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OPINION: The Rough Games Arewa Bourgeoisies Play With The Talakawas

Published

3 weeks ago

April 20, 2026

By Tony Erha

Few days ago, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), an apex body that claims to represent the Northern region of Nigeria, also called Arewa, made categorical press statements. This is not the first time they made generic statements, presumed to be in the interest of the region. Oftentimes, desperate and divisive statements emanate from groups and individuals, who assume the role of official mouthpieces for the general wellbeing of the northerners, especially the poor.

But, reversely, it is more to feathering the nests of a privileged minority and established monolithic control, than the commoners who constitute the majority.

Were they supposed to cause vehemence and fears as a weapon to whip others in the polity, into gulping the poisoned chalice that they evidently loathe? Alas, of the country, it is those without the buttocks that are provided with seats, while those with the bottom are deprived of seats.

There is an anointed clique that is engrained with full sight, and others as purblind enough to not know or be forced to ignore the ‘cheating game’. But a blind man without the benefit of sight would begin to notice when his soup is laden with dirt.

This is Nigeria’s newest stark reality that should bother everyone more than the insurgency that informed the gathering of ACF.

Although ACF and its crowded supporters lucidly portrayed their positions, in tangible expressions, which hinge on their theme – unrestrained insecurity, the last wish of its eradication by concerned Nigerians, ACF went ahead asking the federal government a farfetched question, “if Nigeria was in a war?”, judging from the upsurge of the insurgency that had besieged the nation, with unspeakable high death tolls and destruction.

For a region and most of its elites, who have lived with the internecine insurgency, heavy deaths and devastation, with most accusing fingers pointing at them as the cause and aggravators, they are ideally in the best and first of place to be asked “if the country was in a full-scale war with the insurgents, and not the government.

Further warning surfaced at the Forum’s 38th Board meeting, held in Abuja, chaired by Bashir Dalhatu, who is on its trustee board. The group further said it was disturbed by “the scale and persistence of violence across the country, as a national emergency threatening Nigeria’s stability and the future”.

Indeed, Nigeria has been shattered, particularly the North, which is a butt of deadly attacks by terrorists, jihadists, armed herdsmen, and other criminal elements, that kill, maim, rob, kidnap for ransoms, caused suicide-bombing, arsons and sacking of villages, without restraints. Where arms supplied by foreign illegal miners fuel the brazen attacks, ACF’s North also experiences much of illegal mining, with sophisticated weapons.

Let’s glimpse at the unending lists of the Northern heavyweights that attended the meeting, narrowing it to a few.

Mahmud Yayale Ahmed is a former top civil servant and politician, who was Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Minister of Defence in 2007, under the late presidents Umaru Yar’ Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, respectively. He later served as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, in the era when Boko Haram, then a ragtag insurgent group was sprouted in the north-east fringes of the country. This is the same group that was purportedly encouraged by the same ACF’s North and its elite, to magnify into untamed monsters that they are today.

Why should the ones who sowed the weeds be scared of the thorns?

Bashir Dalhatu, who read the meeting’s communique, is an aristocrat, lawyer and politician, who had served the Interim National Government as Minister of Transport and Aviation. He returned as a Minister of Power and Steel in the Sani Abacha’s government, and again as Minister of Internal Affairs.

Mohammed D. Abubakar was a former Inspector General of the Police from 2012 to 2014, who was a prominent security czar that should’ve decimated the Boko Haram. Muhammad-Bande, a seasoned diplomat, academic and political scientist, was president of the United Nations General Assembly 74th Session from 17 September 2019 to 15 September 2020. He served as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations for seven long years.

Recently, Tukur Yusufu Buratai stoutly defended the country’s Air Force, on the widespread allegations of the bombing of innocent civilians, thus insisting that those bombed were actually insurgents and their accomplices. Fifty to one hundred vulnerable market women and children were reportedly killed and others maimed at Jilli Market, located between Gubio and Geidam Local Government Areas of Borno and Yobe states, citing a case of human rights violations. Buratai, a retired Lt. General of the Nigerian Army, was Chief of Army Staff (COAS), and later served as envoy to the Republic of Benin. The government of President Muhammadu Buhari, in which he served, is widely accused of having aided and abetted the insurgents.

It is therefore, pertinent to ask whatever efforts this galaxy of Northern Nigerians, have wielded to stop the emergence and explosion of numerous insurgent groups, when they were in power? Also desirable is what they have done as ACF elites to stamp out the insurgency?

