The World Bank is set to approve fresh loans totalling $632m to Nigeria today (Monday) amid mounting concerns over the country’s rising debt profile, The TheNigerian reports.

The loans are to support critical areas, including nutrition improvement and quality basic education.

Information obtained from the World Bank’s website on Sunday showed that the two loans expected to be approved today include $80m for the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria 2.0 project and $552m for the HOPE for Quality Basic Education for All programme.

Both projects are currently in the negotiation stage and are expected to receive final approval later today. These new loans form part of a broader strategy by the World Bank to support Nigeria’s development agenda, focusing on healthcare, education, and community resilience.

The loans are expected to boost the government’s efforts to improve nutrition outcomes and enhance access to quality education for Nigerian children.

Meanwhile, the World Bank had already approved a $500m loan to Nigeria last Friday to support the country’s Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus Programme.

The approval, which took place on March 28, 2025, marked a significant step towards addressing Nigeria’s economic challenges through expanded access to livelihood support, food security services, and grants for poor and vulnerable households and firms.

The programme, officially titled the NIGERIA: Community Action (for) Resilience and Economic Stimulus Programme, is designed to provide essential support to households affected by economic downturns and bolster community resilience.

The initiative targets vulnerable populations by offering grants to households and small businesses to mitigate the economic hardships they face.

The loan approval is expected to significantly enhance Nigeria’s efforts to stimulate the economy through grassroots support, particularly amid ongoing challenges such as inflation and high living costs. The stimulus package will focus on improving food security and creating economic opportunities for communities hardest hit by recent economic fluctuations.

This approval occurred amid a delay in releasing funds for a previous loan targeted at poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

Further checks by The TheNigerian showed that the World Bank disbursed to Nigeria about $315m out of the $800m approved for the National Social Safety-Net Program Scale Up.

For over a year, Nigeria has yet to get any further funds from the World Bank on this loan project, which was approved in December 2021. The delay in funds disbursement is likely linked to the issues of fraud detected under the programme.

President Bola Tinubu launched a social safety net programme that will distribute N25,000 to 15 million homes for three months in observance of the 2023 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation was tasked with carrying out the $800m World Bank loan project.

However, the Federal Government had to suspend the cash transfer programme for further investigation and revamping following alleged misappropriations within the programme.

Former humanitarian minister, Betta Edu, was earlier suspended due to the misappropriation of N585m earmarked for palliative distribution.

Also, Edu’s predecessor, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, was being investigated by the EFCC. The ex-minister is being probed over an alleged laundering of N37.1bn during her tenure as a minister.

The World Bank also issued sanctions to individuals and businesses found committing fraud under the programmes.

Earlier, The TheNigerian reported that the Federal Government would likely secure six new loans totalling $2.23bn from the World Bank in 2025 as the international financial institution continues to support the country’s economic and structural reforms.

Data from the World Bank’s official website indicates that this will bring Nigeria’s total approved loans to $9.25bn over three years, reflecting a growing reliance on multilateral funding to support critical sectors of the economy, including infrastructure, healthcare, education, and economic resilience.

An analysis of Nigeria’s loan approvals from the World Bank since 2023 under the administration of President Bola Tinubu shows a significant increase in funding commitments.

In 2023, the World Bank approved loans amounting to $2.7bn, which primarily targeted projects in renewable energy, women’s empowerment, education, and the power sector.

The funding approvals recorded in 2024 significantly surpassed those of the previous year, with a total of $4.32bn allocated to various projects. This increase was largely due to Nigeria’s growing need for financial assistance to stabilise the economy amid mounting fiscal pressures and rising public debt.

For 2025, Nigeria is looking to secure six new loans from the World Bank, with a combined value of $2.23bn. The planned loans cover key sectors, such as digital infrastructure, healthcare, education, nutrition, and community resilience.

Under the administration of President Bola Tinubu, the World Bank has approved around 11 different loan projects for Nigeria.

In less than two years, the Federal Government has secured loans worth $7.45bn from the World Bank, raising concerns about the growing debt burden. According to data from the Debt Management Office, the World Bank’s share of Nigeria’s external debt amounts to $17.32bn, as of the third quarter of 2024.

