Burden of reform has fallen disproportionately on ordinary citizens —Opadokun

Pa Ayo Opadokun, an elder statesman, human rights, and political activist, was a national security of the pan-Yoruba organisation, Afenifere and the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). He speaks on national issues with BIOLA AZEEZ on the sideline of his installation as the grand patron of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Offa, Kwara State. Excerpts:

SIR, how will you assess the state of the nation as of December 2025?

As a Nigerian, who has spent over four decades engaged in social advocacy, human rights struggles, and political activism, I consider it both a duty and a moral responsibility to speak with balance, restraint, and patriotism on the state of our nation under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Nigeria, as of December 2025, stands at a critical point in its historical journey. The present administration has embarked on far-reaching structural reforms, particularly in the economic sphere, aimed at addressing long-standing systemic weaknesses. These reforms signal a willingness to confront difficult national realities that previous governments often postponed. Today, there are many positive indicators, while the book arithmetic indicates a positive outlook. But these positive indicators will remain elitist pastimes until they translate to better quality of lives for ordinary Nigerians.

Given my relationship with President Tinubu, I believe that he will use the remaining part of his first term to translate the positive indicators to realities on the tables and in the households of Nigerians. His recent directives to the governors are positive indicators of his determination to see his wish respected and acted upon with dispatch to bring relief to our overburdened Nigerians. However, it must be stated plainly that the immediate social consequences of these policies have been severe for many Nigerians. Inflation, rising cost of living, declining purchasing power, and pressure on small businesses and fixed-income earners have deepened public hardship. Any honest assessment must acknowledge that the burden of reform has fallen disproportionately on ordinary citizens. From a governance perspective, the administration has demonstrated decisiveness and confidence rooted in political experience. On security and national cohesion, Nigeria continues to face serious challenges. While efforts have been made to strengthen security structures, many communities still experience fear and uncertainty. Beyond force, national stability requires justice, inclusion, fairness, and continuous dialogue among Nigeria’s diverse peoples. It is important to emphasise that Nigeria under this administration cannot be reduced to simple labels of success or failure. The nation is in transition. The ultimate measure of this government will not rest solely on the boldness of its reforms, but on how effectively those reforms translate into dignity, opportunity, and hope for the average Nigerian. As an elder statesman, I urge restraint in public discourse, patience where necessary, but also accountability at all levels of leadership.

Talking more about the state of the nation, what do you think are the lasting solutions to insecurity in the country?

 Nigeria’s security situation is not only worrisome, but we have warned those in government far, far before President Bola Tinubu that a situation where non-state agents were becoming much more powerful and much more resourced with terribly powerful ammunitions and arsenals than the state coercive instrument, was too dangerous to allow to fester. But they never listened. What they’ve been doing over time has not paid off, and it cannot pay off; you’re asking a conventional army to go and confront non-conventional ragtag elements. Call them whatever you call them: bandits, unknown gunmen, or anything you call them. And these people, after they throw their bombs, they just go ahead and put on their agbada. With whom would the Nigerian army be fighting? That’s the question. They go ahead and go into their homes and put on their agbada. And that’s the end of the matter. There’s nobody to confront. The Nigerian army is trained to confront an enemy in sight. A commander, therefore, will look at the number of his own men. What is his strength? What ammunition is available? Before he goes into confrontation, he wants to make sure that they have an advantage. But here, these are people, elements, who have been sponsored mostly by a variety of people. Agents who want to destabilize Nigeria. I can say this without any fear of contradiction. I was in the Nicon Hilton in August 2022. There was a powerful meeting for four days in one of the halls of the Nicon Hilton by these elements. All organised by some elements in Nigeria, from the Sahelian region structures came to Nigeria. And they were planning as to how they would overrun Nigeria. It was not what somebody told me. I saw them. I was in Nicon then. And you are seeing the efforts. Remember the claims made by people like Nasir El-Rufai as to what they did. So, the current situation is not accidental. It’s a planned thing. This government has dared too many kinds of powerful platforms.

What I’ll advise the government is that they should not relent. What President Bola Tinubu said after his budget was not to be taken for granted. He meant it, and I know that he meant it. That there should be no mercy to bandits any longer, and all those elements who are interested in making life difficult, to ensure that Nigeria is ungovernable. That there should be no mercy for them, that’s why they should go ahead and do it.

And it can be done. And I’m happy they now have some measure of cooperative indicators with the American government. I know something will happen. Those people have sufficient surveillance capacity to know where these bandits, terrorists, or whatever name you call them are located. They have sufficient credible technological instruments to locate them and advise as appropriate as when to attack.

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 Is it true that Christians are being killed, as in Christian genocide, in the country?