Now that they are out of power, but in a commanding peak of consulting for the entire region, what manner of consultation do they evolve therein, that can’t call the rebellious groups and their sponsors, majority of who are their Northern brothers, to lay down their arms, in the interest of peace and progress?

Without mincing words, the northern high-class, instead of blaming government and others over Arewa’s woes and back drifts, should have themselves to blame for inflicting pains on the region.

If such comments by outsiders may be seen as unfair, not the same thing coming from David Mark, a prominent northerner, who was had served as a Minister and some other high national position, as the longest-serving Senate President. In a no-holds-bare interview with the Punch newspaper of
July 26, 2025, the disputable National Chairman of the African Democracy Congress (ADC), asserted thus;

“The North as we know is a land of rich history and mineral resources, fertile land for agriculture, diverse cultures, and immense potential. In spite of these blessings, we are confronted with deep-seated challenges of insecurity, poverty, ethnic and religious tensions, political fragmentation, social and economic stagnation. These challenges did not develop overnight nor will they disappear until we resolve to take deliberate, collective and decisive action”

“We must first admit that we are the architects of our problems, we must stop the blame game if we truly and genuinely want to find a lasting solution”

Pointblank, the ACF statement, confronting the federal government, when they are much aware of the missing links, and can’t volunteer a synergy to bail the country out of the circle of killings and maiming, is ugly and laughable. It tends to expose a wide void in ACF’s relational strategies, segmented cohesion and capable leadership. It also apparently signals distant leadership or social disconnect, from the strata of a region that was once known as a bastion of peace and diverse human existence.

Like Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) and Abdulsalim Abubakar, former heads of state, and their Niger State of origin, what are the northern leaders, like the aforementioned of ACF, doing to roll back the insurgency that has devastated their local communities and their Arewa?

Charity must begin at home. The ACF, other frontal groups and vocal individuals must get their home in order, before earning respect from outsiders.

News

UK Court Closes Diezani Trial As Jury Prepares Verdict

Published

11 hours ago

May 13, 2026

Editor

The defence and prosecution have closed their cases in the ongoing trial of former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, at the Southwark Crown Court in the United Kingdom, with a jury now set to deliver its verdict later this week.

Alison-Madueke is standing trial alongside oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde and her brother, Doye Agama, on a five-count charge bordering on alleged bribery. All three defendants have pleaded not guilty.

British prosecutors allege that the former minister received bribes in the form of luxury items and high-value properties from oil industry actors seeking favourable treatment in the award of oil contracts during her tenure between 2010 and 2015.

The prosecution maintains that such benefits were improperly received and argues that there is no documentary evidence supporting claims of reimbursement or legitimate financial transactions backing the alleged transfers.

In his closing submissions, defence counsel Jonathan Laidlaw accused the prosecution of failing to charge alleged bribe givers and relying on what he described as incomplete and unreliable evidence.

He questioned the handling of evidence from a 2015 raid on Alison-Madueke’s Abuja residence, alleging procedural irregularities, including the absence of key officials during the operation and lack of photographic records of items in their original locations.

Laidlaw further argued that critical documents that could support the defence case—such as records relating to reimbursements and official ministerial duties—were missing. He also faulted the prosecution’s reliance on evidence linked to Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), while challenging its rejection of parts of the same material in relation to co-defendant Ayinde.

He also disputed claims that official travel and financial records relating to the former minister were unavailable, describing the prosecution’s position as inconsistent.

Responding, lead prosecutor Alexandra Healy maintained that oil executives provided improper benefits to the former minister while their companies benefited from lucrative state contracts. She argued that such arrangements were incompatible with public office and unsupported by any documentary evidence of reimbursement.

Healy further referenced a £1 million payment linked to businessman Benedict Peters, describing the use of intermediary structures as a deliberate attempt to conceal the nature of the transaction.

She also noted that Alison-Madueke had been aware of the investigation for nearly a decade.

With both sides having completed their submissions, the jury is expected to return its verdict later this week.

News

Sleep Timing Irregularity Could Double Risk Of Heart Attack, Experts Warn

Published

12 hours ago

May 13, 2026

Editor

Experts have warned that going to bed at different times each night, particularly during midlife, could be an early warning sign of future heart problems.

