Among other things, the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Republic of the Philippines have committed to deepening their bilateral relations on labor and migration.

This was the conclusion of a high-level discussion held in Abuja on Wednesday, when Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, welcomed the Philippine team headed by Secretary of Migrant Workers Hon. Hans Leo J. Cacdac.

Amb. Tuggar acknowledged the historical connections between the two nations, which date back to Nigeria’s independence, in his opening remarks.

The Minister emphasized the significant contributions made by Filipino professionals in Nigeria throughout the years, especially in the fields of education, aviation, and maritime.

“Filipinos taught a lot of Nigerians in my generation, particularly in STEM subjects. These connections foster the development of cultural bridges and go beyond the exchange of knowledge, according to Tuggar.

According to him, Nigeria is eager to absorb the Philippines’ internationally acclaimed method of managing foreign workers as part of President Bola Tinubu’s foreign policy agenda, which is based on democracy, demography, development, and diaspora.

“As the Philippines does, we want to make sure our own diaspora workers are empowered and protected with respect, dignity, and full government support,” he stated.

Additionally, the Minister mentioned Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps (TAC) program, which was founded in 1987 and sends qualified Nigerians to ACP (African, Caribbean, and Pacific) nations.

Amb. Tuggar disclosed ambitions to turn the project into a profitable business while also looking for further foreign cooperation.

Cacdac responded by expressing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen labor ties with partner nations, such as Nigeria, where Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are employed.

“We are pleased to see that Nigeria has been a safe and welcoming place for some of our nationals,” Cacdac said after meeting with some of them here. “We are here to strengthen coordination and protection mechanisms and to build on that goodwill.”

Deputy Minister for International Cooperation John Al Rasul, Assistant Secretary for Pre-Employment Concerns Juleen Abito, and Director for Anti-Illegal Recruitment and Human Trafficking Giant Mendez were among the high-ranking officials in the Philippine group.

The employees of the Philippine Embassy in Abuja accompanied them.

Cacdac underlined how crucial it is for both countries to learn from one another in areas like labor system development, anti-trafficking initiatives, and migratory governance. In order to better meet the requirements of Filipino workers in Nigeria and improve communication with local authorities, he also formally asked that a specialized labor office be established within the Philippine Embassy in Abuja.

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Our objective is to use institutional cooperation to further fortify interpersonal relationships. Building safer migratory routes for our countrymen and exchanging knowledge about work practices are two examples of this,” Cacdac said.

Secretary Cacdac thanked the Nigerian government for its hospitality and for encouraging greater interaction between the two countries in a press conference following a private meeting.

“The Nigerian government and people, as well as the Honorable Foreign Minister, have our sincere gratitude for the cordial welcome.

“We have received a clear directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to strengthen our bilateral labor relations for the benefit of both nations.”

Cacdac described Nigeria as a “safe haven” for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and underlined the Philippines’ desire in bolstering safety for Filipino migrant workers there.

Additionally, he disclosed that the Philippines is looking into the possibilities of opening an Abuja Migrant Workers Office.

“With targeted programs and services, this will enable us to better serve our people here and their families back home,” he continued.

According to Cacdac, his delegation will also meet with the Ministry of Labor in Nigeria today to discuss bilateral labor agreements, capacity building, and the sharing of information about labor laws and safeguards.

In order to expedite processes and enhance comprehension of each nation’s systems, Secretary Cacdac emphasized the value of reciprocal information sharing.

“Our president has ordered us to streamline domestic bureaucratic procedures, particularly for foreign workers.”

“We support the welfare of both our employees overseas and foreign workers in the Philippines, and we are signatories to the UN Convention on the Protection of Migrant Workers.”

“We are honored and delighted to welcome Secretary Cacdac,” stated Ambassador Tuggar. The Philippines has long been a pioneer in the development of human resources, and many Filipinos have made significant contributions to Nigeria, particularly in the fields of education, aviation, and the marine industry.

As a populous country, the Philippines fits into Nigeria’s demographic diplomacy, according to Tuggar, who also emphasized the strategic alignment of this alliance with President Bola Tinubu’s “4D” foreign policy, which stands for Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora.

“We want our employees to travel overseas in safety and respect. About nine agreements with the Philippines are still outstanding, and Secretary Cacdac has suggested a tenth that would concentrate exclusively on labor, Tuggar stated.

