Samson Toromade, Author at Zikoko!

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The public image of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is as black as the uniform the officers wear. And when Nigerians protested with the call to #EndSARS in 2020, the police washed their very dirty underwear, overwear and all sorts of wears before the global community.

To gain a bit more control over the narrative, there are now many police spokespersons on Twitter directly attending to public complaints. But these spokespersons still do messy things like trying to act savage or victim-blame.

The NPF is now trying to mend fences with Nigerians through the magic restorative power of improved public relations. This week, the Inspector-General, Usman Baba, announced plans to launch a Police PR School for officers. This school will focus on things like behaviour management, professionalism, and hopefully, the medicine that banishes the spirit of extortion and high-handedness.

That training can start with the Force spokesperson himself to prevent more tweets like this:

Whatever the NPF is cooking here, improved engagement with Nigerians shouldn’t be about putting paper over cracks, but committing to true reforms that Nigerians can get behind. For starters, it would be nice for officers to stop extorting Nigerians. We don’t have anything for the boys.

What Else Happened This Week?

Nigerian Politicians Can’t Stay in One Place — It’s Science

One thing you can always trust a Nigerian politician to do is fornicate with party membership, especially around elections.

On August 29th, 2022, the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, travelled down to Kano for a lavish celebration. The party held the ceremony in honour of a prodigal son that had just returned to its fold — Senator Ibrahim Shekarau.

Shekarau left the PDP in 2018 when he joined the All Progressives Congress (APC). And there was similar fanfare when he dumped the APC for the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) three months ago in May 2022.

Shekarau proves the science that Nigerian politicians can’t be trusted to stick to one party, and you can always expect them to move in the thirst for power. Even the Atiku that went to welcome him in Kano has moved across parties four times since 2007. Well, he wants to be president, and the game is the game.

What this culture of repeated defection highlights is there are no ideological principles guiding Nigeria’s politics. No wonder the country is in the state that it is.

Have You Seen This Video?

There are better ways Buhari could be spending all the Abacha loot Nigeria is recovering, and we have a few great ideas. pic.twitter.com/SiA1TYORxl
— Citizen by Zikoko (@ZikokoCitizen) August 30, 2022

Question of the Week

How many Nigerian political parties are participating in the 2023 general elections?

Click here to tweet your answer to @ZikokoCitizen on Twitter.

Ehen, one more thing…

Buhari publicly assured Nigerians he’ll allow them to vote for whoever they want in 2023, and we can only wonder, “What kind of democratic president allows democratic stuff to happen?” Such a weird guy.

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Election season in Nigeria is always bound to be entertaining with everyone on the edge of their seats.

Candidates are the stars of the show and are always under pressure to pull everything out of their arsenals to get people to vote for them.

They can be hairdressers:

Groundnut hawkers:

Agbado tasters:

Or whatever the heck is going on here:

It’s all a part of the game. But there are a few things these candidates aren’t allowed to do to win, according to the Electoral Act.

No insults

This one is funny because one-third of what election candidates in Nigeria do is insult their opponents. One 2023 presidential candidate has already said an opponent is suffering from memory loss, which sounds like an insult to us.

But the Electoral Act frowns against candidates using abusive and slanderous language against one another.

No religious or tribal provocations

The law also prohibits political campaigns from using provocation of religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feelings as a strategy to win.

Can’t campaign in religious places

This one may sound surprising because candidates already do it all the time, but it’s illegal to run political campaigns in religious centres like churches, mosques or shrines.

Can’t use police stations for campaigns

The same law applies to using police stations for political campaigns. But who wants to campaign at a police station anyway?

Can’t use masquerades

The government must not want masquerades to eat good from the election buffet because candidates aren’t allowed to hire them for campaigns.

Can’t train and use thugs

This one would seem kind of obvious but we understand why it had to be written down in plain terms because we’re talking about Nigerian politicians here.

Candidates aren’t allowed to use thugs to help them ~~rig elections~~ convince voters.

Threaten others into submission

The goal of an election campaign is to convince voters you’re the best choice. The law says you can’t directly or indirectly threaten voters to get their support.

