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[OPINION] Northern Amnesia: Governor Sani, The Table Shaker

Published

4 months ago

July 30, 2025

By Israel Adebiyi

“When truth is buried underground, it grows, it chokes, it gathers such explosive force that on the day it bursts out, it blows up everything with it.”
— Émile Zola

There’s a kind of silence that settles over the land after years of failure. A silence made of shame, denial, and carefully chosen half-truths. In Northern Nigeria, that silence has become an institution — polite, predictable, and profoundly dangerous.

Then came Uba Sani — with words that cut through like harmattan wind.

At a recent citizen engagement summit in Kaduna, Governor Uba Sani did what few northern politicians have ever dared. He faced the region and told it the truth: “We failed our people.” Not they. We. All of us who have held power in the North in the past two decades, he said, must offer the people an apology.

In that single moment, he shattered the convenient forgetfulness the North has grown used to. He didn’t call out Abuja. He didn’t drag the South. He didn’t blame some vague colonial past or “outsiders.” He pointed the finger inward — and included himself.

That is no small thing. That is not politics. That is an act of courage.

Because what Governor Sani spoke to is not just political miscalculation. It’s a generational betrayal. A betrayal that has left too many Northern children unschooled, too many women dying in childbirth, too many communities in darkness, and too many homes listening for the next gunshot.

Let’s stop for a moment and look at the evidence — not the emotion, but the math.

According to the 2022 National Multidimensional Poverty Index, nine of the ten poorest states in Nigeria are in the North. In Sokoto, over 90% of people live in poverty. Kebbi, Zamfara, Jigawa — same story. We’re not just failing; we’ve normalized failure.

And yet, this is the region that has held the most power in Nigeria since independence. Presidents. Military heads of state. Senators. Generals. Governors. Ministers. National Security Advisers. We’ve produced them all. But not the outcomes.

We’ve built palaces in Abuja, but not a working school in Shinkafi. We’ve padded budgets but abandoned hospitals in Birnin Kebbi. In some states, over 60% of children aged 6–15 have never seen the inside of a classroom. What kind of leadership allows this?

Northern mothers still die in delivery rooms at three times the national average, according to the latest NDHS report. Some rural health centres don’t even have paracetamol. The elites fly abroad. The poor bury their dead.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR: [OPINION] BUHARI: The Man Who Missed Redemption

Security? Forget it. From Zamfara to Katsina to Niger, bandits have made homes out of forests. Whole villages are ghost towns. And yet, most of the top military chiefs in the last decade came from this region. Who, then, is to blame?

Let’s talk money. The North is land-rich but cash-poor. While Lagos alone contributes over 30% to Nigeria’s GDP, most northern states struggle to hit 1%. But the same northern governors go cap-in-hand for federal allocation and call it development. Where are the industries? Where is the productivity?

This is what Sani is shaking — a region that has grown comfortable with underdevelopment and allergic to self-reflection.

Some elites have pushed back, of course. Former senators and political juggernauts who built their careers on recycled loyalty have tried to downplay his remarks. They say he was too harsh. That he forgot their “service”. That he shouldn’t “wash dirty linen in public.”

But if that linen hasn’t been washed for 40 years, where should it be aired?

Let’s be honest — it is easier to blame Buhari, or Tinubu, or the South. But Sani refuses the easy route. He says: we, the North, are not victims here. We are architects of our own decline.

He refuses to play the amnesia game.

You can feel the discomfort in the air. He has stepped on toes — and many of those toes wear agbadas. But the truth is not about comfort. It’s about course correction.

This isn’t about just Uba Sani. It’s about whether the North still has the capacity to face its reflection. To see the rot — and clean house. To stop building dynasties and start building schools. To stop naming roads after ancestors and start giving roads to rural farmers.

Too many of our children are stuck in almajiri cycles while the children of the elite occupy UK universities. Too many of our mothers die in labor while wives of past governors set up foundations for photo-ops. Too many old names have stayed too long — and are grooming their sons for the throne.

That is what Governor Sani is fighting: not just silence, but the inheritance of silence.

He says, “Let’s apologise.” But apology alone is not enough. It must be backed with a plan. A Marshall Plan for the North — real investment, not campaign slogans. Functional education, not workshops. Security that protects, not retaliates. Jobs that empower, not enslave.

It must come with the rethinking of what power is: not title, not convoy, not prayer photos — but legacy measured in lives changed, not lives lost.

