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10 years in office, Buhari wouldn’t have borrowed as much as Tinubu -Amaechi *President, the worst in Nigeria’s history
Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation, on Thursday night, passed damning verdict on President Bola Tinubu, saying he now holds the trophy as the worst in the history of Nigeria – worse than even his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.
A guest of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, Amaechi, also a former Governor of Rivers State, who was two-times director of campaigns for the Buhari presidential bids in 2015 and 1019, said the fact that Nigerians were now asking for Buhari back in government, was proof of how badly Tinubu had performed on his job for the past two years.
Tinubu, celebrated two years anniversary on May 29, 2025 with claims of doing much to return the country’s economy to the path of prosperity, apart from making great inroads into creating massive infrastructure in the country.
Amaechi, however, pooh-poohed the claim, saying there was no basis for comparison of Tinubu’s failed government to any other in the country, citing the number of people who had died so far as a result of insecurity and the effects of bad economy.
“Look! We’re talking about hunger. We’re talking about Nigerians who are dying of hunger. More than 200,000 people were killed. We’re talking about the killings in Benue, the killings even in Port Harcourt, the killings in Sokoto, the killings in Borno. We’re talking about you can’t drive at night. You’re scared.
I got somebody who came to visit me the other day, they came, pointed guns at him, took his wristwatch and his money – everything – at Wuse. He’s a medical doctor. He came visiting. I offered him accommodation and he said I already have accommodation and I said, okay, let’s see tomorrow.
Comparing Buhari and Tinubu, both of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Amaechi, also a founding member of the party, who was defeated by Tinubu for its presidential ticket in 2022, said: “I hope you know they’re now asking for Buhari to come back. Nigerians are asking for Buhari to come back, because by that time a bag of rice is at what cost? What’s a bag of rice now?
“How much was dollar then. Maximum by the time we left government, it was close to N700. Now you’re talking about N1,600. Let’s agree that Buhari killed the Nigerian economy, this one is burying it. The current government has completely buried the economy.
“Any economic policy that does not put money in the pockets of individual Nigerians is not an economic policy. There’s a question, I’ve been asking, suddenly I don’t know whether it’s the IMF or the World Bank that has joined me in asking that question – you’re making savings from removing subsidy and from floating the Naira, please where is the money?
“You have seen me as not criticizing those economic policies, all I’m saying is where is the money? The question is why did Nigerians vote for a man who is today is President. You didn’t ask the hard questions. You didn’t say, what has he done in the past. Where is his factory? Where is his office?
“Do you know how many Nigerians have died, do you know how many Nigerians that have committed suicide? Is your life better now than when Buhari was in government? The current government is worse than what President Buhari had done.
“The money they have borrowed, if Buhari had lasted for 10 years, he couldn’t have borrowed that kind of money. You see, when a colleague of mine came to the cabinet and said, I want to borrow money, I want to do xyz, Buhari overruled that memo. Buhari stopped that memo and said only Ministry of Transport and some other Ministries that have essential projects that would be allowed to borrow money. But, this one, will not fly.
“Not everything was achieved. Buhari will tell you that he did not achieve all that he planned for. But then, he was better than the current government by all standards. In terms of security, Buhari focused on it. In transportation, I’m open to a new challenge. Again, the independence of INEC was higher in Buhari’s government than now.
“Now, they can’t even register a party because government officials are telling them not to. Those who applied to INEC for registration — their rents have expired. If Tinubu was doing well, I’d be the first to sing his praises. I feel ashamed for a President commissioning 16 kilometres of road, that’s what a local government chairman should be doing.”
Accusing Tinubu of burying the Nigerian economy totally, the former Minister, who also questioned the whereabout of the money saved from removal of fuel subsidy has gone, stressed: “The current government has completely buried the economy. Any economy that does not put money in the pockets of individuals in Nigeria is not an economic policy. You’re making savings from removing subsidy, from floating the naira — where is the money? Where is it going?