The bulk of this debt is owed to the International Development Association, which accounts for $16.84bn, representing 39.14 per cent of Nigeria’s total external debt. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, another arm of the World Bank, is owed $485.08m, or 1.13 per cent.

While the proposed World Bank loans could provide much-needed fiscal relief, concerns remain over the country’s rising debt burden. Recent data from the Central Bank of Nigeria indicate that the country has spent $5.47bn on external debt servicing in the past 14 months, highlighting the strain on its foreign reserves.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, earlier said that rather than accumulating more debt, the government is prioritising alternative funding sources such as revenue generation, concessional loans, and strategic investments.

“We are at that optimisation stage, where there is less focus on borrowing, particularly from the commercial markets, which is quite high. We are focusing more on optimising assets and attracting private sector investment, whether domestic or foreign,” Edun said.

However, the consistent growth in the World Bank’s financial commitments to Nigeria, from $2.7bn in 2023 to $4.32bn in 2024, and the anticipated $2.23bn in 2025, highlights the country’s increasing dependence on concessional financing to drive structural reforms and public sector investments.

As Nigeria continues to navigate its debt challenges, experts emphasise the importance of efficient fund utilisation and transparent project execution to ensure that these loans yield meaningful economic and social benefits.

Speaking with TheNigerian on Sunday, development economist Dr Aliyu Ilias expressed concerns about Nigeria’s borrowing approach, stating that while borrowing itself is not inherently bad, it has become problematic given the country’s current economic situation.

“I think borrowing itself is not bad, but at the point Nigeria is now, borrowing is becoming a bad thing,” he said.

Ilias noted that during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, borrowing was widely criticised, and many had hoped that the current government would avoid taking on new debt.

He pointed out that the Tinubu administration has generated more revenue compared to previous governments since the Fourth Republic in 1999.

He highlighted various revenue-generating measures undertaken by the current government, such as the removal of fuel subsidies, increased electricity tariffs for Band A, and the proposed tax reforms.

He also recalled that the Federal Government announced a significant increase in revenue for the Federal Inland Revenue Service earlier this year, leading to an upward adjustment of the national budget.

Ilias questioned the rationale behind further borrowing despite these revenue gains, suggesting that the government should focus on managing existing resources more efficiently.

He also criticised the reliance on the debt-to-GDP ratio as a measure of debt sustainability, warning that the proposed rebasing of the GDP could encourage more borrowing.

“I was expecting that in the first four years of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, the government would not embark on borrowing,” he said.

In a related development, during a media interactive session in Abuja over the weekend, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Dr Tayo Aduloju, called for a more strategic approach to borrowing.

He said, “We need to be creative about the borrowing plan. How much domestic borrowing we need to do. How much external borrowing we need to do, and at what price.”

Aduloju emphasised the importance of balancing domestic and external borrowing while ensuring that critical infrastructure projects are prioritised and tied to disciplined financing.

He noted that a well-planned borrowing strategy could enhance project implementation and public perception.

He also advocated for a shift towards an economy driven by foreign direct investment rather than excessive borrowing as a more sustainable economic model.

Several eminent Nigerians, former governors and past public office holders expressed fears on Monday over the falling standards of democracy in Nigeria, arguing that it left much to be desired.

They voiced their fears at a colloquium held at the Abuja Intercontinental Hotel to mark the 60th birthday celebration of former Governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, which was chaired by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Also in attendance were former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Emeka Anyaoku; former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi; former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; and the immediate past Governor of Katsina, Aminu Masari.

In his keynote address titled ‘Is Democracy Failing in Africa?’ Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, lamented that it seemed like Nigeria’s democracy only worked for a few selected persons.

The cleric also noted that such feeling had fuelled a debate on the suitability of the Nigerian Constitution, which had constantly put pressure on the judiciary.

He said, “We as Africans inherited a system that is not ours, but we can’t say it is not relevant to us. There are differences between democracy in Asia and that of Africa. I feel sorry for judges. At the last election, even small me, I had people calling me, complaining, talk to this, talk to that.

