The Trumpet Newspaper Issue 641 (January 22 - February 4 2025)

TheTrumpet
Africans now have a voice... Founded in 1995
V O L 31 N O 641 J A N U A R Y 22 - FEBRUARY 4 2025
£20k reward
in quest to
resolve 1994
murder
James
Akinwande
An artist’s impression of Idris Elba’s planned eco-city, Sherbro Island City. Greenfield Planners Sdn Bhd - Sherbro Alliance Partners
From a colonial
hill town to
Idris Elba’s
island
master-plan:
What do these Sierra
Leone developments tell
us about urban elites?
By Milo Gough, University of Manchester
Continued on Page 3>
Detectives are offering a
reward of up to £20,000 for
information to bring to justice
the killers of a teenager in Brixton 31
years ago.
In the early hours of Sunday, 16
January 1994, 18-year-old James
Akinwande left Vox nightclub in
Brighton Terrace, SW9, following a
music event with his friends.
There were reports that
altercations had taken place
throughout the event, prompting
James and his friends to leave and go
home as the nightclub was closing
early.
At around 04:45hrs, James was
singled out from his friends outside
Boots The Chemist in Brixton Road.
He was chased by a large group of
young men before they beat and
stabbed him.
James managed to escape the
group after getting loose from his
jacket and ran towards a police van
that was parked in Brixton Road. He
collapsed and was given first aid by
the officers before the ambulance
arrived. He was taken to King’s
College Hospital where he sadly died.
Detective Superintendent
Katherine Goodwin said: “It has been
31 years since James’ tragic murder
and we are still actively searching for
the group of young men involved in
this horrific attack. We have not given
up hope of securing justice for
James’s family and providing them
with the answers they so desperately
need after such a long and painful
wait.
“If you were involved in the
Continued on Page 6<

Page2 TheTrumpet JANUARY 22 - FEBRUARY 4 2025
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News
JANUARY
22 - FEBRUARY 4 2025
TheTrumpet
Page3
From a colonial hill town to
Idris Elba’s island master-plan:
What do these Sierra Leone developments tell us about urban elites?
Continued from Page 1<
Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, is
celebrated as a city founded to
resettle freed slaves in the 1790s.
Over the following century, it became a
truly cosmopolitan port city as people
from across western Africa and the
Americas made it their home.
But Freetown’s British colonial rulers
struggled to acclimatise. Many were
plagued by deadly fevers that earned
West Africa its reputation in Europe as
the “white man’s grave”.
By the turn of the 20th century, the
intensifying racism of colonialism,
coupled with the emergence of the new
field of tropical medicine, led to the
construction of Hill Station, an
experimental, racially segregated
settlement built in the mountains four
miles south of Freetown.
This was more than simply a public
health measure to protect the white
colonists. It was an abandonment of
Freetown – an exit strategy from a city
that was seen by this colonial elite as
diseased, overcrowded and dangerous.
The writer and journalist Graham Greene
was highly critical of these motives in his
travelogue, Journey Without Maps
(1936):
England had planted this town
[Freetown], the tin shacks and the
Remembrance Day posters, and had then
withdrawn up the hillside to smart
bungalows, with wide windows and
electric fans and perfect service … They
had planted their seedy civilization and
then escaped from it as far as they could.
Now, more than a century later, a
proposed master-planned city in Sierra
Leone called Sherbro Island City is
raising questions about the nature of
modern urban developments – questions
that resonate with my research in
Freetown’s public archives about the
story of Hill Station.
The people behind Sherbro Island
City, including English actor Idris Elba,
are anything but colonial types. And in a
country that is almost always portrayed
as a place of violence and suffering –
epitomised by its civil war in the 1990s
and the devastating Ebola outbreak from
2014 to 2016 – the more optimistic
headlines generated by Sherbro Island
City are welcome. Its plans for an “afrodynamic
eco-city” promise long-term
growth for Sierra Leone and the wider
region.
But like Hill Station, this
development – to be built on Sherbro
Island, around 75 miles (120km) south of
Freetown – has been planned for a small
international elite. It is marketed as being
clean and sanitary, with state-of-the-art
“smart infrastructure” – in contrast to the
perception of Freetown, like many other
major African cities, as dirty, chaotic and
perpetually malfunctioning.
Abuzz with anticipation
In 2019, I was in Freetown
conducting research into the history of
the city. On the day my fieldwork was
wrapping up, Idris Elba landed for his
first visit to his father’s homeland.
Freetown had been buzzing with the
news of his arrival. Everyone wanted to
catch a glimpse of Sierra Leone’s own
superstar.
On his week-long trip, Elba was
busy. Events and photo opportunities
swirled around a ritualistic centre piece:
the presentation of citizenship by the
country’s president, Julius Maada Bio.
Elba was understandably enamoured by
Sierra Leone and the welcome he
received. Speaking to a BBC
correspondent, he proclaimed that “the
son of the soil is coming back to fertilise
the soil”.
In fact, his plans to “fertilise” Sierra
Leone were already in motion before this
trip. Elba had set up a company called
Sherbro Alliance Partners (SAP) earlier
in 2019 with his childhood friend, Siaka
Stevens – grandson of Sierra Leone’s
dictatorial post-colonial president, also
called Siaka Stevens.
That same year, SAP signed a
memorandum of understanding with
President Bio to build Sherbro Island
City, envisaged as a thriving hub of
improved infrastructure, tourism, media,
healthcare and eco technologies.
The project has moved slowly over
the past five years, but recently gathered
some momentum. Lloyd’s of London
and Octopus Energy have been
announced as project partners. These
corporate tie-ins, alongside Elba’s
stardom, have given Sherbro Island City
enough clout to garner global media
attention.
Many journalists and commentators
have praised Elba and Stevens for their
capacity to “dream big”. Braima
Koroma, director of research and
training at the Sierra Leone Urban
Research Centre in Freetown, told me
that “local communities, government
officials and potential investors seem to
be excited about the vision of creating a
modern, eco-friendly urban centre.
There’s a palpable sense of anticipation
surrounding the promises of job creation,
improved infrastructure and increased
foreign investment.”
On the other hand, Koroma told me
the project’s “focus on luxury and
exclusivity” has prompted “worry about
the risk of exacerbating socioeconomic
inequality” – suggesting the optimism
generated by Sherbro Island City and
desire for development in Sierra Leone
may have obscured questions about the
desirability of a hyper-modern city
designed to attract a wealthy, globalised
elite and provide returns for mobile
foreign capital. The majority of Sierra
Leoneans, who live on an average of just
US$560 (£422) a year, will be
economically locked out of this exclusive
urban enclave.
Continued on Page 4<

