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Tinubu’s Reforms Are Working, Atiku’s Criticism Is ‘Distortion’ – Ex-Abia Speaker Chinedum Orji
Former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly and APC House of Representatives candidate for Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms are delivering measurable results, dismissing recent criticisms by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as a “frozen snapshot taken at the hardest moment of reform.”
In an article titled “Facts Over Fiction and Fear: Why Tinubu’s Reforms Are Working for Nigeria,” Orji argued that the administration’s economic reset has produced tangible improvements across key indicators, including GDP, debt servicing, government revenue and fiscal capacity at the subnational level.
He noted that dollar-denominated GDP, which fell to about $253 billion in the immediate aftermath of the exchange-rate reset, has since recovered to approximately $377 billion — a roughly 49 percent increase from the trough. In naira terms, he said GDP had expanded from about ₦314 trillion in 2024 to around ₦530 trillion.
“No one pretended these reforms would be painless. They were sold as necessary structural corrections to distortions that built up over decades, including the years 1999 to 2007 when warnings about subsidy and fiscal leakages were ignored. The difference now is that government finally acted instead of postponing,” Orji wrote.
On debt, the former Speaker said Nigeria’s debt-to-GDP ratio stands at about 40 percent, which he compared with South Africa at 85 percent, Egypt at 80 percent and Kenya at 75 percent. He also noted that the debt-service-to-revenue ratio had fallen from nearly 100 percent in December 2022 to below 60 percent today.
“Debt in itself is not the measure of health. What matters is the size of the economy, revenue capacity, cost of servicing, and what the money is used for,” he stated.
Orji said borrowing under the Tinubu administration is tied to productive sectors and infrastructure, including roads, rail, power, healthcare and education.
He described the removal of the petrol subsidy as one of the administration’s most significant structural reforms, arguing that the policy had become fiscally unsustainable. According to him, the resulting increase in Federation Account allocations has given states and local governments greater fiscal space to invest in roads, schools, hospitals, salaries, pensions and other public services.
He also defended the administration’s tax reforms, saying the design protects people earning ₦1 million and below per annum and small businesses with turnover of ₦100 million and below, while expanding the contribution of higher-income individuals and profitable enterprises.
Orji highlighted progress in healthcare, education and infrastructure as evidence of increased public investment. He said more than 3,000 Primary Healthcare Centres had been revitalised, over 78,000 frontline health workers retrained, and over 100 public facilities expanded to provide free caesarean sections for eligible indigent mothers. He also cited three world-class cancer centres now operational in Kubwa, Enugu and Katsina, alongside additional state-level cancer facilities.
In education, he noted that the Universal Basic Education Commission had embarked on more than 11,000 projects to rehabilitate schools and expand technical and vocational training. He said the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) had disbursed more than ₦303 billion to over 1.64 million students across 300 institutions.
“For the first time in a long while, students are not losing a year to strikes. A four-year course is finishing in four years,” he wrote.
On infrastructure, Orji pointed to ongoing federal highways, bridges, rail modernisation, power transmission projects, airport redevelopment and digital connectivity as components of the government’s broader economic strategy.
On inflation, Orji acknowledged Nigerians continue to face pressure but said the trajectory shows improvement. He noted inflation fell to 14.4 percent in November 2025, rose to 15.91 percent amid global shocks, and is projected to decline toward 12 percent by year end.
He also challenged claims of an alleged ₦7.98 trillion oil windfall, arguing that crude oil revenue cannot be calculated simply by multiplying prices by production. He said production levels, operating costs, government and company shares, and loan obligations must be considered.
To cushion the adjustment, Orji said the Federal Government has rolled out intervention programmes including cash transfers and community-based initiatives in healthcare, education and social protection.
While acknowledging that Nigeria is not yet where it aspires to be, Orji maintained that important structural distortions have now been confronted.
“Let us be honest. Nigeria is not yet where we aspire to be. But we are also not where we were at the height of subsidy waste, multiple exchange rates, and revenue leakage,” Orji wrote.
He said the ultimate test of the reforms should be stronger revenues, lower debt-service pressure, improved infrastructure, and better access to education and healthcare.