“There was pressure on judges to deliver justice. I agree that there’s an urgent need to clean up the mess. Democracy is about everything, and it’s about justice. Democracy and its principles are endless contestations. There are certain things God has given us which people can’t control.”

Kukah urged politicians to borrow a leaf from the cat-and-mouse relationship between Obasanjo and Atiku, which he said also helped to deepen democracy.

“The relationship between Obasanjo and Atiku is like a Catholic marriage. You will quarrel without breaking up. No constitution will be better than the Bible and Koran. Yet, we are still living in sin. The weaponisation of religion is a big problem in Nigeria.

“Democracy is a work in progress. God doesn’t discriminate against either Christian or Muslim prayers. If we are not treating each other rightly, one must be a bastard.”

But Obi disagreed with Kukah’s assertion that Nigeria’s democracy was a work in progress.

According to him, many progressive minded leaders from 1999 have been striving to raise the bar of the country’s democracy to an enviable height.

“They started in 199, and laid the foundation. Some people came and took it to the decking while others were trying to raise it to the first floor. And then, some people came and knocked everything down.

“That is the situation we are now. Everything has been knocked down. Nothing works. I am somebody who can say this exemplarily. I became a governor through the court when President Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice President Atiku Abubakar were in government.

“I did not pay the court one naira. I was sitting in my office and the court declared me the winner when the governor was hosting them. It can’t happen in Nigeria today,” he bemoaned.

To buttress how low the country had gone, Obi recalled the incident that transpired during his impeachment as Anambra governor, saying he was surprised to see the emissaries former President Obasanjo sent to intervene on his behalf.

The former LP presidential candidate noted that the likes of Ken Nnamani, a former Senate President, came pleading profusely with the state House of Assembly members not to impeach him.

He said, “Today, the President will impeach the person. So, it has collapsed and failed. These people were begging the House of Assembly not to impeach me. They were in PDP and I was in APGA. President Obasanjo was calling me, asking ‘Peter, are you okay?’ Even when I was impeached, Obasanjo called me and said ‘Are you safe?’

“When the court eventually declared me winner, President Yar’ Adua called me while I was in London and said, ‘congratulations.’ I said, ‘Mr President, I can’t come back. He said, ‘tell me the flight you are coming back with.’ I told him. When I came back, the military came to receive me at the airport. I couldn’t believe it.

“They took me straight to him (Yar’ Adua). Now, the President would ask me not to come back here again. So, democracy has failed. Let’s talk about how to rebuild it because it is collapsing.”

On his part, Obasanjo said what Africawas practising today was a mere reflection of ‘representative democracy.’

“Abraham Lincoln describes it as a government of the people, by the people and for the people. But what do we have today? The Greek democracy affects everyone. Democracy has now become representative democracy and it hasn’t taken care of everyone.

“Democracy in Africa has failed because it’s not African, it didn’t have our culture and way of lives. You will say, ‘go to court’ when you know that you can’t get justice. Democracy is dying in Africa and to save it, it should be made in the context of Africa,” Obasanjo said.

Speaking at the event, Atiku reflected on the price many leaders paid for the realisation of democratic rule.

“In my case, I ran into exile because Abacha was very hostile,” he said.

The former Vice President, however, praised Ihedioha for remaining loyal despite belonging to different political platforms.

“Emeka and I have kept this relationship and till today I have found him extremely loyal, dedicated and focused even though sometimes we found ourselves on different political divides but we kept our relationship and I think that testifies with the kind of person Emeka is,” he said.

Former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal believes Nigerians can make democracy thrive as long as everybody is willing to play their roles.

An emotional Tambuwal, who condemned the recent state of emergency imposed on Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu, criticised the National Assembly for the unconstitutional manner it approved it.

He said, “Democracy will work if the actors play by the rules. It’s work in progress. Under OBJ (Obasanjo), state of emergency was declared. The NASS worked together to ensure that 2/3 majority passed the emergency. Each member had to vote.

“In this same NASS we have same constitution. What happened in the last one? We need to chase out the bad operators in democracy.”

Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, however, said it was high time Nigeria reviewed the 1999 Constitution to address the plethora of problems plaguing its structure.

According to him, the country cannot afford to lose its enviable status in the international community.

“As Commonwealth Secretary-General, I helped members to transit to multi-party democracy. We need a new constitution to address many challenges. True federalism is the answer to the management of national issues. The recent coups in Mali and Niger tend to take us back.

“The nature of our politics and the conduct of our politicians is another problem of our democracy. They have become instruments of capturing political power. It’s only true, stable democratic governance that can rid our country of the crises which impede development.

“I believe that Nigeria can change this Eurocentric narrative. We in Africa and Nigeria have a responsibility to get a stable democracy and change the Eurocentric narrative,” he stated.

However, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, holds a contrary view.

While acknowledging Nigeria is plagued by significant challenges, Abbas emphasised that the country was making steady progress.

He said, “For me, it depends on what we make of democracy in Africa. Only by understanding that, and deeply reflecting on it, can we be in a position to say if democracy has added value to development and growth in the continent or not.

“For me and the 10th House of Representatives, democracy has come to stay in Africa and indeed Nigeria. It is a process which over the past two decades has crystalised into an acceptable model of leadership and it is being consolidated in our nation. Nigeria is making steady progress despite varying challenges characteristic of a developing nation.

“One of the basic features of democracy is the periodic conduct of elections to choose leaders. This is the essence of democracy.”

The pump prices of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) in neighbouring Niger Republic have started reducing following the supply of the commodity from Nigeria, The TheNigerian reports.

Multiple residents in border communities and insider security sources familiar with the development confirmed that hundreds of petrol tankers have started making their way from Nigeria to Niger Republic.

Recall that on March 16, 2025, Sunday TheNigerian exclusively reported that Niger Republic had turned to Nigeria for help after being hit by fuel shortage. The West African country reached out to Nigeria despite months of diplomatic tensions and hostile rhetoric.

The report stated that a delegation of senior officials of the military junta travelled down to Abuja to meet Federal Government representatives. At the end of the deliberation, 300 trucks of PMS were reportedly approved for delivery to the country.

A senior government official had told Sunday TheNigerian that the deal was approved with the hope of using it as a “strategic bargaining tool” in ongoing negotiations with Niger.

The source, who spoke in confidence due to the diplomatic nature of the matter, had said, “We do not want to blow our trumpet. Rather, we want to use it as a bargaining chip for negotiation, as we continue to engage with them to bring them back to ECOWAS.

“Let them get more from us. I am confident that gradually they will come back to ECOWAS because they do not have enough resources to import food to sustain their citizens.”

Commenting on the development on Sunday, multiple residents in border communities and security sources stated that a lot of trucks had been moving petrol from Nigeria to Niger Republic.

The Nigeria Customs Service could not confirm this, stating that it was a diplomatic issue. But insider security sources confirmed it, a development that led to the reduction in the prices of petrol from about N10,000/litre which it sold last week in the Niger Republic to around N5,000/litre on Sunday.

Our correspondent gathered that the fuel situation in the foreign nation was gradually returning to normal.

A resident of Agadez, Faruku Lawali, in a telephone interview on Sunday, said though there were still queues at the filling stations, the situation had improved significantly when compared to what was seen at stations a few days ago.

He commended the Nigerian government for not abandoning the Republic of Niger when it mattered most.

“The situation has improved very well when compared to what we experienced the last few days and weeks. There is an improvement in the supply of the product in the country now. I learned our leader here held a meeting with the Nigerian government which later resulted in the supply of the products to the country.

“The support and supply of fuel has helped us in no small way and we appreciate the government for that, honestly. We the citizens commend and celebrate our neighbour, the people, and the government of Nigeria for their support,” Lawali said.

Also speaking on the matter, Usman Aliyu, a commercial bus driver that operates between Nigeria and Niger Republic, said the improvement really helped him to understand more about the neighboring countries.

“With what Nigeria has done, I just realised that blood is actually thicker than water. The way Nigeria came to our rescue during the fuel crisis in Niger is highly commendable. We really appreciate it.

