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Don’t Disappoint Youths, Timi Frank Urges New EFCC Chair
A political activist, Comrade Timi Frank, has called on the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, to make the positive overhaul and transformation of the agency his cardinal goal.
Frank, in a statement in Abuja, yesterday, congratulated Bawa on his confirmation for appointment by the Senate even as he pleaded with Bawa who is 40 years old not to disappoint the youths.
The former deputy national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), lauded Bawa for acknowledging the fact that his appointment is a hope raiser for youths in governance.
“As a youth, you cannot afford to fail in this noble assignment. You can only succeed if you stay focused and work in the national interest,” the Bayelsa-born political activist said.
He said it was time for the anti-graft body to conscientiously and faithfully discharge its constitutional responsibilities of checkmating corruption towards enhancing national development.
“The primary mandate of the EFCC is to curtail corruption both in public and private spaces. This ideal must not be lost on you as its chief executive officer.
“The EFCC should work for Nigeria and Nigerians, not a few privileged persons in position of authority. Fight corruption everywhere and not in selected places or persons.
“We look forward to an EFCC that would work to enthrone probity, transparency and accountability in all facet of our national life.
“We want an EFCC that will not single out members of one political party or ethnic group for investigation and prosecution or persecution.
“Anybody suspected to have abused his office by helping himself from the public purse should be investigated and prosecuted irrespective of his political leaning, ethnicity or creed.
“We want an EFCC that would be accountable and transparent in its dealings as an agency while fighting to ensure accountability and probity in public service and private sector.
“We want an EFCC that would be disciplined, apolitical and that operates within the ambits of the laws of the land.
“As a youth, your success or failure would either motivate or de-motivate Nigerian youths estimated at 64 million by the National Bureau of Statistics in its 2012 National Youth Baseline Survey report.
“Work in such a manner that Nigerians, especially the youths, will say ‘we are proud of EFCC under Bawa!’
“Let your assumption of office mark the end of impunity, utter disregard for the rule of law and abuse of the fundamental human rights of citizens by operatives of the commission.
“Learn from the successes and failures of your predecessors in office. Eight years is not forever!
“Let your tenure herald a blaze of glory and not hailstones of condemnation for the agency. Your address during your confirmation hearing shows that have all it takes to succeed and Nigerian youths are looking forward to the positive transformation of the agency under your leadership.
“Don’t be swayed by accolades or dazed by condemnations because uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Restore the lost glory of the commission by changing its present negative narratives to positive.
“Know that the agency is greater than individual operatives. Operatives will come and go but the EFCC will remain. Work for the agency. Work for the country. Work for posterity,” Frank declared.
He assured the EFCC chief of the preparedness of Nigerian youths to partner with him to succeed in the anti-corruption war.
“Be rest assured that the youths are willing to support you to succeed in the fight against corruption and I urge to give them the opportunity to do so.
“However, the youths will not also fail to criticise your action or inaction that may deviate or offend their high hopes and enthusiasm of having one of theirs in that crucial position,” he declared.
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, had lauded the courage and commitment of troops of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in North East Nigeria.
Abubakar gave the commendation during a morale-boosting visit to the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI in Maiduguri, Borno.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, yesterday, in Abuja.
The CAS said their sacrifices were etched in the history of the nation, and in the hearts of millions of Nigerians who sleep safer because of the troops’ vigilance.
He emphasised that their bravery and resilience in the face of adversity have not gone unnoticed, saying his visit underscored the vital role airpower plays in neutralising threats and protecting communities.
Abubakar pledged continued investment in cutting-edge technology to empower frontline units.
According to him, the NAF remains steadfast in its mission, guided by leadership, strengthened by unity, and driven by the selfless service of its personnel.
The visit comes at a critical moment, reinforcing the importance of public support for military operations and spotlighting the human element at the heart of national defence.
Nigeria’s soft drinks and beverage market continues to show strong growth potential, making it the leading consumer of soft drinks in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association.
