SD for Sustainable Development

19/04/2026

Sunday Dare Delivers Civic Center; Names Project after Soun of Ogbomosoland:

eintegrated services eeis news world news blog update

18/04/2026

Support for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR is performance based.
A*o Rock Villa

18/04/2026

'For Immediate Release

VILLA INFOSTRATIC: PRESS STATEMENT

Date: April 17, 2026
Abuja, Nigeria

VILLA INFOSTRATIC CONGRATULATES TUNDE RAHMAN AND SUNDAY DARE ON APPOINTMENT AS AMBASSADORS, DIRECTORATE OF RENEWED HOPE

Villa Infostratic extends its sincere congratulations to Mr. Tunde Rahman and Mr. Sunday Dare on their appointments as Ambassadors of the Directorate of Renewed Hope.

The Director General and National Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA), H.E. Hope Uzodinma, disclosed the appointment of the director who will head the directorate of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, stating: Mr. Tunde Rahman — Media & Publicity; Mr. Sunday Dare — Digital & New Media, among others.

Governor Hope noted that RHA is charged with disseminating the activities and achievements of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu's administration.

Villa Infostratic underscores their selection reflects a recognition of their distinguished records of public service, professional excellence in communication, and commitment to national development.

Speaking on the appointments, Comfort Ozovehe; Media Assistant, Villa Infostratic, described their appointments as a round peg in a round hole. She commended Mr. Rahman and Mr. Dare for their consistent dedication to nation-building and proactiveness towards President Tinubu's Renewed Hope agenda.

"Their appointments are well-deserved, and we are confident they will bring a robust strategy, integrity, and experience to the Media Directorate of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors. Villa Infostratic, however, remains committed to supporting efforts that advance good governance and national progress."

"We are confident that both appointees will initiate their deep knowledge gained over time and social probity to bear in advancing the objectives of the Directorate and propelling the Renewed Hope Agenda."

We reaffirms our support for this exceptional initiative to promote President Tinubu's Renewed Hope agenda, national unity, and sustainable development.

We wish Mr. Rahman and Mr. Dare every success in the discharge of their new responsibilities.

For: VILLA INFOSTRATIC

17/04/2026

Meeting with President Tinubu: What Renewed Hope Leaders and Ambassadors say

By Tunde Rahman

It was President Bola Tinubu's inaugural meeting with the leaders and coordinators of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, the main vehicle for his 2027 re-election campaign. Held on Thursday April 16 at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the President delivered an outstanding speech at the meeting, challenging the ambassadors to boldly discharge their assignment while sparing no word for the opposition that is riding roughshod on the country’s legal system.

“You represent the conscience of a nation that wants to break the shackles of poverty and hopelessness. This is a lifetime opportunity to break the shackles of poverty and ignorance,’’ the President told the ambassadors, adding, “we cannot submit to disobedience of a lawful order of the court; we must embrace the judiciary, whether it favours us or not.

“We submit to this principle of democracy, separation of powers, and understanding of the dynamics of it, and the nationhood that Nigeria is, that we must build one country. That's what Renewed Hope is all about. You must give them that hope. There's no other path for us to attain national greatness other than to build one common vision for the progress and prosperity of our people. That is what we must do,’' he added.

In attendance at the meeting were Vice President Kashim Shettima, All Progressives Congress National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, Deputy Director-General and Governor of Kaduna State Uba Sani and RHA National Secretary and Governor of Gombe State Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya. Also at the event were Governors Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Nasir Idris (Kebbi), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Usman Ododo (Kogi), Abiodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Agbu Kefas (Taraba) and Monday Okpebholo (Edo).

What the RNH leaders and ambassadors say at the event is both interesting and inspiring.

Governor Uzodinma:

"Our purpose is to brief Mr President on how far we have gone with this national assignment, to present the substance of the work already done, and to reaffirm that the structure he graciously created is not only alive but active, coordinated, and already creating measurable political and civic dividends across the nation.

