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Executive-Legislature cooperation as enabler of national stability, growth and opportunities

Published

11 months ago

August 15, 2025

Whirlwindnews

By Ken Harries Esq

A nation’s executive and legislature are like two oars propelling the same canoe. If one oar pulls with force while the other drifts lazily, the canoe spins in circles. If both row in opposite directions, the vessel tilts dangerously, and progress stalls. But when the oars dip and pull in rhythm, the canoe glides forward with speed and stability.

This is the image that comes to mind when looking at the current relationship between Nigeria’s Executive led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly under Senate President Godswill Godswill Akpabio.

The synergy is clear for everyone to see. The tone is cooperative without being compliant. The result is a smoother flow of governance where policy initiatives move more quickly from conception to law, and oversight questions are handled in a way that seeks solutions rather than political theatre.

It is not perfection. One may even say it is not yet Uhuru. But it is an encouraging change from some turbulent chapters in Nigeria’s democratic journey.

● Lessons from the past

Nigeria’s democratic history is littered with bruising confrontations between the two arms of government under focus. In the early years of the Fourth Republic, the fierce battles between President Olusegun Obasanjo and Speaker Ghali Umar Na’Abba led to stalled bills and endless impeachment rumours and threats.

Similarly, the rift between President Goodluck Jonathan and Speaker Aminu Tambuwal froze legislative progress for months. The protracted cold shoulders between President Muhammadu Buhari and Senate President Bukola Saraki meant that major budgets arrived late and key reforms stalled.

Those moments remind us that while confrontation can be a safeguard for democracy, unchecked hostility is costly for the advancement and stability of the nation. The economy slows. Investor confidence dips. Ordinary citizens wait longer for essential services. This is why the present collaborative climate, if maintained, could be one of the most significant enablers of national stability, growth and opportunities.

● Cooperation without capitulation

To be clear, cooperation today does not mean the National Assembly has become a rubber stamp to the Executive. Recent sessions have shown lawmakers asking hard questions. The Senate’s grilling of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited on the use of savings from the removal of fuel subsidy was both firm and focused.

Additionally, the House of Representatives’ probe into electricity tariff hikes forced the Ministry of Power and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to explain policies in plain terms. The Akpabio-led Senate summoned the Central Bank of Nigeria to defend its measures on foreign exchange stability and new bank charges.

Furthermore, it should be noted that there have also been pushbacks. Certain budgetary proposals from the Executive had been revised after legislative scrutiny. The National Assembly resisted attempts to rush through the passage of sensitive loan requests without proper documentation. The Aviation Ministry faced tough questioning over delays in airport concession agreements. Even agencies like the Nigerian Ports Authority and Nigerian Communications Commission have been compelled to submit overdue reports.

Such moments show that a cordial relationship does not erase the Legislature’s constitutional duty to check excesses. Instead, it channels disagreements into productive dialogue rather than destructive stalemate.

● Shared goals, national gains

It goes without saying that when the Executive and Legislature work in concert, the delivery of democracy dividends becomes more achievable. Policy implementation is faster because enabling laws pass without unnecessary delay. Oversight reports lead to policy adjustments that are timely rather than reactive.

Under Akpabio’s leadership of the National Assembly, appropriation bills have been passed in good time, enabling the Executive to keep fidelity to budget implementation. Constituency projects have been better aligned with national development priorities. Collaboration has also aided in passing laws that advance infrastructure growth, youth empowerment, and regional balance.

One example is the Nigerian Steel Development Act, a legislative milestone that supports the revival of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex and other steel projects. Another is the creation of development commissions for the geo-political zones, designed to address decades of marginalisation. These initiatives may be executive-driven, but without legislative commitment, they would have languished on the order paper.

● The Akpabio doctrine: Pragmatism over politics

The 10th National Assembly’s style under Senate President Godswill Akpabio reflects a political craftsmanship that prizes results over theatre. As a former governor and minister, Akpabio understands the constraints the executive faces, but he also wields legislative authority with a measured firmness that demands accountability.

