By Sandra Ugwu 

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has urged Nigerians to demand accountability from state governors and local government chairmen over the economic hardship in the country.

Speaking in Abuja during the public presentation of “Vicious Red Circle,” a book on human trafficking authored by Alex Oriaku, Yilwatda said governors now receive up to four times more in federal allocations than they did two years ago, yet citizens have seen little improvement in development projects.

“No governor in Nigeria receives less than three times what they used to get before. The last allocation was ₦2.2 trillion. So they can do more for their people,” he said, adding that Nigerians must “speak to their governors and local government chairmen” to ensure better service delivery.

Yilwatda, who assumed office amid criticism of government policies, defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic direction, insisting the administration is on track to revive the economy.

Meanwhile, discussions at the event also focused on the growing menace of human trafficking. The Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mohammed Mohammed, described the crime as “a transnational evil” comparable to drug and arms trafficking, urging a collective fight involving government, civil society, and faith-based organisations.

In his review of Oriaku’s 198-page book, President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Dr. Ike Neliaku, linked trafficking to corruption and exploitation, calling on Nigerians to reject the “culture of silence.”

Author Alex Oriaku said his work exposes the vicious cycle of desperation and manipulation that sustains trafficking networks, describing it as “a circle that preys on the vulnerable and unseen.”

Reacting to Yilwatda’s comments, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) accused the APC of hypocrisy. Its National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ruling party “cannot play both opposition and ruling party at the same time,” alleging that the APC continues to welcome governors accused of profligacy “with open arms.”