“At the regional level, activities have begun in earnest. All the structures of all the local governments have been inaugurated, as in the electoral wards. We have kick–started the process of enumeration up to the polling unit level. We are continuously harvesting data during enrolment, taking the messages to the markets, schools and professional groups, women platforms and faith-based and grassroots political structures.”

Deputy DG and Kaduna Governor Uba Sanni:

“We have all it takes to take the message of renewed hope to every ward, local government and state. We have not done enough. I believe we have to do more. We have to continue telling our story. If we don’t tell our story, other people will tell the story their own way.

“No President in the history of Nigeria has supported the sub-nationals like President Tinubu. The opposition is not out to contest election; their agenda is anarchy. And that is the reason why governors, ministers, LG chairmen must take the message of renewed hope to the grassroots. We in the North are the major beneficiaries. And the ministers, heads of agencies must speak out.”

RHA Secretary and Gombe Governor Inuwa:

“We have what it takes, and we must deliver. All the ambassadors should go out. Governor Biodun Oyebanji spoke of President Tinubu’s support for the sub-nationals and how he is lucky to be a governor at this time. I was governor before 2023 and I’m governor now doing my second term, I know the difference better because I have experienced the two periods.”

RHA North-West Zonal Coordinator and former Governor of Katsina State Aminu Masari:

"We know very well that reformers are always finding it extremely difficult at the beginning. More especially, if you are reforming in a society that is very difficult to understand, and some are willing to make people not to understand."

Commending President Tinubu for taking hard but necessary reforms that leaders before him could not, he said: “Nigeria has become better for it. You have done so much, Mr President, but don't allow noisemakers to distract you. Your bashings are not for you alone. Even your detractors know that you have done well.

"Will anyone come tomorrow and say he will reverse the removal of fuel subsidy or return the nation to multiple foreign exchange rates?"

Ex-Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim:

“We are aware of the strategic importance of our assignment. The opposition is orchestrating mischief through misinformation and fake news. But we are ahead of them.
“The appointment of a political field marshal like Governor Uzodimma as Director-General is also strategic. A dynamic team leader, with him we are in the right direction.”

Ex-Nasarawa Governor Tanko AlMakura:

"No President was as prepared for the job as President Tinubu. That is why his policies were well thought out and redeeming the country.
With the government’s policies and RH agenda, we have all become homogenous in our commitment to the success of this administration”.

Former Delta Governor Okowa:

“President Tinubu has re-engineered the economy. The sub-national governments can now breathe and breathe well.
“The best way to educate our children is to give them education, sound education, Mr. President thank you for giving us the student loan scheme, NELFUND. Thank you for bringing this about. As of March this year, 1.16 million students had benefitted according to official statistics.

Others who spoke at the event included APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda and Governor Abiodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State.

-Rahman, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Special Duties, is the Director of Communications, Renewed Hope Ambassadors.

17/04/2026

PAT UTOMI: AN ECONOMIC BUCCANEER FLIRTING WITH INTELLECTUALISM

By Sunday Dare

Professor Pat Utomi has once again chosen to dance naked in the public square, playing to the gallery with a familiar cocktail of grandstanding and gloom. This time, he has come to dismiss the reform programme of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “ridiculous,” “poorly structured,” and, in a flourish of intellectual overreach, a “Ponzi scheme.”

At this point, the issue is no longer what Utomi is saying. The issue is why his interventions consistently collapse under the weight of their own exaggeration, under the slightest scrutiny or interrogation.

Any reflective — indeed, discerning — mind would note that, after all these long years of sophistry and vacuous pontifications, all Utomi can possibly point to as his bonafides or bragging rights in the civic space today are the ruins of Volkswagen Automobile Ltd and BankPHB where his much touted “academic wizardry” was exposed as “Ponzi scheme”.

An Economy of Words, Not Results

Utomi’s public persona has long rested on the alarmist aura of a “political economist.” But strip away the titles, the panels, and the endless commentary, and a more uncomfortable question emerges: where is the evidence of all his posturings in the public space?