“A litre of fuel that was sold for about N10,000 or 4,800 CFA, now goes for about 2,000 CFA in the country (Niger Republic). We learned it was after the intervention of the Nigerian government and so we appreciate the Nigerian government,” Aliyu stated.

Commenting on the development, a security officer at the border end of Nigeria in Illela, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity due to lack of authorisation to speak on the matter, confirmed the movement of petroleum tankers from Nigeria to the Republic of Niger.

The officer said, “There have been movements of petroleum products from here in Nigeria to the Niger Republic.

“I believe it is part of the agreement reached with the government here. They come here with some documents and the appropriate security agents attend to them before their passage to the Niger Republic.”

A founding member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Osita Okechukwu, on Sunday said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is responsible for overheating Nigeria’s polity and putting the country in harm’s way.

Okechukwu said the PDP was responsible for the political rumblings, the Rivers State imbroglio, and the attempt of dangerous slide into one party state.

In a statement he signed, the former Voice of Nigeria, VON, Director General, said it was high time the PDP came down from their high horse and apologised profusely to Nigerians for unintended consequences of their impunity..

Okechukwu noted that we should beware of retrograde amnesia; as we cannot easily forget how the PDP leadership in 2023 presidential primary sowed the seeds of discord and stoked the raging inferno by violently breaching the rotation convention of north to south and vice versa.

He added that the day we tame the culture of impunity, the day we progress, therefore if PDP had considered our fledgling democracy or even obeyed Section 7 of their constitution, there couldn’t have been Wike Masquerade.

On whether APC is capitalising on the discord in the PDP to drive Nigerians into one party state, Okechukwu said that it is those elements who jettisoned with wave of hand the rotation convention, the ligament holding the north and the south together, that are the drivers of one party state.

He said: “Otherwise Nigeria operates multiparty system by law, it is only the fire stoked by PDP, that is raging. They erroneously misunderstood the sophisticated northern electorates, assumed they were in dormitory to be hauled to polling stations on election day to vote for northern candidate.

“These are illiberal elements fast eroding our multiparty system. They’re at it again to stop rotation convention with an awkward presidency arithmetic of 17 years south and 11 years north by 2027, as if Nigeria got independence in 1999.

“Finally Okechukwu submitted that if PDP had adhered to rule of law and subsisting rotation convention, maybe Atiku, Obi and Kwankwaso votes could have been theirs in 2023 presidential election.”

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has stated that suspending elected officials in Rivers State could tarnish the country’s image.

He made the remark at the Haske Satumari Foundation Colloquium in Abuja on Saturday.

“These actions by key actors in the executive and legislative arms of government paint the country in a negative light,” he said.

Jonathan while sharing his thoughts about the political turmoil in Rivers State, said although it is not the norm for former presidents to comment on issues in the polity so as not to heat up the polity, he insisted that the image of the country and how much investments a country attracts is heavily dependent on the actions of the executive, legislature and judiciary of the country.

Jonathan’s comment on the emergency rule came after the Peoples Democratic Party governors contended that the President Bola Tinubu’s actions were unconstitutional and threatened Nigeria’s democratic principles.

TheNigerian Online reports that Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara; his deputy, Ngozi Odu; as well as members of the state House of Assembly for six months.

However, Jonathan said, his comment became necessary after calls from many Nigerians, urging him to speak on the events in Rivers State.

He faulted the situation where an individual can dictate to the judiciary, noting that it makes it difficult for anyone to have faith in the judiciary.

Rivers emergency rule: APC, opposition continue battle as PDP govs head for court

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The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has urged Nigeria’s National Assembly to reverse Siminalayi Fubara’s removal as Rivers State Governor, describing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in the state as reckless and unconstitutional.

Obi made this known in a statement released on his X account on Wednesday.

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, made the comment following President Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State on Tuesday.

According to report Tinubu cited unresolved crises, a breakdown of law and order, insecurity, and an explosion as reasons for his decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers.

He further suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, for six months.

​

President Tinubu announced that Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas is the administrator of Rivers State.

