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Ambition or Betrayal? Senator Barau Jibrin’s Role in Tax Reform Bill

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Garba Ubale

The Senate’s passage of the controversial tax reform bill past its second reading has sparked widespread discontent, particularly regarding Senator Barau Jibrin’s role in the process. Many view his actions as a betrayal, raising concerns about his commitment to the interests of Northern Nigeria and the masses at large. The events at the Senate plenary on Wednesday and Thursday laid bare the deep divisions between senators prioritizing public welfare and those seemingly driven by personal ambitions.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a known master strategist, has a reputation for using political surrogates to achieve his goals. In this case, Senator Barau played the role of Tinubu’s stooge, pushing the contentious tax reform bill forward despite vocal opposition from Senator Ali Ndume, who stood firm in defense of the people’s interests. Barau’s actions raise the specter of manipulation, where loyalty to political benefactors outweighs allegiance to the electorate.

Senator Ali Ndume’s lone battle on behalf of the masses highlighted the glaring contrast between the two senators. Ndume epitomized principled leadership, rejecting policies that would exacerbate the plight of Nigerians. Meanwhile, Barau aligned himself with an agenda many view as anti-people. The question looms: Is Barau willing to sacrifice the North’s interests for personal political gain?

Barau’s actions bring to mind the infamous third-term agenda during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration. Then, influential Northern senators like Nasiru Ibrahim Mantu, Omar Abubakar Hambagda, and Jonathan Zwingina were instrumental in pushing the agenda, only to face public disgrace when the ploy failed. Barau risks treading the same path, where short-term gains lead to long-term repercussions. History teaches us that betraying one’s people for political expediency often ends in disgrace and irrelevance.

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Speculation abounds that Barau’s support for the tax reform bill is tied to his ambitions to run for governor in Kano State. By aligning with Tinubu’s administration, Barau appears to be securing favor and resources for his future campaign. However, such political maneuvering comes at a high cost. The tax reform bill, widely regarded as an anti-masses policy, threatens to deepen the financial burdens on Nigerians already struggling with economic hardships. Barau’s willingness to prioritize his ambitions over the welfare of his constituents is a troubling indication of his political ethos.

This episode underscores a recurring theme in Nigerian politics: the North often sabotages its own interests. Barau’s actions are a stark reminder of this reality. By championing policies that undermine the economic well-being of the region, he has joined the ranks of Northern leaders who prioritize personal gain over collective progress. His betrayal is likened to selling the North for a “pot of porridge”—a short-sighted decision that will have lasting consequences for his people.

If it were Senate President Godswill Akpabio leading the charge for this tax reform bill, the narrative would likely have been different. Akpabio’s Southern roots and the optics of his leadership would have been scrutinized in ways Barau seems to have escaped. This double standard reveals an uncomfortable truth: the North’s political elite often fail to hold their own accountable, paving the way for continued exploitation and marginalization.

Senator Barau Jibrin’s actions in advancing the tax reform bill highlight a disturbing trend in Nigerian politics, where personal ambition supersedes public service. His role as a willing tool for Tinubu’s agenda casts doubt on his loyalty to his constituents and raises questions about his suitability for higher office. As Northern Nigeria grapples with poverty, insecurity, and underdevelopment, leaders like Barau must be held accountable for their actions. The people deserve representatives who will stand firm against policies that harm the masses, not those who sell out their region for political expediency.

Garba Ubale Kankarofi wrote this piece from Kano – Nigeria

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President Tinubu Counters Police Academy in Kano, Establishes New Campus in Ogun

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of a new campus of the Police Academy in Erinja, Yewa South Local Government Area in Ogun State.

A statement by Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President,
Information & Strategy, says President Tinubu also approved a special take-off grant of N15billion for the college.

The President’s approval was in fulfilment of the provisions of the Nigeria Police Academy (Establishment) Act, 2021, particularly with respect to the expansion of the Police Academy based in Wudil, Kano state, into multiple campuses across the country.

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The intervention fund will be sourced from the TetFund 2026 allocation to finance priority infrastructure, academic facilities, student accommodation, and core training assets.

A high-level consultative meeting involving the Minister of Police Affairs, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, officials of the Federal Ministry of Education, the Inspector-General of Police and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) recommended the siting of the new campus in Erinja.

The meeting considered student intake capacity, funding realities, academic quality assurance, and the long-term needs of the Nigerian Police Force, which is currently recruiting more men.

President Tinubu believes the expansion will strengthen institutional governance, modern policing education and national security.

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Retired Police Storm Villa Gate, Call Contributory Pension Scheme a ‘Killer Disease’

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Retired police personnel and their families, under the umbrella of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria, on Monday blocked one of the gates of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in protest.