The Electoral Act recommends a maximum fine of ₦1 million or one-year imprisonment for any candidate that violates these guidelines. And we can’t wait to see how many Nigerian politicians will end up behind bars if they’re implemented.

ALSO READ: The 2023 Presidential Campaign Promises We Already Find Laughable
On August 30th, 2022, two men and two women appeared at the Magistrate Court in Ogba, Lagos State. Moments later, the magistrate remanded all four of them at the Kirikiri Maximum Correctional facility until the next hearing on October 10th, 2022.

The four had walked their way into troubled waters through a physical encounter with police officers during a car stop. It’s still unclear what provoked the altercation, but both men were caught on camera in a shoving match with the officers. The encounter led to this viral video posted online on August 27th, 2022:

No conclusions drawn yet. Both sides have video recordings, which will all be reviewed. All occupants of the car are currently at the station. They are: Ehis Tito Odigie ‘m’ aged 33, self acclaimed music producer; Oyedeji Motunrayo ‘f’ aged 26, corps member; Miracle 1/2 pic.twitter.com/FO3ZTfaV7z
— SP Benjamin Hundeyin (@BenHundeyin) August 27, 2022

Just a day before the video, another one that also involved a civilian and police officer made its way online on August 26th. In the video, a motorist accused of driving against one-way traffic dragged an armed police officer by his pants and resisted arrest.

The suspect, Billy King Tokunbo, who drove against traffic, was immediately arrested. His Toyota Corolla car with registration number LSR 430 FT was equally impounded immediately. He is to be arraigned for his traffic offence and assault on a police officer. Updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/2mcq7uyBxK
— SP Benjamin Hundeyin (@BenHundeyin) August 26, 2022

And today, September 2nd, 2022, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Ben Hundeyin, announced the arrest of Nigerian rapper, Ice Prince Zamani. He accused the celebrity of abducting and assaulting a police officer during a midnight car stop.

At 3am today, @Iceprincezamani was stopped for driving without license plates. He agreed to be taken to the station. He, thereafter, abducted the police officer in his car, assaulted him and threatened to throw him in the river. He has been arrested and would be arraigned today. pic.twitter.com/jLazuYOUal
— SP Benjamin Hundeyin (@BenHundeyin) September 2, 2022

RELATED: You Only Need Three Things at Nigerian Police Checkpoints

Police vs Nigerians

The three incidents that took place within days of one another are a reflection of the long-standing hostility between the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Nigerian public. This troubled relationship came to a head with the #EndSARS protests of 2020, and its painful conclusion has done nothing to ease it.

Despite claims of reforms, the atrocities like police brutality and extortion that sparked the historic #EndSARS protests remain. You can draw a line from this aggression to cases of civilians fighting fire with fists.

But the NPF is failing to be reflective enough about the situation.

A disturbing trend

On August 29th, 2022, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, “strongly condemned” the trend of assaults on his police officers across Nigeria. He stressed that such attacks are “illegal and an affront on the rule of law.”

Who knew?

The IGP ordered that anyone caught assaulting officers in the line of duty should face a swift trial to serve as a lesson to others. He said the trend of attacks must not be allowed to grow as it shows a disrespect for the fundamental rights of officers.

IGP’s notable omission

Something that stuck out in the IGP’s statement was the lack of a copious amount of self-reflection. Sure, physically attacking police officers isn’t a trend you want to spread because of its security implications, but the IGP failed to address a significant component of what may be causing it — the officers themselves.

In fact, in his statement, Baba said “preceding factors” shouldn’t matter when civilians attack police officers. But to say this is to ignore the messy relationship between the police force and the public and the part officers play in causing hostilities by intimidating and extorting Nigerians.

The IGP’s statement was a missed opportunity to remind his officers that they too have a responsibility to respect the rights of Nigerians. That’s the kind of olive branch that’d mend fences and foster a healthy relationship between the police and law-abiding citizens.

Maybe that’s something police officers will learn when the Force finally launches its public relations school. Only subscribers of our Game of Votes newsletter would understand what we mean by that. And to also always be cool enough to have all the tea you need when it comes to Nigerian politics and governance, and how they affect citizens, you should subscribe now.