Nigeria’s economic distortions did not emerge in a vacuum. They were sustained over decades by a rotating class of commentators and advisers who:

* theorized dysfunction instead of dismantling it
* intellectualized failure instead of correcting it
and, crucially, found relevance within a broken system.

Utomi was not outside that ecosystem. He was part of it. Contrast this with measurable shifts under the current reform cycle:

* Fuel subsidy removal (May 2023): eliminated a multi-trillion-naira fiscal drain, freeing up revenues for subnational allocations and deficit reduction.
* Exchange rate unification: collapsed multiple FX windows into a single market-reflective rate—an essential step flagged for years by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. (The actual “Ponzi scheme” that benefited a few with privileged access through arbitrage.)
* FAAC disbursements have risen materially post-subsidy removal, improving state-level fiscal liquidity.

These are not theoretical positions. They are structural actions with verifiable fiscal impact.

From Insider Comfort to Outsider Outrage

There is a pattern here that is too glaring to ignore. For years, the rent-seeking architecture of Nigeria’s economy—subsidy leakages, FX arbitrage, policy opacity—created space for a certain kind of “expert”: visible, vocal, and perpetually adjacent to power, yet rarely accountable for outcomes.

Now, that architecture is being disrupted. And suddenly, the volume of outrage has gone up. This is not a coincidence. It is a reaction.

When a system that once rewarded commentary begins to prioritize structural correction, those who thrived in the old order often rebrand themselves as its fiercest critics. Not out of principle—but out of displacement.

Meanwhile, early macro signals are adjusting:

* Oil revenue remittances have improved post-subsidy removal and reforms in NNPCL transparency frameworks.
* External reserves stability has strengthened relative to pre-reform volatility cycles.
* Debt service-to-revenue pressure has begun easing marginally as fiscal leakages are curtailed.

The “Ponzi Scheme” Claim: A Collapse of Serious Thinking

Let’s be blunt. Calling a national reform programme a “Ponzi scheme” is not provocative—it is intellectually hollow.

A Ponzi scheme is built on deception and zero value creation. Nigeria’s reforms—however painful—are attempting to:

* eliminate fiscal leakages
* restore price discovery in the FX market
* rebuild macroeconomic credibility

If anything resembled a Ponzi structure, it was the previous regime of:

* borrowing to sustain consumption.
* subsidizing inefficiency at scale.
* masking structural weakness with artificial stability.

An economy that sustained the likes of Utomi and his “Patitio's gang” of economic bucaneers. Utomi’s analogy does not expose the present—it exposes a troubling looseness in his analytical discipline.

He ignores the fact that investor-facing fundamentals are being reset:

* FX backlog clearance efforts have improved confidence among foreign portfolio investors.
* Repatriation conditions—a long-standing investor concern—are gradually normalizing.

Under the Tinubu administration, policy signaling now aligns more closely with orthodox macroeconomic frameworks.

Noise Without Substance

What is most striking is not the criticism—it is the emptiness behind it.

Utomi offers:

* no coherent alternative framework.
* no credible sequencing model.
* no fiscal pathway that avoids the very crisis he warns about.

Just declarations. Just alarm. Just noise. For someone positioned as a thought leader, this is a remarkably thin offering. In contrast, reform-linked institutional moves are underway:

* Tax reform architecture (2025 Acts) aimed at broadening the base and improving compliance efficiency.
* e-invoicing rollout for large taxpayers—enhancing transparency and revenue assurance.
* Customs modernization and AEO programme—improving trade facilitation and compliance.

These are systems-level interventions—not soundbites.

The Familiar Playbook: Alarm, Amplify, Exit.

We have seen this pattern before:

1. Declare impending collapse.
2. Use dramatic language to command attention.
3. Avoid the burden of proposing solutions.
4. Harass Goverment into putting you on some commitee, think-tank or council to correct it all.

It is a performance—one that thrives in media cycles but adds little to policy depth. Yet the data trajectory, while imperfect, is not static:

* GDP growth has remained positive, avoiding contraction despite reform shocks.
* Non-oil revenue performance (VAT and CIT) has shown upward momentum.
* Subnational fiscal space has expanded due to higher distributable revenues.