Anticipation permeates the air. The fire seems to be nearby, and there is smoke all over. Deafening excitement is building to a crescendo: Jonathan is on the way! Jonathan will arrive soon! The jury is already out in full force, as expected, with a number of journalists, pundits, and self-described political strategists analyzing the potential ramifications of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan returning to the political scene for a potential 2027 presidential endeavor.

Almost all opinion writers concur that his return to politics will result in a seismic upheaval in the power dynamics being calculated by the various political platforms, including the ruling APC, the main opposition PDP, and the rebranded ADC parties. For the simple reason that the North will remember and honor him for the massive pro-people and pro-poor programs and policies he unleashed during his first presidential term—programs that have been diminished and abandoned over the past ten years—his inclusive and compassionate style of governance, and, of course, the fact that he will only be constitutionally eligible for one term in office, many people think he will win handily if he runs. The South East, his adopted geopolitical base, will also support him, especially if Peter Obi’s name is not on the ballot, even if his South South base would vote for him with overwhelming and decisive force.

I don’t intend to address every opinion piece that has already been written about former President Jonathan’s alleged second coming in this three-part essay. Some of these articles are direct, measured, and objective, while others are written by paid hacker types who aim to damage his reputation and image. For now, I want to let his words and those of others speak for him and about him—his compassionate nature, his love for peace and good governance, his liberal outlook and tolerance, and the significant socioeconomic change he brought about in the country between 2010 and 2015. I will say a few words about the ongoing media conversation surrounding the Jonathan phenomenon.

Reviving his legacy and telling his story through his and others’ words is like traveling back in time to Nigeria, when influential figures like Dr. M I Okpara, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Tafawa Balewa, and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe walked the land they lead with moral clarity and intellectual force. You can then study their sayings and wise words, peruse their works, and hold them accountable using their words. Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is one such leader—certainly not other presidents who cannot even be remembered by a single catchphrase!

With my modest commentary, I would like to rapidly offer to the Nigerian public and the international society at large a collection of these profound words and deep thoughts. This presentation approach will be carried over into parts two and three of this article.

On Political Issues Without Resentment

“My political aspirations are not worth any Nigerian’s blood.”

Jonathan Goodluck, President

This peace mantra has gained international recognition, is a source of moral clarity, and is being used as a benchmark to evaluate how African political leaders behave while in government.

President Jonathan remains a man of peace.

The inconceivable was done by President Jonathan in 2015 when he called an election with no final results yet for the opposition candidate. He had the ability to incite conflict, but for whatever reason he decided to choose peace.

― Journalist and public scholar Simon Kolawole

Kolawole was spot on in terms of his mental and visual clarity. He has a great perspective that cannot be improved.

As a Transformational Leader, Jonathan

“Dr. Jonathan’s innovative programs, such as YouWin, which the World Bank has determined is likely the most successful business growth competition globally, helped millions of young people escape poverty.” In addition, Dr. Jonathan had the impressive record of constructing 165 elementary and high schools and 14 universities for Nigeria’s young, an accomplishment that significantly increased the country’s GDP since, as any leader should understand, the more you study, the more you make.

— President of the Republic of Ghana John Dramani Mahama

There is nothing more to add to these stirring words from one of Africa’s greatest modern leaders.

A Forgiving and Caring Leader

I’ve learned from history and my own experience that using power as a sword rather than a shield will wear you down and inflict unimaginable suffering for the people you serve. People who observe power from the sidelines much too frequently mistakenly think that the strong man is the one who wields power. It isn’t true, though. Controlled strength is what is meant by real power.

—Goodluck Jonathan, President

Indeed, rather than being the opposites, the main components of presidential power are compassion, tolerance, and controlled authority. Jonathan’s famous statement has been staring us in the face ever since he left office.

Jonathan as the Face of Democracy in Africa

Because of his legacy of a democratic and peaceful handover of power, Goodluck Jonathan has become the face of democracy in Africa. Africa would quickly rise to become one of the world’s most stable and developed regions if all African leaders adopted the Jonathan Doctrine.

—Joe Trippi, popular novelist and political strategist from the United States

I agree that a lot of African leaders have not yet adopted the Jonathan Doctrine, which is why the region continues to struggle. Sit-tight civilian dictators continue to be prevalent throughout the continent, suppressing the opposition and misusing term-limit clauses in the constitution. They should put the Jonathan Doctrine into effect and give Africa some breathing room.

