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Benin Control, president’s company running our revenues – Opposition

Published

6 years ago

June 30, 2019

The Alliance for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (ASDA) says the `Benin Control’ a company belonging to the current president of Benin Republic, President Patrice Talon runs the country’s revenue.

Dr Prosper Agbesi, the Chairman and Presidential candidate of ASDA said this in a News Conference in Abuja on Saturday.

“ We have a president whose company runs our ports, the cotton(industry); our Customs does not run the revenue but his company, his company is called `Benin Control’.

“Can you have something like that in Nigeria where President Buhari’s company is running the revenue?

“The cotton is him, the hotel(industry) is him, there is no job for our people, now they are killing our people in the country, we don’t have any help,’’ he said.

Agbesi also called for President Talon’s resignation as he has lost the trust of the people of Benin.

“This man has lost the trust of our people, there is no more trust between us and him.

“He just needs to resign and we are going to put in place a government of unity. We don’t want violence, we don’t want confrontation, we just want him to resign.

“We also want a re-election of the parliament, and we want all our people in exile to come home”.

According to him, ‘more than half of our people are out of the country in exile in the neighbouring countries, I had to go and help some of them the last time’.

He said that the people of Benin are mourning as we speak and that there is no hope for the people.

“Our people are mourning because we have an illegal parliament, we have someone who has taken over every institution in our country.

“Benin has transformed into a one party state, the over ten political parties in opposition have no single representation at all in the country’s 83-member legislature.

“The national assembly members were barred from contesting the most recent parliamentary elections held in march, through the sudden and unconstitutional changes to the electoral code introduced a month to the elections’’.

He said that right now, Talon is ruling without any legislative checks and balances whatsoever.

“It is instructive that the new legislature, comprising entirely members of the president’s party and his closest political allies, was elected into office by just 27 per cent of the registered electorate which translates into less than 10 per cent of the country’s entire population’’.

He therefore thanked President Buhari for his intervention so far in the country and asked for more help to restore democracy in Benin.

“The step that Buhari has taken is noble. we must thank him for putting his foot down for the former president to be released from prison, he was sick.

“A former president was kept under house arrest for 54 days without telling us the charges. We thank President Buhari for what he is doing in Benin, but it is not enough.

“We are very honorable people as Benin people and yet you have from 18 to 40 years old people filling all the prisons in Benin, and this is the first time it is happening.

Agbesi said that if given the opportunity to rule Benin, he will work together with Nigeria for the benefit of the two countries.

“I must use this opportunity to tell the leadership of Nigeria that Benin and Nigeria constitute an integral economy.

“If I take over(leadership), I’m telling Nigeria that this is your place, let us do business together. Gone are those days when small countries insist on autonomy in every area of life.

“I want to be called the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Benin, because we have to integrate our economy by first of all growing our country’s GDP: what we care about is the health care of our people, the education of our people and the infrastructure’’.

He alleged that Talon and his cabal are making open their bid for autocratic, unchallenged power in Benin.

“Democracy is being forcibly discarded and replaced with autocracy, right before our very eyes, and this has been on for several years now but over the past few months, it has exploded into an open agenda.

“The overwhelming majority of the people who are actively protesting are being met with armed force, getting injured, maimed and even killed on the streets of their own country by agents of the very government which claims it is in office through the mandate these people gave it.

“This is why, we, the political opposition have come together to save our country, to avert a physical showdown between unarmed civilians and armed agents of a repressive government led by a proven unethical leader”.

He said that fundamental human rights, such as freedom of expression and association have, to all intents and purposes been revoked.

“As human history has vividly shown time after time, this situation presents the likelihood of an impending blood bath, while the people of Benin only have the moral arms and ammunition, the forces they are opposing have all the physical weapons and the will to use them without restraint.

“The only way to avert Talon’s bid for autocratic power and restore Benin to normalcy without sacrificing the precious lives of countless innocent Beninoise is to apply non-violent pressure.

“This means a combination of passive civil disobedience at home and international pressure in the form of sanctions from abroad,’’ he added.

He also called on The Kingdom of Morocco to leave Benin alone and stop supporting president Talon.

“We have many people who have been killed after the illegal election, I want you people to send message to Morocco to keep away from us.

“Morocco must stay away, we have strong information that the people who are backing the dictator of Benin are from Morocco: people are dying over there and they are sitting at the same table with them’’.

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Presidency Refutes Afenifere’s Deceitful Statement on President Bola Tinubu’s Midterm:

Published

3 days ago

June 5, 2025

The Gleamer

Chief Sunday Dare

The statement from a factional Afenifere group raises serious concerns about a penchant and deliberate attempt to find faults and trade in deceit instead of objectivity. The group has found it challenging to accept that under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s comeback story is firmly underway.