A Waning Voice Struggling to Stay Relevant

There is also an underlying tension that cannot be ignored. This administration has not leaned on the usual circle of media intellectuals and policy commentators who, for years, occupied advisory and influence corridors within our national polity. And since then, some of those voices have grown increasingly strident—less analytical, more combative.

Utomi’s latest intervention fits that pattern uncomfortably well. When relevance is no longer assured, outrage often becomes therapeutic.

Meanwhile, reform continuity is being institutionalized:

* Medium-term fiscal frameworks now reflect post-subsidy realities.
* Targeted social intervention programmes are being recalibrated to cushion reform shocks.
* Investment promotion efforts are aligning with a more transparent FX and pricing regime.

Nigeria’s reforms are not beyond criticism. But they are on track and trackable. They demand scrutiny, refinement, and stronger social cushioning.

But what Professor Utomi has offered is not scrutiny. It is not even rigorous dissent. It is amplification without depth. Critique without responsibility. Rhetoric without rigor.

And in a moment that demands serious thinking, that kind of intervention is not just unhelpful—it is a distraction masquerading as insight—especially when set against a reform programme that, for the first time in years, is confronting the structural contradictions that voices like his long circled, but never resolved.

Utomi may do well to consider maintaining a dignified silence, hide his vacuousness and let President Tinubu do his work. Counsel is welcome, distraction is not.

-Dare is Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Media and Public Communications.

17/04/2026

STATEHOUSE PRESS RELEASE

PRESIDENT TINUBU ASSENTS TO 2026 APPROPRIATION BILL AND 2025 BUDGET EXTENSION

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assented to the 2026 Appropriation Bill, which provides for an aggregate expenditure of ₦68.32 trillion. He has also signed the bill extending the implementation period for the 2025 budget from March 31, 2026, to June 30, 2026.

The N68.32 trillion budget for this year earmarks N4.799 trillion for statutory transfers and N15.8 trillion for debt service.

It allocates N15.4 trillion to recurrent expenditure and N32.2 trillion to the Development Fund for Capital Expenditure.

With capital expenditure accounting for about 50 per cent, the 2026 budget underscores the administration’s continued commitment to economic stability, national security, infrastructure development, and inclusive growth.

The allocations reflect a strategic balance between statutory obligations, debt servicing, recurrent expenditure, and capital investments critical to driving productivity and improving the quality of life for Nigerians.

Additionally, the President has assented to the Appropriation (Repeal and Enactment) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which extends the implementation period of the capital component of the 2025 Appropriation Act from March 31, 2026, to June 30, 2026.

The extension will ensure the full and effective utilisation of appropriated funds, particularly for critical infrastructure and development projects that are at advanced stages of implementation across the country.

It will enable Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to consolidate ongoing works, enhance project completion rates, and maximise value for public expenditure.

With the 2026 Appropriation Act coming into force on April 1, the Federal Government will commence full implementation in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

President Tinubu directed MDAs to ensure disciplined, transparent, and efficient utilisation of allocated resources, with a strong emphasis on value for money and timely project delivery.

He commended the leadership and members of the National Assembly for their diligence, cooperation, and patriotism in expeditiously considering and passing the budget.

The President reaffirmed the importance of sustained collaboration between the Executive and Legislative arms of government in advancing national development objectives.

He further assured Nigerians of his administration’s resolve to deepen fiscal reforms, enhance revenue generation, and prioritise investments that will stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and strengthen social protection mechanisms.

Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information & Strategy)
April 17, 2026

17/04/2026

STATEHOUSE PRESS RELEASE

I WILL NOT LET NIGERIANS DOWN, SAYS PRESIDENT TINUBU TO RENEWED HOPE AMBASSADORS

President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday in Abuja, reaffirmed his commitment to building a stable, peaceful, and prosperous nation, assuring that the well-being of Nigerians remains his top priority.

He stated that the political and economic structures that have long undermined Nigerians’ prosperity are being steadily replaced through the realignment of the economy to enable full participation.

