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FROM PARIS TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: NIGERIA’S FUTURE IN FOCUS Following our dialogue at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) office in Paris yesterday, we made a one-hour stop at a Nigerian restaurant, where we met and interacted with fellow Nigerians before departing for Strasbourg. We arrived at 12:15 a.m. today, Tuesday, 20 October. By 9:30 a.m., we were at the European Parliament, where we held a series of constructive meetings with Members of the European Parliament representing various committees. Our engagements continued until 6:00 p.m. Throughout these discussions, I reiterated that Africa is a continent of immense potential, the world’s second-largest continent by both land area and population, richly endowed with natural resources and blessed with a vast, youthful population capable of driving production, innovation and economic transformation. I called for stronger European support for Africa’s development, particularly Nigeria’s, through partnerships that promote good governance, strengthen democratic institutions and protect the integrity of our electoral processes. Africa needs leaders with the vision, competence and integrity to unite our people, confront corruption decisively, tackle insecurity and reduce inequality. These are essential foundations for building prosperous, stable and inclusive societies. Africa must not be seen merely as a continent of needs, but as a continent of opportunities, solutions and possibilities. Nigeria, in particular, has the human and natural resources to play a significant role in global development. Our future must be built on responsible leadership, productive partnerships and a shared commitment to human dignity and prosperity. A better Nigeria is POssible. A New Nigeria is POssible! -PO

ENDSARS LEKKI TOLL GATE: NEVER FORGET OCTOBER 20, 2020 Today, October 20, 2026, marks the sixth anniversary of the Lekki Toll Gate shootings, a painful reminder of the price Nigerian youths paid in their demand for a better country. On that fateful night, peaceful #EndSARS protesters were met with gunfire. Lives were lost, many were injured, and the nation was left with questions about justice, accountability, and the sanctity of human life. We must never forget. We must never normalise injustice. As we remember the victims, I reaffirm my belief that a New Nigeria is possible—a country where citizens are protected, not brutalised; where young people are heard, not silenced; and where government power is exercised with responsibility and respect for human rights. Nigeria must become a nation where no citizen is punished for demanding good governance and a better future. May the souls of the departed continue to rest in peace. May their sacrifice strengthen our resolve to build a Nigeria where this tragedy will never be repeated. A New Nigeria is POssible. A Nigeria where every life matters. -PO

MY MESSAGE HAS BEEN TWISTED Even though my media office has issued a responsible clarification on the situation, I still find it necessary to add my voice to address the distortion of my message by political opponents. I deeply appreciate Nigerians in the diaspora who work tirelessly and make enormous sacrifices to support their families back home. Their remittances pay for school fees, hospital bills, rent, and feeding expenses. Their patriotism and sacrifices deserve our profound respect. I never asked them to abandon their loved ones. My concern is that Nigeria should not remain a country where millions depend on relatives abroad for basic survival. Our goal must be to build a nation that provides jobs, affordable healthcare, quality education, and economic opportunities for its citizens. Political opponents may twist my message, but the truth remains clear: I am not asking Nigerians abroad to abandon their families. I am advocating for a Nigeria that will no longer abandon its own people. God bless Nigerians at home and abroad. God bless Nigeria. -PO

Pope Leo XIV: A Prayer of Gratitude and Hope Yesterday, I kept Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City, in my earnest prayers as he underwent surgery. I am grateful for the encouraging reports of his successful surgery and recovery. I thank God for seeing the Holy Father through this procedure and pray for his complete recovery, renewed strength and good health. May God continue to guide his medical team, sustain him in this period of recovery and grant him the grace to return fully to his pastoral duties. A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO

Scaring Investors While Celebrating Macroeconomic Stability! As the APC-led government continue in their delusional celebration of Nigeria's macroeconomic stability, the warning from the United States Government to prospective investors on inherent risks in Nigeria, further affirms the general and correct assessment that President Bola Tinubu-led government is incompetent, ineffective and corrupt. In the 2026 Nigeria Investment Climate Statement, the U.S. Department of State clearly flagged corruption, insecurity, inconsistent regulatory enforcement and weaknesses in the judicial system, cargo delays and power sector challenges as key factors undermining investor confidence in Nigeria. The report went further to caution investors of the possible use of arbitrary detention, travel restriction and immigration enforcement to coerce foreign businesses in Nigeria. As the report unambiguosly stated: “U.S. businesses are advised that standard business trips can escalate into detention if the firm is under regulatory suspicion or faces charges by Nigerian authorities. Nigeria has previously employed coercive exit bans and arbitrary detention as leverage in commercial or regulatory disputes, and to extract data or financial concessions from multinational firms. Port inefficiency remains a significant “hidden tax” on investment. While the Lekki Deep Seaport, which opened in 2023, significantly eased pressure in 2025 — handling $9.6 billion in trade and operating at 50 percent capacity — traditional ports in Apapa and Tin Can still suffer from cargo dwell times exceeding 20 days due to manual examinations.” In a nation with an effective, competent and attentive government, this kind of adverse report would have elicited immediate intervention by the President and Commander in Chief ordering prompt investigation, follow-up and effective action to ensure that our most endowed Nigeria is not perceived negatively by one of our key trading partners, friendly nations and expectedly the global economy. This is even more important given our desperation for Foreign Direct Investment. Unfortunately, our incompetent APC- led government cannot give what they don’t have as they are the real perpetrators of the issues raised by the U.S. Government. This explains why Nigeria is unable to attract Foreign Direct Investment commensurate with our market size and potential. Of the $10.37 billion in total capital importation in the first quarter of 2026, only $135.08 million (about 1.3% of the total inflows) was Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), while about $9.86 billion (about 95.1% of the total inflows) went into Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) with loans and other capital streams accounting for the remaining.

Celebrating Macroeconomic stability Amidst Increasing Poverty! The recent World Bank report which noted improvements in few macroeconomic indicators such as economic growth and revenue generation should not be misinterpreted and mispresented by the incompetent President Bola Tinubu led APC Government as evidence that the standard of living of Nigerians is improving. Nigerians and even the World Bank know that the criteria for economic development is whether poverty is declining, whether jobs are created for our youths, and whether we are reducing acute inequality. In the case of Nigeria under President Tinubu the answer is no. So-called ‘economic stability’ has not resulted in higher living standards, improved employment opportunities, and reduction of poverty and inequality across Nigeria. An economy is not truly stabilized simply because government revenue increases, foreign reserves strengthen, or GDP grows. Stability exists when citizens can afford food, obtain healthcare, provide education for their children, and live with dignity. What comfort does higher revenue offer a mother who cannot provide her children with a nutritious meal? What does higher government revenue mean to a family forced to choose between purchasing food and paying for medicine? What benefit do celebrated reforms provide when ordinary Nigerians continue to bear intolerable costs and hardship? In the report titled, ‘Beyond the Federal Purse: How Higher Revenues Reshaped State Priorities’, The World Bank noted that the Federal Government spent a whooping N7.7 trillion on debt interest payments alone in the first six months of 2026 from January to June. This represents about 124.2% of our total revenue of N6.2 trillion within the same period with debt interest payment exceeding revenue by about N1.5 trillion. How do you explain the unsustainable debt crisis even with exponential increase in revenue that we have had since 2023? . Imagine a situation where borrowing and revenue have exponentially increased but expenditure on capital projects reduced by about N700billion in the first half of this year. In comparison, the APC led Federal Government spends about 11 times more on interest payment than on capital projects. The explanation is clearly attributed to reckless borrowing, corruption and incompetence of the President Bola Tinubu led APC Government. President Bola Tinubu and his incompetent team must recognize that intentionally presenting and projecting incomplete economic statistics cannot replace the critical measure of how reform impacts on the welfare of the people. A government cannot expect citizens to applaud statistics while they struggle to survive the effects of its policies. How do you celebrate when about 140 million Nigerians are classified as multi- dimensionally poor with a recent UNDP report listing Nigeria as one of the countries where gains made in reducing poverty have been reversed.