Introduction In Nigeria today, it has become painfully evident that education no longer pays. The irony is loud and clear: a person who has laboured through the grueling academic ladder – first degree, Master’s, and PhD – often finds themselves poorer than someone who sweeps office floors in other African countries. Across Africa and beyond, janitors and cleaners are treated with greater financial dignity than Nigerian scholars. This is not to smear the reputation of the janitors, or ridicule the honest cleaners; rather, it is to highlight the shameful undervaluing of academic excellence in Nigeria. When a PhD holder lives in debt, and a cleaner in South Africa, Kenya, or Ghana lives in dignity, something is tragically wrong with our system. It reveals, in the very depth, the misplacement of priorities in the country, and the endemic corruption that continues to perforate the socio-economic fabric of the Nigerian state. Table 1 and 2 below reveal frighteningly the dispar...
THE TYRANNY OF GODFATHERS: HOW WIKE’S ALLEGED GRIP ON RIVERS’ TREASURY EXPOSES NIGERIA’S CORRUPT POLITICAL SYSTEM
The political landscape of Rivers State has been embroiled in controversy, with allegations surfacing that former Governor Nyesom Wike demanded substantial financial kickbacks from his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara. These claims have ignited debates about the pervasive influence of political godfathers in Nigeria, and the societal attitudes that enable such corruption to persist. Allegations of Financial Demands Reports indicate that Wike insisted on receiving a significant portion of the State's monthly allocation. Specifically, he allegedly demanded 25% of all State allocations, a sum that would severely constrain the State's developmental initiatives. Additionally, Wike purportedly sought ₦ 2 billion from the ₦ 5 billion palliative funds intended to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal. These assertions were highlighted by activist and lawyer Chetam Thierry Nwala, who emphasized the detrimental impact such demands could have on the State's prog...