“We have a situation where only members of this government are in the rich class. The middle class has vanished, and the poor are increasing. At this rate, a time will come when we won’t even see the poor anymore — they’ll have all died.”
Exonerating himself from corruption throughout his public lice, he said that his record in office remained untainted, as he never stole from the public purse, dismissing claims that his current anti-Tinubu stance was motivated by not being integrated into the government.
His words: “I never stole anything in politics. I don’t drive a Rolls-Royce. I’m not in opposition because Tinubu didn’t give me an appointment. I’m not interested in any appointment. If there’s anyone who says Amaechi deceived them, let them come forward. If there was corruption in my tenure, let them come forward. I’m waiting.”
Amaechi, while acknowledging that he would run for the presidency again in 2027, but maintained that such ambition was not currently on the cards, because politicians like him who were part of the coalition to oust Tinubu from the APC were asked to bury it for now, he said however that he possessed all the credentials to lead the country.
Hear him: “Of course, can I lead Nigeria? Yes. I have led as a Speaker, and I was one of the best Speakers in this country. Nigerians would not have been this hungry if I had become President. There is absolutely no way we would have this level of insecurity under me.
“In the next three weeks, I’ll publish my health details, age, birth certificate, and school certificate. I’ll reassure Nigerians that I won’t be going to hospitals if I am made president.”
On the adoption of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), he said: “Once the people want their power, they can restore it. That’s what the ADC is doing — trying to end political apathy and return power to the people.”
Hours after Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ordered issued a bench warrant for the arrest Adeniyi Adeyemi, the controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), is currently in the custody police authorities.
Pictures and videos of embattled PFIPC boss being questioned in what appeared an interrogation session, surfaced on social media on Tuesday evening, with few details still sketchy on whether the police actually hunted him down or he surrendered himself.
Latest information, indicate that he is currently in the custody of the Osun State Police Command, according to a report by Channels Television, who confirmed that he has been taken in.
The order came on the prompting of Wisdom Madaki, the police lawyer after Adeyemi failed to appear in court to take his plea before on an eight-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, which relates to forgery, fraud and impersonation.
The court took the decision despite the spirited efforts by Genesis Francis, Adeyemi’s lawyer to mitigate the situation when he told Umar: “The defendant is afraid for his life. He has to be alive to be able to face trial. They have been looking for him even without an order of court.”
Regardless, the judge, while brushing aside the defence, said he was minded to accede to the application for the issuance of a warrant of arrest against the defendant, noting since case was filed on November 27, 2025, with proceedings not commencing until December 4, 2025, Adeyemi did not appear before the court more than once.
“Since then, he has failed to appear before this court on four consecutive dates,” he said, while mandating security agencies to arrest and produce the embattled PFIPC boss before the court on September 30 for arraignment.
During trial, witnesses including Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President; Paul Emmanuel; Jeremiah Imoukhede; and Ituah Sylvester, are billed to testify for the prosecution alongside the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu, as well as a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
The order is coming on the heels of Adeyemi’s outcry that his life was in danger, while debunking the allegation that he was a fugitive running away from the law, saying he would appear in court once he had assurance that he would be protected from those tracking him in attempts to take his life.
A guest of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, Adeyemi, had told his host on Monday: “I’m ready to show my face. I’m not hiding. I’m only fearing for my life because I have it on good authority that my life is in danger. There have been several attempts on my life,” Adeyemi added.
He also maintained his allegation that he paid N400 million through a proxy to President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Gbajabiamila, to secure his appointment as DG of the disputed council. I’m ready to show my face. I’m not hiding. I’m only fearing for my life because I have it on good authority that my life is in danger. There have been several attempts on my life.”
An interim police investigation report had exposed how the defendant allegedly forged appointment letters and official documents to create the impression that the PFIPC was a legitimate federal government agency.
Police disclosed that the investigation was initiated after the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on October 17, 2025, over the activities of individuals allegedly forging official appointment letters purportedly issued from the office.