“A mature national conversation should examine outcomes, not slogans,” he stated.
Orji concluded that the most difficult phase of the adjustment occurred in 2023 and 2024 and that Nigeria had now entered a recovery phase.
“History will not remember us for how popular a decision was on the day it was taken. It will remember whether the decision strengthened the nation. Nigerians need facts, not fabrications.”
By Chinedu Sabastine
ENUGU — Umuchigbo Iji Nike Autonomous Community in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State has fixed Sunday, September 13, 2026, for its annual New Yam Festival.
The cultural celebration, which is scheduled to commence at 3 p.m., is being organised under the leadership of the Executive Chairman of Umuchigbo, Hon. Chief Afam Joseph Ogbene, popularly known as Akirika Chioku 1, Na Nike Kingdom.
The festival is expected to showcase the rich cultural heritage and traditions of the people of Umuchigbo and Umuenwene in Iji Nike Autonomous Community, while promoting unity and communal bonding.
Ogbene, in an invitation to the festival, described the celebration as an opportunity for the people to preserve their cultural heritage, strengthen community ties and give thanks for the year’s harvest.
He said, “Our New Yam Festival is more than a cultural celebration. It is a time for us to come together as one people, appreciate our heritage and give thanks for the blessings of the year.”
According to him, the event will also provide an opportunity for sons and daughters of the community, as well as friends and well-wishers, to reconnect and celebrate together.
“We are inviting everyone to come and celebrate with us. It is a celebration of our culture, our community and thanksgiving for the new yam season,” he added.
According to the invitation, activities will commence at Ogbene’s residence on Akirika Chioku Avenue, Nome Ogba Aniji Road, Umuchigbo, before proceeding to Obodoeze Iji Village Square, Odangene, for the New Yam rites and masquerade display.
The event will also feature traditional cuisine, music and other forms of cultural entertainment.
The organisers urged sons and daughters of Umuchigbo, friends, well-wishers and members of the public to join the community in celebrating the festival.
The Nigerian Army has announced a major reshuffle of senior officers, with several major generals and brigadier generals redeployed to key command, operational and administrative positions.
The changes, approved by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, are aimed at strengthening the Army’s operational effectiveness.
Major General IA Ajose has been appointed the new Theatre Commander of the Joint Task Force North East, Operation HADIN KAI. He moves from the Department of Army Operations at Army Headquarters to take charge of military operations against insurgency in the North-East.
Other notable appointments include:
Major General AE Abubakar — Dean, Faculty of Operational Research, Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre.
Major General AM Alechenu — Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre.
Major General RT Utsaha — Commander, Defence Headquarters Garrison.
Major General AM Umar — Commandant, Army War College Nigeria.
Major General UM Alkali — Director, Department of Civil-Military Affairs.
Major General GS Muhammed — Director General, Nigerian Army Finance Corporation.
Major General JE Osifo — Chairman, Military Pension Board.
Major General IE Ekpenyong — Director of Engineering Services, Defence Logistics, Defence Headquarters.
The reshuffle also affects several brigadier generals, including Brigadier General AA Bello, Brigadier General MS Adamu, Brigadier General MS Sule, Brigadier General I Sule, Brigadier General E Azenda and Brigadier General AS Bugaje, who have all been assigned to new command or administrative roles.
The Chief of Army Staff directed the newly posted officers to carry out their responsibilities with professionalism, dedication and a strong sense of duty.
More than 24 feared dead in suspected poisoning incident in Ondo
More than 24 people have reportedly died following a suspected poisoning incident in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The deaths were recorded in Araromi-Obu, Orita New Town and Odigbo communities, while several other residents affected by the incident are receiving treatment at various hospitals.
The Chairman of Odigbo Local Government Area, Taiwo Adegoroye, confirmed the incident but said he could not provide further details until medical experts conduct a professional assessment and determine the cause of the deaths and illnesses.
As a precaution, the local government has restricted the sale and consumption of sachet herbal concoctions and similar drinks being hawked in the affected communities.
Residents have been advised to avoid suspicious herbal mixtures, unverified sachet products and other substances of uncertain origin pending the outcome of medical examinations and laboratory tests.