Tinubu’s decision has sparked mixed reactions among Nigerians.

Reacting, Obi said Tinubu’s decision would plunge the country back into a state of lawlessness.

He, therefore, called on the National Assembly and other stakeholders to overturn President Tinubu’s proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

“The unilateral decision of President Bola Tinubu to remove Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State from office is not only unconstitutional but also reckless.

It has plunged us back into a state of lawlessness, undoing the progress we have made in these 26 years of democracy.

By disregarding the rule of law, the President has shown a dangerous willingness to trample on democracy,” he said.

“I appeal to the National Assembly and all stakeholders not to allow this to stand, as it only deepens the culture of impunity and brigandage already threatening our democracy,” he added.

There are several merchants of death prowling the nooks and crannies of Nigeria. They range from bandits, kidnappers, ritual murderers, and manufacturers of fake and substandard products. All of them deserve severe punishment including life imprisonment at the correctional centres. I shudder reading the press statement by the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, on the recent efforts of her agency to rid Nigeria of fake, expired and substandard drugs.

NAFDAC said it evacuated over 100 truckloads of substandard, falsified, and banned medicines and narcotics from the Idumota Market in Lagos State, Onitsha Market in Anambra State, and Aba Market in Abia State, in six weeks. The NAFDAC director general said if the substandard and banned medicines were allowed in circulation, they could ruin the nation by reducing the quality of life of millions of Nigerians. Adeyeye made the remarks in Lagos on Friday, March 14, 2025, at a briefing while giving an update on the unprecedented enforcement exercise carried out in the three markets, where unregistered, banned, expired or medicines with other violations worth over a trillion naira were confiscated.

She further disclosed that the agency concluded the enforcement exercise in Idumota and Aba on February 28, 2025, while the exercise still lingered in Onitsha until March 8. She was quoted as saying, “What we have found could ruin a nation. What we have found could destabilise a government. What we have found could reduce the quality of life of millions of Nigerians. If you have diabetes, or hypertension, which need daily treatment, such people could die easily with what we have found.” The NAFDAC boss stated that with a large population of Nigerian youth below 40, the narcotics seized could take their lives, and fuel banditry, and terrorism.

She said over 100 40-footer truckloads were evacuated with 27 truckloads from Idumota, already destroyed while in Aba and Onitsha markets about 80 40-foot truckloads of unregistered, banned medicines and narcotics were seized and evacuated. For Aba and environ, she disclosed that 14 truckloads of violative medicines were evacuated from the Osisioma warehouse alone, four truckloads from the Ariara Road warehouse and 10 truckloads of the medicines were seized from the markets.

According to her, in Onitsha, there are 110 lines where they sell drugs, aside from the plumbing market, and the wood plank markets. From the plumbing section, Prof. Adeyeye explained that warehouses were filled to the brim, without windows, with temperatures more than 40 degrees Celsius, subjecting the medicines to degradation before the user starts to use them. She said the agency evacuated 10 40-foot truckloads of tramadol from the plumbing, wood plank and the fashion lines of the market, also noting with dismay that about four truckloads of syrup with codeine that was banned almost seven years ago were also evacuated.

In last Saturday, March 15, 2025, edition of this newspaper, the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Tanko Ayuba, in an interview with The TheNigerian correspondent Ajibade Omape gave insights into the menace of counterfeit and substandard drugs. According to him, the World Health Organisation reports that substandard antibiotics have contributed to over 169,000 deaths from childhood pneumonia globally. Furthermore, a 2018 study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene estimated that 64,000–158,000 deaths from malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa were linked to counterfeit or substandard anti-malarial drugs.

The PSN president further said that a study in The Lancet found that 1.27 million deaths worldwide in 2019 were directly caused by antimicrobial resistance, with many cases linked to counterfeit antibiotics. In Nigeria, malaria resistance to first-line treatments like artemisinin combination therapy is growing due to counterfeit anti-malarial drugs. Similarly, multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis is rising because of the proliferation of fake TB medications. If left unchecked, this trend could make common infections untreatable.

