President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and The King’s College tie (Continuation From Satire I)

When the first coup d’état occurred on 15th January 1966, seven of the casualties were old boys of Barewa College:

· Alhaji (Sir) Ahmadu Bello, Premier of the North

· Alhaji (Sir) Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Prime Minister

· Brigadier Zakariya Maimalari, a senior army officer

· Colonel Kur Mohammed, the Chief of Army Staff

· Lt Colonel Abogo Largema, Commanding Officer of the 4th Battalion in Ibadan

· Lt Colonel James Pam, Nigerian Army Adjutant General

· Ahmad Ben Muse, Private Secretary to the Premier of the North.

By an amazing coincidence, both Christians (Ash Wednesday) and Muslims (Ramadan) commenced their period of fasting on the same day this year – 18th February 2026.

Most auspicious.

Expectedly, at the end of Ramadan, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would be back with us in Lagos to celebrate Sallah. He may even be here for Easter. Either way, we need to get our act together and leave no loose ends regarding the handing over of King’s College to the old boys of the college.

However, the crunch is that we are not entitled to expect something for nothing. What we must bring to the table is our own contribution to finding solutions to the huge challenges facing our nation – insecurity, the economy, wayward politics, the question mark over the judiciary, phantom debts, abandoned projects, youth unemployment, poverty, ignorance, bandits, the collapse of the health sector, the crisis in the education sector, delinquent agriculture, etc.

Every week, our nation erupts over a fresh crisis. However, we cannot compromise the dictates of our school song:

“Service to our nation, honour to the dead.”

Of course, we recognise the chaos below the waves. Elections are only a year away. Hence, we must make haste. The future is inevitable. Going by the timetable announced by Professor Joash Amupitan, Chairman of INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission), the election would fall within Ramadan/Easter next year. Hopefully, the faithful would forswear rigging of elections during the holy month.

“However, the crunch is that we are not entitled to expect something for nothing. What we must bring to the table is our own contribution to finding solutions to the huge challenges facing our nation..”

At our next meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, we have an obligation to persuade him to dump “Renewed HOPE” and replace it with “Renewed FAITH AND HARMONY”.

Hope is only an aspiration. It does not make any demands on the followers. While hope is an aspiration, faith is an inspiration. The difference is profound. Again, hope is emotional, while faith is creative. Indeed, faith eliminates uncertainties. It compels us to look more closely and wait longer. Faith is the piston that drives the exploration of new frontiers.

Regardless, we must be wary of straying into an ambush. What if Mr President throws it back at us?

“The motto of King’s College is ‘Spero lucem’.” (I hope for light).

That is why we must be prepared for extra time followed by a penalty shoot-out – but no sudden death.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has publicly declared his determination to create a US$1 trillion economy by 2030. KCOBs can assist him hugely. One of us, Professor Bayo Ogunlesi, has already achieved that milestone for himself. No sweat. If he can do it for himself, he can do it for Nigeria.

Here are the low-hanging fruits waiting to be plucked, courtesy of:

“ChatGPT, please conduct a deep search and provide a chronological list of 30 missing/unaccounted funds in Nigeria from 2014 to 2026. The list should focus on cases that have gone cold with no one prosecuted or jailed. Also, start with the total sum.”

Total Sum

$107.18 billion

₦85.74 trillion

Zero Prosecution or Jail Term.

Breakdown.

1. $10.8 billion in missing NNPC oil revenues (2014) – an audit of NNPC books over large missing funds was ordered. (business news)

2. $20 billion in unaccounted NNPC oil sales revenue (2014) – forensic audit ordered into alleged missing oil revenue. (dw)

3. $3.4 billion from IMF COVID‑19 loan unaccounted for (2020 audit) – lawsuit urged probe on missing IMF funds. (Nairametrics)

4. ₦149.36 billion is unaccounted for in federal MDAs (2020 audit) – 101 MDAs failed to account for funds. (ICIR Nigeria)

5. ₦106 billion missing from MDA budgets (2018) – SERAP petition on unaccounted funds across ministries. (Wikipedia)

6. ₦300 billion missing public funds (2017 audit) – SERAP called for a probe by the Buhari government. (This Day Live)

7. ₦343.95 million missing in Ministry of Water Resources expenditures (2017) – audit finding in 2017. (Nairametrics)

8. ₦250 billion missing/unauthorised expenditures in public coffers (2020/2021) – House reps highlighted unaccounted expenditures. (leadership)

9. ₦825 billion + $2.5 billion missing at NNPCL (2021 audit) – calls for accountability for oil funds. (guardian)

10. ₦26 billion missing from PTDF & Petroleum Ministry (2021) – audit flagged missing oil sector funds. (serap-nigeria)

11. ₦57 billion missing from Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs (2021) – audit led to probe requests. (independent)

12. ₦18.6 billion missing National Assembly complex funds (2022 audit) – A rights group demanded a probe for missing construction funds. (arise).

13. ₦3 trillion missing/diverted public funds at CBN (2022 audit) – SERAP ultimatum over unaccounted sums. (Punching)