President Jonathan on the Moral Need for Authority

“My goal is to start an idea-based campaign, not a defamatory one. Love, not hate, is what I’ve come to preach. Our quest for nationhood has been bogged down by the dividing tendencies of the past, and I have come to break you free. I have no adversaries. We have a similar identity and you are all my buddies.

— Jonathan, President

We last heard of this kind of moral clarity during the years of Nigeria’s struggle against British colonialism and the establishment of a post-colonial nation, before Jonathan arrived to say these incredibly transforming words.

What should I say at the end of this first section of a piece that I have been considering for a long time and have finally found the confidence to write? President Jonathan’s opponents and their army of persistent translators have dubbed him names that cannot be printed. He’s been called weak, inept, and uninformed. The people who said these hurtful things have withdrawn in embarrassment ten years after he left office because the true inept and ignorant people have come calling. The remaining Chibok girls have been deserted by those who used their awful situation as a weapon to overthrow him in an election, eleven years after the abduction of the Chibok girls. It goes without saying that the Dapchi girls have subsequently been added to the expanding list of citizens and girls kidnapped between 2015 and 2025. The Unity Fountain in Abuja, where the Bring Back the Girls protesters had set up camp for months in an attempt to overthrow him and his administration, has been closed, fenced, and padlocked with DSS and police officers on duty.

I’m a Muslim, a Northerner, a public intellectual, and I’m from Gombe State. President Jonathan is an Ijaw person of Bayelsa state and a devout Christian. However, if he were to run for reelection, I would be happy to support him, advocate for him, and cast my vote because I believe in him and his historic promise as a revolutionary leader.

The Executive Director of the Leadership and Governance Training Collective, Adamu Musa Abdulkadir, wrote from Gombe, Gombe state.

In order to improve Nigeria’s national electrical system and solve the issues facing the power sector, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has authorized four important reforms.
The government’s ongoing efforts to modernize transmission infrastructure, increase supply reliability, and satisfy the growing demand for power across the country include the permission, which was announced on Wednesday.
The development was reportedly disclosed by Adebayo Adelabu, the Minister of Power, following the FEC meeting, which was chaired by President Bola Tinubu.
The issuance of ₦13 billion for compensation associated with the Lagos Industrial Transmission Project was the first significant clearance.

This project is a component of a larger plan to update transmission infrastructure in Lagos and the industrial centers nearby.

According to Adelabu, the project, which was made possible by a $238 million development credit from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), aims to improve the electricity supply to important industrial clusters in Lagos.

According to Adelabu, “this funding covers compensation to property owners and communities affected by the transmission lines’ route.”

“The Lagos Industrial Transmission Project, when finished, will guarantee that our industrial estates have the committed, reliable power they require to spur economic expansion and job creation.”

National Grid’s New High-Capacity Transformers
FEC approved three more amendments aimed at enhancing Nigeria’s power supply infrastructure in addition to the compensation approval.

Among these are the purchase and installation of high-capacity transformers to replace the nation’s current grid’s aging, overburdened, and weak equipment.

The $34 million purchase would have ₦5.2 billion added for related expenses. What’s in the package:

A pair of 150MVA 330/132kV transformers
Three 100MVA, 132/33kV transformer units
Five 60MVA 132/33kV transformer units
A pair of 30MVA 132/33kV transformers
“To relieve overloaded facilities, improve voltage stability, and accommodate the increased transmission capacity we are building, these transformers will be strategically deployed across the grid,” said Adelabu.

The Minister characterized Nigeria’s national grid as aging, pointing out that many of its parts—like cables and transformers—had been in use for more than 50 years and were now beyond their built-in lifespan.

Adelabu admitted, “A lot of the transformers, cables, and associated components are weak and prone to failure.”

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“If we want to create a stable, dependable, and efficient grid that serves the needs of homes, workplaces, small businesses, and industries, regular maintenance and prompt replacement are crucial.”

He emphasized that the new reforms were a component of the Tinubu administration’s larger plan to decrease system failures, remove transmission bottlenecks, and increase availability to power in order to lay the groundwork for long-term economic growth.

According to reports, the recent reforms are regarded as a major step in resolving Nigeria’s problems in the power sector.

In addition to addressing the current grid stability issues, the improvements are anticipated to lay the groundwork for Nigeria’s long-term economic goals by providing dependable energy access for all economic sectors.

The private sector is anticipated to be crucial in carrying out these reforms, Adelabu emphasized, and the government’s objective is to make sure the power industry becomes a major engine of economic growth and employment creation.