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As Nigeria marked her 65th Independence Anniversary—the second under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu—Citizen Bolaji O. Akinyemi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Project Victory Call Initiative (PVC-Naija), has issued a hard-hitting message to the nation, interrogating the President’s recent claim in Brazil that “there is no more corruption in Nigeria.”

In his statement titled “65th Independence Anniversary: Let’s Interrogate Tinubu’s ‘No More Corruption’ Claim; At NCS, TCN and The CBN”, Akinyemi described the declaration as not only hollow but “dangerous,” warning that it insults suffering Nigerians and emboldens corrupt officials.

“A Dangerous Declaration”

“Recently, in Brazil, before ministers and investors, the President declared that ‘there is no more corruption in Nigeria.’ He cited reforms at the Central Bank and a restructured foreign exchange window as evidence of transparency,” Akinyemi recalled.

“But at home, the claim rang hollow. Nigerians confronted daily by police extortion, collapsing infrastructure, judicial compromise, and spiraling hardship could only ask: Which Nigeria does Mr. President see?” he queried.

According to him, at the very moment Tinubu proclaimed transparency abroad, corruption scandals were unfolding at the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

“When a President declares the absence of corruption while the arteries of state drip with it, the gap between rhetoric and reality becomes not just embarrassing but criminal,” Akinyemi said, echoing activist Omoyele Sowore’s description of Tinubu as “hypocrite-in-chief.”

Customs: “A Captured Revenue Gate”

On the Customs Service, Akinyemi alleged that one of Nigeria’s highest revenue earners has been turned into “a parallel state entangled in illegality, racketeering, and impunity.”

He pointed to the controversial 20-year modernization concession signed in 2022 with Trade Modernization Project Ltd (TMP), which he said was “illegal, lacking ministerial approval, and yet siphoning billions in fees without delivering ICT upgrades.”

He also highlighted the recent suspension of a “fraudulent 4% FOB levy” by the Ministry of Finance on September 15, 2025, noting that it was “proof of illegality and recklessness.”

“Customs’ cost of collection ballooned from ₦364bn in 2018 to over ₦1.1tn projected in 2025—yet workers’ welfare stagnates,” Akinyemi lamented.

CBN: “Monetary Policy as Organized Bleeding”

Turning to the Central Bank, Akinyemi accused Governor Olayemi Cardoso of presiding over policies that suffocate small businesses.

“Instead of circulating intervention funds to industries, the CBN warehouses them, worsening industrial paralysis,” he stated.

He decried the rise of lending rates to 15%, the free fall of the naira, and surging food inflation, stressing: “Cardoso has turned the naira into a dam withholding water from irrigating the corporate seeds of Nigerian citizens.”

TCN and the Power Sector “Cabal”

Perhaps most scandalous, Akinyemi said, is the power sector.

“Insiders allege ₦16bn is siphoned monthly through opaque billing and transmission losses factor. Citizens pay for electricity never transmitted, while profiteers pocket billions,” he alleged.

Accusing Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, of enabling a cabal that drains the sector, he warned: “Every grid collapse reminds us that the sector is still a cesspool of corruption.”

Presidency’s Broken Promises

Akinyemi further linked the rot at Customs, CBN, and TCN to Tinubu’s presidency, arguing that leadership is about implementation, not slogans.

“On security, Nigerians are still kidnapped and extorted. On education, reforms have stalled, students face strikes, underfunding, and unaffordable fees. On agriculture, food insecurity deepens as banditry and mismanagement cripple farmers,” he lamented.

PVC-Naija’s Accountability Framework

Marking Independence Day, Akinyemi announced that PVC-Naija would launch a Governance Impact Assessment framework to track the performance of public officials.

“This framework will provide Nigerians with a midterm scorecard ahead of 2027, giving officials the chance to either double up or bow out,” he explained.

The initiative, he added, will culminate in “A Nite for Naija Awards,” where citizens will determine which public servants deserve honour and which must be held accountable.

“At this awards night, citizens, not cabals, will elect who deserves recognition. Public servants who excel in service will be publicly honoured, while those who fail will be confronted by truth,” Akinyemi emphasized.

“Between Independence and Dependence”

Concluding his message, Akinyemi painted a stark picture of Nigeria at 65.

“Customs bleeds trade. CBN strangles the naira. TCN suffocates power. And the Presidency shields them all. President Tinubu’s declaration of ‘no more corruption’ is not just false—it is dangerous. It insults citizens, deceives investors, and emboldens rent-seekers,” he warned.

Calling on Nigerians to rise above rhetoric and demand accountability, he asked pointedly:
“Will Adeniyi remain at Customs to mortgage trade? Will Cardoso continue at CBN to dam the naira? Will Adelabu and the cabals persist at TCN, pocketing billions while Nigerians sit in darkness?”

“For to cover corruption with rhetoric is itself the highest form of corruption. And nothing is more criminal than a leader speaking lies in hypocrisy in defiance of the suffering of his people,” Akinyemi concluded.

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