Governor Sani’s voice may be lonely now. But history listens to such voices. And perhaps, just perhaps, in that lone voice, the North might find a new beginning.

Because silence, when it becomes tradition, is nothing but consent.

And now, one man has dared to shout.

News

How I and Obey’s Son Escaped Getting Caught In Benin’s Coup —Dele Momodu

Published

5 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Editor

The 2011 presidential flagbearer of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Chief Dele Momodu has revealed how he and his entourage missed getting caught in Benin Republic’s coup on Sunday.

A group of military personnel in Benin on Sunday announced that they had ousted President Patrice Talon, who is due to step down next April after 10 years in power.

Soldiers calling themselves the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR), said on state television that they had met and decided that “Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic”.

Reacting to the news via a post on his official X account, Momodu said he and his entourage would have been caught in Benin Republic’s coup if not for a missing document.

“OUR GOD DID THIS FOR US… My friend ROTIMI OBEY, the second son of legendary musician, CHIEF COMMANDER EBENEZER OBEY and I were to head out to Accra, Ghana, by road, this morning. All was set and ROTIMI went to bed early so that we can set out at 5am. But something went wrong,” he said.

“Before going to bed, I asked my driver for the originals of my car documents. He said he had only the copies with him. I searched the Home Office in Victoria Island but I couldn’t find it. I then went to the Penthouse in Ikoyi to check my other office. Still no luck. So , I called ROTIMI at 10:38 PM to give him the decision to fly instead of driving. He agreed.

“Meanwhile, my Beninese friend and mentee, ALEX DALMEIDA, was already in town waiting to accompany us through the French-speaking borders. So I called him at 23:02 last night to abort our road trip.

“I called PRECIOUS, my travel consultant, to check available flights. She got us tickets at 11:15PM. It was at the airport we received the news of the coup in Benin Republic… We barely missed it by the whiskers…”

Soldiers led by Lieutenant Pascal Tigri announced that they have taken over the country. They also suspended all political parties and announced the closure of land, sea and air borders.

Speaking further, Momodu expressed surprise at the coup attempt, saying: “Benin is one of West Africa’s most peaceful countries.

“The Benin’s President changed the constitution just last month to allow him extend his presidential term, this morning the military has overthrown him.”

Talon’s entourage has, however said that the Benin Republic President is safe and the army was regaining control.

Talon, a 67-year-old former businessman dubbed the “cotton king of Cotonou”, is due to hand over power in April next year after 10 years in office marked by solid economic growth but also a surge in jihadist violence.

West Africa has experienced a number of coups in recent years, including in Benin’s northern neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as Mali, Guinea and, most recently, Guinea-Bissau.

News

OAU Unveils Seven-foot Bronze Statue Of Chief Obafemi Awolowo

Published

11 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Editor

…Yemisi Shyllon, other dignitaries praise Awo’s commitment to humanity

A giant bronze statue of the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was unveiled on Friday at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife.

The statue, the worth of which was put at N120 million by the donor, has the sage dressed in his Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) attire. It is of a height of seven feet, which goes to 15 feet after the inclusion of the pedestal.

Speaking at the unveiling, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Adebayo Bamire, stated that the statue is a legacy project for the university.

Professor Bamire said the statue was a celebration of Chief Awolowo’s selfless service to humanity and expressed the appreciation of the university to the donor, Prince Yemisi Shyllon.

Prof Bamire noted that the life of Chief Awolowo should serve as a lesson for all to live for the good of the people.

“It is known that the soul of any civilisation, the very pulse of its humanity, beats strongest on its art, on its music, its literature, its visual splendour and its performances. This affirmation resonates with the Obafemi Awolowo University academic philosophy: ‘for learning and culture’—a culture of creativity and a creative culture.

“The donor of the statue, Prince Yemisi Shyllon, is a man whose name resonates across continents. He is Africa’s foremost art collector, an accomplished creative mind, a committed philanthropist of extraordinary vision and a relentless advocate for cultural advancement and one of the most remarkable cultural ambassadors of our time.

“For a university like ours, dedicated to the holistic development of mind and spirit, this example is a beacon. It reinforces our own commitment to ensuring that the sciences converge with the humanities, that innovation dances with tradition and that our graduates are as culturally literate as they are professionally skilled.