Ayo Opadokun does not need to be responding to that. It’s a thing of the eye. It’s read in the newspaper, and it’s clearly seen. But what I can say is this. By Lugard’s very wicked calculation, I, Ayo Opadokun, from a majority tribe in Nigeria, am a third-class citizen. This town, Offa, is the traditional headquarters of the Ibolo people of the Yoruba race. From here to Iwo, we speak the same dialect. But Lugard forced us to be part of the North. So, if there’s anything to be competed for in Kaduna, if I show up my face, I’ll be told that I’m a Yorubaman. If they’re now sharing something in Ibadan or Lagos, and I indicated interest because I’m a Yorubaman, I’ll be told I’m a northerner. So, where am I? I’m a bat. I’m neither an animal nor a bird. So, the wickedness visited upon us by the most dangerous colonial warlords, Great Britain, is unbelievable. And they continue to suffer the shame themselves. That’s why today they’ve been forced by the Irish, by the Scots, and by Wales to secure their own personal, individual group interest. Today, the people of Ireland want to hold the next round of the plebiscite as to whether or not they will remain with Britain. That is going to happen to them. Because what the British did here was to plant what they had in Great Britain into Nigeria. Even before the coup, they said they wanted more than 60 per cent of Nigerian land to be allocated to the North, and they were given it. They wanted 60 per cent of the capacity of the powers and influence over the Nigeria Port Authority, and they were given it. That’s why we are where we are today. When you have a situation where a particular section is bigger than the others, they can always continue to lord themselves over you. And that’s the danger that has faced Nigeria up to today. But with Nigeria, with what President Bola Tinubu is doing, I remember telling you guys last year about the tax reform bill. If you remember, go and watch my submission to you. I said it was going to pass through and that what President Bola Tinubu was doing was to take a shot at fiscal federalism. That he has achieved. By January 2026, a large crowd of Nigerians will pay no tax at all, because they don’t need to. What they are earning is not sufficient for them to take care of their welfare, and then the state will still be harassing them. You know, the thing that gets me is that it puts me on the defensive. You are passing by the road or along some of these our ways, and they will go and put blocks. Local government agents will be there asking you, where is your tax receipt? They want to arrest. How much is the man earning, from whom do you want to take tax? By January 1, those things will be gone. And it’s going to affect so many institutions, like the banks. The banks have been ripping us off. Ordinarily, you post money. You transfer money from one account to the other. They do a lot. And you know, several million people will do that in a day. So, if they take N50, you know how much that amounted to. That will not be allowed again under this new regime. So people should appreciate what Bola Tinubu has succeeded in doing even thus far.

But finally, I must tell you. He has not gone to where we would desire that he must reach. He was part of me. He’s still part of me in the trenches as a NADECO member. Our goal is that Nigeria must return to federal constitutional governance. Nigeria did not say they wanted this centralised, unitarised government. It was forced upon us because politicians in uniform, because they have our guns, bought with our money, violently overthrew the Nigerian state on January 15, 1966. And then they suspended, abrogated, and denegotiated federal constitutional arrangements. And substituted with it were Decrees 1 to 9, which unitarised and centralised Nigerian administration since then. And all the perversions that have been going on are just trying to camouflage, to fool some of us in the name of the so-called 1979 Constitution and 1999 Constitution.

They are all gimmicks. They were brought into existence by decrees, not by Nigeria voluntarily. They were imposed upon us. That’s the problem that Nigeria has. Nigeria has not produced its own autonomous constitution that is a homegrown constitution. But we have worked. We are waiting. We have worked seriously on it. Between 2004 and 2006, we invited all nationalities in Nigeria. And over 380 ethnic nationalities came to attend a conference in Lagos chaired by Chief Anthony EromoseleEnahoro. And we asked them to bring to us what kind of constitution they would like to be governed by. They brought them. And we discussed them. Eventually, we had resolutions. Thereafter, we produced a draft bill called the PRONACO draft bill. We have it in store. It is a recipe. It answers most of the nagging questions in Nigeria today.

What should be the main preoccupation of politicians as we approach the 2027 elections?

If I were them, they would recommit themselves more than they have done presently to making life better for the ordinary Nigerians. That is when they can earn the praise of Nigerians. For the first time in almost six or seven years, our external reserve is now over $45 billion. All other ingredients of that nature that are associated with that are in good shape. But, how much would that translate to making life much more comfortable for the ordinary Nigerians? That’s the thing: food on the table, cheaper housing for them to live in, good education for their children to attend. Nigerians are not asking for too many things. Nigerians are resilient people. You know, during NADECO’s struggle,

There were occasions that we got to the embassies. And they were asking us, what will the Nigerian government do to all these people before they rise up against the government? We had no answer to give. Why? There is a Yoruba proverb that says if you push a goat to the limit, to the wall, it will bounce back. Nigerian goats, from my experience, will not bounce back. They will be looking for a way to dig a hole around that wall. That’s the unfortunate thing. Let me give you one simple example. Before President Bola Tinubu got into office, do you know how many times, several times there were fuel shortages? There would be a two- or three-kilometre queue. Many, many times. Did Nigerians not know those who made it impossible for them to get the fuel? Rather than going ahead now to go on the streets, to demonstrate, to bring such a government down, what they will be doing is fighting among themselves at the filling station. They will even kill themselves. What kind of people are those?