“AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA

By Tarakirivoice

His Excellency,President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR,President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Your Excellency,My name is Passman Akpos—a Nigerian, a journalist, a political analyst, a social commentator, a media entrepreneur, a father, and above all, a citizen who loves this country deeply and believes strongly in her destiny.

I write this letter not in anger, not in opposition, but in patriotic concern and urgent hope.

After years of observation, engagement with grassroots communities, media practice, and national discourse, I have come to a firm conclusion—the fundamental problem of Nigeria is not politics, not insecurity, not even the economy. The greatest problem of Nigeria is a failure of communication.

Nigeria Has Been Treating Symptoms, Not the Disease

Your Excellency, Nigeria has invested massively in security:

Billions of naira allocated yearlyProcurement of sophisticated weaponsExpansion of military and paramilitary forcesRecruitment of tens of thousands of security personnel, including the recent approval to recruit about 50,000 police officersYet insecurity worsens daily.

The narrative remains the same: “More money is needed.”

Tomorrow, even with more recruitment, the cry will still be: “Manpower is not enough.”

This cycle persists because we are addressing insecurity with force, not understanding.

Politics Is Not Nigeria’s Core ProblemNigeria has had leaders of diverse backgrounds, ideologies, and temperaments. Interestingly, a troubling national pattern persists:

While a president is in office, citizens curse himWhen he leaves office, Nigerians suddenly realize he was “better”

President Goodluck Jonathan was publicly stoned while in office. Today, many Nigerians romanticize his era.

The same cycle is already repeating with your presidency, Your Excellency.

Nigeria has a strange habit of appreciating leadership only after it is gone—not because leaders were ineffective, but because there was never real communication between leaders and the people.

Nigeria Is Not Poor — She Is BlessedThere is nothing fundamentally wrong with Nigeria’s economy in terms of resources.Nigeria is abundantly blessed by God:

Crude oil

Gas

Solid minerals

Vast arable land

Human capital

Emerging discoveries like black sand in Niger Delta Ijaw communities, a resource with enormous global industrial and economic valueNigeria is not lacking resources.

Nigeria is lacking listening governance.The Missing Link: What Communication Truly Means

Communication is not the act of talking alone.Communication is complete only when feedback exists.

True communication involves:

A sender

A message

A channel

A receiver

Feedback

And the removal of noise

What Nigeria practices today is information dissemination, not communication.

Government Talks — Citizens Are Not Heard

Your Excellency, government tells citizens:There will be sanitation on the last Saturday of every month

Flyovers have been constructed

Roads have been commissioned

Policies have been rolled out

But government rarely asks:

How do the people feel?

Is this their present priority?

Does this policy solve their immediate pain?

This disconnect has produced:

White elephant projects

Misplaced priorities

Policies that look good on paper but fail on the streets

Insecurity Is Born From Silence, Not SuddenlyCriminality did not suddenly appear.

Before kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism:Youth complained quietly

Hunger spoke in whisper

peregbafiseiyeFrustration murmured in villages

Alienation grew slowly

But government never heard.

Why?

Because no one was sent to listen.Government only noticed these communities after guns were picked up.

Media Is Used to Talk — Not to ListenNigeria has a vibrant media ecosystem—local, regional, and national.

Unfortunately, government largely uses media to:

Announce achievements

Broadcast movements

Defend policies

Citizens’ voices are rarely gathered systematically.

So when the only “feedback” government receives is:

Bandit attacks

Kidnapping

Protests

Civil unrest

The instinct becomes media suppression instead of self-reflection.

This further destroys trust.

Trust Is Collapsing Because Communication Is Absent

Where communication fails:

Trust dies

Speculation grows

Sensationalism thrives

Government reacts defensively

Freedom of information suffers

National unity weakens

This cycle is dangerous.

MY HUMBLE BUT URGENT ADVICE

Your Excellency, send the journalist, not the gun.Instead of deploying uniformed men first, deploy trained listeners.

Invest deliberately in:

Local media

Community journalists

Regional newspapers

Grassroots reporting structures

Media houses—such as Tarakirivoice Newspaper Enterprise, founded by my humble self, and many others—already exist within the communities.

A journalist sent to a village will:

Hear hunger before it turns to anger

Detect tension before it turns violent

Understand priorities before money is wasted

Report needs before crime becomes an option

Journalists will carry feedback to government, and government responses back to the people—in language they understand.

The Outcome Will Be Transformational

Policies will be need-driven, not speculative

Insecurity will be detected early

Trust will be rebuilt

Government and citizens will relate, not clash

Peace will return

Economic productivity will rise

Political stability will be strengthened

Nigeria does not need more force.

Nigeria needs mutual understanding.

Use the Media — Do Not Suppress It

A well-supported media:

Reduces misinformation

Weakens sensationalism

Strengthens transparency

Becomes government’s ally, not enemyThe media can be Nigeria’s greatest stabilizing tool, not her adversary.

Final Appeal

Your Excellency, history remembers leaders who listened, not only those who ruled.

Send the pressman, not the policeman.

Let communication replace suspicion.

Let understanding replace force.

Then peace will reign.

Then prosperity will follow.

Then Nigeria will rise.

I am available, willing, and committed to elaborate further on this vision for the good of our dear country.

Like Joseph in Egypt, sometimes salvation comes not from force, but from foresight, listening, and wisdom.

May God bless you.

May God bless Nigeria.

Signed:

PASSMAN AKPOS

Political Analyst | Social Commentator | Journalist

Founder/Publisher, Tarakirivoice Newspaper Enterprise

Father | A Child of God 🇳🇬”Reach me on tarakirivoicenewspaper@gmail.com WhatsApp on 07012957101