Page4
TheTrumpet
JANUARY 22 - FEBRUARY 4 2025
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From a colonial hill town to
Idris Elba’s island
master-plan:
What do these Sierra Leone developments tell us
about urban elites?
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A very different built environment
Much of my time in Sierra Leone was
spent at the public archive building,
which is located within the country’s
most historic university, Fourah Bay
College. One day, I was on the back of
an okada (motorcycle taxi) on the steep
mountain road up to the archive when I
got a call from Alfred, one of the
archivists, reminding me it was closed
for a national holiday.
Taking advantage of a day away from
dusty colonial-era documents, I
redirected the driver up to the
neighbourhood of Hill Station, as it is
still called today, on the main road into
the mountains overlooking Freetown.
At first glance, Hill Station appears
an unremarkable neighbourhood of
Freetown. Large compounds hide behind
breeze block walls, and corrugated-iron
houses hang on to the steep sides of the
ridge on which Hill Station is perched.
However, a short walk off the main
road reveals a very different built
environment. Amid the red dirt roads and
thriving palm and kapok trees, vast
wooden bungalows are hoisted up on top
of stilts. In varying states of decay and
heavily modified with corrugated-iron
extensions, these bungalows are still
owned by the government and inhabited
by civil servants and their families.
On my stroll through Hill Station, the
neighbourhood was very quiet aside
from several men finishing off the big
job of painting one of the bungalows in
pastel green. While only 12 of these
colonial homes remain, at its peak Hill
Station consisted of about 30 bungalows.
This mountain settlement, its first
stage completed in 1904, was connected
to Freetown’s city centre by a narrowgauge
railway that operated to suit the
hours of the few government officials
who lived in Hill Station and commuted
into the city each day. After returning in
the evening (the last train up was at
6:30pm), British colonial officials drank
together and played billiards at the
recreational club. At weekends they
played tennis, watched by their wives
and children.
The bungalows, club and railway
were built at great expense – around
£86,000, roughly equivalent to £9
million today – to provide a new way of
life for this handful of white colonial
officials, businessmen and their families
who had previously resided in the city.
This was a huge project that catered for a
tiny white elite – by 1911, only 90 people
out of Freetown’s total population of
about 40,000 lived in Hill Station.
Investment on this scale was highly
unusual in Britain’s African colonies,
which were usually run on shoestring
budgets. The colonial government
rationalised it as a response to the
discovery in the late 1890s that
Anopheles mosquitoes were the vector of
malaria.
But African people were identified as
the “reservoir” of the disease and so,
according to this logic, white people
would be safe from disease if they spent
the night – when mosquitoes were
feeding – away from them. This
understanding of disease prevention is
characteristic of a period that saw a
hardening of the racial hierarchy in
British West Africa around monolithic
categories of whiteness and blackness.
Escaping their ‘seedy civilisation’
To colonial officials and medical
experts, the settlement of Hill Station
was associated with whiteness, health
and modernity. Its opposite was the city
of Freetown, associated with blackness,
dirt and disease. The hard binary of
white-black and mountain-coast forged
by the construction of Hill Station was
new. But it was built on older ideas of
disease transmission, race and landscape.
While I walked among the bungalows
of Hill Station, a breeze blew across the
ridge providing me with some relief from
the hot and humid stillness that
characterised Freetown’s city centre.
More than a century ago, this breeze was
highly prized by colonial medical
officers as ventilation was thought to
circulate “healthy” air.
The Hill Station bungalows were
designed to harness the breeze. All four
sides were lined with windows that could
be opened to encourage the movement of
air. But contrary to the aim of preventing
the spread of malaria, the windows were
not equipped with mosquito screens, as
officials thought screens would prevent
air flow.
Concrete foundations held iron stilts
that raised the bungalows more than two
metres from the ground. This functioned
to distance occupants from the dangerous
miasmas that were thought to emanate
from the ground.
The idea that “bad air” was the cause
of health problems remained central to
the medical geography of empire even
after the discovery of new tropical
medicines. Freetown, perceived as
insanitary and overpopulated, was
understood as a hotbed of enervating
miasmas that left white colonial officials
vulnerable to contracting deadly fevers.
From the ridge, I looked down to the
west over Lumley Beach, south towards
the mountains of the Freetown peninsula,
and east over the city centre. Freetown
sprawled over the undulating terrain,
pushing up tightly against the Atlantic
coastline. From this same location,
colonial officials would have surveyed
the territory and perhaps felt secure in
their place at the top of the colonial
hierarchy.
In the 1890s, the Governor of
colonial Sierra Leone, Frederick Cardew,
justified the construction of Hill Station
because of the “exhilarating and bracing”
sensory experience of walking along this
ridgeline. He marvelled at a view that
“could hardly be surpassed in any part of
the world in range and beauty”.
Even after Sierra Leone gained
independence in 1961, Hill Station has
remained a site of State power. Adjacent
to the old bungalows is the president’s
official residence and the various High
Commissions of old imperial nations, all
hidden behind high walls and barbed
wire.
But earlier this year, several senior
civil servants and their families were
evicted from their Hill Station
bungalows after the government of
Sierra Leone granted Turkey and Saudi
Arabia plots of land to build new
embassies. Their bungalows are now
slated for demolition.
The destruction of Freetown’s
colonial-era built environment, including
the once ubiquitous 19th-century Krio
bode ose (board houses), has been a
consistent feature of Freetown’s
postcolonial period. Many locals,
looking resolutely towards a better
tomorrow, do not mourn the loss of the
material aftermaths of colonialism. Yet
the unchecked churn of urban
development can also mean some
Continued on Page 5<

JANUARY 22 - FEBRUARY 4 2025
TheTrumpet
Page5
From a colonial hill town to
Idris Elba’s island master-plan:
What do these Sierra Leone developments tell us about urban elites?
Continued from Page 4<
important lessons from history are
forgotten.
Sierra Leone’s ‘afro-dynamic
ecocity’
The foundational idea of architects
Foster + Partners for Sherbro Island City
is to make it “afro-dynamic” – as
encapsulated by its leaf motif, loosely
inspired by the shape of Sherbro island.
According to the marketing material, this
leaf shows the way in which the city is
both “connected to Africa” and “rooted
in community”.
Having been a slave boat harbour in
the 18th century, Sherbro island would
go on to become an important colonial
port. However, by the latter half of the
20th century, it was a remote and
overlooked part of post-colonial Sierra
Leone. The new architectural vision for
Sherbro Island City doesn’t reference
this history – but within the shiny
publicity material, there are some echoes
of Hill Station’s relationship with
Freetown.
Back in October 1902, the Public
Works Department erected signs in the
vicinity of the proposed site, with one
reading: “Warning. Any person found
squatting, erecting huts, or planting on
this and adjacent lands from this date will
be PROSECUTED and EJECTED.”
While Sherbro Island City will also
be built on land used by existing
communities, SAP claims the new city
will benefit the island’s population of
around 40,000 people. But Bankolay
Theodore Turay, a Sierra Leonean
scholar based at the Centre for Housing
and Sustainable Development at the
University of Lagos, Nigeria, is
sceptical. He explained to me that he is
“not aware of any compensation process
that has taken place for communities that
will be dispossessed of their land, and
those that will be relocated from the
community”.
Sherbro Island City will exist on a
separate legal footing from the rest of the
nation as a special economic zone, and
promises huge tax incentives to
investors. It appears that it will be a
private city, even if not in name,
managed by business people and shaped
by the interests of foreign capital.
The architects’ images conform to an
aesthetic of globalised modernity. Where
the bungalows of Hill Station were
constructed from imported prefabricated
materials that conformed to a panimperial
style, CGI renderings of
Sherbro Island City imagine a hypermodern
city of glass and steel that
appears to have little to do with its locale.
Foster + Partners says it has “not
engaged in any detailed designs at this
stage, which will be shaped by input
from several stakeholders including local
communities”. It adds that all of the
designs “are rooted in sustainability and
a respect for the communities we design
for”.
Turay told me that, regardless of
SAP’s claims that the city will have
minimal environmental impact,
“construction work does not come
without environmental issues, without
changing the special dynamics of the
community” in an area with an
“ecological footprint that is very, very
low”.
In an interview in 2023, SAP’s cofounder
Stevens described how the idea
for the new city first germinated while he
was on holiday at a luxury beach resort in
Dubai. He recalled thinking: “I wish I
could make my country like this one
day.”
Siaka Stevens on working with Idris
Elba and Sierra Leone’s President. .
It looks like Sherbro Island City will,
like Hill Station, be a city for the elite.
Fosters + Partners’ preview book
describes five “character profiles” of
potential residents of, and visitors to, the
city. These are a tourist family from
Europe, two renowned health
professionals and young parents, a South
African digital nomad living between
Dubai and Singapore, a recent Harvard
graduate, and a successful actor and DJ.
These profiles suggest the city will be
for diverse people from all over the
world, but with one condition: they must
be well-off.
Africa’s master-planned cities
Sherbro Island City is not the first
master-planned city for Africa in the 21st
century. Over the past 20 years, similar
plans for new cities have cropped up
throughout the continent.
Perhaps the most notable is Eko
Idris Elba (right) with Siaka Stevens (left), and President, Julius Maada Wonie Bio
(Photo - Sherbro Alliance Partners)
Atlantic City in Nigeria. First announced
in 2003, the Eko Atlantic project has
radically altered the geography of
Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos. Built on
reclaimed land, it protrudes into the
Atlantic Ocean from what was Bar
Beach. Its first few skeletal tower blocks
have changed the skyline of downtown
Lagos.
Other projects on the continent have
been less successful. Kenya’s Konza
Technopolis, conceived in 2009, is still a
work-in-progress street grid 50 miles
outside the capital, Nairobi. Meanwhile,
Ghana’s Hope City project got no further
than computer-generated images of
glowing towers before being cancelled.
And then there is Senegal’s Akon
City, the brainchild of Senegalese-
American rapper Akon. Six years after it
was announced with great fanfare, Akon
City is little more than a half-built
welcome centre. Some parallels to the
Sherbro Island City project are evident:
both are backed by global superstars, and
both promise to transform the fortunes of
small and often overlooked West African
nations.
Turay said his first reaction to the
Sherbro Island City plans was: “Is this is
going to be another Akon city?” Such
city-scale projects require vast amounts
of capital and organisation, and many
flounder facing this harsh reality.
However, not all of these projects are
mirages. As South African Professor of
Urban Planning - Vanessa Watson has
described, cities in Africa have become
the latest frontier for speculative real
estate investment. This trend sped up
hugely after the global financial crisis of
2007–08 as, since then, interest rates
have generally been very low and capital
has sought out riskier investments with
potentially higher yields.
The rise of a foreign capital-led,
speculative real estate market in African
cities has been widely celebrated. Many
urban residents across the continent see
visions for modernity and new concrete
structures as evidence of development,
investment, and change for the better.
Comments on Eko Atlantic update
videos, for example, show great pride in
these ambitious plans from people who
will probably never afford to live in the
city’s luxury apartments. Similarly, in
Sierra Leone, many people appear
optimistic about the prospect of a hypermodern
city that promises development
in the form of investment, jobs and
infrastructure.
However, according to Braima
Koroma: “There are also voices of
caution. Community members and
environmental activists have raised
concerns about the potential
displacement of residents and the
environmental impact of large-scale
construction.” He suggests these
concerns “underline the importance of
ensuring that the development is
inclusive, and takes into account the
needs and rights of local populations”.
Exit schemes
Beyond Sierra Leone, in countries
where city-scale projects have
progressed further, concerns about their
potential for entrenching inequality have
been communicated in different ways.
The Nigerian photographer Christopher
Obuh’s series of images of Eko Atlantic
City, No City for Poor Man, asks viewers
to reflect on the unevenness of this
speculative urbanism by showing the
process of construction that is usually
obscured by slick videos, glossy CGI
renderings and marketing speak.
In an article about Eko Atlantic,
journalist Katie Jane Fernelius argued
that this new city is less about developing
innovative solutions to the pressing
problems of a changing climate, urban
overcrowding and a lack of investment,
and more a place of elite moneymaking
where capital can be made liquid and
free-flowing. In her view, Eko Atlantic

