Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has strongly condemned President Bola Tinubu's recent assertion that government borrowing is not equivalent to leprosy, dismissing the administration's fiscal rationale as absolute nonsense. Speaking at a public function on Friday, the former Nigerian leader argued that while an affliction like leprosy harms an individual, excessive national debt possesses the capacity to ruin generations yet unborn.
This criticism coincides with remarks from Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), who accused the current All Progressives Congress (APC) administration of accumulating nearly $100 billion in external and domestic debt without providing a transparent account of how the funds were utilised. Speaking in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, during the homecoming event for Senator Seriake Dickson and the inauguration of the party secretariat, Obi called on citizens to reject the ruling party.
What are the latest developments in national security?
In military operations, the Defence Headquarters (DHQs) announced that security forces conducting internal counter-terrorism operations across the country eliminated more than 217 insurgents and armed criminals throughout October. The security sweeps, carried out between September 30 and October 30, also facilitated the rescue of numerous kidnapped citizens, the apprehension of several collaborators, and the voluntary surrender of over 50 terrorist fighters alongside their families.
Meanwhile, security and law enforcement agencies recorded several other major incidents nationwide. In Ondo State, a 46-year-old businessman identified as Akinbolusere Kayode allegedly committed suicide in his office located near a petrol station in Igba town, following online video lamentations regarding his financial and business struggles. The Ondo State Police Command confirmed the incident through its spokesperson, Jimoh Abayomi, in Akure.
How did political figures and police respond to other incidents?
A separate controversy erupted in Ekiti State, where African Action Congress (AAC) presidential aspirant Omoyele Sowore and the state police command offered conflicting versions of an event in Ado-Ekiti. While Sowore maintained that he and his campaign team faced a violent assault, police authorities characterised the event as a minor disagreement involving private individuals, noting that the activist sustained only minor injuries.
In the Federal Capital Territory, police operatives arrested a cleric, Edwin Nwabueze, who identified himself as a pastor with a ministry in Benue State, alongside another suspect, Sadiq Jamiu, over the alleged theft of a Toyota Camry at UTC Plaza in Garki. In northern operations, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Kano State dismantled an illicit diesel refining operation in Panisau, arresting five suspects, while troops of Operation Fansan Yamma neutralised three insurgents and recovered weapons, livestock, and a motorcycle across Kaduna and Kano states.