Receiving a delegation of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors led by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State at the State House, President Tinubu pledged to sustain reforms aimed at creating more opportunities for poor and vulnerable citizens.

Vice President Kashim Shettima and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, also attended the event, alongside many governors: Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Mohammed Inuwa (Gombe), Nasir Idris (Kebbi), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Usman Ododo (Kogi), Abiodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Agbu Kefas (Taraba), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), and Uba Sani (Kaduna), who also serves as deputy director-general of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors..

A host of former governors, including Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), and Tanko Almakura (Nasarawa), attended, as well as former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, the APC National Secretary Senator Ajibola Bashiru, zonal coordinators of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, directors and the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ibrahim Masari.

President Tinubu emphasised that the more citizens participate in shaping their lives and future, the better society will be for generations to come.

He urged the Renewed Hope Ambassadors to continue sensitising and mobilising citizens, especially at the grassroots, on the government's efforts to improve their livelihoods through economic reforms.

“You represent the conscience of a nation that wants to break the shackles of poverty and hopelessness,’’ he said.

President Tinubu assured that the administration will uphold the tenets of democracy, including the rule of law, the separation of powers and the rights of all citizens.

“We cannot submit to disobedience of a lawful order of the court; we must embrace the judiciary, whether it favours us or not. We submit to this principle of democracy, separation of powers, and understanding of the dynamics of it, and the nationhood that Nigeria is, that we must build one country. That's what Renewed Hope is all about. You must give them that hope.

“There's no other path for us to attain national greatness other than to build one common vision for the progress and prosperity of our people. That is what we must do,’' he added.

He reiterated that his government is guided by a clear vision to foster inclusive growth, create opportunities for youth, and ensure that every Nigerian—regardless of background or region—has a stake in the country’s future.

He encouraged citizens not to be discouraged by the misinformation championed by the opposition elements in the country.

He said the great accomplishments witnessed in modern times were achieved through visionary leadership, assuring that Nigeria is in safe hands.

To the opposition, he said: "They want to scare me off? It's a lie. I've been through this path before. And if I have to come back over and over and over again, I'll do the same thing. There is no better place than your own country. And no one can build it except you. We saw great things, skyscrapers. We wonder how the plane takes off and flies us from one destination to another. There was no magic of yesterday. It is the thinker of tomorrow and the future that can elevate life, that can reform us all.

"And being the transformative leaders that you are, you are in good company. Don't be afraid. I've listened to you. I didn't have to look back on the economy because the truth is, I took over from myself. The late Buhari was me. He was my partner. And if I took over from him. Is that not from me? So, if something is wrong, fine. Live with it, correct it, move on. The life voyage is not going to be easy. I can only stand before you and say you will not regret it. That is why we ask you to renew their hope. If they don't want to see the hope and the roads and bridges, and the children we raise, the economy we are growing, we shall lend them Jigi-Bola, eyeglasses. One thing that you need from me is a promise that I won't run away from the affair. With you, the deal is done".

Turning to the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, President Tinubu promised to be their greatest champion.

"We act as one family. You represent a conscience, a nation that wants to break the shackles of poverty, ignorance, and hopelessness. You are in a good company. That's all I can say. And all I can promise is I won't give up".

Earlier, the Director–General of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA)and Governor of Imo State, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, said they were at the State House to update the President on the progress made so far.

"Our purpose in coming is to brief Mr President on how far we have gone with this national assignment, to present the substance of the work already done, and to reaffirm that the structure you graciously created is not only alive but active, coordinated, and already creating measurable political and civic dividends across the nation.

“At the regional level, activities have begun in earnest. All the structures of all the local governments have been inaugurated, as in the electoral wards.

“We have kick – started the process of enumeration up to the polling unit level. We are continuously harvesting data during enrolment, taking the messages to the markets, schools and professional groups, women's platforms and faith-based and grassroots political structures,” Governor Uzodinma said.

He lauded President Tinubu for his purposeful leadership and assured him of their loyalty and commitment to the success of the assignment.