ALSO READ: What Happens When Nigerian Police Officers Clash With Soldiers?
“The grass is always greener on the other side” is half the reason many Nigerians are jumping on the japa wave to move abroad. But even when you can’t see the greener grass, a lot of Nigerians just assume it’s there because they’re eager to escape the country.

Does it matter that you can’t find Cambodia on a map?

One of the foreign countries that keep coming up as unsafe for Nigerians is Northern Cyprus. Officially known as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, this island nation is different from the Republic of Cyprus. Why?

A brief history of Northern Cyprus

Cyprus split into two in 1974 after years of hostilities between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. The split was sealed when the Turkish Army invaded Cyprus under the pretext of protecting the interests of Turkish Cypriots.

The Turkish occupation of Northern Cyprus has made it impossible for anyone else to officially recognise it as a country. For example, Nigerians who want to travel there have to obtain a visa through the Turkish embassy.

And a lot of Nigerians are going down that route to get their japa fix. But there are repeated red flags about the country for Nigerians.

The red flag

In October 2019, a 25-year-old Nigerian student, Ibrahim Bello, died in Northern Cyprus. Authorities claimed that he died by suicide with no foul play involved. But his family suspected plenty foul play and publicly pressed for answers.

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) used the opportunity of the family’s petition to raise alarm about the fate of Nigerians in Northern Cyprus. The agency’s director-general, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, announced in 2020 that 100 Nigerian students studying in Northern Cyprus died under mysterious circumstances between 2016 and 2020.

The Nigerian government expressed concern that authorities there failed to prosecute anyone for the apparent attacks on Nigerians. Even worse, a direct line of communication was missing because Nigeria has no diplomatic ties with island nation (because, well, it technically doesn’t exist).

Two years after the first warning, the Nigerian government has raised alarm again. On August 25th, 2022, Dabiri-Erewa warned Nigerians against going over to Northern Cyprus for anything. She said authorities took no action on the cases of more than 20 Nigerian students killed there over the years.

ALSO READ: “Northern Cyprus Can Be Scary for Nigerians” — Abroad Life

Why do Nigerians ever go to Northern Cyprus?

Nigerians flock to Northern Cyprus for education due to affordable tuition fees, like one Abroad Life subject told us. Travel agents also sell the country to potential Nigerian travellers without being honest about its problems. And over-eager travellers are likely to commit to travelling there without doing basic research that would turn up important information like the (il)legitimate status of the country.

But since Nigeria has no diplomatic relationship with the country, it can be hard for the government to act in the interest of Nigerians when they run into trouble there.

“If you ask Nigeria for help, we can’t do much,” Dabiri-Erewa warned on August 25th, 2022. Her statement is a diplomatic way of saying you’re on your own.

So, the next time you go over your japa list because you want to escape the Nigeria that’s fashioned against you, weigh the pros and cons of Northern Cyprus very carefully.

ALSO READ: How To Japa: Migrating From Nigeria

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It’s simply impossible not to have noticed the presidential campaign of Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He’s not just the candidate of the ruling All Progressives’ Congress (APC), he’s one of those faces that have lasted in Nigerian politics as long as that stubborn piece of corn stuck in your teeth.

Tinubu’s long game

Tinubu first won an election in Nigeria in 1992, a year that millions of people voting next year had not yet been born. His tenure as a senator didn’t last long due to General Sani Abacha‘s military takeover in 1993. But like yeast, Tinubu didn’t stay down.

He contested and won the election to become the governor of Lagos in 1999 and was a thorn in the side of the Olusegun Obasanjo-led Federal Government for much of his eight-year reign.

When Tinubu finished his tenure in 2007, he might have felt he was ripe for the presidency, but he had a problem: Olusegun Obasanjo, a fellow Yoruba man, had just finished a two-term tenure at the Aso Rock Villa.

The political climate was calling for a northerner to replace him in fulfilment of an unwritten gentleman’s agreement to rotate the president’s seat between the north and the south.

Tinubu realistically couldn’t make an immediate run for the presidency, and so his plotting began.

Operation Emi Lokan

Tinubu’s 2023 campaign has been standing firm on an entitled slogan that it’s his turn to sit on Nigeria’s Iron Throne. “Emi lokan” was the soundbite of his infamous rant in June 2022 when the APC was considering choosing a consensus candidate that would likely not be him. Nigerians mocked him for his rant and the soundbite in particular, but Tinubu has turned around to make it the tagline for his presidential bid.

