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OPINION: ‘They Chop Their Own, They Chop Our Own’

Published

1 month ago

July 14, 2025

By Lasisi Olagunju

She spoke with so much authority on the sleaze and dirt that make our lawmakers so fat like the well-fed pigs in Animal Farm. The headline above is from a trending, obviously leaked, video of a committee clerk at the National Assembly levelling unimaginable allegations against politicians in both chambers.

I have received that video more than ten times from social media users who keep forwarding it with unceasing interest. The clerk in the video is a woman who identified herself as Ifeoma (Ofili). I have also learnt that she is an about-to-retire Level 17 director in the service of the National Assembly.

I asked and was told that she dropped her trending bomb at a staff forum meeting at the National Assembly. She said our legislators talk about oversight of government agencies but “how do you account for the fact that the flight ticket to go and oversight somebody was paid for by that somebody? What are you coming to write?” Madam Ifeoma asked, and added, sensationally: “You go there, they tell you what to write. They give you money, they quarter you, they give you flight, and the (National Assembly) members will come (back) to fight over the money that was given to them.”

U.S. Senator Carl Levin (1934-2021) once said that “you can’t get good government without good oversight.” Political scientist and 28th president of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, in his classic doctoral thesis, ‘Congressional Government’ published in 1885 wrote that the legislature should “look diligently into every affair of government and to talk much about what it sees. It is meant to be the eyes and the voice, and to embody the wisdom and will of its constituents.” Our legislators in Nigeria do not think their constituents have wisdom, but they do oversight, they also “look diligently into every affair of government”. The problem is what they look for and why. The more the oversight, the brighter the sight of their purse. Now you should understand why federal roads, particularly my Ibadan-Ife-Ilesa road, are difficult to fix. The supervising ministry is in full charge of legislators who should oversight it.

Director Ifeoma also spoke about the threats regularly issued against ministries and agencies of the Federal Government by our lawmakers. “We are talking about punishing MDAs. They would come on TV and say this MDA did this and that…(but) all the atrocities that are being committed in the National Assembly, who punishes them?”

I have read ‘A Legislator Looks at Legislation’ published in October 1937 by T. V. Smith and Garland C. Routt. The authors propose that “lawmakers themselves must be governed by law” and that “rules of etiquette should always be observed.” That was in the last century and in the authors’ far away country. Here, the legislature is the Baba, clearly empowered to sit atop the law. Our angry director was being naive and, even rude, in asking who punishes “atrocities being committed in the National Assembly”. I should tell her that legislators are creators of the law and so they are naturally above their creation, the law. Just like their senior colleagues in the executive, Nigerian legislators have the right to use and misuse the powers conferred on them by INEC, their elector.

Then I heard the word ‘collapse’ from Madam Ifeoma: “They will budget money for staff training, money for clinic, money for books…they then collapse everything. It is in the National Assembly that I started hearing about ‘collapse’. What is collapse? Collapse is…Allowances that are budgeted for National Assembly staff are collapsed…And then, we don’t have the power to go and hold a press conference because we are sworn to oath of silence.” I like this ‘oath of silence’ coinage; it is more ghastly appropriate than the ‘oath of secrecy’ which we inherited from the British.

I am not done with Madam Ifeoma; or I should say she is not done with our husbands who make laws for us. The woman spoke about her director-colleagues who retired into want and suffering and death because their retirement benefits have been “collapsed” by politicians whose throats are the only routes to Oyo.

“Go and see them (retired directors). They look like scarecrows…they beg for money to fuel their cars… So, apart from what the constitution says (about oversight), who is looking at what they (legislators) are collapsing and chopping? They chop their own; they chop our own and (even) put excesses there.”

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:OPINION: For Ganduje And Kabiyesi

Put simply, the question she asked above is: who oversights the oversighter? She ought not to have asked that question because, as we say in Yorubaland, if one’s father has married a new wife and she is older than your mother, you call her mother. The legislators are the boss; you don’t question or query them.

Now, let me quickly say my own and withdraw into my shell: Oversight, appropriation and representation through law making are the three reasons the legislature exists all over the world. This Nigerian democracy is 26 years old. I will laugh very loudly if anyone says our National Assembly has scored above 30 percent in each of those categories. Yet, we keep pumping money into that opaque system. This year alone, almost half a trillion naira is their budget. Do not complain. They need even more than that. Remember in George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’, only the pigs take milk and apples because it is for the good of all that the pigs’ brainpower and leadership’s health remain topnotch. It is for the farm’s success. If our pigs are not healthy, Mr. Jones will return, and that will be a tragedy for this democracy.

But then, if politicians fail us, their constituents, without consequences because we are collectively stupid, should they fail their staff also? Politicians, if they ever leave, leave government solidly made for life; retired civil servants leave service to be bedridden; they die waiting for their benefits. What a democracy!

An Ilorin musician sings in an album that God is the adjudicator and judge between cat and rat. That is the relationship between those who have kidnapped this democracy, and we the people. As Madam Ifeoma said: They chop their own; they chop our own. They even put jara.