The North-West Zonal Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors and former Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari, commended the courage and political sagacity of the President, describing him as a dogged reformer despite the teething difficulties being experienced.

"We know very well that reformers are always finding it extremely difficult at the beginning. More especially, if you are reforming in a society that is very difficult to understand, and some are willing to make people not understand," Masari said.

Masari commended the President for taking hard but necessary reforms that leaders before him could not, saying that Nigeria has become better for it.

He assured the President that most political heavyweights in the North-West geopolitical zone are solidly behind the All Progressives Congress (APC), stating that the struggle for a better Nigeria is for all to undertake.

He said the North West leaders have agreed to tour the federal projects in the zone to raise awareness among citizens.

" You have done so much, Mr President, but don't allow noise makers to distract you. Your bashings are not for you alone. Even your detractors know that you have done well.

"Will anyone come tomorrow and say he will reverse the removal of the fuel subsidy or return the nation to multiple foreign exchange rates?" Masari said.

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, lauded President Tinubu for the infrastructural revolution across the nation, enabled by the several reform programmes of his administration, as attested to by state governors.

Former Governor Okowa, former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, Governors Uba Sani and Biodun Oyebanji also delivered goodwill messages at the meeting.

Bayo Onanuga

Special Adviser to the President

(Information & Strategy)

April 16, 2026

15/04/2026

Pat Utomi: An economic buccaneer flirting with intellectualism

By Sunday Dare

Professor Pat Utomi has once again chosen to dance naked in the public square, playing to the gallery with a familiar cocktail of grandstanding and gloom. This time, he has come to dismiss the reform programme of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “ridiculous,” “poorly structured,” and, in a flourish of intellectual overreach, a “Ponzi scheme.”

At this point, the issue is no longer what Utomi is saying. The issue is why his interventions consistently collapse under the weight of their own exaggeration, under the slightest scrutiny or interrogation.

Any reflective — indeed, discerning — mind would note that, after all these long years of sophistry and vacuous pontifications, all Utomi can possibly point to as his bonafides or bragging rights in the civic space today are the ruins of Volkswagen Automobile Ltd and BankPHB where his much touted “academic wizardry” was exposed as “Ponzi scheme”.

An Economy of Words, Not Results

Utomi’s public persona has long rested on the alarmist aura of a “political economist.” But strip away the titles, the panels, and the endless commentary, and a more uncomfortable question emerges: where is the evidence of all his posturings in the public space?

Nigeria’s economic distortions did not emerge in a vacuum. They were sustained over decades by a rotating class of commentators and advisers who:

* theorized dysfunction instead of dismantling it
* intellectualized failure instead of correcting it
and, crucially, found relevance within a broken system.

Utomi was not outside that ecosystem. He was part of it. Contrast this with measurable shifts under the current reform cycle:

* Fuel subsidy removal (May 2023): eliminated a multi-trillion-naira fiscal drain, freeing up revenues for subnational allocations and deficit reduction.
* Exchange rate unification: collapsed multiple FX windows into a single market-reflective rate—an essential step flagged for years by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. (The actual “Ponzi scheme” that benefited a few with privileged access through arbitrage.)
* FAAC disbursements have risen materially post-subsidy removal, improving state-level fiscal liquidity.

These are not theoretical positions. They are structural actions with verifiable fiscal impact.

From Insider Comfort to Outsider Outrage

There is a pattern here that is too glaring to ignore. For years, the rent-seeking architecture of Nigeria’s economy—subsidy leakages, FX arbitrage, policy opacity—created space for a certain kind of “expert”: visible, vocal, and perpetually adjacent to power, yet rarely accountable for outcomes.

Now, that architecture is being disrupted. And suddenly, the volume of outrage has gone up. This is not a coincidence. It is a reaction.

When a system that once rewarded commentary begins to prioritize structural correction, those who thrived in the old order often rebrand themselves as its fiercest critics. Not out of principle—but out of displacement.

