The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has called on Nigerians to hold their state governors and local government chairmen accountable for the use of public funds.
Yilwatda made the appeal on Monday in Abuja during the public presentation of “Vicious Red Circle,” a book on human trafficking authored by Alex Oriaku.
He stressed that citizens must begin to demand tangible development and people-oriented projects from subnational governments, especially given the recent surge in monthly federal allocations to states and local councils.
According to Yilwatda:
“No governor in Nigeria collects less than three times—up to four times—what they used to collect before. Two years ago, about ₦400 billion was shared monthly, but the last allocation was ₦2.2 trillion.”
He said this increase should translate into more visible development at the grassroots.
“They are focusing now on bigger projects. And to me, this is a turnaround that we need in governors. I would say, talk to your governors. Talk to your local government chairmen. Let them do more,” he added.
Yilwatda, who assumed leadership of the APC amid public criticism of government economic policies, maintained that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was “on the right track” and committed to steering the country toward economic recovery.
Human trafficking dominates discussions at book launch
Beyond politics and governance, the event also drew attention to the growing menace of human trafficking—a crisis that has positioned Nigeria as both a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked persons across Africa and beyond.
Despite ongoing efforts by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) since 2003, Nigeria remains one of the most affected countries in West Africa. Hundreds of victims, mostly women and children, are trafficked annually within and outside the country for forced labour, sexual exploitation, and domestic servitude.
Reaffirming government commitment to tackling the scourge, the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mohammed Mohammed, described human trafficking as one of the most dangerous transnational crimes—comparable to drug and arms trafficking.
NIA calls for united front against human trafficking
Mohammed said human trafficking has eroded our social fabric and robbed people of their dignity and future, noting that the NIA continues to provide intelligence and operational support to NAPTIP.
He emphasized the need for a “whole-of-society approach” involving civil society groups, faith-based organisations, and local communities to dismantle trafficking networks.
In his review of the 198-page book, Dr. Ike Neliaku, President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, linked human trafficking to corruption and exploitation, urging Nigerians to reject the “culture of silence” that enables such crimes to thrive.
Author seeks empathy for victims through storytelling
Author Alex Oriaku said his motivation for writing “Vicious Red Circle” stemmed from a desire to expose the cycle of exploitation that fuels human trafficking.
“It’s a circle that preys on the desperate, the vulnerable, the marginalised, and the unseen,” Oriaku said. “I wrote it to build a bridge of empathy between the abstract horror of a global crisis and the beating heart of a single, human story.”
The event ended with renewed calls for accountability—both in governance and in the nation’s fight against the exploitation of its most vulnerable citizens.
