-Says No governor in Nigeria collects less than three times, up to four times what they used to collect before. None
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has urged Nigerians to shift their focus on accountability to their respective state governors and local government chairmen. Speaking in Abuja on Monday at the public presentation of “Vicious Red Circle,” a book on human trafficking, Yilwatda stated that subnational leaders must be pressed to deliver tangible development given the massive increase in their monthly financial allocations.
Yilwatda emphasized that the financial capacity of state and local governments has dramatically increased.
“No governor in Nigeria collects less than three times, up to four times what they used to collect before. None,” he asserted. He highlighted the significant jump in shared revenue: “Two years ago there was a sharing of about ₦400 billion per month—but today, the last sharing they did was ₦2.2 trillion.” He concluded by calling on citizens to take action: “So they can do more for their people… I would say, talk to your governors. Talk to your local government chairmen. Let them do more.” While making this demand amidst growing public criticism of economic hardship, the APC Chairman maintained that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is “on the right track” and remains optimistic about the country’s economic recovery.
NIA Tackles Human Trafficking Scourge at Book Launch
The event quickly broadened its focus from governance to the critical humanitarian crisis of human trafficking, an issue that has marked Nigeria as a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked persons. Despite the efforts of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), hundreds of victims, primarily women and children, are trafficked annually for forced labour, sexual exploitation, and domestic servitude in destinations including Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
Mohammed Mohammed, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), described human trafficking as one of the most dangerous transnational crimes, equating it to drug and arms trafficking. “Human trafficking has eroded our social fabric and robbed some of our people of their dignity and future,” he said, confirming the NIA’s continuous support to NAPTIP. He stressed the need for a “whole-of-society approach,” calling for increased involvement from civil society groups and faith-based organizations to effectively dismantle trafficking networks.
The 198-page book, “Vicious Red Circle,” was reviewed by the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Dr. Ike Neliaku, who linked the crisis to corruption and exploitation, and urged Nigerians to reject the “culture of silence.” Author Alex Oriaku explained that the book aims to expose the cycle of exploitation that preys on the vulnerable. “I wrote it to build a bridge of empathy between the abstract horror of a global crisis and the beating heart of a single, human story,” Oriaku concluded.