Meanwhile, early macro signals are adjusting:

* Oil revenue remittances have improved post-subsidy removal and reforms in NNPCL transparency frameworks.
* External reserves stability has strengthened relative to pre-reform volatility cycles.
* Debt service-to-revenue pressure has begun easing marginally as fiscal leakages are curtailed.

The “Ponzi Scheme” Claim: A Collapse of Serious Thinking

Let’s be blunt. Calling a national reform programme a “Ponzi scheme” is not provocative—it is intellectually hollow.

A Ponzi scheme is built on deception and zero value creation. Nigeria’s reforms—however painful—are attempting to:

* eliminate fiscal leakages
* restore price discovery in the FX market
* rebuild macroeconomic credibility

If anything resembled a Ponzi structure, it was the previous regime of:

* borrowing to sustain consumption.
* subsidizing inefficiency at scale.
* masking structural weakness with artificial stability.

An economy that sustained the likes of Utomi and his “Patitio's gang” of economic bucaneers. Utomi’s analogy does not expose the present—it exposes a troubling looseness in his analytical discipline.

He ignores the fact that investor-facing fundamentals are being reset:

* FX backlog clearance efforts have improved confidence among foreign portfolio investors.
* Repatriation conditions—a long-standing investor concern—are gradually normalizing.

Under the Tinubu administration, policy signaling now aligns more closely with orthodox macroeconomic frameworks.

Noise Without Substance

What is most striking is not the criticism—it is the emptiness behind it.

Utomi offers:

* no coherent alternative framework.
* no credible sequencing model.
* no fiscal pathway that avoids the very crisis he warns about.

Just declarations. Just alarm. Just noise. For someone positioned as a thought leader, this is a remarkably thin offering. In contrast, reform-linked institutional moves are underway:

* Tax reform architecture (2025 Acts) aimed at broadening the base and improving compliance efficiency.
* e-invoicing rollout for large taxpayers—enhancing transparency and revenue assurance.
* Customs modernization and AEO programme—improving trade facilitation and compliance.

These are systems-level interventions—not soundbites.

The Familiar Playbook: Alarm, Amplify, Exit.

We have seen this pattern before:

1. Declare impending collapse.
2. Use dramatic language to command attention.
3. Avoid the burden of proposing solutions.
4. Harass Goverment into putting you on some commitee, think-tank or council to correct it all.

It is a performance—one that thrives in media cycles but adds little to policy depth. Yet the data trajectory, while imperfect, is not static:

* GDP growth has remained positive, avoiding contraction despite reform shocks.
* Non-oil revenue performance (VAT and CIT) has shown upward momentum.
* Subnational fiscal space has expanded due to higher distributable revenues.

A Waning Voice Struggling to Stay Relevant

There is also an underlying tension that cannot be ignored. This administration has not leaned on the usual circle of media intellectuals and policy commentators who, for years, occupied advisory and influence corridors within our national polity. And since then, some of those voices have grown increasingly strident—less analytical, more combative.

Utomi’s latest intervention fits that pattern uncomfortably well. When relevance is no longer assured, outrage often becomes therapeutic.

Meanwhile, reform continuity is being institutionalized:

* Medium-term fiscal frameworks now reflect post-subsidy realities.
* Targeted social intervention programmes are being recalibrated to cushion reform shocks.
* Investment promotion efforts are aligning with a more transparent FX and pricing regime.

Nigeria’s reforms are not beyond criticism. But they are on track and trackable. They demand scrutiny, refinement, and stronger social cushioning.

But what Professor Utomi has offered is not scrutiny. It is not even rigorous dissent. It is amplification without depth. Critique without responsibility. Rhetoric without rigor.

And in a moment that demands serious thinking, that kind of intervention is not just unhelpful—it is a distraction masquerading as insight—especially when set against a reform programme that, for the first time in years, is confronting the structural contradictions that voices like his long circled, but never resolved.

Utomi may do well to consider maintaining a dignified silence, hide his vacuousness and let President Tinubu do his work. Counsel is welcome, distraction is not.

-Dare is Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Media and Public Communication