New research from the University of Oulu found a strong link between irregular bedtimes and an increased risk of major cardiovascular events, especially among people who spend less than eight hours in bed each night.

According to the study, individuals whose sleep schedules varied widely and whose time in bed was under eight hours faced roughly twice the risk of serious heart-related events compared with those who maintained more regular routines.

In contrast, irregular wake-up times did not show a clear association with cardiovascular problems.

Major cardiovascular events examined in the study included conditions requiring specialised medical care, such as heart attack and ischaemic stroke.

The research, published in BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, followed 3,231 individuals born in northern Finland in 1966. Their sleep habits were monitored over a one-week period at age 46, while their health outcomes were tracked for more than a decade using healthcare register data.

Researchers measured sleep duration and timing using activity monitors that recorded how long participants remained in bed. The findings pointed to bedtime consistency as a particularly important factor for heart health.

Laura Nauha, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oulu, explained that earlier studies had already linked irregular sleep patterns to cardiovascular risks.

However, she noted that this study is the first to show that variability in bedtime, wake-up time, and the midpoint of the sleep period are independently associated with major cardiovascular events.

According to Nauha, everyday routines play a major role in shaping long-term heart health.

“Maintaining a regular sleep schedule is one factor that most of us can influence,” she said.

“Our findings suggest that the regularity of bedtime, in particular, may be important for heart health. It reflects the rhythms of everyday life and how much they fluctuate,” Nauha added.
(Nigerian Tribune)

News

NMA Threatens N1bn Suit Against EFCC Over Alleged Assault On UUTH Professor

Published

12 hours ago

May 13, 2026

Editor

The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Akwa Ibom State Council, has concluded plans to initiate a one billion naira suit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over the alleged assault of its member, Professor Eyo Ekpe, a Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, UUTH.

This was among the 10 resolutions reached by the body at the end of its emergency virtual meeting on Tuesday in respect of the arrest and alleged assault of Professor Ekpe by the commission.

Recall that EFCC operatives, on the grounds of authenticating a medical report presented by a suspect, were said to have invaded the hospital and subsequently arrested Prof. Ekpe under demeaning circumstances.

It was gathered that when the professor was accosted by the official, he told him that the office was already processing the request. However, the official allegedly went outside, mobilised other colleagues, and returned to hound the professor away after allegedly beating him and making him cry in public.

At a press conference held at Doctors’ Mess, Udoudoma, Uyo, on Wednesday, the NMA Chairman, Prof. Aniekan Peter, who also suffered during the crisis, said it was a slap on the integrity of the NMA as a body to allow anyone assault their member, not to talk of a professor who was only carrying out his lawful duties of saving lives and imparting knowledge.

Reading a communiqué endorsed by the chairman and the secretary, Dr Ighorodje Edesiri, respectively, the assistant secretary of the union expressed dismay that there has been a recurring pattern of harassment and assault of medical professionals and members of the association by security agencies within the state, adding that the union would no longer condone such acts.

The union, while observing that there was no formal invitation extended to Prof. Ekpe or the leadership of the NMA before the incident, described the act as barbaric, degrading, inhuman, and a gross violation of the sanctity of the hospital environment, thereby putting staff and patients at risk and undermining the dignity of the medical profession.

The union, which has since embarked on an indefinite strike, said members would not return to work unless the EFCC tenders an apology to the assaulted professor, chairman, and members of the NMA, and identifies and prosecutes the officials who carried out the operation.

The union further stated that it has resolved not to offer any medical services to EFCC officials or their relatives, as they have chosen the path of cruelty against their member.

The communiqué read in part: “We observed that Prof. Eyo Ekpe was apprehended within the premises of UUTH by masked EFCC operatives who physically assaulted him, beat him to the point of bleeding, and handcuffed him alongside other doctors and hospital staff who attempted to intervene.

“Prof. Peter, Akwa Ibom NMA chairman, was shoved and exposed to teargas when he approached the scene seeking clarification from the operatives. Hospitals are sacred environments meant for the preservation of life and should not be subjected to violent invasions by security agencies.

“We shall institute legal action against the EFCC with a demand for damages in the sum of one billion naira (N1,000,000,000) for the physical, emotional, professional, and institutional damages caused. Congress further emphasised that this action shall serve as a deterrent against future harassment, intimidation, or assault of medical practitioners by any security agency. The association reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the welfare, dignity, and safety of all its members.”