Page6 TheTrumpet JANUARY 22 - FEBRUARY 4 2025
News
£20k reward in quest to
resolve 1994 murder
Continued from Page 1<
incident, be aware that we are still looking
for you. We are now offering a reward of
up to £20,000 for information that leads
to the successful charge and conviction of
the person or people responsible.
“Think back to 1994 – did you attend
this music event? Did you witness the
attack on James? You may have been
younger then and got involved in
something you were not comfortable
with, or now regret not speaking out
about. If you saw or heard anything, then
please come forward to talk with us. It is
really important we find out what
happened on that night, 31 years ago.
“We have a team of specialist officers
who will support you throughout, please
do the right thing.”
James’ family are also appealing for
information.
They said: “In 1994, our family
experienced an unimaginable loss when
James was tragically murdered at just 18
years old.
“James was a light in our lives. He was
generous, endlessly funny and filled with
a positivity that brightened every room he
entered.
“His laugh, his energy and his love for
life are deeply missed every single day.
The perpetrators of this senseless act tore
City is likely to further entrench the
highly unequal status quo.
Inequality was vital to the colonial
system. European empires depended on
the construction of rigid hierarchies,
most often around ideas of race. More
recently, harsh inequalities have again
become a defining feature of the world
since the rise of neo-liberalism in the
1980s.
The speculative urbanism of the 21st
century recycles colonial logics in the
form of protected compounds, private
suburbs and gated communities. These
spatial fixes to the challenge of living
amid the masses are supported by other
fixes to the “problem” of regulation, such
as special economic zones, freeports and
tax havens.
In his 2022 book Adventure
Capitalism, Raymond Craib describes
libertarian schemes to carve out spaces
beyond the regulatory systems of the
nation-state, from private islands to
seasteads and space colonies. These
extreme forms of exit have largely
remained imaginary – yet these exit plans
The Vox Nightclub
are significant in themselves, as they tell
us how the wealthy envision the future.
In using his stardom to mobilise
investment in Sierra Leone, I’m sure
Idris Elba genuinely wants to uplift the
homeland of his father. But it feels
problematic that many of the most
ambitious attempts at urban development
in Africa, and across the world, appear to
manifest largely through “exit schemes”.
The Conversation has contacted
representatives for Idris Elba, Sherbro
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James' FILA jacket
a void in our family that can never be
filled.
“His mother, devastated by the loss of
her son, has never been the same and finds
it too painful to even visit his grave. The
impact of James’ absence is felt in every
moment, and we continue to grieve the
life he was so cruelly denied.”
A post-mortem examination revealed
that the cause of death was due to stab
ATOL 9179
Alliance Partners and Eko Atlantic,
offering them the opportunity to
comment on issues raised in this article.
By the time of publication, we had not
received a response from any of these
parties.
Young James
wounds to the chest and left arm.
On the night of James’ death, he was
wearing a distinct red and dark blue FILA
jacket. Half of the jacket was red and the
other half was dark blue. The FILA logo
was across the back of the jacket. This
jacket was stolen on the night of the attack
and remains missing.
Anyone with information that may
assist the investigation is asked to call 101
quoting Operation Poldark or
CAD1203/16Jan25. You can also call the
incident room on 0208 785 8267.
To remain anonymous, contact the
independent charity Crimestoppers on
0800 555 111.
From a colonial hill town to Idris Elba’s island master-plan:
What do these Sierra Leone developments tell us about urban elites?
Continued from Page 5
Milo Gough is a Lecturer in History
at University of Manchester.
This article is republished from The
Conversation under a Creative
Commons license. Read the original
article.

