President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Nigeria Recidivist Societal Indiscipline : What Future ? – THISDAYLIVE

thisdaylive.com · Mar 1, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Bola A. Akinterinwa Political governance in Nigeria does not appear to have been rooted in historical lessons. Whenever a government comes to power, by election or by unconstitutional means, there is hardly any linkage of continuity between the immediate past government and the succeeding government. What is more interesting to note is when a military junta ousts an elected government on the basis of allegations of corruption, nepotism and poor governance, one would have expected that the military would truly come to serve as a corrective regime. Most unfortunately, they continue with the same poor governance in a new form. Consequently, Nigeria’s problems have always been faced with change and continuity, that is, change of government but continuity of bad governance. As a result, political governance has always been fraught with threats of insecurity and actual insecurity at the domestic level, and attempts to deepen the domestic situation at the international level. Put differently, Multinational Corporations (MNCs) have no problems aiding and abetting corruption and societal indiscipline if the situation will enhance business profit. If Government that is required to protect societal discipline is condoning indiscipline, why should foreigners be expected to respect same? The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) appears to be gradually addressing corruption and societal indiscipline in a quiet and different manner. Most recently, for instance, PBAT reportedly ordered the direct remittance of oil and gas revenues to the Federation Account, an order which Keem Abdul described as a ‘seismic shift’ (The Punch, February 27, 2026, p.13). Can the direct remittance of oil and gas revenues into the Federation Account prevent the revenues from being ‘swallowed by snake’? We ask this question because in Nigeria, whenever there are cases of inferno in government buildings, it is always the accounts departments that are first gutted or only burnt? Destroying financial documents in order to cover up shady deals is an expression of societal indiscipline that has become recidivist in Nigeria. The recidivist character largely explains why insecurity is also recidivist without any good future of coming to an end. Manifestations of Nigeria’s Societal Indiscipline Three points are noteworthy about societal indiscipline in Nigeria. First, there is no manifestation of indiscipline that is not well known and to which attention has not been publicly drawn. Yet, it is treated with kid gloves. Secondly, societal indiscipline is consciously and freely engaged in by leading political elite. Those who are precisely required to ensure societal discipline are the first law breakers, and yet they are celebrated and given undeserved national honours. Thirdly, societal indiscipline has become the norm. People do not see it any longer as a big deal. This is why the polity is now fraught with insecurity in various ramifications. Before the outbreak of Nigeria’s civil war, soldiers were not generally known, they were hardly seen on the roads. They were well respected. With the advent of the war, corruption was given birth to. Professor J.S. Cookey told all Nigerians two things: that the bane of the Nigerian society was corruption and indiscipline and that this bane began in 1967. This observation is contained in his 1987 Political Bureau Report submitted to the Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. In this regard, if Nigerians and their government did not know that there was a bane or corruption before 1987 when the truth was revealed, how do we explain the fact that, since 1987, Nigeria has become ‘fantastically corrupt’? Perhaps more concernedly, when General Muhammadu Buhari came to power, his regime came up with the policy of War Against Indiscipline (WAI). Nigerians stopped urinating anyhow on the roads. They began queuing up decently in public spaces, etc. As at today, what has happened to the societal discipline that was introduced under General Buhari? Why was the culture of discipline not sustained? Was the issue of societal indiscipline not in the presidential handover notes to successors? In the National Assembly, theatrical drama is the style often adopted by public officials accused of fraudulent practices. By the time people were questioned on allegations of theft, embezzlement, etc., it is then they would slump, or suffer from cerebral thrombosis, or have uncontrollable high blood pressure. They suddenly became living deadand would not only prompt the interruption of interrogations, but also the temporary suspension, if not ad infinitum of the matter. We talk about ad infinitum because we always know the time of the rushing of people to hospital for emergency treatment but not about the continuity of the interrogation. Billions of Naira would be purportedly stolen and the accused would have the effrontery to say the