Where exactly did the sense of entitlement come from? Let’s go back to 2007.

2007

In 2007, Tinubu was in control of the Action Congress (AC), a party with enough clout to contest a national election. But since he couldn’t compete because of his limited chances of victory, he needed a northern ally to use his formidable platform.

For the 2007 election, he found Atiku Abubakar, a vice president and outcast who left the ruling party to fulfil his own presidential ambition.

It was a plot convenience that worked for everyone

It would appear that Tinubu’s plan in 2007 was to ride a northerner into Aso Rock Villa. The payoff for him would be the northerner’s support for his own shot at the presidency after eight years. He even tried to be appointed Atiku’s running mate, but they’re both Muslims and would have upset the typical religious balance of a presidential ticket. So Atiku said:

Even though Atiku finished in the third position at the polls, Tinubu had hacked a formula to plot his way to Aso Rock Villa through delayed gratification. It was the perfect plan.

2011

By 2011, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the northerner who won the 2007 election, had died and Goodluck Jonathan, his vice president, stepped up as president. Jonathan, a southerner, contested for his first term in office in 2011, spitting in the face of the PDP’s rotational arrangement because he already had a taste of presidential power and wasn’t willing to let go.

But Tinubu failed to run yet again, offering up the platform of the AC, already renamed Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) at the time, to another outcast northerner, Nuhu Ribadu. In fact, all the four aspirants who contested for the ACN’s presidential ticket were northerners even though southerners dominated the party.

Again, the gambit failed and Ribadu finished third. But even before that election concluded, Tinubu’s ACN was already plotting with a more established northerner for a merger.

In the search for a solution to his presidency problems, Tinubu found one Muhammadu Buhari.

2015 and 2019

By 2015, Tinubu’s ACN had merged with other established opposition parties including Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). This merger gave birth to the APC we know today.

Buhari had been running for the president’s seat since 2003 with little success. But with Tinubu’s political “structure”, he made new inroads to southern votes and the APC rose to power on the promise of change.

Even then, Tinubu was desperate to become Buhari’s vice president. The only problem, again, was they’re both Muslims and that made the ticket politically-radioactive.

And even though Tinubu didn’t get what he wanted then, the only thing that sustained him was the thought of biding his time for what the future held for him. In 2015, he did his part and put a northerner in Aso Rock Villa. All he had to do was wait eight years for his turn.

2023: Emi lokan

According to the permutations of the unwritten rotation policy which has now been thrown inside the dustbin, 2023 is the time for another southern president after eight years of a northern one at the helm of power.

When Tinubu had his infamous “emi lokan” rant in June 2022, he didn’t just weaponise it for himself, but also for his ethnic Yoruba group. This is despite the fact Nigeria already had a Yoruba president for eight years, unlike the southeast region which has produced none.

Irrespective of his attempt to make it about the south, it’s clear that Tinubu’s ambition is solely about him and the long game he’s been playing down the length and breadth of Nigeria for years, just so he can retire in Aso Rock Villa.

Tinubu now has what he wants: his name on the presidential election ballot, his very own Muslim-Muslim ticket and a shot at Nigeria’s Iron Throne. But will he ever sit on it?

ALSO READ: Atiku Can’t Stop Running for President Despite His Record

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Being a Nigerian can feel like a lot sometimes. There are simply too many things capable of ending you. This is why it’s important that you take every opportunity to give yourself a fighting chance.

The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step, and taking five minutes to do any of these things can improve your life.

Clear out your overflowing inbox

Only psychopaths have more than 20 unread emails in their inbox. Why do you have 8,963 unread emails?

Start clearing that thing before we alert Interpol.

Block your online haters

It’s unhealthy to give your haters access to you so you have to reduce the odds of those weapons fashioned against you. Scrutinise your social media accounts and block anyone giving you bad vibes.

Update your haters’ list

And because you can never run out of haters, fish out the upcoming ones and schedule them for future blocking. Seriously, never give room for bad vibes.