JANUARY 22 - FEBRUARY 4 2025 TheTrumpet
Page7

Page8 TheTrumpet JANUARY 22 - FEBRUARY 4 2025
Opinion
A new beginning in Ghana
It is a new day and a new beginning in
Ghana today, January 7, as the
country today celebrates the
inauguration of President John Dramani
Mahama on his second return to the
country’s helm of affairs. Mahama was
President of Ghana, 2012-2016. He lost
the 2016 election to President Nana Addo
Akuffo Addo. He lost again in 2020 by a
narrow margin of 4.23%. Undeterred he
ran again in 2024, which turned out to be
his year of luck. In the December 7
Presidential elections, President John
Mahama, in the fashion of an impressive
comeback kid, led his party, the National
Democratic Congress (NDC) to victory
with the biggest margin of victory ever in
Ghana’s electoral process in 24 years. His
victory was so impressive this time
around that by nightfall, his main
opponent, then incumbent Vice President
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of the ruling
New Patriotic Party (NPP) conceded
defeat and congratulated the NDC and
President Mahama. Mahama got
6,328,397 million of the total votes cast
(56.55%), against Bawumia’s 4,657,304
million votes (41.61%), clearly one of the
best results in Ghana’s Presidential
history since the return to multi-party
democracy in 1992. History will be made
today in Accra, Ghana as President
Mahama takes the mantle of office for the
second time in his storied political and
Presidential career. He will be the first
elected Ghanaian President in the Fourth
Republic to lose re-election while in
office and again after another attempt,
only to return at the third attempt to
complete the constitutional right to two
terms in office. His Vice President,
Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman
will also be the very first female in
Ghana’s history to be Vice President. She
is a Professor of Literature, a former
Minister of Education (2013-2016) and
Chancellor of the Women’s University in
Ghana's former President - Nana Akufo Addo
Africa, Harare, Zimbabwe. Mahama and
Agyeman have already made a mark with
their unprecedented victory. This is true
despite the fact that no party in Ghana has
ever stayed in power for more than two
consecutive terms since 1992.
In this particular election, the people
of Ghana wanted change. They voted for
it, in what was clearly a referendum on
President Akuffo-Addo’s eight years in
office. When President Mahama left
office at the end of his first term in 2016,
he left behind an ailing economy,
frequent power cuts and corruption
scandals. Akuffo Addo’s emergence as
winner of the election at the time was
touted as a new beginning for Ghana, just
as we are doing now, but between 2016
and 2024, in the two terms of the NPP
Presidency, the euphoria with which
Akuffo-Addo assumed office had turned
gradually to dust and despair. In his last
State of the Nation address last week,
President Addo talked about the
achievements of his administration in the
mining, forestry and land sectors and how
he positioned Ghana on the path of
sustainable economic growth, even
surpassing South Africa as Africa’s
leading gold producer. He was quick to
remind everyone that he developed new
gold mines in Ahafo and the Upper West
Region, and a structured Green Ghana
Project. On his watch, Ghana was
saddled with an unsustainable debt
burden but he managed to restructure
over 13 billion dollars in debt in
negotiations with the International
Monetary Fund and other creditors.
President Akuffo-Addo was also the
BY REUBEN ABATI
exponent of a famous policy phrased as
“Ghana Beyond Aid.” One other
highlight of his stewardship was the
clean-up of the banking sector in Ghana
through which he hoped to stabilize the
financial sector.
The reality however is that President
Akufo-Ado is leaving behind a country
that is facing its worst economic crisis in
a generation – with inflation at a record
50.3% at a time, the cost of living became
so high and unbearable that the average
Ghanaian took to the streets. As recently
as October 2024, hundreds of people
protested on the streets of Accra against
illegal gold mining, known as
“galamsey”. Unemployment became a
source of frustration, and the COVID
pandemic merely added to the people’s
agony. In 2019, Ghana discovered two
more oil fields, but the expected boost in
government revenue was shortchanged
by the mismanagement of government
expenditures and huge budget deficits.
Ghana’s debt burden kept rising as the
government kept borrowing – it had to
take an extended credit facility of $3
billion from the IMF in 2023. The
economy kept floundering. Ghana was
soon downgraded to junk status by credit
rating firms such as Moody’s. President
Akuffo-Addo would seem to have
presided over the worst economy in
Ghana’s Fourth Republic.
It therefore makes sense that the
people of Ghana in the December
Presidential and parliamentary elections
gave a landslide victory to another party,
the NDC, which over the decades has
switched the baton of power at the centre
with the NPP. Akuffo-Addo in the course
of his Presidency had eliminated what his
team called “nuisance taxes” and also
made senior secondary education free for
all, but this was not enough. The people
of Ghana want their country to work for
the benefit of all. In some of the elections
in Africa in 2024, we saw a similar
pattern of the people voting out the
ruling, incumbent party in the expectation
that another party would learn the right
lessons and serve the people better. We
saw this in Botswana, Mauritius, Senegal,
Somaliland and also in Ghana. In his
acceptance speech, President Mahama
promised the people “a new beginning”.
His return to the Presidency however is a
Continued on Page 10<

JANUARY 22 - FEBRUARY 4 2025 TheTrumpet
Page9

Page10 TheTrumpet JANUARY 22 - FEBRUARY 4 2025
Opinion
A new beginning in Ghana
Continued from Page 8<
mix of the old and the new: new wine in
an old bottle, and the major challenges
that he faces is in meeting the people’s
rising expectations. It will take more than
flowery rhetoric or triumphalism to fix
Ghana’s many problems. More so,
President Mahama does not have the
luxury of time: he has just four years to
make the best use of the opportunity that
fortune has brought to him.
Mahama’s story is in many ways
inspirational – his single-minded volition
especially. This is already giving ideas to
some members of the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria by the
way, who now believe that if the NDC in
Ghana can lose election in 2016, and
again in 2020, only to win at the third
attempt, then it should be possible for the
PDP to do so also in Nigeria. The logic
behind this comparison is so weak, it is
laughable, simply that events tend to
follow the same pattern in both countries
and the confidence with which
proponents of this assumption push the
view is to say the least shocking. There is
no standard formula for the political
process anywhere in the world. One, the
NDC in Ghana is a far more cohesive and
coherent party, making it easier for
President John Mahama to remain the
rallying point from one election to the
other. In Nigeria, the PDP has been
unable to stand up as a strong opposition
party since 2015. The party is yet to put
its house in order. It is divided. It has
internal democracy issues. Many of its
members no longer trust the leadership of
the party, at either the national or
grassroots level. No one is sure of the
future direction of the party: will the PDP
form a coalition with other political
parties? If so, who will lead that process?
The PDP has not recovered from the
trauma of its loss in the 2015, 2019 and
2023 elections. Who will now renew the
party?
A quiet undertone to this conversation
is that perhaps the PDP can take power
back from the APC in 2027 if it agrees
unanimously to field President Goodluck
Jonathan as Presidential candidate. At
least one Governor: Senator Bala
Muhammad of Bauchi State has openly
made the suggestion that the return of
President Jonathan could be a game
changer, an alternative to President
Tinubu and the APC in 2027. President
Jonathan and President Mahama have a
lot in common. They both lost elections
and gracefully stepped aside. They have
both had brilliant post-Presidency careers
both locally and internationally. And so
the reasoning is that if President Mahama
can return for another term of four years,
President Jonathan can do so too. They
make it sound so simple and logical but
no one has bothered to ask two questions:
One, is President Jonathan himself
interested in the vicious struggle for
power in Nigeria? In the leadership
matrix, perhaps it is the people that
matter most, not the politician. It should
be noted that President Jonathan is the
main reference for many Nigerians
looking for prosperity. Nigeria was a
much better country during his
Presidency. He made Nigeria the leading
economy in Africa. The Naira was stable.
People could afford to eat garri and buy
rice and other staple food items. Are
people regretting voting him out? The
answer is yes. President Buhari that came
after him failed to impress the people.
Even now President Tinubu’s reforms are
biting so hard and the people have
become so nervous - it is common to find
nostalgic longings for the good old days
of President Jonathan in office. However,
Ghana is considered a stable democracy,
and the last electoral process was largely
peaceful. Nigeria’s democracy is a
different kind of game. Two, why is
anyone so sure that the APC and
President Tinubu would simply watch
and allow anyone else take power away
from them? Of course, they will fight to
hold on to the reins of power. Mega
opposition parties may emerge in Nigeria
ahead of the 2027 elections, but Nigerian
politicians can compromise their own
ambitions even if the deal is right.
Nothing is straightforward in the jungle
of Nigerian politics.
Meanwhile, the global community is
celebrating with Ghana today, which
along with Senegal, presents a good story
about democracy in West Africa in 2024,
unlike the democratic reversal that was
seen in Guinea, Mali, Niger and Burkina
Faso. The programme of activities for
President Mahama’s inauguration began
on January 4, 2025 including victory
celebration in all constituencies, a victory
walk in Accra, a victory concert at the
forecourt of the University of Ghana
Sports Stadium, National Muslim prayers
at the National Mosque, Kanda and all
mosques across the country, and a
National Thanksgiving Service to be held
at the Independence Square on Sunday,
January 12. Today, President-elect John
Mahama and Vice-Presiden-elect
President John Mahama
Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman
will take the oath of office as President
and Vice President of Ghana respectively
for the next four years, and receive the
insignia of office in the presence of
Members of Parliament, citizens of
Ghana and the local and global
community. Since their election, both
winners have been inundated with
messages of congratulations from
countries across the world. For the
inauguration today, the European Union
is sending a five-man delegation led by
the Foreign Affairs Minister of Belgium,
Bernard Quintin, the US delegation is led
by Ms. Shalanda D. Young, the Director
of the US Office of Management and
Budget, and there will be Presidents and
diplomats from across the African
continent. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
is already in Ghana to attend the
inauguration in his capacity as Nigeria’s
President, and Chairman of ECOWAS.
This is a special occasion for the people
of Ghana, a victory as well. Ghana is
draped in the colours of the NDC of red,
white and black, from the party’s
headquarters in Adabraka to the streets of
Accra.
When the ceremony is done and over,
President Mahama must settle down to
work in earnest. It is clear enough that
there is a lot to be done. Already ahead of
the inauguration, he has nominated Alban
Sumana Kingsford Bagbin as Speaker of
the 9 th Parliament after due consultations
with NDC party executives and
parliamentary leaders. Bagbin, MP
Nadowli, was Speaker of the 8 th
Parliament. He is an experienced
lawmaker. President Mahama has also
announced a six-member Interim
National Security Coordinating team, led
by former Minister for the Interior, Mr.
Prosper Douglas Bani. Mahama is in
familiar territory. He should act just as
swiftly in announcing his cabinet. He
must resist the temptation to fall into the
same pitfalls as other African leaders: he
needs not look backwards, he should look
to the future and provide better pathways
for the people of Ghana. He has his plate
full: a sovereign debt burden, crisis in the
energy sector, and an army of
disillusioned youths. He needs to rebuild
trust.
What next for President Nana Akuffo-
Ado? No matter how mixed and
controversial President Akuffo-Ado’s
legacy may be, there is no doubt that he
will continue to remain a major force in
his own party, the NPP, and in Ghana’s
political process. He has been in politics
since his days as a university student, and
he ran for the Presidency on two different
occasions, 2008, 2012, losing to the
NDC, until he won in 2016. He has now
completed his constitutional two terms in
office today. He would be remembered
for his dignified presentations on the
international scene and the fact that he
was generally a well-meaning, urbane
leader. His credentials as a Statesman
should stand him in good stead, both in
Ghana and in international diplomacy.
His era as President is over. He should be
able to find meaning out of Presidential
office.