Ayuba traced some of the causative factors to include the following:  weak enforcement, corruption, and the high demand for affordable medications. Many Nigerians, due to poverty, opt for cheaper drugs without verifying their authenticity. A 2017 study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that West Africa accounted for 40 per cent of the world’s trade in falsified medicines. Nigeria’s porous borders allow counterfeit drugs to enter from China, India, and neighbouring countries. Furthermore, limited funding for regulatory agencies like NAFDAC and the Pharmacists Society of Nigeria makes it difficult to combat the sale of fake drugs.

The PSN president said under Nigeria’s Counterfeit and Fake Drugs (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, offenders can face a fine of N500,000, or five years imprisonment. That is a mere slap on the wrist!  By comparison, China imposes the death penalty for drug counterfeiting, while the US enforces life imprisonment for offenders under the FDA’s Drug Supply Chain Security Act. PSN advocates for harsher penalties, including a minimum of 20 years imprisonment and asset forfeiture for large-scale counterfeiters.

Kudos to NAFDAC on the unprecedented seizures! However, I am concerned that there was no mention of arrests of the merchants of death who engaged in these illicit activities that are inimical to human health. Is it that NAFDAC is contented with seizure of the illicit drugs while the perpetrators are allowed to go back to illicit trade? That is tantamount to mopping a leaking roof. Unless and until the perpetrators are arrested, investigated and jailed for life, they will not desist. Imagine the entire country being exposed to public health challenges because of the inhumane activities of hundreds of greedy businessmen and women who care less about the welfare and well-being of their fellow human beings.

It is heartrending that the WHO Global Surveillance Report on Substandard Medicines identified Nigeria as a major transit point for counterfeit drugs. I fully endorse the position of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria on the need for severe penalties, including asset forfeiture. Not only that, PSN’s recommendation of pharmacovigilance and pharmaceutical manufacturers investing in tamper-proof packaging, holograms, and blockchain tracking are also well thought out. Wholesalers must ensure that their supply chains are monitored through regulatory-approved distribution networks to prevent flaws and breaks in their supply chains.

The PSN president’s suggestion to the Nigerian public is very instructive. When asked about how consumers can identify counterfeit drugs, he said, “For the public, I would advise that when purchasing drugs or medication, they should buy only from registered pharmacies. This will drastically reduce the consumption of counterfeit pharmaceutical products. Secondly, the public should be wary and always check for NAFDAC registration numbers on the packaging of drugs to ensure that they are not counterfeit or unregistered. There is also an avenue to use SMS authentication codes (MAS—Mobile Authentication Service) to verify the authenticity of the drugs after purchase to avoid using counterfeit drugs to treat illnesses. According to a 2021 WHO report, MAS has reduced counterfeit malaria drug sales by 30 per cent in Nigeria since its implementation.”

The National Assembly needs to amend our laws to tighten the nuts and bolts by prescribing stricter punishments for the merchants of deaths who engage in the sale of counterfeit and substandard drugs, beverages, water, wines and spirits. Media and civil society need to intensify public enlightenment by collaborating with the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria. PSN should intensify routine raids of drugstores and pharmacies for counterfeits, expired and substandard drugs and drinks. Better funding of NAFDAC is a must. A stitch in time saves nine!

Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has described his father as the greatest president in Nigeria’s history.

In a video that went viral on Monday, Seyi made the remark while addressing a gathering of youths in Adamawa State.

“It was never politics, but they keep coming for me, they keep coming for my family, they keep coming for your father, they keep coming for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the greatest president in the history of Nigeria,” he said.

He further praised his father’s leadership, claiming he had prioritised youth empowerment and economic growth.

“He is the only president that has kept your people at home, from when he was governor to when be became president, the only president that considers youths, the only president that created a platform for young people to fly.

“The only president that created an economy that has benefitted everybody, the only president that is not trying to enrich his own pocket,” he stated.

Seyi has recently been seen distributing food items during visits to northern states.

Earlier in March, he joined Kano residents, including the state chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Hashimu Dugurawa, in breaking the Ramadan fast.

He has also visited Yobe State as part of his engagements with youths.

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