The rebellious Afenifere claims that President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s performance over the past two years has witnessed a regression in human development, economic mismanagement, and democratic backsliding.

This is a jaundiced view, echoing the view of opposition politicians, one of whom the group supported in the 2023 election.

A balanced assessment based on available data reveals a more objective and progressive picture, with significant achievements amid the challenges expected from a country like Nigeria with decades-old problems.

Beyond its confounding conclusions based on prejudice, the statement raises the following issues. With the ensuing point-by-point clarification, it will become clear that the group’s position is neither grounded in facts nor logic.

Economic Reforms and Their Impact

The factional Afenifere’s claim that Tinubu’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira, have led to “unmitigated sufferings” and “economic deforms” seeks to draw attention to some of the challenges but overlooks the macroeconomic gains. The removal of the fuel subsidy, announced on May 29, 2023, saved the government over $10 billion in 2023 alone, reducing fiscal strain and redirecting funds to other sectors. Unifying the foreign exchange market and the naira’s floatation aimed to address distortions in the currency market, boosted foreign reserves to $38.1 billion by 2024 and achieved a trade surplus of N18.86 trillion for the country.

Under the Tinubu administration, Nigeria’s annual inflation rate fell to 23.71% in April 2025 from 24.23% in the prior month. Food inflation, the most significant component of the inflation basket, remained elevated but moderated to 21.26% from 21.79%

While these figures indicate stabilisation, the immediate impact on ordinary Nigerians is not lost. The government’s cash transfer programme, which provides funds to the poorest households and benefits over 5.7 million households, is a credible outreach.

However, dismissing the twin policies as “unforced errors” ignores the unsustainable nature of the previous subsidy regime and multiple exchange rate systems, which were draining public finances. A more balanced critique would acknowledge the necessity of reform while emphasising the need for better-targeted social safety nets.

As of today, the Tinubu administration has recorded over 900,000 beneficiaries of the Presidential Loan and Grant Scheme, over 600,000 beneficiaries of the Students’ Loan Scheme, NELFUND, N70,000 minimum wage, NYSC monthly stipend increase from N33,000 to N77,000, Free CNG kits distributed to thousands of commercial drivers across Nigeria with CNG buses rolled out in partnership with state governments, leading to a significant drop in transport costs. The administration also recorded over $10 Billion FX debt cleared, Federal account allocation to states growing by 60%, enabling more local development projects, N50 billion released to end the perennial ASUU strikes, and over 1,000 PHCs revitalised nationwide with an additional 5,500 undergoing upgrades.

The administration also disbursed N75 Billion in palliative funds to states and LGs for food distribution and cash transfers, over 150,000 youths are being trained in software development, tech support and data analysis under the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) project, over 20,000 affordable housing units under construction under the renewed Hope cities program launched across Nigeria, N200 Billion in Loans to farmers and agro-processors. Other gains: over two million Nigerians are now connected to new digital infrastructure and community broadband hubs and public WiFi projects, 3.84% GDP growth in Q4 2024 (highest in 3 years), over $50 Billion in new FDI Commitments, Net Foreign Exchange Reserves up from $3.99 Billion (2023) to $23.11 Billion (2024), over $8 Billion in new oil and gas investments unlocked, and over $800 million realised in processing investments in solid minerals in 2024 and inflation as at April was down to 23.17%.

It is now pertinent to inquire from opposition leaders about alternative strategies they would propose in contrast to this administration’s extensive list of significant achievements currently benefiting Nigerians in real-time.

Cost of Governance and the Oronsaye Report

The assertion that the Tinubu administration has failed to implement the Oronsaye Report and instead increased governance costs is inaccurate. The Oronsaye Report, which recommends the merger or scrapping of government agencies to reduce expenditure, has not been fully implemented and has drawn criticisms; it must be noted, however, that the administration has made some efforts to improve fiscal discipline. The fiscal deficit was reduced from 5.4% of GDP in 2023 to 3.0% in 2024, and the debt service-to-revenue ratio dropped from nearly 100% in 2022 to under 40% by 2024. The government also recorded over N6 trillion in revenue in Q1 2025, partly due to removing Ways & Means financing and fuel subsidies. These steps demonstrate fiscal prudence and will eventually translate into immediate, tangible relief for citizens. The administration is working earnestly to address these optics and prioritise cost-cutting measures, including implementing the Oronsaye Report, to restore public trust.