Opinion
JANUARY 22 - FEBRUARY 4 2025 TheTrumpet Page11
2025: Prayers, hopes and dreams
By Abiodun Komolafe
At last, we survived the Year
2024! For that, we give thanks to
God!
Not unexpectedly, the Year 2024 was
marked by complexities and
contradictions. On the one hand, social
movements and activism gained
momentum, shedding light on the shape
and size of pressing issues like inequality
and climate change. On the other hand,
systemic inequalities persisted, and
globalization disrupted traditional
structures, fuelling the hustle and bustle
of uncertainty and insecurity. The
COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical
tensions, including conflicts in Ukraine,
the Middle East and elsewhere, further
underscored the challenges of our
interconnected world. Reflecting on
2024, we’re reminded that social reality
is a complex and ever-changing
phenomenon, which requires careful
thought and attention.
As the world enters 2025, the initial
excitement of new beginnings gives way
to a nuanced understanding of the
challenges and opportunities ahead. In
Nigeria, a stark paradox exists: despite
vast natural resources, the country
struggles to provide basic necessities for
its citizens. Unless we are also
sugarcoating the facts, the gown is
threatened and the town is unsmiling!
These harsh realities have stifled national
potential, with underlying issues,
including a flawed political system and
unresponsive elite, giving rise to groups
focused on basic survival needs. Added
to these is the absence of the barometer
for a clear public awareness, which
enables those in power to exploit the
system without accountability.
As the world bids farewell to 2024,
Nigerians and global citizens greet 2025
with a mix of optimism and trepidation.
The New Year unfolds like a blank
canvas, full of possibilities. It’s a chance
to learn from past lessons and forge a
new path. As we travel through the
complexities of our global community,
we recognize the profound impact of our
collective choices. We confess that
ignorance, false confidence, fake
narratives and unattainable promises
have robbed us of the benefits of our
prayers. We also confess that Nigeria’s
economy is struggling, with basic needs
becoming unaffordable, and tribalism
hindering its progress. Besides, the
hymns of loot recovery ring hollow
without the accompanying stanzas of
responsible use.
To this end, we ask You, God, to give
us the power to create a better future for
Nigeria, free from negative influences
that have held us back. Guide our leaders
to rule justly, empower them to
positively impact others, and bring
Nigeria out of the current siege that
strangles its potential. Eternal Rock of
Ages, protect our land from the briers
and scorpions – corrupt leaders and
wicked individuals - who have turned
Nigeria into a darkroom where negatives
are developed.
As Nigeria faces banditry,
kidnapping and ritual killings, due to
inadequate security, teach us to take
collective responsibility and work
together to find solutions. Help us
transcend ethnic and primordial divisions
so that Nigerians can work together
towards a safer, more secure future. Let
those who threaten our country bid
farewell to their weapons or get buried
with their weapons and let there be no
more threats against the land. Since no
one pursues the shadow and catches up
with it, let those pursuing us fall in their
thousands at our right hand and tens of
thousands at our left.
As Your Word reminds us, it’s the
Church’s duty to care for the vulnerable,
including widows, prisoners and the
destitute. Almighty God, You are the
Self-Existing, Without Origin! You are
also the Omnipotent, the Omniscient and
the Omnipresent! Grant our leaders
wisdom to champion the rights of the
marginalized, ensuring justice is served,
particularly for those unjustly
imprisoned. Let them expedite trial
reviews, uphold timely justice and bring
hope to the overlooked. Yahweh Elohim,
grant them wisdom to recognize that true
revolution comes from ordinary people
seeking change, not the struggles of the
political elite. Teach them to approach
You with humility and make amends for
past wrongs.
The God of all flesh, it won’t be
sweet enough if we are listening to
others’ stories without others listening to
ours. O God, the One who answers
prayers, use our lives as proof of Your
power this year. You are the God of
generational covenant, the One who is
also The Beginning and The End! In
Your mercy, replace our shame with a
double portion of blessings in all we do
this year. Help us to overcome the flesh
and forgive those who might have
wronged us. You, who know our
limitations, send our destiny helpers to
us, and when they come, do not let them
miss us!
As Nigerians navigate various
challenges, it’s crucial to recognize that
adversity is a natural part of life.
However, our collective future depends
on how we respond to these challenges.
Dear God, teach us to approach our
struggles with resilience and
determination and grant us the power to
harness our collective potential and work
together towards a brighter future. In a
world plagued by greed, gluttony and a
noxious lack of empathy, inspire our
leaders with unwavering dedication to
prioritize elevating societal values over
accumulating wealth.
Like Adam and Eve, who used leaves
to cover their nakedness, Nigerians have
resorted to makeshift solutions to address
our nation’s pressing challenges. But, O
Merciful Father, wherever we have been
naked, we do not ask for leaves but Your
supernatural and unmerited favour. Make
us move beyond temporary fixes and
seek more lasting solutions to our
problems. Let Your angels that control
human affairs cover our nakedness and
let there be a physical manifestation of
our victory.
The Holy One, nobody knows the
name of Peninnah’s children but the
Bible recorded Samuel, the great
prophet, as Hannah’s first child. Jehovah
Jireh, the Infinitely and Unchangingly
True God, bring hope and transformation
amidst challenges. By the reason of Your
covenant, help us emulate Joseph’s
vision and perseverance, which led to his
success in Egypt. Just as the prophets of
Baal were brought down, disgrace and
shame those who seek to destroy our
country for their own gain. Grant us the
courage to transcend our own limitations
and let Your divine power course
through us, revitalize our spirits and
empower us to walk in the fullness of our
potential.
Lord, we reflect on the lives of
biblical giants: Methuselah, who lived
969 years; King David, who despite
living only 70 years, became a pivotal
figure in Jewish history; Moses and
Joshua, who lived 120 and 110 years,
respectively, leaving lasting impacts; and
John the Baptist and Stephen, who,
despite living only 30 years each,
continue to inspire generations. Dear
Heavenly Father, as we reflect on the
lives of these biblical giants, grant us
wisdom to make the most of the time
You’ve given us, and help us to prioritize
what truly matters and to fulfill the
purpose You’ve ordained for us.
Lastly, Lord, Nigeria’s 2024 Tax
Reform Bills have ignited a heated
debate, with supporters promising
economic growth and reduced taxes for
low-income earners, but critics warning
of increased poverty. As we enter 2025,
we recognize that You, our God, are a
Specialist in possibilities. Give our
leaders wisdom to work towards a
brighter future for Nigeria. Guide them
to make decisions that promote
economic prosperity, equality, and
justice for all Nigerians. Bless the
antagonists of the Bills! Soften their
hearts and grant them wisdom to see the
benefits, that they may work towards the
betterment of Nigeria and its people.
May this year bring breakthroughs,
even for those who feel barren and
hopeless, just as Hannah received her
miracle, Samuel!
May the Lamb of God, who takes
away the sin of the world, grant us peace
in Nigeria!
Komolafe wrote from Ijebu-Jesa,
Osun State, Nigeria
(ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)