The petition added that preliminary findings showed the forged documents contained falsified signatures, reference numbers, official seals, and the Nigerian Coat of Arms, and that they were allegedly used to appoint individuals into the non-existent PFIPC.
Adeyemi, who was identified as the principal suspect, allegedly presented himself as the DG of the council and operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja.
One of those allegedly linked to the fraud, Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, was said to have died in a fire incident at a hotel in Abuja.
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director-General (DG) of an alleged “non-existent,” Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).
The order came on the prompting of Wisdom Madaki, the police lawyer after Adeyemi failed to appear in court to take his plea before on an eight-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, which relates to forgery, fraud and impersonation.
The court took the decision despite the spirited efforts by Genesis Francis, Adeyemi’s lawyer to mitigate the situation when he told Umar: “The defendant is afraid for his life. He has to be alive to be able to face trial. They have been looking for him even without an order of court.”
Regardless, the judge, while brushing aside the defence, said he was minded to accede to the application for the issuance of a warrant of arrest against the defendant, noting since case was filed on November 27, 2025, with proceedings not commencing until December 4, 2025, Adeyemi did not appear before the court more than once.
“Since then, he has failed to appear before this court on four consecutive dates,” he said, while mandating security agencies to arrest and produce the embattled PFIPC boss before the court on September 30 for arraignment.
During trial, witnesses including Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President; Paul Emmanuel; Jeremiah Imoukhede; and Ituah Sylvester, are billed to testify for the prosecution alongside the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu, as well as a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
The order is coming on the heels of Adeyemi’s outcry that his life was in danger, while debunking the allegation that he was a fugitive running away from the law, saying he would appear in court once he had assurance that he would be protected from those tracking him in attempts to take his life.
A guest of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, Adeyemi, had told his host on Monday: “I’m ready to show my face. I’m not hiding. I’m only fearing for my life because I have it on good authority that my life is in danger. There have been several attempts on my life,” Adeyemi added.
He also maintained his allegation that he paid N400 million through a proxy to President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Gbajabiamila, to secure his appointment as DG of the disputed council. I’m ready to show my face. I’m not hiding. I’m only fearing for my life because I have it on good authority that my life is in danger. There have been several attempts on my life.”
An interim police investigation report had exposed how the defendant allegedly forged appointment letters and official documents to create the impression that the PFIPC was a legitimate federal government agency.
Police disclosed that the investigation was initiated after the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on October 17, 2025, over the activities of individuals allegedly forging official appointment letters purportedly issued from the office.
The petition added that preliminary findings showed the forged documents contained falsified signatures, reference numbers, official seals, and the Nigerian Coat of Arms, and that they were allegedly used to appoint individuals into the non-existent PFIPC.
Adeyemi, who was identified as the principal suspect, allegedly presented himself as the DG of the council and operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja.
One of those allegedly linked to the fraud, Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, was said to have died in a fire incident at a hotel in Abuja.
Meanwhile, Adeyemi, who has since denied that the PFIPC was non-existent, demanded an independent, multi-stakeholder investigative panel to probe the controversy surrounding the alleged N1.3 billion budget insertion for the Council in the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
In an open letter to President Tinubu, Adeyemi said he was prepared to provide documentary evidence and fully cooperate with investigators once an independent panel was constituted.
He recommended the inclusion of representatives of civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), independent media organisations, international financial institutions, human rights groups, and diplomatic missions, as well as the ICPC and the EFCC, on the independent investigative panel.
Meanwhile, Adeyemi, who has since denied that the PFIPC was non-existent, demanded an independent, multi-stakeholder investigative panel to probe the controversy surrounding the alleged N1.3 billion budget insertion for the Council in the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
In an open letter to President Tinubu, Adeyemi said he was prepared to provide documentary evidence and fully cooperate with investigators once an independent panel was constituted.
He recommended the inclusion of representatives of civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), independent media organisations, international financial institutions, human rights groups, and diplomatic missions, as well as the ICPC and the EFCC, on the independent investigative panel.