Working closely with Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, Akpabio has redefined the tone of engagement between the two arms of government, replacing confrontation with dialogue focused on finding solutions.

Economic reforms have been handled with a calm efficiency that belies their complexity.

An example of how this has worked in practice is the Central Bank Act (Amendment) Bill, vital to stabilising the naira and strengthening monetary policy oversight. The bill was passed within months rather than languishing for years.

Similarly, tax reforms, initially a lightning rod for criticism, were refined through a series of consultations with stakeholders instead of being rushed through Parliament.

In the same vein, security policy has been treated as a shared national burden rather than an executive-only responsibility. When the Presidency sought emergency funding to address terrorism and banditry, the Senate approved it without delay, but not without conditions.

The package was tied to commitments for holistic approaches, including job creation and community policing, signalling that the legislature expected a comprehensive strategy beyond military action alone.

Meanwhile, oversight has been firm but fair, grounded in the belief that transparency improves governance rather than embarrasses officials. The Senate’s scrutiny of incentives granted to the Dangote Refinery, its audits of several ministries and agencies, and its probing of subsidy utilisation have been conducted in a tone that invites solutions rather than fuels political drama.

It is a style that rejects needless grandstanding in favour of mature statecraft. As Akpabio, who is Chairman of the National Assembly, once remarked during a plenary debate, “Our duty is to govern, not to grandstand.”

● The cost of discord

On the issue of disagreements between the executive and the legislative arms of government, the question is not whether there will be friction or not. It is simply unavoidable as we are talking about human beings, and friction is a part of human relations.

Moreover, a healthy democracy thrives on debate, dissent, and the exchange of strong arguments. The problem comes when such friction turns into open warfare between the arms of government. The last thing Nigeria needs is a return to the days when budget defence sessions became shouting matches, or when political manoeuvring blocked appointments for months on end.

In today’s challenging economic climate, prolonged executive-legislature feuds could derail the Renewed Hope Agenda before its foundations are secure. Inflation remains high, insecurity persists in several regions, and the need for foreign direct investment is urgent. Stability at the top of governance is not a luxury; it is a socio-economic necessity.

● The significance of this moment

Nigerians should not underestimate how rare this level of institutional harmony is in our democracy. It has not come by accident. The leadership style of Akpabio is a blend of assertiveness and tact. He has chosen the path of engagement rather than confrontation, of quiet negotiation rather than noisy standoff. President Tinubu, on his part, has embraced a hands-on approach that listens to legislative concerns rather than dismissing them.

Of course, there will be moments when this harmony is tested. The real measure will be how both sides handle inevitable disagreements. Will they return to the canoe and row together, or will they risk spinning in place while the river of national challenges rushes past?

● Rowing towards an uncommon legacy

For now, Nigeria’s governance canoe is moving forward. It is not yet at full speed, but it is no longer stuck in the rapids of mutual suspicion. The oars are in the water, pulling with some measure of rhythm, and a lot of the credit has to go to Senate President Godswill Akpabio because of his pragmatic approach to governance.

If this partnership is sustained, the result could be faster delivery of infrastructure, more effective economic reforms, and more tangible gains for citizens.

In the end, good governance is not about who shouts loudest in the chambers or who claims victory in the headlines. It is about whether the two oars of Nigeria’s democracy can keep pulling together long enough to carry the country to safer, more prosperous shores. That, more than anything else, will determine whether this moment in our political history is remembered as a transformative turning point or a missed opportunity.

•Ken Harries Esq is an Abuja based Development Communication Specialist.

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BREAKING: Adeyemi, controversial PFIPC boss in police custody, hours after bench warrant!

Published

18 hours ago

July 14, 2026

Whirlwindnews

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.

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Arrest him now! *Court issues bench warrant on Adeyemi, PFIP boss!

Published

19 hours ago

July 14, 2026

Whirlwindnews

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).

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.

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.

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He must die! *A’Court upholds death sentence of cleric over student’s murder

Published

20 hours ago

July 14, 2026

Whirlwindnews

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.