Return all those phone calls you’ve been dodging

Of course, as a Nigerian, you’re dodging phone calls because that’s where the devil of billing resides. But you can’t hide forever and you need to return some calls to hear the voices of your loved ones like your mother, barber and the person you’re owing urgent ₦2k. Onigbese.

Learn something new

Acquiring new skills is useful for refreshing your mind. It doesn’t matter if it’s how to make a TikTok video, or use a fire extinguisher or change a generator’s spark plug. Always carve out time to learn something new.

Exercise

The hustle is cool and all that but are you taking care of yourself? How much exercise are you doing? Even if it’s frog jumping or skipping, take some time to loosen up your tight muscles. It may serve you well in the future agbado army.

Cancel subscriptions

Sapa is in town and it’s useful to keep track of all the expenses you can do without, like your premium TrueCaller subscription or that streaming platform you only ever use once every two months.

Sit quietly and catch up with yourself

There’s too much going on in the world and you’re jumping from one panic to the next. It’s important to take timeouts every now and then to just sit there and think about your life and what the point of everything is.

Read Game of Votes newsletter

Zikoko Citizen’s Game of Votes newsletter is a weekly roundup of this situation we call Nigeria — the good, the bad, and the extremely bizarre.

The newsletter will wade through all the stressful news to help you understand what’s really going on in Nigeria and why you need to care. And all of this is done in five minutes or less. You can subscribe here.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State is undoubtedly the hottest political bride in Nigeria right now.

Since his presidential ambition crashed after losing the ticket of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to Atiku Abubakar in May 2022, Wike hasn’t allowed anyone a moment’s rest. He’s been sleeping and waking like this:

No one doubts Wike’s political weight and the kind of influence he can have on the direction of votes for the 2023 presidential elections. The man himself knows this and has been lording it over everyone.

On August 25th, 2022, Wike kicked the drama up a notch with an eventful trip to London from which we learnt quite a few lessons.

Wike is a hot kek

On his London trip, Wike met Atiku in what many PDP operators would hope is the end of his theatrics. But he also met with the candidates of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, and Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi. That’s the kind of reverence top presidential candidates usually reserve for OG former Nigerian leaders like Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida, Yakubu Gowon and Abdulsalami Abubakar.

It’s a testament to how much everyone understands Wike’s outsized influence and wants him to pitch his tent with them.

Obi is (most likely) Obasanjo’s candidate

Obasanjo has been shy about publicly endorsing any of the candidates for the 2023 presidential election, but it’s almost impossible that he won’t do it at some point.

And the former president appeared to show his hand on Wike’s tour by participating in the governor’s meeting with Peter Obi. Since his dramatic exit from the PDP, Obasanjo has taken a liking to popular anti-incumbent candidates — Buhari in 2015, Atiku in 2019, and now Obi in 2023.

Time will tell where he throws his hat but it seems he’s leaning towards Obidience.

Governance is on autopilot, sorry to Nigerians

There were at least five current state governors in London with Wike and Tinubu attending to political business that has nothing to do with the people who elected them into power.

Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) all followed Wike on his London tour. ~~Crowd Controller~~ Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos) and Governor Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) were also part of Tinubu’s team for the meeting with Wike.

These governors have less than a year to the end of their current terms and aren’t too invested in governance anymore, but the politics that prolong their stay in power.

The only people that suffer are the ones who gave them a taste of power to begin with.

Wike is Captain Nigeria

On their return from London, of course, the actors tried to spin the trip as some holy trip they took in the interest of Nigerians. Ikpeazu called the trip a “rescue” mission for Nigeria and Ortom said they’re “looking at the larger picture”.

Wike also said all the trouble isn’t about him or his group but in the service of Nigerians. And if you believe all of that, we have a profitable Nigerian oil refinery to sell you.

There’ll be more meetings

If you think meetings in London would be enough to calm Wike’s blood and get him to fall in bed with one candidate, then think again. The London tour is only one phase of his consultation and he’s not done. There are more meetings to follow for the most in-demand political bride in the country. Everyone will have to wait to see who Wike walks down the aisle with for the 2023 elections.

Hopefully, he brings his merry band.

