Good morning,
A driver on the Benin-Sapele Road spends four hours on a stretch that should take 20 minutes. He navigates potholes deep enough to swallow a tyre, watches trucks swerve dangerously, and prays his vehicle does not break down in the middle of nowhere. The road is a national disgrace. The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has finally apologised, then ordered the arrest of the contractor and concessionaire, accusing them of lacking the technical competence required to execute the project. He also directed the arrest of anyone found removing asphalt from federal roads without authorisation. I have my doubts about this arbitrary arrest. Would it change anything? I think not.
While Umahi apologises to commuters, four presidential candidates are exchanging blows. At the Nigerian Bar Association conference in Rivers State, Prince Adewole Adebayo, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and Omoyele Sowore engaged in a high-stakes exchange that was part policy debate and part personal score-settling. Adebayo claimed security funds are being looted before they reach the front lines. Obi argued that poverty, not just bullets, fuels the insurgency. Amaechi countered with his Rivers State model, pointing to the construction of over 500 primary schools, 300 health centres, and roads that hired thousands of workers. Then came the subsidy showdown. Amaechi dismissed the entire subsidy regime as an “economic scam”. Sowore shot back: “Repeated subsidy removals since 1988 have functioned merely as wealth transfers from the public to political elites”. He declared he would never remove fuel subsidies. The policy clashes quickly turned personal. For a few hours, Nigerians watched their leaders argue about the future. One question is whether the arguments will lead to action. Another is, why can’t we have public policy debates like this from the heart regularly?
And while the elite debate, ordinary Nigerians are dying. A 34-year-old man opened fire at a marriage ceremony in Kano, killing one person and injuring three others. The incident was allegedly triggered by music some people disliked. A pump-action gun at a wedding. A disagreement over music. A life lost. The suspect told police he fired because he heard thugs were coming to the venue. The police have arrested him. The family of the deceased is grieving. The rest of us are wondering when weddings became battlefields.
There is some relief. A second batch of 65 Nigerian nationals, sponsored by private individuals, is scheduled to land in Lagos today, following recent anti-foreigner tensions in South Africa. The evacuation comes after weeks of violence and protests targeting foreign nationals. The private sponsorship suggests that individuals are stepping in to support the government’s efforts. They are coming home. The question is whether they will find a country that works.
And in the world of technology, a revolution is underway. Generative AI is shifting the role of data scientists from code-crunchers to strategic orchestrators. The profession is being forced up the value chain, from technical syntax to contextual decision-making. Nigeria ranks 38th globally in responsible AI governance, leading Africa in strategic policy frameworks. But a massive deployment gap persists between policy and execution. The World Bank says AI can help developing countries achieve in a decade what previously required a century. The window is narrow. The question is whether Nigeria will seize it.
Warmly,
Lolade