Authorities are expected to carry out further investigations to establish the source of the suspected poisoning and confirm the exact cause of the deaths.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
Residents of Umudimishi Village, Umuoru, in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, have petitioned Governor Chukwuma Soludo over the worsening menace of gully erosion allegedly caused by illegal and unregulated sand mining activities in the community.
The villagers said about 120 buildings are currently threatened by the expanding gully, with some residents already making arrangements to relocate for fear of losing their homes to the erosion.
In the petition addressed to Governor Soludo and copied to the state Ministries of Environment and Works, the villagers alleged that the activities of sand miners posed a serious threat to human lives, property and the continued existence of the community.
The petition, signed by the Chairman of Umudimishi Development Union, Nze Ibeabuchi Umeugochukwu, stated that several homes in the area were located only a few metres from the mining sites and had consequently become vulnerable to erosion.
The villagers said: “Many homesteads in Umudimishi are close to and along the line of mining by few metres and, as a result, stand eroded in the course of this ecological problem fueled by unregulated sand mining.”
They further alleged that the erosion menace was largely triggered by human activities, particularly unregulated sand mining along the Aguata-Orumba axis, where they said the soil structure was highly susceptible to erosion.
According to them, “Erosion menace is being triggered by human factor of unregulated sand mining, especially as it is in Aguata-Orumba Axis where the sand structure is prone to erosion, which is the major environmental hazard in the region.”
The community also claimed that sand mining had become the major source of environmental crises affecting Umudimishi Quarter, Umuoru Village and Uga generally.
Beyond the environmental consequences, the villagers expressed concern that the availability of quick money from sand mining was discouraging youths from learning vocational skills.
They said many youths now preferred sand mining to acquiring skills, while the worsening erosion had also discouraged residents and prospective investors from establishing businesses in the area.
The villagers therefore appealed to Governor Soludo to permanently shut down the mining sites in Umudimishi to prevent further deterioration of the already deplorable environmental situation.
They also urged the governor to direct the appropriate agency of the Anambra State Government to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the erosion sites and produce a comprehensive report with recommendations on how to tackle the problem and reclaim lands already lost to erosion.
The petitioners said urgent intervention by the state government was necessary to protect lives, homes and the remaining land in the community from further destruction.
News
Major Generals to Receive Up to ₦25.91m Yearly as Tinubu Approves New Military Pension Structure
The Federal Government has approved a new pensionable salary structure for personnel of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Air Force, effective September 1, 2026.
The approval was communicated in a circular issued on September 3 by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.
Under the new structure, the highest-ranking officers—Generals, Admirals and Air Chief Marshals—have annual pensionable salaries ranging from ₦21.9 million to ₦29.75 million, depending on their salary steps. The highest figure is equivalent to about ₦2.48 million monthly when divided by 12.
Other approved pensionable salary ranges include:
Lieutenant Generals, Vice Admirals and Air Marshals: ₦16.99m–₦25.91m annually.
Major Generals, Rear Admirals and Air Vice Marshals: ₦14.98m–₦23.9m.
Brigadier Generals, Commodores and Air Commodores: ₦13.86m–₦16.39m.
Colonels, Captains and Group Captains: ₦8.31m–₦9.49m.
Lieutenant Colonels, Commanders and Wing Commanders: ₦7.55m–₦8.74m.
Majors, Lieutenant Commanders and Squadron Leaders: ₦5.99m–₦7.01m.
Captains, Lieutenants and Flight Lieutenants: ₦5.28m–₦6.42m.
Second Lieutenants, Midshipmen and Pilot Officers: ₦4.92m–₦5.59m.
The new schedule also covers non-commissioned personnel. Warrant Officers have pensionable salaries ranging from ₦4.53 million to ₦5.17 million annually, while Privates, Ordinary Seamen and Aircraftmen fall within the range of ₦2.28 million to ₦2.49 million.
The government, however, clarified that the figures are pensionable salaries used to calculate retirement benefits and should not be interpreted as the actual monthly salaries or take-home pay of serving military personnel.
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