak out came at a cost. Shortly after her video gained traction, she alleged that NYSC officials began pressuring her to take it down. In a follow-up post, she shared a conversation with a woman she claimed was an NYSC official, who demanded that she delete the video, calling it “rubbish.” Rita also claimed that the official threatened her, accusing her of insulting the government.

Fearing for her safety, Rita took to social media to alert the public about the threats she was receiving. “Dear Nigerians, I am already getting threatened by the NYSC board to stop speaking on this issue. Less than 24 hours, I’m already getting threatened by the government starting with the NYSC board!” she wrote. She urged Nigerians to hold the NYSC accountable if anything happened to her, adding, “In case you guys don’t see me online, please you know who to hold accountable. I didn’t do anything wrong; I just asked that they work on the inflation.”

Rita’s ordeal has drawn widespread attention, with many Nigerians questioning whether the NYSC is suppressing free speech among corps members. Her story has also highlighted the broader struggles of Nigerians under the Tinubu administration, which has been criticized for its handling of the economy. The removal of fuel subsidies and the devaluation of the naira have led to skyrocketing prices, pushing many families to the brink of survival.

But Rita’s story is not just about economic hardship; it is also a deeply personal one. As journalist Agba Jalingo revealed, Rita is a victim of Nigeria’s systemic failures in more ways than one. Her father, Raphael A. Ushie, a Chief Inspector with the Nigeria Immigration Service, died in 2019 after participating in a protest against the demolition of his palm plantation for the construction of the Obudu International Airport. The plantation, which represented his life savings, was destroyed without compensation, leaving Rita’s family in financial ruin. At just 19 years old, Rita lost her father to a system that showed no regard for his rights or livelihood.

Now, at 24, Rita is facing another battle with the same system. Her decision to speak out against the government’s economic policies has made her a target, with officials allegedly using the NYSC as a tool to silence her. “If you were in her shoes, you live in a country where the system killed your dad for no reason, when you are only 19, your mother suffers to see you through school, and when you try to express your frustrations publicly, the same nation that killed your father threatens to kill you too? So where is the freedom of expression?” Jalingo wrote.

Rita’s story is a poignant reminder of the struggles faced by millions of Nigerians who are bearing the brunt of bad governance and economic mismanagement. Her courage to speak out, despite the risks, has made her a voice for the voiceless. Instead of being hounded by government officials, she deserves empathy and support from well-meaning Nigerians who understand the pain of losing a loved one to systemic injustice and the frustration of living in a country where the cost of survival keeps rising.

As the debate over her case continues, one thing is clear: Rita’s plight is a reflection of the collective suffering of Nigerians under the Tinubu administration. Her story is a call to action for the government to listen to its citizens, address their grievances, and work towards creating a better future for all. Until then, Rita’s voice—and the voices of countless others like her—will continue to echo the pain and frustration of a nation in crisis.

Stakeholders, including the National Judicial Council (NJC), UNICEF, and the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, have called for urgent reforms to prioritize the rehabilitation and reintegration of young offenders over their imprisonment in correctional facilities. This appeal was made during the second public hearing of the Independent Investigative Panel on allegations of corruption, abuse of power, and inhumane treatment within the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), held on Friday in Abuja.

UNICEF representative Nkiru Maduechesi revealed alarming statistics, stating that an average of 26,000 children and young persons under the age of 21 are placed in correctional facilities annually, with 74% of them awaiting trial. She emphasized the devastating impact of incarceration on young lives, noting that children in custody are often denied access to education and healthcare, which are critical for their development.

“The unique thing about children is that their lives cannot wait. As they grow, they miss out on education, health, and opportunities. If we don’t help them, they risk being left behind permanently,” Maduechesi said. She called for a multisectoral approach to address the issue, involving collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs, the Nigeria Police Force, and other relevant agencies.

Maduechesi also highlighted systemic challenges, such as the misrepresentation of children’s ages by law enforcement, which often leads to underage individuals being wrongfully detained. She urged a review of outdated laws, such as the 1962 Foster Institutions Act, to ensure better policies and practices for juvenile justice.

The panel’s chairperson, Magdalene Ajani, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Interior, acknowledged the progress made in educating inmates through partnerships with institutions like the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). She urged the NCoS to recruit more teachers to provide skills training and education to inmates, emphasizing the importance of rehabilitation.

Uju Agomoh, Secretary of the panel and founder of Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), stressed the need to implement Sections 33 and 34 of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, which address the treatment of vulnerable persons, including women, the mentally ill, and those with disabilities in custodial centers. She called for urgent action to ensure these provisions are enforced.

Representing the Acting Controller General of the NCoS, Ibrahim Idris, assured stakeholders of the service’s commitment to addressing the issues raised and collaborating with relevant organizations to implement the provisions of the NCoS Act 2019.

The hearing underscored the urgent need for systemic reforms to protect the rights and futures of young offenders, ensuring they are rehabilitated and reintegrated into society rather than being trapped in a cycle of incarceration. The call for action reflects a growing recognition of the need to address the root causes of juvenile delinquency and provide support systems that enable young people to thrive.