Page12 TheTrumpet JANUARY 22 - FEBRUARY 4 2025

Opinion
JANUARY 22 - FEBRUARY 4 2025
TheTrumpet
Owa’s throne hijack, Yinka Fasuyi
and his sermon of appeasement
By Omo Bewaji Ofokutu
Page13
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
- George Santayana
British Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain, on 30th September
1938, after signing the Munich
Agreement by which Britain, France and
Italy allowed Adolf Hitler to take control
of a part of Czechoslovakia, got off the
plane from Munich, holding up a piece of
paper which, he said, represented ‘peace
in our time’ and ‘peace with honour’.
At that time, many people believed
that he was right, and that the Munich
Agreement had saved Europe from war!
But, in March 1939, Hitler took all of
Czechoslovakia. And, in September of
the same year, the Second World War
began - when Poland was invaded.
Chamberlain’s confident declarations of
peace are now remembered with great
bitterness at his ineptitude and
supineness.
In the present outrage, the Ijesa are
being administered a sleeping potion
which not a few are eager to swallow in
order to dull the pain of the destruction of
their most sacred institution;
unfortunately, not by a foreign invader,
but by a local satrap!
What is most outrageous and insulting
is this appeal coming from Yinka Fasuyi,
as if he didn’t know what was going on
before the evil was perpetrated. Indeed,
from the way the narrative was being
manipulated, one could simply conclude
that Fasuyi was part of those who
colluded to desecrate the throne of Owa
Obokun of Ijesaland. Why else would he
write his soporific, pleading for the Omo
Oyes to accept the premeditated
obliteration of our sacred throne?
Make no mistake, there are many
throughout history who had chosen the
path of acquiescence, of course, to their
eternal regret. Fortunately for Ijesa, there
have always been brave stalwarts who
rejected such blandishments. I imagine
there must have been some supine Ijesa
who would have counseled the
acceptance of domination by the allconquering
Ibadan war machine in the
19th Century. But Ogedengbe, Arimoro
and others would have none of that! Now,
the people proudly sing “Ijesa re, arogun
yo…“ What would you be singing now if
our ancestors had cringed as we are now
being advised to do?
It is very difficult to see how any right
thinking or self-respecting Ijesa son or
daughter, not to talk of prince or princess,
can accept this gross violation of the
throne of Owa.
So, Yinka Fasuyi should go and
peddle his snake oil somewhere else!
Omo Bewaji Ofokutu,
Ilesa, Osun State.