News

PHOTOS: Brazil Welcomes Tinubu With Full Military Honours In Brasília

Published

4 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

Brazil on Monday rolled out full military honours at the Planalto Palace in Brasília to receive President Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this on X on Monday.

Onanuga said Tinubu was welcomed by his host, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

He wrote, “More photos of the official reception for President Tinubu at the Planalto Palace in Brasília, Monday, August 25, 2025. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva welcomed President Bola Tinubu with full military honours.”

News

Tinubu Signs Direct Flight, Other Agreements With Brazil

Published

4 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed a landmark Bilateral Air Service Agreement with Brazil, signalling the establishment of direct air links between Nigeria and South America’s largest economy.

The agreement was formalised on Monday during Tinubu’s official state visit to Brasília.

Media aide to the minister, Tunde Moshood, made this known through a statement, made available to The PUNCH.

At the signing ceremony which was witnessed by Messrs Nigerian President, Tinubu and the Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brasilia also had the Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, signed the agreement on behalf of Nigeria, while Brazil’s Minister of Transport, Silvio Costa Filho, also signed for the host country.

The BASA creates a new framework for direct flights between Nigeria and Brazil, with the potential to significantly enhance trade, tourism, investment, and diplomatic relations.

The statement further noted that, “ It also marks a key step in Nigeria’s broader efforts to strengthen international partnerships and improve global connectivity.”

Tinubu had arrived in Brazil with a delegation that included Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu; Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari; and other senior government officials.

According to the statement, the Brazilian President welcomed the agreement, expressing his administration’s commitment to expanding cooperation with Nigeria in sectors such as aviation, agriculture, and infrastructure.

He described the BASA as a reflection of the strong ties between both countries and an opportunity to deepen economic and cultural collaboration.

Tinubu is also scheduled to hold meetings with key Brazilian government officials, including the President of the Senate, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, and the President of the Supreme Federal Court.

The two-day visit will include high-level discussions between Nigerian and Brazilian delegations across various sectors, as both nations explore opportunities for mutual growth and development.

The statement reads, “The ongoing state visit will also see President Tinubu meeting the President of the Brazilian Senate at the National Congress, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, and the President of the Supreme Federal Court.

“The working visit, which continues tomorrow, will also feature high-level engagements between Nigerian and Brazilian delegations across various sectors, underscoring both nations’ commitment to building a future of mutual growth and prosperity.”

News

NAFDAC Warns Of Fake Postinor-2 In Circulation

Published

5 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control on Monday issued a public alert, warning the public about confirmed counterfeit batches of Postinor-2 (Levonorgestrel 0.75 mg) now circulating in Nigeria.

The alert follows a report from the Society for Family Health, the marketing authorisation holder, confirming that they did not import the suspect batches.

Postinor-2 (Levonorgestrel 0.75mg) is a brand of emergency contraceptive pill containing the active ingredient levonorgestrel.

NAFDAC revealed there are noticeable labelling discrepancies between the authentic and fake products.

It said, “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) hereby notifies the public of falsified Type 1 and 2 batches of POSTINOR 2 (Levonorgestrel 0.75mg) product in circulation.

“The noticeable difference was found to be as follows: The font size of the text on the pin verification sticker appears smaller and has a wrong spelling of the word Veify instead of Verify on the fake; meanwhile, the text font on the sticker of the original appears bigger and more visible. There is also a wrong spelling behind the pack of the fake “Distnibuted in Nigeria” instead of distributed in Nigeria”, NAFDAC said.

NAFDAC identified the original Postinor-2 as batch T32458H, manufactured in February 2023 with an expiry date of February 2027 and registration number 04-6985.

The agency, however, confirmed two falsified versions: Counterfeit Product (Type 1), batch T36184B, manufactured in August 2024 with an expiry date of August 2028; and Counterfeit Product (Type 2), batch 332, manufactured in March 2023 with an expiry date of February 2027, both carrying the registration number 04-6985.

It said that due to the potential presence of incorrect, substandard, or harmful ingredients, improper dosages of levonorgestrel, and a lack of sterile manufacturing conditions, poses significant risks to individual health and public safety.

“The risks of administering falsified Postinor 2 (Levonorgestrel 0.75mg) include failure of contraceptive effect, toxic or harmful contaminants, unpredictable side effects, delayed or missed opportunity for genuine emergency contraception, and potential long-term reproductive health impact. Unexpected side effects: Unknown substances can trigger allergic reactions, organ damage, or death.

“Counterfeit medicines are unregulated, untested, and illegal, making their safety and efficacy impossible to guarantee. Patients should only obtain Postinor-2 from verified pharmacies or licensed healthcare providers.

“Although Investigations are still ongoing regarding the source of the falsified product, all NAFDAC zonal directors and state coordinators have been directed to carry out surveillance and mop up the falsified product of type 1 and 2 postinor 2 (Levonorgestrel 0.75mg) within the zones and states,” it added.

NAFDAC urged consumers and healthcare providers to verify PIN stickers carefully, report suspected counterfeit products, and always purchase medications from reputable sources.