Allegations of Prebendalism and Corruption

Afenifere’s claim that the administration favours “the privileged and connected” through corrupt palliative distribution and mega-project allocations is questionable. Reports of palliatives being mismanaged or distributed through unverified channels have no doubt surfaced, raising concerns about transparency.

The administration has taken steps against corruption, such as suspending Humanitarian Affairs Minister Betta Edu in January 2024 over alleged fund diversion, signalling some commitment to accountability. Critics may argue that more systemic action is needed, but dismissing all the efforts as propaganda overlooks these initial steps.

Without abusing Presidential powers, the administration is working on expediting action on all pending investigations and prosecution of corrupt practices. At the same time, critical agencies are collating credible evidence on ongoing corruption litigations. It must, however, be noted that in 2024, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured a record-breaking 4,111 convictions, marking its most successful year since its inception. They recovered over N364 billion and significant amounts in foreign currencies, including $214.5 Million, $54,318.64, and 31,265 Euros.

The EFCC achieved its single most significant asset recovery in 2025, with the final forfeiture of an Abuja estate measuring 150,500 square meters and containing 725 units of duplexes and other apartments. The EFCC concluded the final forfeiture and handed the estate to the Ministry of Housing in May 2025.

Democratic Concerns and Centralisation

Afenifere’s accusation that the Tinubu administration is pursuing a “one-party state totalitarianism” and undermining democratic institutions is unsupported and lacks merit. The claim of neutralising the legislature and judiciary is also a false alarm.

The public should note that the Supreme Court has upheld opposition victories in states like Kano, Plateau, and Abia, suggesting judicial independence. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has faced criticism for allegedly appointing individuals said to be ruling party affiliates, but no evidence confirms these appointees are card-carrying APC members.

The allegation that the Tinubu government cracks down on peaceful protesters is primarily unfounded. It is a regurgitated rhetoric deployed under previous administrations as a reflection of broader challenges in Nigeria’s democratic culture.

The issue of the State Police is more complex than the oversimplified approach of the factional Afenifere’s statement. Every administration policy is subject to security impact assessment before implementation, and there is a difference between the State Police being widely advocated and a Police State that critics may blame the Federal Government for if implemented without caution.

Security and Social Welfare

Contrary to the impression created, the administration’s security record is impressive. Over 13,500 terrorists, bandits, and insurgents have been neutralised and 7,000 arrested in the past year, though there is still some news of abductions and violent attacks. The administration’s proactive response to security-related matters has paved the way for more farmers to return to their farms, impacting food production and supply.

The administration also embarked on agricultural initiatives, including tractor procurement, fertiliser distribution, and increased mechanisation.

The government has also not relented on its Regional Development drive as the administration succeeded in establishing Development Commissions across 6 Geopolitical zones (South West, North West, North Central. North East, South East and the Niger Delta) to empower communities and accelerate developments.

Political Climate and 2027 Elections
The claims of government-sponsored conflicts within opposition parties lack concrete evidence and should be ignored.

Economic reforms are undoubtedly laying the foundation for long-term stability, with GDP growth at 4.6% in Q4 2024 and a Fitch B credit rating upgrade as evidence. Moody’s Investors Service’s latest upgrade of Nigeria’s rating from Caa1 to B3, with a Stable Outlook, indicates that the Tinubu administration is on the right path.

The government is not oblivious to some discontent and difficult times among Nigerians. There is an urgency to deliver more tangible results, which is guaranteed given the impressive performance of the administration in just two years.

Afenifere’s statement saw the cup as half empty. On the contrary, it’s half full. Under President Tinubu’s administration, some of Nigeria’s hydra-headed problems are being tackled headlong.

The administration has achieved fiscal improvements, such as reduced deficits and increased revenues, which will eventually translate into meaningful microeconomic relief for most Nigerians in the short term, even as the government moves to address these issues with greater empathy and transparency.

The administration’s demonstrable priorities are securing the nation, fixing the economy, and improving human capital development.

Responsible citizens and political leaders must work collaboratively with the administration to address the challenges and counter disinformation, as highlighted in the admonition against fake news and deceptive AI videos.

Under President Tinubu’s leadership, Nigeria is turning the corner. From stabilising the naira and curbing inflation to reducing debt burdens and

expanding access to education and health, the administration delivers bold reforms with actual results. With improved security, regional inclusion, anti-corruption measures, and institutional rebuilding, Nigeria’s comeback story is not yet complete — but it is firmly underway.

– Sunday Dare is the Special Adviser to Mr. President on Media and Public Communications.

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