Page14 TheTrumpet JANUARY 22 - FEBRUARY 4 2025
Opinion
Of Wildfires, Los Angeles, Obasa
and other human stories
By Reuben Abati
“I hope your daughter is safe”
“We thank God. We are all fine. But
which of my daughters do you have in
mind?”
“The one in California. When I read
about the wildfires that destroyed over
six areas in Southern California, it was
you and your daughter that came to my
mind. I called you but in your usual
fashion, you don’t pick your calls and
you are very bad at returning calls.”
“Don’t mind me. Sometimes, I just
get too busy for myself. But to God be
the glory. The fires didn’t reach her own
side of California. But you are right. It
has been a traumatic week for me. I was
permanently on the phone to her, and
even when she told me she was in a safe
area each time I read that the wildfires
were spreading, I died a little. The
commentators online didn’t help
matters. They would say Apocalyptic.
Surreal. Chaotic. Devastating.
Uncontrollable. I became a geography
expert monitoring the fires in California
from Nigeria.”
“I cannot blame you”.
“That girl is my only daughter. She
means everything to me. I have told
these children, live in Nigeria, but once
you send them to school abroad, they
don’t want to come home again. You
won’t see their tail lights again. She is in
California. Her elder brother is in
Canada. The other boy is in the UK. I
should have married a second wife long
ago, to create a second generation of
children instead of sitting all alone in this
big house. They don’t even call. They
are too busy with their own lives. But
what can I do? I commiserate with the
people of Los Angeles, the government
of California, and the United States.”
“Lost Angeles. A lost city”
“Terrible. Entire neighbourhoods
were wiped out by fire. Pacific
Palisades. Hollywood Hills. Eaton.
Hurst. Lidia. Kenneth. Sunset. Woodley.
Olivas. Celebrities lost their homes.
Paris Hilton. Adam Brody. Leighton
Master. Losses running into over $8
billion worth of insurance. Ordinary
people running away from their homes
had to abandon their vehicles as they
were chased by fire and the intense
winds. Total incineration. There is
certainly something in this world that we
do not understand.”
“The fires have been traced to global
warming. The World Meteorological
Organization (WMO) and the EU
Copernicus Climate Change Services
Centre (3SC) have both reported that the
year 2024 has been the hottest year for a
decade, with an average of 1.6C on a
daily basis.”
“I thought the Paris Agreement of
2015 puts the recommended limit at
1.5C. And since then we have been
having the Conference of Parties (COP)
on global climate issues. COP 26 in
Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021, COP 27 in
Sharm El Sheik, Egypt in 2022, COP 28
in Dubai in 2023, COP 29 in Baku,
Azerbaijan in November 2024. I
remember those ones very well. World
leaders meet and they make
commitments, to reduce carbon
emissions to zero, finance climate
adaptation, and create a better world.”
“Hypocrites! Holding Talks. Leaders
of the Global North are quick to talk
about climate finance and climate
adaptation, but they are not committed
to it. We suffer in the Global South far
more, even when we contribute less to
the crisis. And yet we see the world
warming up. Ice glaciers are melting.
Sea levels are rising. Earthquakes are
more frequent. Floods everywhere. If
world temperatures were to rise to 2C,
we would all be dead.”
“There are other theories though,
especially in the lawless Lost Angeles
fires.”
“Tell me”
“Some people are saying that it has
to do with the power supply system in
the County. Electricity poles collapsing
and igniting fires.”
“What I know is the fire chief saying
this is about climate change, low
humidity and rampaging winds fuelling
the fires and that nobody knows when
this rage of nature would end or how far
the wildfires will travel.”
“Hmm So, what is on your mind?
You will ask your daughter to come
back home? Return to Nigeria. We don’t
have wildfires here.”
Wildfires in Southern California
“We are part of humanity. We are all
in this together. Do you know how many
Nigerians live in California? Whatever
happens in any part of the world affects
others. It is when it touches you that you
know. I don’t think my daughter will
even agree to come home. She has a
good job. She is doing well. I just want
her to get married and settle down and
run her own life.”
“How is that your business? Let her
get a husband and inform you.”
“No. It is my business. I want her to
settle down. If she was in her husband’s
house, I would not need to worry about
wildfires in California. I will know she is
not alone. The two of them can look
after each other and their own family,
and I can sleep better here in Nigeria”
“You are getting old”.
“My daughter should not marry?”
“Leave young people to do their
thing. They know how to survive. Stop
sounding like a father in-law who wants
to do Omugwo. I know your type.”
“What is wrong with Omugwo? I can
do it. What is wrong in helping to bring
up my own grandchildren.”
“My friend, go and sit down. It is
women who do post-partum care not
men. Don’t go and disgrace yourself in
your daughter’s house. Two of my
daughters are married. You know that.
Have you ever seen me going to their
houses to help baby sit? It is their mother
that does that. Don’t let your enthusiasm
and lack of experience get the better of
you. Getting a husband for your
daughter, yes, but don’t go to the
ridiculous extent of helping your in-law
to change nappies for his own children?”
“You don’t ever get it.”
“Yes. I don’t ever get anything. But I
am more experienced than you. Listen to
words of wisdom.”
“Obasanjo did well sha”
“What did he do?”
“Last Sunday, he organized a special
memorial service in Abeokuta for
President Jimmy Carter of the United
States who died at 100”
“Oh. That’s a good one. Nice one.
President Carter was a good man. He
was a global citizen. He made more
impact even after his Presidency as a
global Statesman. This is what we tell
our leaders in Africa. Do good. Govern
well. Be useful to humanity in and out of
office. Stop stealing. Look at the bigger
picture ahead. I am sure most
Americans don’t even know where
Abeokuta is on the map, and yet they
have their late President being
celebrated, about 5,000 miles away.
These our African leaders, their own
people will spit on their graves. It is
good to be nice, to leave a legacy of
honour and character. This is the
message of Jimmy Carter’s legacy.”
“This is also about friendship and
loyalty. President Obasanjo found in
President Carter a good friend. He has
chosen to honour him.”
“A friend must be a friend. I know
some people. If their friend dies, their
way of showing loyalty would be to take
over his wife.”
“Are you alright? I am making an
important point, you are talking about
wives. Seriously, are you drunk? You
must just find a way of turning
everything into a joke.”
“Ok. Ok. Sorry. My mind just
strayed. You know how it is. You are
discussing something and then your
mind will just go in another direction,
even to a subject that is totally unrelated.
These days, my mind just goes this way
and that way.”
“Go and see a doctor immediately.
Lunacy. Schizophrenia. Hallucination.
Seek help.”
“You are the one that is mad. I know
what crossed my mind. I am very lucid.”
“Hmm.”
“It is about this woman”
“Which woman? Look, I am not in
the mood for gossip today. I have things
to attend to.”
“I am talking about this woman who,
on January 8, held up a flight from Uyo
to Abuja, Ibom Air because according to
her she would not leave except her
luggage was loaded onto the aircraft and
nobody else will travel also. She made
sure 89 passengers aboard the aircraft
were left stranded. The flight had to be
cancelled. And that is supposed to be
somebody’s wife oh and the mother of
Continued on Page 15>

Opinion
JANUARY 22 - FEBRUARY 4 2025
TheTrumpet
Of Wildfires, Los Angeles, Obasa
and other human stories
Page15
Continued from Page 14<
some children. I pity her husband.”
“What I hear is that the same airline
had failed to carry her luggage before,
citing luggage restrictions. Happening a
second time, she could not take it again.
I think I know where she is coming
from. These Nigerian airlines have very
rude staff. They are so discourteous.
Someone has to get really angry and
teach them a lesson. You will buy
expensive tickets and then one airline
staff will start treating you as if he or she
is doing you a favour. I support the
woman. What nonsense! In fact, she
should have deflated the tyres of the
plane.”
“No. I don’t think you have the right
information. What she did was an act of
terrorism. No matter the provocation, no
air traveller has the right to sabotage the
flight. There were other persons on that
flight who had things to do in Abuja.
They suffered losses, physical and
emotional.”
“Somebody has to stand up to these
Nigerian airlines. They misbehave a lot.
There is no consumer protection. The
last time I wanted to go to Abuja, they
kept me waiting for hours upon hours.
Nobody gave any explanation. The staff
were rude and stupid. A flight that was
scheduled for 2 pm, I did not get to
Abuja until 1 am. One of these days, I
will deflate their tyres and damn the
consequences.”
“Other lives are involved. You will
not do that. Which is precisely the issue
in the Ibom Air case. The airline said the
woman was carrying excess luggage,
and that the aircraft had baggage
restrictions. They offered to get the
luggage to her on arrival. She insisted on
carrying her luggage as hand luggage.
Wahala oh. Nigerians are notorious for
carrying Town Council luggage. They
know us even in Heathrow London, they
had to create a special terminal for
Nigerians. I don’t think anybody should
endanger another person’s life by
disregarding safety regulations.”
“Which safety regulations? If the
Hon Mojisola Meranda
woman had agreed to give the persons at
the counter small bribe, they would
immediately play ball. This is Nigeria.
She just happened to be one of the
difficult ones.”
“I will rather just insist that safety is
important and those who travel by air
must realize that they do not have the
right to inconvenience other people.
Things got so bad in that January 8
incident other passengers wanted to
Jimmy Carter and Olusegun Obasanjo
(Photo - Public Domain, US National Archives and Records Administration)
lynch the woman. But now, I hear the
Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA has
decided to sue the woman.”
“I think the NCAA, Ibom Air, air
travellers and other stakeholders must
see this as a wake-up call to do a lot
more to defend consumers’ interest. I get
your point about safety: baggage
restrictions, not holding up other
passengers and the fact that the Uyo
Rt Hon Mudasiru Obasa
airport is a sunset airport, but let’s tell
ourselves the truth, airlines in Nigeria
have a way of bringing out the worst in
everybody.”
“We all know that. We should all just
try to be civilized about how we manage
our frustrations”
“I hear that the Speaker of the Lagos
State House of Assembly has been
impeached. He was accused of fraud and
abuse of office. Serious drama in Lagos,
yesterday. Even his supporters who
came from Agege to protect and defend
him were whisked away by security
agents.”
“And they were singing on your
mandate we shall stand…on your
mandate!”
“We all know who is standing on
what mandate.”
“It can only be the Jagaban himself.
The Jagaban of Borgu. The Asiwaju of
everywhere. The President-General of
Nigeria. Whoever does not know will
know. If you have ears that still hear,
you will hear: Obleee”
“Whatever. Obasa served for three
terms as Speaker. Now his detractors in
the House say they want to try another
person. A woman has emerged. Mojisola
Meranda from Apapa 1 Constituency.
First female Speaker of the Lagos State
House of Assembly. Congratulations to
her.”
“Does that mean the end of Hon.
Mudashiru Obasa’s political career?”
“No. No. No. I won’t say that. His
tenure as Speaker yes. Immediately he
was impeached, his enemies started
removing his pictures from the walls.
That is life. Today, people praise you. If
you slip a little, they will turn their back
on you. But Obasa remains a member of
the House. He also remains a political
leader in his Agege Constituency. I
smell 2027 politics. The moment I heard
that he was interested in becoming
Governor of Lagos State in 2027, I knew
something was going to happen to him.”
“I hear it is the matter between him
and Governor Babajide Sanwoolu. The
Speaker was becoming too proud for the
Governor. When the President came
home, he tried to sort things out between
them. This is the long hand of the
Godfather of Lagos politics. Obasa is a
victim of power play.”
“Let us hope he gets some clarity.
But no man should be sacrificed for
having an ambition. It is a legitimate
aspiration to want to be Governor. The
Speaker of the House cannot be an
errand boy of the Governor. The part of
the story that needs to be clarified is this
talk about fraud and abuse of office. I
want to hear more about that. What did
he abuse? Tell us. But it is good news
that Lagos now has a female Speaker of
the Lagos House of Assembly. I think I
like that”.
“Me too. Congratulations to her.”
“By the way, the West African
Examinations Council (WAEC) has
introduced resit exams for students who
cannot get five credits at the first sitting.
Between January and March, they can
resit the exam or some papers to enable
them make the next round of college
admissions, instead of having to wait
and lose a whole year.”
“What is in a WAEC exam that a
pupil cannot pass at one sitting? Parents
should encourage their children to get
more serious and stop getting distracted
by social media and music. Sit down,
read, pass. Which resit? This is how we
encourage indolence among secondary
school students.”
“Everyone deserves to be given a
second chance in life. I support the idea
of the early WAEC resit.”
“You will support anything. I am
sure you didn’t pass your own school
cert at the first attempt. So what do I
expect? Olodo people. Anyway, looks
like the Super Eagles now have a new
head coach.
“Yes. His name is Eric Sekou Chelle.
Malian. We will wait and see.”