Abdulrahman Bello, must die for the murder, Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, the Court of Appeal has insisted, rebuffing the attempt of the self-acclaimed Islamic cleric, to upturn the verdict of an Ilorin High Court.
Affirming the earlier death sentence imposed on cleric for the murder of the female student, said to be his lover, on February 10, 2025, at the Olunlade area of Ilorin, which attracted widespread public outrage across Kwara State and beyond, the appellate court said it found no reason to upturn the earlier verdict of the lower court.
Bello, who was one of the five people arraigned on charges bordering on conspiracy, murder, unlawful removal and possession of human parts and blood, also faced a rape charge, of which he was eventually acquitted by the trial court.
Justice Gabriel Omoniyi Kolawole, who led a three-man panel of the appellate court, while dismissing his appeal, held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that he murdered the victim and was unlawfully in possession of human parts.
The appellate court consequently upheld the judgment of the Kwara State High Court, which sentenced Bello to death by hanging and imposed an additional 10-year jail term over his conviction for unlawful possession of human parts.
The court held that there was no merit in the appeal and consequently affirmed both the conviction and the sentence imposed by the trial court.
According to the appellate court, the trial court properly evaluated the evidence before it and rightly concluded that the prosecution established the offences beyond reasonable doubt.
The appellate court said it believed the position of Ibrahim Sulyman, Kwara State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Issa Zakari, Chief State Counsel, and B.L. Abdulsalam, Assistant Chief State Counsel, who led the prosecution.
Hailing the judgment as another significant milestone in the state’s criminal justice administration, Sulyman, said in a statement: “The judgment underscores the commitment of the Kwara State Ministry of Justice and the judiciary to ensuring that criminal cases are determined strictly in accordance with the law and the evidence presented before the courts.
“It also reaffirms the principle that persons found guilty of grave offences, after a fair trial, will be held accountable under the law. The appellate court’s decision would strengthen public confidence in the justice system.
“The affirmation of the conviction and sentence represents another milestone in the administration of criminal justice and reinforces public confidence in the rule of law and the appellate process. The convict still retains any further rights of appeal available to him under the Constitution and other applicable laws.
Justice Hannah Ajayi of the Kwara State High Court, sitting at Ilorin, hand on July 2025 sentenced Bello to death after finding him guilty of murdering and dismembering Lawal, after describing his act as “the highest degree of human wickedness, and a premeditated and cold-blooded act.”
Dismissing Bello’s claims that he loved the deceased and intended to marry her as merely an afterthought designed to deceive the court, Ajayi, also ruled the convict’s conduct after committing the crime and before his arrest suggested that it might not have been his first involvement in such an act, while a book on money-making charms recovered from his apartment further strengthened the prosecution’s case.
Justice Ajayi further held that the video and written confessional statements obtained by operatives of the Department of State Services and the police were lawfully admitted in evidence, dismissing Bello’s allegation that he was tortured into making the confessions.
While acquitting Bello of the rape charge, the trial court convicted him of murder and unlawful possession of human parts, sentencing him to death by hanging for the murder and imposing a 10-year prison term, with an option of a N100,000 fine, for the human parts offence.
The court also discharged and acquitted the four other defendants in the case — Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Suleiman Muhydeen, Jamiu Uthman and Abdulrahman Jamiu — after holding that the prosecution failed to establish their involvement in the offences.
Reacting to the High Court judgment at the time, the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman of the Kwara State Traditional Rulers Council, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, described the killing as tragic and commended the judiciary for ensuring justice.
“The gruesome murder of Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal was pathetic, unfortunate, regrettable and worrisome,” the monarch said in a statement issued by his Press Secretary, Abdulazeez Arowona.
“The judgment has further brightened the hope and trust of the people in the judiciary and security agencies. May Almighty Allah repose the soul of the late Hafsoh Lawal and comfort her family members.”
The monarch also urged parents and guardians to be vigilant and closely monitor the activities and movements of their children and wards to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
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