There's no party like a Wike band party. pic.twitter.com/V9jI1NJhFs
— Citizen by Zikoko (@ZikokoCitizen) August 20, 2022

Wouldn’t you like to read a newsletter that helps you dig into all the good, bad and extremely bizarre things happening in Nigeria and why they’re important to you? Then you should sign up for Game of Votes.

ALSO READ: What We Learned From the PVC Registration Drive Now That It’s Over
Even though Nigerian women are just as involved in elections as men, they have very little representation in government. Some women have over the years made it into elected legislative seats, but Nigerians have never elected a female governor.

These are the women that want to change that in 2023.

Aishatu Ahmed — Adamawa State

Senator Aishatu Ahmed beat a very crowded field of challengers to win the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State. She defeated a former governor, a former EFCC chairman and a serving member of the House of Representatives to land on the ballot.

She was a member of the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2015 and has been a senator since 2019.

Senator Ahmed is a favourite to win the election and become the first ever elected female governor in Nigeria.

Nnenna Lancaster-Okoro — Abia State

Nnenna Lancaster-Okoro is the governorship candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) in Abia State.

She’s had unsuccessful runs in senatorial elections in 2015, 2016 and 2019 with APC and the Young Progressives Party (YPP).

She isn’t the only woman on the ballot in Abia.

Ngozi Ogbuleke — Abia State

Ngozi Ogbuleke is the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Abia State.

Obiang Marikane Stanley — Cross River State

Obiang Marikane Stanley is the governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) in Cross River State.

Beatrice Itubo — Rivers State

Beatrice Itubo is the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Rivers State. She beat a former member of the House of Representatives to win the party’s ticket.

Itubo is also the chairperson of the Rivers State council of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).

Sophia Cookey — Rivers State

Sophia Cookey is the governorship candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in Rivers State.

Tina Barde — Niger State

Tina Barde is the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Niger State.

Khadijat Abdullahi-Iya — Niger State

Khadijah Abdullahi-Iya is the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Niger State. She was a vice presidential candidate in the 2019 presidential election on Fela Durotoye’s ticket for the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN).

Sufiat Adekemi Iskil-Ogunyomi — Ogun State

Sufiat Adekemi Iskil-Ogunyomi is the governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) in Ogun State.

Kassim Jackie-Adunni — Ogun State

Kassim Jackie-Adunni is the governorship candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Ogun State.

She was also on the ballot for the 2019 governorship election as the candidate of the defunct United Democratic Party (UDP) but finished with 861 votes.

The 2023 general elections are expected to usher in a new direction for Nigeria, and these women could break the glass ceiling for that future. May the best woman win.

ALSO READ: Who Are the Biggest Onigbese Governors in Nigeria?
So many things don’t change about a typical Nigerian election: candidates, colourful election rallies, laughable campaign promises and of course, fake news.

Fake news is typically weaponised to manipulate perceptions about candidates or situations and we’re already seeing, in real time, how that’s affecting Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election.

It’s raining fake news

Campaigns for the 2023 elections don’t officially start until September 2022, but the pre-season campaign has been littered with an abundance of misinformation. On August 9th, 2022, Ghanaian president, Nana Akufo-Addo, raised alarm on Twitter that his name was being used for dirty business in Nigeria.

He was responding to a story that was trending on social media, where he allegedly wrote a letter to the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu. In this letter, he supposedly advised Tinubu to consider his supposedly frail health and step down for Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP). The long and short of Akufo-Addo’s reaction was that the story was fake and the reply was:

Obi has also been the subject of endorsements from Hollywood stars — endorsements that have turned out to be fake.

Tinubu has featured in another story involving the circulation of a presidential campaign council list that he said was fake.

There have also been fake social media accounts of prominent people like the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, being used for misinformation.

This account is fake

But who cares about fake news?

Every fake story allowed to spread unchallenged pollutes the public consciousness heading into the elections. Fake news can be harmless mischief, sure, but it can also be malicious and dangerous.

And the tension of this current fake news season is already getting to the presidential candidates themselves.

Tinubu has called out Obi’s supporters to stop spreading lies against him. In an indirect response, Obi accused faceless “opposition” of creating misinformation materials for his benefit so that his campaign can be blamed.

