Human rights activist and public affairs commentator, Mahdi Shehu, has said that corruption in Nigeria is no longer just a crime as it is now protected by powerful individuals, including traditional rulers, religious leaders, and politicians.

Speaking during a recent appearance on an AIT programme, Mahdi argued that the real problem with Nigeria’s fight against corruption is not the absence of laws, but the lack of willpower to enforce them.

“The problem in Nigeria is not the law, not the act, not the constitutional provisions. The problem is in the implementation, in the conception, in the conceptualisation.”

He explained that although whistleblowing policies exist including rewards of up to 2.5% for successful reports, the issue goes far deeper.

“What is the point of making a legal framework on corruption. When you see corruption walking with legs, with eyes, with ears visible like human beings?”

Mahdi gave two examples to back his claims.

There is confusion over the alleged takeover of ownership at Ikeja Electric, Egbin Power (KEPCO Energy Resources), and Independent Power Limited by Nigerian banks and other parties over debt.

There are reports that a Lagos High Court presided over by Justice Akintayo Aluko handed a receivership ruling on August 5, 2025, to the power firms based on their debt agreement in 2013 in suits Nos., FHC/L/CS/1242, FHC/L/CS/1244, and FHC/L/CS/1245.

However, in a statement by Ikeja Electric chief legal and regulatory officer, Babatunde Osadare, he dismissed the report that the companies slid into receivership.

According to him, the court ruling rather restrained the lenders and their purported receiver/manager from taking any adverse actions.

“We state unequivocally and for the record that Egbin Power Plc, First Independent Power Limited, and Ikeja Electric Plc are not in receivership, and their assets, businesses, or undertakings are not under the management of any external receiver/manager whatsoever,” he said.

Meanwhile, as the confusion lingers, the development worsens Nigeria’s power sector crisis since the 2013 privatisation processes.

The Enugu State Government has announced the commencement of registration for traditional and herbal practitioners, including Native Doctors, Ezenwanyi, Ezenwoke, and Dibias, operating within the state. The registration form, priced at N100,000, includes a state certificate, state ID card, and local government certificate.

The Zonal Coordinator for Enugu North Senatorial Zone and Nsukka LGA Coordinator, MC Rock J Nwa, has been designated to oversee the registration process. Interested practitioners can contact him at +234 808 689 8145 for further information.

The registration exercise is expected to conclude in September, and practitioners who fail to register within the stipulated timeframe will face a penalty of approximately N1 million.

In a unique directive, the state government has instructed practitioners who cannot afford the registration fee to sell their gods and shrines to others who can manage them and use the proceeds to pay the native doctor’s tax.

The registration process aims to regulate

traditional and herbal practices in the state, and details on the date and venue for the form will be disclosed soon.