Scaring Investors While Celebrating Macroeconomic Stability! As the APC-led government continue in their delusional celebration of Nigeria's macroeconomic stability, the warning from the United States Government to prospective investors on inherent risks in Nigeria, further affirms the general and correct assessment that President Bola Tinubu-led government is incompetent, ineffective and corrupt. In the 2026 Nigeria Investment Climate Statement, the U.S. Department of State clearly flagged corruption, insecurity, inconsistent regulatory enforcement and weaknesses in the judicial system, cargo delays and power sector challenges as key factors undermining investor confidence in Nigeria. The report went further to caution investors of the possible use of arbitrary detention, travel restriction and immigration enforcement to coerce foreign businesses in Nigeria. As the report unambiguosly stated: “U.S. businesses are advised that standard business trips can escalate into detention if the firm is under regulatory suspicion or faces charges by Nigerian authorities. Nigeria has previously employed coercive exit bans and arbitrary detention as leverage in commercial or regulatory disputes, and to extract data or financial concessions from multinational firms. Port inefficiency remains a significant “hidden tax” on investment. While the Lekki Deep Seaport, which opened in 2023, significantly eased pressure in 2025 — handling $9.6 billion in trade and operating at 50 percent capacity — traditional ports in Apapa and Tin Can still suffer from cargo dwell times exceeding 20 days due to manual examinations.” In a nation with an effective, competent and attentive government, this kind of adverse report would have elicited immediate intervention by the President and Commander in Chief ordering prompt investigation, follow-up and effective action to ensure that our most endowed Nigeria is not perceived negatively by one of our key trading partners, friendly nations and expectedly the global economy. This is even more important given our desperation for Foreign Direct Investment. Unfortunately, our incompetent APC- led government cannot give what they don’t have as they are the real perpetrators of the issues raised by the U.S. Government. This explains why Nigeria is unable to attract Foreign Direct Investment commensurate with our market size and potential. Of the $10.37 billion in total capital importation in the first quarter of 2026, only $135.08 million (about 1.3% of the total inflows) was Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), while about $9.86 billion (about 95.1% of the total inflows) went into Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) with loans and other capital streams accounting for the remaining.

Celebrating Macroeconomic stability Amidst Increasing Poverty! The recent World Bank report which noted improvements in few macroeconomic indicators such as economic growth and revenue generation should not be misinterpreted and mispresented by the incompetent President Bola Tinubu led APC Government as evidence that the standard of living of Nigerians is improving. Nigerians and even the World Bank know that the criteria for economic development is whether poverty is declining, whether jobs are created for our youths, and whether we are reducing acute inequality. In the case of Nigeria under President Tinubu the answer is no. So-called ‘economic stability’ has not resulted in higher living standards, improved employment opportunities, and reduction of poverty and inequality across Nigeria. An economy is not truly stabilized simply because government revenue increases, foreign reserves strengthen, or GDP grows. Stability exists when citizens can afford food, obtain healthcare, provide education for their children, and live with dignity. What comfort does higher revenue offer a mother who cannot provide her children with a nutritious meal? What does higher government revenue mean to a family forced to choose between purchasing food and paying for medicine? What benefit do celebrated reforms provide when ordinary Nigerians continue to bear intolerable costs and hardship? In the report titled, ‘Beyond the Federal Purse: How Higher Revenues Reshaped State Priorities’, The World Bank noted that the Federal Government spent a whooping N7.7 trillion on debt interest payments alone in the first six months of 2026 from January to June. This represents about 124.2% of our total revenue of N6.2 trillion within the same period with debt interest payment exceeding revenue by about N1.5 trillion. How do you explain the unsustainable debt crisis even with exponential increase in revenue that we have had since 2023? . Imagine a situation where borrowing and revenue have exponentially increased but expenditure on capital projects reduced by about N700billion in the first half of this year. In comparison, the APC led Federal Government spends about 11 times more on interest payment than on capital projects. The explanation is clearly attributed to reckless borrowing, corruption and incompetence of the President Bola Tinubu led APC Government. President Bola Tinubu and his incompetent team must recognize that intentionally presenting and projecting incomplete economic statistics cannot replace the critical measure of how reform impacts on the welfare of the people. A government cannot expect citizens to applaud statistics while they struggle to survive the effects of its policies. How do you celebrate when about 140 million Nigerians are classified as multi- dimensionally poor with a recent UNDP report listing Nigeria as one of the countries where gains made in reducing poverty have been reversed.

Nigerians Must Not Be Abandoned to Disaster Risks As the global community observes the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction today, we must acknowledge that millions of Nigerians confront not only natural hazards but also avoidable crises resulting from governance failures. Throughout the country, citizens face flooding, insecurity, displacement, hunger, malnutrition, deteriorating infrastructure, increasing poverty, and the loss of livelihoods. Inadequate planning, fragile institutions, insufficient emergency preparedness, and the failure to place citizens’ welfare first have made everyday existence a disaster for many people. Although disasters cannot always be prevented, their effects can be limited through accountable leadership, early warning mechanisms, responsible land-use planning, durable infrastructure, efficient emergency services, and prompt humanitarian assistance. When governments fail to identify risks in advance or respond effectively to emergencies, the most vulnerable citizens bear the greatest burden. The success of governance should be judged not by revenue totals, economic indicators, or official ceremonies but by the people’s safety, dignity, and quality of life. No government can credibly claim progress while citizens are displaced by floods, abducted by criminals, forced into hunger, or left without protection from predictable threats. I urge governments at every level to pursue a people-focused approach to reducing disaster risks by investing in prevention, enhancing emergency response, ensuring accountability in the administration of disaster funds, and delivering prompt relief and lasting rehabilitation to affected communities. Nigeria must not accept avoidable suffering as normal. Protecting the safety, security, and welfare of our people is a core responsibility of government. We must create a nation in which sound governance limits risks, safeguards lives, and affords every citizen a fair opportunity to live in safety and dignity. Nigerians thoroughly insulated from the most severe effects of disasters is OK and POssible. -PO

Building a Better Nigeria Through Service. Yesterday in Lagos, I attended a dinner organised for Lagos NDC candidates and hosted by the Lagos Obidient Movement. I used the occasion to remind the candidates that seeking public office is not about titles, positions, or the privileges associated with them. It is about accepting the responsibility to serve and committing ourselves to building a better Nigeria. Having witnessed the suffering and hardship that our people continue to endure, we must remain conscious of the tremendous responsibility placed in our hands. Nigerians deserve leaders who are accessible, actively engaged, accountable, and willing to lead by example. Our politics must establish a standard for others to follow. It must therefore be founded on competence, character, capacity, compassion, and a genuine commitment to the common good. A better Nigeria is within reach, but achieving it requires leaders who are prepared to lead by example and remain accessible. A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO