The first and most infamous school abduction was the Chibok Schoolgirls incident of April 14, 2014, when 276 students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State, were whisked off into Sambisa Forest by Boko Haram jihadist terrorists. Though some of them were recovered, more than 100 of them remain unaccounted for.

It turned out that the promise of the highway was a ploy to deflect attention and criticism from Buhari’s selfish and unpatriotic squandering of borrowed funds from China to build a railway from Kano to Maradi in his father’s native country, Niger Republic. Meanwhile, the Eastern railways network which were also begging for attention were ignored.

Akpabio’s “enjoyment” outlook, which the Executive seems eager to nurture ahead of the people’s welfare after the petrol subsidy full implementation, has not bolstered the people’s confidence in the 10th National Assembly.

Six years later in September 2021, Buhari again ordered all the identity collation agencies to ensure that a central biometric identity platform was established before he left office in 2023. 

The pathetic case of intending corps members from Akwa Ibom who were kidnapped by bandits in Zamfara State brings back the debate as to whether the scheme as it is has outlived its usefulness.

But in a country like Nigeria, which is mottled with large swathes of ungoverned spaces in its 10,000-kilometre waterways, avoidable river accidents are the sad experiences citizens are forced to put up with.

The most sinister part of this crisis is that, up until today, the Federal Government has even refused to officially situate the armed herdsmen militias and their sponsors as the terrorists that the world has classified them as.

It is high time we let countries like the UAE know that Nigeria has a whole lot more to offer than it had showcased before now. 

The only interest that Tinubu and his fellow West African leaders have in the Niger imbroglio is the fear that their own hold on power could be endangered. Apart from that, Nigeria’s national interest was never threatened by the change of government.

The neglect of our healthcare professionals is even more pathetic at the state levels. In Abia State, for instance, teaching hospital and other medical staff were once owed 23 months salaries, for which they embarked on a strike that lasted over six months. 

Project abandonment is a pastime for most Nigerian leaders. One of the few positive things that could be said about Muhammadu Buhari’s regime is that he continued many elite projects he inherited from his predecessors. These included the revival of the railway network, the continuation of some federal trunk roads, and completion of the Second Niger Bridge.

However, we want to remind him that charity begins at home. Experts believe that hunting for foreign investors while our domestic investors have not been given enough rope to prove the fertility of the Nigerian economy may end up attracting more of hustlers than the real, strategic investors we need.

It is these same conditions of corruption, misrule and leaders serving as puppets of the former colonial master, France, and otherwise independent countries becoming the battleground of world powers that torched off the “Sahel Spring”, which could grow even further.

The image of Mandela’s infectious smile is etched in the minds of those who admired him. Despite the immense challenges he faced, he always presented himself with grace and warmth. His gentle demeanor and genuine kindness were reflected in every interaction he had,  whether with world leaders or ordinary citizens.

For this and other reasons, Nigeria has a terrible image internationally. Our green passport enjoys little prestige or value. Nigerians are regularly targeted for xenophobic attacks, especially right here on the continent of Africa. Unfortunately, our foreign missions have proved incapable of responding to the needs of the Nigerian diaspora due to poor funding and governance of our diplomatic sector.