Governance as Self-Interest, By Jibrin Ibrahim

The most accurate way to describe Nigerian politics today is that state and society have been captured by an efficient and ruthless band that is recreating politics and the political economy in its image. On a daily basis, people are lamenting about the absence of rules, ethics and red lines in politics and the economy as the cabal in power do as they please and we the citizens watch and wonder whether it’s the new reality or a new rascally Nollywood production.

We all watched the skit on the Lagos State House of Assembly. The Speaker was removed, a new one was installed elected by a massive majority of members. As in all good Nollywood films, the new Speaker was safe because the majority of members supported her and clearly, there was nothing former Speaker Obasa could do, or so we thought. Suddenly, the music became lauder, Speaker Mojisola Merenda saw she was all alone as her entire security team had been withdrawn. Former Speaker Obasa turned his appellation from former to current, he majestically moved in to take control of the Lagos House of Assembly. He demanded the legislators come and pay homage to him, only four turned up. As the drama moved into a crescendo, phone calls were made, instructions issued and the entire House rallied and paid homage to Rt. Hon. Obasa. My sympathies Merenda, there are powers and there are powers.

While the Lagos show was on-going, another was happening in the Supreme Court. Suddenly, the entire basis of Nigerian jurisprudence which is based on precedence was thrown into the waste paper basket as Governor Fubara who thought he was in power was told in no uncertain terms that there are powers and there are powers. The election he organised into the Local Government Councils was thrown out. The legislators who had sworn to impeach him after he challenged their right to abandon the party on whose ticket they won elections to join the ruling party were recognised as legitimate and the Central Bank was instructed to stop sending monies to the State government. It was blatant partisan action that has not been seen in recent years. Sorry Fubara, there are powers and there are powers.

It’s difficult to avoid the Nollywood imagery as I was watching a Senator complaining bitterly on Channels television that he saw his colleague Senator Natasha come into the Chambers with her husband and he kissed her. It was totally unacceptable for a husband to kiss his wife in the Chambers he explained. I was confused and did not know whether to cry or laugh. This distinguished Senator had made disturbing allegations of sexual harassment against the President of the Senate. If such a highly placed woman felt the need to make such a serious allegation against a powerful individual, the least any serious democracy could do is to take such an allegation seriously and investigate. The decision taken was to throw out her petition without investigation and to charge her with “crimes” of disrespect to constituted authority after all there are powers and there are powers. The argument used by the Committee Chairman, Mr Imasuen was that “Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition violated the Senate’s procedural rules, as she had personally signed the document.” Of course, a petition not signed by the complainant would also have no legal standing. All sorts of stories were then fabricated against her. I refuse to dignify the stories they are currently spreading to impugn her integrity and would not talk about them. We are sinking too low.

While all this drama was going on, I was alarmed to read that a confidential report exclusively obtained by Nairametrics from a reliable source tracking the movements of motor tanker vessels, which monitors cargo tanks entering the country, revealed that the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has imported 159,000 metric tons of Premium Motor Spirit (also known as petrol) between February 1, 2025, and February 12, 2025. Based on a standard conversion of 1,341 litre per metric ton, this translates to approximately 213 million litres of petrol, imported by the state-owned oil company according to the Motor Tanker Vessels report.

The revelation comes at a time Dangote Refinery, which can supply the country’s needs is locked in a legal dispute with NNPCL and major oil marketers over the importation of refined petroleum products, which are already being produced locally without any shortfall. The interests of Nigeria do not appear to matter in our governance mechanism. It is all about self-interest. That is why despite the January 2025 deadline set by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for the adoption of cleaner fuels and vehicles to reduce air pollution across the region, Nigeria has continued to import petroleum products that exceed the permissible sulphur limit under this regulation.

In December 2024, the NNPCL announced the restart of the 125,000 barrels per day (bpd) Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), which was approved for rehabilitation in 2021 for $897 million. This announcement followed reports that the Port Harcourt refinery’s 60,000 bpd phase one had begun refining key fuels. Nigeria operates four national refineries: one in Kaduna, one in Warri, and two in Port Harcourt. The refurbishment of these refineries, in addition to the operations of the Dangote refinery, was expected to reduce Nigeria’s importation of petroleum products and make the country fuel independent. However, the importation of refined products continues on a large scale despite the growing number of local refineries.
To conclude, choosing the cast that is producing these stories is something worth understanding. Good qualifications are necessary.

Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi who has just been appointed the country’s new Accountant General of the Federation, AGF, was between 2011 and 2012, indicted in the N2 billion police payroll fraud. Also, Ogunjimi was reported to have come fourth in the examination for the selection of Accountant General, scoring 62 percent in the written examination, according to a memo signed by Gabriel Aduda, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence. Between 2011 and 2012, Ogunjimi was alleged to have used eight Bank accounts in First Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank and Eco Bank to warehouse funds linked to the Police Payroll Fraud. Self-service is the game for the powers that be and the operatives are chosen carefully.