In the dim alleys of Nigeria’s federal powerhouses, the ghost of injustice stirs again—quietly, deliberately. The Senate has opened an unsettling chapter, probing the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and allied agencies accused of breaching the constitutional promise of federal character. This principle, meant to ensure every Nigerian group a stake in the nation’s lifeblood, now lies gasping under the weight of favouritism and ethno-regional bias, hidden beneath the bureaucratic hush of selective inclusion.
Federal character was more than policy—it was Nigeria’s vow to itself. But from recruitment logs where certain regions vanish, to highways and projects suspiciously clustering in favoured zones, evidence suggests a systematic burial of that vow. Insiders allege NNPC, custodian of the nation’s economic soul, has skewed both opportunities and infrastructure towards specific regions, transforming public trust into tribal privilege.
The silence of the accused institutions speaks volumes. No passionate rebuttals, no transparent disclosures—just the cold indifference of entrenched impunity. This evasion signals more than negligence; it signals complicity. And while the corridors remain dim, the rot deepens, birthing the very divisions federal character sought to cure.
This probe is not mere political theater—it is a litmus test for national survival. The ghosts of Biafra, Niger Delta, and present agitations warn us: marginalization breeds monsters. A federation built on injustice cannot endure, and a nation that ignores its foundational balances cannot hold.
Nigeria stands on a knife’s edge. This Senate inquiry must not dissolve into dust and denials. Let the nation either restore equity with fearless justice or admit it has abandoned the dream of unity. For in shadows, silence becomes betrayal—and betrayal, eventually, explodes.
– Inah Boniface Ocholi writes from Ayah – Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kogi state.
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