The retirees are demanding the removal of the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme, which they described as “fraudulent, illegal, inhumane and obnoxious.”

Protesters carried placards reading “End CPS,” “If military, DSS were removed from PENCOM, why not police?” while many were chanting, “Police dey work, PenCom dey chop.”

They said the protest was aimed at urging President Bola Tinubu to assent to the Police Exit Bill passed by the National Assembly on December 4, 2025, and transmitted to the Presidency on March 16, 2026.

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According to them, the bill, if signed into law, would exempt police personnel from what they called a “slavery and untimely death-inducing pension scheme.”

Speaking in a video of the protest posted by Channels Television, a retired ASP, Nurudeen Dahiru, said, “We are not begging anybody. We have come to fight for our rights. We have suffered.

“We are not here to fight anybody. We are just here to demand for our rights. We have served for 35 years.

“According to the Constitution of the country, when you serve your country for 35 years, you should go home and rest. But see us suffering now. We are not able to take care of our children.

“We have no food to eat. We are dying. Silent killing. So this contributory pension scheme is a killer disease. 35 years is not easy. We are not here to fight anybody.”

Another retired officer said, “We don’t have anything to train them. As I retired 20 years ago, how much are they paying me?

“It is 24,000 that I am paying you because I retired with the inspector. So they have to sign our bill and give us all our money.

“So that somebody can use it for something. You can buy a house. And then now we don’t have a house.

“How can an ASP, a DSP, a CP retire and they are paying him how much? No, no, no. Enough is enough. It is a do or die. Even if some people are killed today, others are coming.”

Speaking to reporters, the National Coordinator of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria, CSP Raphael Irowainu (retd), who led the protest, said the group was at the Villa to press for the President’s assent to the bill exiting the police from the CPS.

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Court Admits Nine Exhibits Against Malami and Family

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

A Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja and presided over by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on Monday, April 20, 2026 admitted nine exhibits against a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, alongside his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami.

The exhibits were presented before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in its ongoing trial of the former Minister and some family members.

The EFCC is prosecuting the defendants on an amended 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy, procuring, disguising, concealing and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities to the tune of N8,713,923,759.49 (Eight Billion, Seven Hundred and Thirteen Million, Nine Hundred and Twenty-Three Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty-Nine Naira, Forty-Nine Kobo), contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The exhibits, which are documentary in nature, were tendered through the fourth prosecution witness, Mashelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank Plc.

Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, J. S. Okutepa, SAN, the witness told the court that, in the course of his official duties, he received correspondence from the EFCC requesting documents relating to several accounts linked to the defendants and associated entities.

“I work as a compliance officer with Zenith Bank, Maitama branch. My duty includes receiving correspondence from law enforcement agencies and responding accordingly,” he said.

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Bata further disclosed that the bank complied with EFCC’s requests by providing both soft and hard copies of documents relating to accounts belonging to the defendants and companies such as Rayhaan Hotels Limited, Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited, Nashab Limited, Golden Age Global Ventures, and Rahamaniyya Properties Limited.

“My lord, the documents are nine,” he stated, confirming his ability to identify them when presented in court.

Upon application by Okutepa, the court admitted the documents, dated between July 19, 2024 and March 12, 2026, as Exhibits D1 to D9, despite an initial objection by defence counsel, J. B. Daudu, SAN, who noted that “the dates are almost all in March.”

Continuing his testimony under further examination by prosecution counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, the witness provided details of transactions contained in the exhibits.

He identified Exhibit D1 as containing account opening documents and statements for accounts belonging to Abubakar Malami and A.A. Malami & Co, including a naira account and a dollar account.

According to him, the statement of account for one of the accounts covered the period from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2023.

The witness confirmed that the accounts were active between 2015 and 2023, noting that “there were transfers within that period.”

He further revealed that total credits into one of the accounts stood at N383,637,21.55 between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2023, while total credits from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2015 amounted to N560,506,465.12.

On debits, he stated that N384,322,120.85 was recorded between 2016 and 2023, while N571,891,174.08 was debited between 2012 and 2015.

Giving further breakdown of transactions, the witness told the court that on November 11, 2020, the account received N194,791,608.00 from New Horizons Limited, and on June 24, 2022, it received N622,500,000.00 from Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited.

He added that on July 1 and July 7, 2022, the account received N250 million each from Rayhaan Hotels Limited, while on December 22, 2022, there was an inflow of N500 million linked to Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited.

Continuing in that format, the witness identified so many transactions running into billions.

Following the testimony, the defence counsel, J.B Daudu SAN sought an adjournment to enable him study the exhibits and prepare for cross-examination.

“My lord, we need time to go through the nine exhibits tendered,” Daudu said.

Justice Abdulmalik subsequently adjourned the matter till May 13, 2026, for continuation of trial.

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