A statement by the VDMA disclosed during a press conference held in Lagos ahead of drinktec 2025, that Nigeria consumed over 53 billion litres of soft drinks in 2024, placing it well ahead of other African countries such as Ghana and South Africa.
Despite challenges such as inflation and a weakening naira, Nigeria’s growing population, rising urbanisation, and expanding middle class are key factors driving demand in the beverage sector.
Bottled water led the segment with 48.7 billion litres sold in 2024, a figure projected to rise by 27% to 62 billion litres by 2028.
Carbonated soft drinks followed with 3.4 billion litres, expected to reach 4.4 billion litres by 2028, while energy drinks are forecasted to grow by 30% over the same period. Juices, though relatively small, are also on an upward trajectory.
“The Nigerian beverage market is expanding quickly due to increasing accessibility and affordability,” VDMA stated, citing data from Euromonitor International.
Set to take place in Munich from 15 to 19 September 2025, drinktec is the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry.
VDMA, a key exhibitor and technical partner for the event, revealed that Nigerian participation is expected to be strong, especially as the country anticipates economic recovery.
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has condemned the recent ban placed on a song by Nigerian musician, Eedris Abdulkareem, describing the development as a return to the culture of censorship and a threat to the right to free expression.
Abdulkareem had waxed a song titled “Tell Your Papa” which criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement issued from New York University, Abu Dhabi, yesterday, Soyinka criticised the action and its wider implications, saying it echoed past attempts to stifle artistic and socio-political commentary in Nigeria.
“Courtesy of an artist operating in a different genre – the cartoon – who sent me his recent graphic comment on the event, I learnt recently of a return to the culture of censorship with the banning of the product of a music artist, Eedris Abdulkareem,” Soyinka said in the piece posted on PM news.
He expressed irony in suggesting that the ban did not go far enough, stating, “It is not only the allegedly offensive record that should be banned – the musician himself should be proscribed. Next, PMAN, or whatever musical association of which Abdulkareem is member, should also go under the hammer.”
Soyinka noted that he had not listened to the banned song but stressed that the issue transcends content and concerns a fundamental democratic principle.
“It cannot be flouted. That, surely is basic. This is why I feel that we should look on the bright side of any picture and thus recommend the Aleshinloye cartoon – and others in allied vein – as an easy-to-apprehend, easy-to-digest summation of the wisdom of attempting to stifle unpalatable works of art or socio-political commentary,” he said.
He also pointed out the irony that censorship often benefits the targeted artist.
The ban is a boost to the artist’s nest egg, thanks to free governmental promotion. Mr. Abdulkareem must be currently warbling his merry way all the way to the bank. I envy him,” he added.
The literary icon warned that such censorship was not only counterproductive but also dangerous to democratic development.
“We have been through this before, over and over again, ad nauseum. We know where it all ends. It is boring, time-wasting, diversionary but most essential of all, subversive of all seizures of the fundamental right of free expression,” Soyinka said.
He warned that the ban creates “a permissive atmosphere of trickle-down power,” where state authorities feel emboldened to clamp down on dissent.
Soyinka’s statement also touched on broader issues of impunity and mob violence in Nigeria, lamenting the recent lynching of 19 youths in Edo State.
“My heart goes out to friends, colleagues and families of victims and traumatised survivors of this senseless slaughter. Our thirst for justice must remain unslaked,” he said.
Referencing the 2022 killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, Soyinka criticised the culture of impunity, saying, “Identified killers were set free to gloat, and paste their photos on the Social Media… in full daylight glare, in the presence of both citizen voyeurs and security forces.”
He called for accountability, warning that “as long as the culture of impunity is given the sheerest strain of legitimacy in any given cause, such gruesome assaults on our common humanity will continue to prevail.”
Soyinka concluded by urging the relevant regulatory body to reverse what he described as a “petulant irrationality,” warning that any government that only tolerates praise-singers “has already commenced a downhill slide into the abyss.”