money had been swallowed by a snake. This is nothing more than a mockery of the whole nation. Can a snake swallow hundreds of the Nigerian naira? Acquiescing to this is evil. While the embezzlement by citizens is not pardonable, what do we then say about governmental aiding and abetting of embezzlement? What do we say about the Government being the real thief, the embezzler and being the pillar of societal indiscipline? Several times I have drawn attention to how the Federal Government collected financial deposits for buildings that would not be built. Recall that, in early 1994, Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande, who was Minister of Works and Housing under General Sani Abacha from November 1998 through March 1995, placed an advertorial in several newspapers. The adverts asked interested Nigerians to make deposits for small, medium, and higher grades of detached or semi-detached houses. The prices vary according to type of house and location. The houses were to be built in various parts of the country and allocated not later than December 1994. Applicants were to make a deposit of 20%. A medium bungalow for which I applied was to cost N200,000 only in the FESTAC area. The deposit required was therefore N40,000. I paid this deposit believing that the Government meant well. And true enough, Alhaji Jakande meant well as he adopted the direct labour method to save costs. When he was replaced by Major-General Abdulkareem Adisa in March 1995, there was a change in situation. His successor said it was not possible to build any medium, semi-detached bungalow with only N200,000. Major-General Adisa therefore jacked the building cost up to N800,000. The cash deposit required was still 20%. I, and several others, still paid. My place of choice was FESTAC. Then came December 1994. No news. No allocation, No refund. The direct labour approach was rejected. The military non-direct labour approach had neither head nor tail. As of today. March 1, 2026, no allocation, no refund, no information. The question is what to do to a government that collects monies from the public but is not held accountable.When a government steals people’s monies, who will arrest the government? How can the Government be preaching the sermon of patriotism when the government itself is not leading by patriotic example? The situation in Lagos is not fraudulent as it is with the Federal Government of General Sani Abacha. There was the Isheri North land and housing project started under Brigadier Buba Marwa. General Marwa had a policy of soliciting the support of media houses in identifying the location of societal problems, especially streets with serious potholes. ThisDay newspaper was then operating off Toyin Street, in Ikeja. The street on which the office of ThisDay newspaper was located was not at all roadworthy. When General Marwa came on a visit to ThisDay, he was told about the bad road. He responded very amicably: ‘consider it done.’ I also raised the issue of possible accommodation for ThisDay journalists. General Marwa advised them to apply for land allocation under the Isheri North land project. And true to his words, not less than 10 members of staff of ThisDay applied. Not only was the street on which ThisDay was located tarred, land was also duly allocated. A man of his words, Buba Marwa was and still is. When Senator Bola Tinubu succeeded Marwa, the size of plot initially approved for allocation to people was reduced from 800m2to 700m2. Even though Governor Tinubu might have the power to do and undo, we strongly believe that his action was unfair and a breach of the covenant done by the Marwa government with the depositors. Letters were already given to allocatees to the effect of eight hundred meters square per plot of land. Land was truly allocated and letters given to the effect.However, effective acquisition and occupation of the allocated land could not take place because of flooding of the area. Government may not be faulted in this case but administrative due diligence was lacking. No information is given to allocatees on possible replacement. No refund. The virus of ‘don’t care attitude’ is also a major dynamic of insecurity in Nigeria. If you apply for anything from Government, you need to go and lobby and bribe before you are given. You can imagine President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Monetisation Policy under which government houses were sold to occupants who had been living there for at least six months. I paid fully for my own accommodation in 2004. In 2026, the Certificate of Occupancy has not been given. Various excuses are given: it has not been signed, misplacement as a result of change of office, etc. Yet the FCT Minister is threatening confiscation, using force to cover up remissness of government. This is the Nigeria we all live in. One is threatened for being honest, punished for dint of hard patriotism. Why should anyone want me to believe in the indissolubility and indivisibility of Nigeria? Today, there is an attempt to rebuild Nigeria under PBAT. People openly known as people of integrity, and th