It is important to make the point that Nigeria has a very strong tradition of the struggle for the defence of rights of the people. If successive military regimes could not dampen the struggles of the people for rights, freedoms and justice, it is clear to me that President Tinubu too cannot and he should know that. People like Professor Usman Yusuf play a vital role of drawing the attention of citizens to day-to-day issues of bad governance. The path to good governance is to listen to their message and improve governmental action.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recently arrested a former executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf for an alleged N4 billion fraud, amongst others. The learned professor of haematology-oncology and bone marrow transplantation was dragged out of his house at about 4:30 by a large team of EFCC operatives. The arrest followed an ongoing investigation into an allegation that he inflated the ICT budget of the NHIS from N4.975 billion to N8.7 billion and approved payments beyond his limit. According to a PREMIUM TIMES report, the EFCC is also investigating Yusuf for awarding contracts to family members: “He awarded contracts to Lubekh Nigeria Limited, a company where his nephew Khalifa Hassan Yusufu is a director.” In addition, it was reported that he is also being held for financial mismanagement. The former NHIS boss is equally being probed for abuse of office, for allegedly “using his position for personal gains, including approving contracts without due process and awarding contracts to companies without competence.”
It appears to be a straight forward story of investigating official corruption. I strongly believe everyone should be held accountable for their actions, so EFCC has the right and duty to carry out its mandate. Nonetheless, I find it interesting that the said allegations against Professor Yusuf were made in October 2018 and they relate to his tenure as executive secretary of NHIS. Why all the drama of arresting him with a huge force, for a person who has been constantly in public spaces and has rejected the option of going back to work in the United States, where he is a highly rated professional. Why was he quickly remanded in Kuje prison when so many others charged for worse offences are in liberty? The answer might be found in the fact that he is one of the most effective and acerbic critics of the Tinubu administration, just as he was of the Buhari administration.
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Professor Usman Yusuf has been trolling the Tinubu administration, detailing, analysing and critiquing the bad governance of the regime. He has been doing so with vigour and energy on national television, on local radio, in town hall meetings and in print. He has succeeded in painting the regime in colours that it may find disturbing and his linguistic and debating skills, in both English and Hausa, are so effective that he has clearly become a thorn in the flesh of government. He has also been an active member of the leading opposition party. There is, therefore, no great surprise that the time has come for him to pay a price. He has spoken from prison that his predicament is no surprise and that he will not be intimidated. It is for this reason that many people believe that the actions of the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should be read politically.
What is even more troubling is the continued narrowing of the civic space in the country. Social media critics are hunted down and locked up. The media is under close surveillance and both carrot and stick tactics are used against them. The human rights record of the administration has become troubling. This was clearly shown during the #EndBadGovernance protest, which was sparked by the rising costs of living.
There has been a series of high-profile cases involving political figures that are in opposition or critical of the Tinubus administration. Indeed, almost all major candidates in the 2023 presidential elections that contested with him are facing one form of investigation or the other. The EFCC, in November 2024, detained Ifeanyi Okowa, former Delta State governor and vice-presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, over the allegation of misappropriating derivation funds. The Commission has reportedly initiated a probe into the campaign finances of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), with indications that Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the party’s presidential candidate in 2023, might face arrest. Hajia Naja’atu Mohammed, a virulent critique of the Tinubu administration has just been threatened with court action by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. It is clear that the regime is very intolerant of opposition and has no hesitation in abusing State power to deal with political opponents. This is unfortunate.
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What is even more troubling is the continued narrowing of the civic space in the country. Social media critics are hunted down and locked up. The media is under close surveillance and both carrot and stick tactics are used against them. The human rights record of the administration has become troubling. This was clearly shown during the #EndBadGovernance protest, which was sparked by the rising costs of living. We all saw security operatives use excessive force that resulted in many civilian casualties. Hundreds of kids and young people were arrested and locked up for months without following due process and charging them to court.
The recent arrest of the human rights lawyer, Mr Dele Farotimi, is a good example of the instrumentalisation of law enforcement agencies. He was arrested in an unnecessarily aggressive and confrontational manner. The CCTV footage released by his office after his arrest revealed the thoroughly unprofessional and violent nature of the police officers who travelled out of the state of their posting to arrest him. The officers were not dressed in uniform and could have passed as armed thugs. They also threatened Mr Farotimi’s staff for no reason after unlawfully seizing their phones. The brutal manner of his arrest suggests the apprehension of a bandit on a most-wanted list, rather than a publicly accessible human rights lawyer.
It was under the Abacha’s regime that members of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a pro-democracy group fighting for the return of the civilian government – which interestingly, the current president Bola Ahmed Tinubu was a member, were forced into exile. Now that they are in power, they are expected to be exemplary in terms of their respect for human rights. It is disappointing to see them begin to follow the path of their former oppressors.
Many in the current administration, including the president, have been victims of human rights abuses during the military regimes that have ruled this country. The Abacha regime, in particular, was marked by widespread human rights violations, including political repression, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and suppression of press freedom. It was under the Abacha’s regime that members of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a pro-democracy group fighting for the return of the civilian government – which interestingly, the current president Bola Ahmed Tinubu was a member, were forced into exile. Now that they are in power, they are expected to be exemplary in terms of their respect for human rights. It is disappointing to see them begin to follow the path of their former oppressors.
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It is important to make the point that Nigeria has a very strong tradition of the struggle for the defence of rights of the people. If successive military regimes could not dampen the struggles of the people for rights, freedoms and justice, it is clear to me that President Tinubu too cannot and he should know that. People like Professor Usman Yusuf play a vital role of drawing the attention of citizens to day-to-day issues of bad governance. The path to good governance is to listen to their message and improve governmental action. Repressing them only gives them more energy and determination. Comrade Usman Yusuf, the struggle continues.
A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahim is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board of PREMIUM TIMES.
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