“This iconic piece will not only beautify our campus but also serve as a permanent cultural marker, reminding future generations of the ideals of leadership, service, excellence and intellectual courage upon which this university was founded,” the Vice Chancellor said.

Speaking, the donor of the statue, Prince Yemisi Shyllon, stated that the project was aimed at celebrating Papa Awolowo for living a purpose-driven life.

Prince Shyllon said conceiving the project and funding it was his own way of saying thank you to Chief Awolowo for the sterling leadership he gave his people and for showing what meaningful life meant.

“Indeed, many people solely focus on material wealth, such as having cars, building and buying properties, buying private jets, jewelries and the many other worthless and selfish illusions of life, that are generally not meaningful to the real essence of human life,” he said.

He added that Chief Awolowo would be remembered forever for living for what was right and just even as he listed some of the enduring legacies of the sage.

Prince Shyllon pointed at “free education in the old Western Region, and other landmark projects such as the Cocoa House, Western Nigeria Television, Liberty Stadium, industrial estates, farm settlements and the Obafemi Awolowo University, among others” as worthy legacies left behind by Chief Awolowo.

Shyllon noted that the sage was a man who could be best described as an example of a person who lived a “meaningful life.”

He added that Chief Awolowo lived his life planting seeds for generations while leaving his indelible footprints on the sands of time.

He charged all to live the kind of life that would make humanity remember them for something positive, “just as Papa Obafemi Awolowo, who died 38 years ago.”

He stressed that the Holy Qur’an and the Bible preach the act of showing love to the needy, adding that all should not give to the needy for the purpose of getting anything in return.

“Life is full of emptiness. Awolowo lived a meaningful, purpose-driven life and planted seeds through his various selfless services to humanity before his exit. That is why he is celebrated every day since he died 38 years ago,” he said.

In his remarks, Chairman, African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, publishers of the Tribune titles, and daughter of Chief Awolowo, Dr Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, thanked Prince Shyllon for donating the statue.

She also appreciated the university for being receptive to the idea and for keeping the legacy of Chief Awolowo alive.

Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu, who was represented by the Editor, Saturday Tribune, Dr Lasisi Olagunju, noted that the project was a celebration of selfless service to the people which was what Chief Awolowo lived for.

“History is always there to reward selfless leadership and expose pretenders. We are here today in celebration of an uncommon man who died 38 years ago. This honour, this statue is a demonstration of what immortality means.

“Chief Awolowo gave his very best in the service of the people. We appreciate the donor, Prince Yemisi Shyllon, for the gesture and also appreciate the university for giving the right space for the erection of the statue. Good life is about services; what we are celebrating today is history’s reward for Chief Awolowo’s selflessness.

“Papa was one leader who believed that service to the people is a rent paid for the space we occupy in this world. The Awolowo family appreciates this monument and thanks the donor and the sculptor for doing a great job,” he said.

He urged students of the institution to learn from the life lived by Chief Awolowo and rededicate themselves to noble causes.

At the ceremony were principal officers of the university and other dignitaries, including Senator Babafemi Ojudu, who also said positive things about Chief Awolowo and the leadership he gave the Nigerian people.
(TRIBUNE)

News

FULL LIST: FG Selects 20 Content Creators For Tax Reform Education

Published

11 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government has released a list of 20 content creators selected to support public education on Nigeria’s ongoing tax reforms.

The Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee issued the announcement, which was posted on Thursday by its chairman, Taiwo Oyedele, on X.

The list, titled “Top 20 Content Creators for Tax Reform Education,” was shared after the organisers received 8,591 nominations covering more than 200 creators.

The organisers said the selected creators will attend a special training session designed to deepen their understanding of the new tax laws so they can share clearer and more balanced information with their audiences.

They encouraged Nigerians to tag any creator on the list and ask them to confirm their interest by completing the acceptance form.

“If your favourite creator is on the list, tag or mention them and ask them to confirm their interest by completing this form: forms.gle/Ph49kSE4okDf6g….

“Deadline for acceptance is Monday, 8 December 2025.

“Tell us the areas of interest and key issues you’d like the training to focus on in the comments section.”

According to the announcement, the creators were ranked by their followership across major platforms. The top 20 include:

1. Financial Jennifer

2. Onlinebanker

3. Don Aza

4. Mary Efombruh

5. Baba Ogbon Awon Agba International

6. Perpetual Badejo

7. Personalfinancegirl

8. Tomi Akinwale

9. Emeka Ayogu