Page16 TheTrumpet JANUARY 22 - FEBRUARY 4 2025
Opinion
Tax Reform Bills and the
economic outlook for 2025
The Year 2024 has been flogged
to death! With 2025 now
underway, it’s clear that this
year will be crucial for Nigeria and
Nigerians. To ensure a game-changing
year, the government must develop a
comprehensive framework to address
the economic, social and political
challenges ahead.
To begin with, President Bola
Tinubu should leverage his political
expertise to facilitate a consensusdriven
approach to the Tax Reform
Bills currently before the National
Assembly. This requires negotiating
with regional stakeholders, addressing
politically-driven concerns, and finding
common ground to ensure the Bills’
successful passage.
The Tax Reform Bills are to be
commended as the much-needed
attempt to get the country back to
where it was before the suspension of
the 1963 Republican Constitution by a
misguided set of people in 1965. Yes,
Nigeria must become a producer nation
again! This is the only way to pull tens
of millions out of poverty, create jobs
and nurture a political economy based
on shared economic prosperity.
The fantasy coming from some
people that Nigeria can continue to defy
the law of gravity and go on with the
assumption-based political economy
must be consigned to the dustbin. So,
the Federal Government has a
responsibility to push upfront an
economic spokesperson who can
present its economic position with the
clear lucidity necessary to shift the
territory of the debate in favour of its
own position. This has to be done with
the sense of urgency that the current
situation demands!
When President Tinubu took office,
Nigeria faced significant challenges,
including widespread insecurity,
underdeveloped infrastructure and a
debt service-to-revenue ratio of 97%.
The country also struggled with a
massive Forex backlog of $7 billion
and many State governments’ inability
to pay salaries. These pressing issues
underscored the need for urgent
reforms to get the country back on
track.
By 2025, Nigeria’s economy is
poised for growth, driven by increased
oil production, projected to reach two
million barrels per day, and enhanced
domestic refining capabilities. Building
on recent momentum, Nigeria has
achieved notable economic gains, with
its Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
growing by 3.46% and unemployment
rates decreasing to 4.3%. The country’s
fuel imports are also declining rapidly,
and it has begun exporting Premium
Motor Spirit (PMS) to West Africa and
Europe.
Contrary to former Vice President
Atiku Abubakar’s claims, Nigeria has
made significant strides in managing its
debt. The country has reduced its
revenue-debt service ratio from over
90% to 64%, indicating a marked
improvement in its debt management.
Furthermore, Nigeria’s foreign reserves
have increased substantially to over $40
billion, despite the challenges of
servicing external debts and clearing
foreign exchange backlogs. These
positive developments are expected to
strengthen the Naira, ultimately leading
to a reduction in the cost of goods and
services.
Infrastructure development is
another area where Nigeria is making
progress. The Lagos-Calabar coastal
road is under construction and it’ll soon
be the turn of the Sokoto-Badagry
highway. Likewise, initiatives such as
the student loan scheme by NELFUND
and consumer credit by CrediCorpNG
are gaining traction, providing financial
support to individuals and businesses.
The Tinubu-led government is
taking steps to promote autonomy for
local governments, modernise the
livestock industry and restructure social
investment programmes. Efforts to
address insecurity, such as (the
detention of) Simon Ekpa, banditry and
farmers-herders clashes, are also
yielding positive results, indicating
improved social cohesion.
To effectively address inflation in
2025, the government should consider
implementing a comprehensive
Inflation Reduction Act. But then, this
would require strong political will! Key
components of the Act should include
cost-efficiency measures, such as
implementing the Oronsaye Report and
designating a cost-efficiency czar -
preferably the Minister of State in the
Ministry of Finance or the Secretary to
the Government of the Federation. This
czar would be responsible for
overseeing the implementation of
performance-based budgeting, ensuring
the budget is aligned with specific
timelines and objectives.
The National Assembly should
adopt a Performance Planning
Budgeting System for its oversight
functions. It is alarming that, since
1999, the Assembly has not established
a Congressional Budgeting Office to
provide technical expertise. This
oversight contributes to Nigeria’s
underperformance, and the current
Assembly must address this flaw. To
tackle economic challenges,
implementing the Inflation Reduction
Act and declaring a State of Emergency
in ports and trade facilitation systems
could help streamline trade processes,
reduce inflation, and stimulate growth.
Nigeria must revamp its trade
BY ABIODUN
KOMOLAFE
facilitation mechanisms. There’s no
alternative! This overhaul should be
accompanied by an Inflation Reduction
Act that fosters partnerships with the
States and Local Governments to
revamp rural roads and promote
integrated rural development. To
combat food price inflation, the
President should reinvigorate his
commitment to creating an enabling
environment for modern commodity
exchanges. These exchanges are a
crucial tool in reducing inflation and
addressing the current economic
challenges. Ultimately, the government
must prioritize inflation reduction in its
economic policy and ensure this goal is
reflected in the 2025 budget.
It is our belief that there’s already a
Technical Committee in progress,
examining what will be the signs and
wonders of the Trump Presidency in
terms of the global cost of oil prices and
the effects of proposed tariff hikes on
international trade. Since we are not
God, instead of questioning Donald
Trump’s character, we must be as
proactive as we were in responding to
the devaluation of the British Pound
Sterling in 1967. Nigeria’s response to
the British devaluation as a member of
the Sterling Group earned the country
great plaudits and admiration across the
world. Essentially therefore, there must
be a plan! Before we start clapping for
Trump, there must be strategies in place
to project his policies rather than his
character!
A Trump Presidency begins on
January 20; and, like the Boy Scout,
Nigeria must be prepared! It is to be
hoped that a savvy international trade
negotiating team is already in place. It
is going to be very hard! We must be
prepared!
May the Lamb of God, who takes
away the sin of the world, grant us
peace in Nigeria!
Komolafe wrote from Ijebu-Jesa,
Osun State, Nigeria
(ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)
TheTrumpet is published in London fortnightly by Trumpet
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