How to deal with fake news

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to completely eliminate fake news online, whether it’s created unintentionally or intentionally to manipulate. But it doesn’t matter what the intention of creators of fake news is, they need unsuspecting people to carry this message.

It’s important for internet users to step into the gap and ensure they don’t help the spread of fake stories. Because, more than the creators, it’s the people who share fake news that really give such news life. This is why it’s important that everyone is cautious about the kind of stories they share online.

So how can I help to stop the spread of fake news?

There are a few obvious things to look out for to help curb the spread of misinformation:

Question the source

The source of a message can be as important as the message. Before you share a story of any weight, ask yourself if you trust the source to be telling the truth.

Corroborate

If there’s an opportunity to double-check the information from other sources, do that for sure. Trust is fine, but verify first.

Check your bias

Emotionally-charged topics like elections can make us more likely to fall for fake news, especially when it’s something that fits neatly into our biases. Always check to see that your judgement isn’t clouded by your bias.

Think twice before sharing

Before you share that juicy story about a candidate or party, are you sure that you need to? You need to answer this question especially if you can’t find corroborating sources, or feel your bias is in the way of good judgement.

Don’t think you’re too smart to be fooled

It can be ridiculously easy to fall for fake news, no matter how refined you think you are. This is why it’s important that you tick all the boxes on this list. Scrutinise everything carefully. Be curious and don’t stay stuck inside your bubble.

Burst it

You may not create fake news, but you’re needed as fuel to make it spread to more people.

ALSO READ: What We Learnt About the 2023 Presidential Candidates at NBA Conference
General Sani Abacha died 24 years ago, but he’s still Nigeria’s OG sugar daddy in 2022. The evidence of his massive stealing of Nigeria’s assets in his five-year military regime continues to outlast him.

On August 23rd, 2022, the United States agreed to return to Nigeria the sum of $23m which Abacha stole over two decades ago. The US alone has returned more than $334.7m linked to the former dictator.

But as nice as it is for Nigeria to get some of its money back, there’s been a lack of transparency in how the returned Abacha loot is spent. Nigerians just aren’t feeling the impact directly enough.

For example, the government wants to spend the fresh $23m on projects like the Abuja-Kano road, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Second Niger Bridge.

But we have other ideas on more tangible ways to spend it:

Giveaway, obviously

It’s not easy to be a Nigerian these days. You just need to look at the state of the economy to agree everyone needs some credit alerts.

Call it hardship allowance or allowance for igbo and shayo, but everyday Nigerians need to personally feel touched by the Abacha loot.

Give it to ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on its annual ~~leave~~ strike for the past six months because of its unending conflicts with the Federal Government (FG). The two parties have left thousands of students stranded at home while they battle over money and control. FG should think about throwing the $23m ASUU’s way to end the strike… for now.

Compensate Nigerian students

Speaking of those stranded students, there have recently been conversations about how they should be compensated. This $23m from ~~our sugar daddy~~ Abacha should do some leg work in appeasing them for the time lost at home without education.

ALSO READ: Why Nigerian Students Deserve Compensation for ASUU Strike

Bribe the national grid

The national grid has been a relentless opp to Nigerians, especially in 2022, with many breakdowns and blackouts. The government can make it stop by bribing it to chill or something.

Jollof rice festival

The way to anybody’s heart is through their stomach and what better way to feel the impact of Abacha’s recovered loot than for the government to feed everyone?

$23m feels just right enough to throw a Guinness World Records-breaking Jollof rice festival. Everybody gets a taste of the national ~~cake~~ rice!

Expensive sacrifice at a T-junction

Transparency International estimates that Abacha may have stolen up to $5 billion from Nigeria between 1993 and 1998. We’re yet to get half of that money back.

We can use this little $23m to offer an expensive sacrifice to the gods to help in the recovery of everything that took flight under Abacha’s watch. You spend money to make money.

Pay bounty on oil thieves

Buhari recently complained that oil thieves are partly to blame for Nigeria’s revenue-generation issues. Some of these thieves are “big men” cashing out from robbing Nigeria. We can use the Abacha loot to place bounties on their heads to encourage citizens to help security agencies to find them more easily.

Tithe

It’s important to always give unto Caesar — and unto the Lord — in style.

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