SUNDAY 27TH APRIL 2025

Kayode Tokede

Hail Nigerians’ resilience, say FG targeting

Shettima seeks international collaboration to

Trump, Macron, Starmer, Other World Leaders Bid Final Farewell to

Karis;

Deji Elumoye in Abuja, Eromosele Abiodun and Nume Ekeghe in Washington DC The Minister of

Buhari’s Fiscal Policy Almost Collapsed Nigeria’s Economy, Says Senator Adeola

James Sowole in Abeokuta

The senator representing Ogun West senatorial district at the National Assembly, Solomon Olamilekan

Adeola has said that President Bola Tinubu saved Nigeria’s economy from total collapse by removing fuel subsidy and floating the naira.

Adeola, who noted that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had borrowed heavily to fund fuel subsidy and stabilise the naira against the dollar, added that the bold step of

United States President, Donald Trump; his predecessor Joe Biden; Britain's Prime Minister, Keir Starmer and French President, Emmanuel Macron, as well as Prince William, and other world leaders from 150 nations were among the over 250,000 mourners who bid Pope Francis farewell as the leader of the Catholic church was laid to rest yesterday at a solemn funeral ceremony held at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Vatican City.

Earlier, the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who was the leader of Nigeria's delegation to the burial ceremony, paid tribute to the departed Pope, on behalf of President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian People at the lying-in-state.

Pope Francis, who shunned much of the pomp and privilege of the papacy, had asked to be buried at Saint Mary Major Basilica, rather than in St. Peter's, the first time a Pope would be laid to rest outside the Vatican in more than a century, a Reuters report said.

Pope Francis became the first Pope in over 120 years to be buried outside the precincts of St Peter’s Basilica.

Some other world leaders in attendance were the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, who was pictured locked in deep discussion with Trump earlier; President of Argentina, Javier Milei; Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, and Italian President, Sergio Mattarella.

Behind these leaders were reigning sovereigns, and other delegations seated in alphabetical order in French, the official language of diplomacy,

government’s target was to reduce the inflation rate to a single digit and protect the people’s purchasing power, Edun and Cardoso hailed Nigerians for their resilience, admitting that though it had been tough, the reforms were yielding positive results.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kashim Shettima has clamoured for stronger international collaboration to advance Nigeria’s Human Capital Development (HCD) strategy, stressing President Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to position human potential at the heart of national development.

Edun and Cardoso reiterated that Nigeria’s economy had weathered its most turbulent storms but is now firmly on a path toward growth and stability.

Speaking yesterday at a joint media briefing on the last day of the 2025 International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington D.C., the finance minister and the CBN governor presented a bullish outlook for the country’s economy.

the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), THISDAY gathered that ETI, followed by Access Holdings and Zenith Bank Plc has the highest deposits from customers in 2024.

THISDAY learnt from the audited results and accounts posted on NGX that demand deposits from customers impacted total

President Tinubu-led administration was the saving grace for the nation.

The senator made the disclosure yesterday while speaking at the 2nd Edition of Town Hall Meeting/Mega Empowerment and Thank You Tour, held at Ayetoro, Yewa North Local Government Area (LGA) of Ogun State.

Adeola, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, disclosed that the immediate past administration had to borrow trillions of naira to pay fuel subsidy, which

on other benches.

Also present were: German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz; European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen; Norway's Crown Prince, Haakon and Crown Princess, MetteMarit; Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia as well as Monaco's Princess Charlene and Prince Albert II.

Besides, Poland President, Andrzej Duda; Dominican Republic President, Luis Abinader; Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde; German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier; Croatian President, Zoran Milanovic; Ecuador President, Daniel Noboa; Moldova President Maia; New Zealand Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, among others also attended the event.

In addition, 250 cardinals, 400 Bishops and over 4,000 priests were at the ceremony to honour the Argentine Pope who reigned for 12 years and died at the age of 88 last Monday after suffering a stroke.

There was a loud applause as Pope Francis' coffin was brought out of the Basilica and into the sun-filled square by 14 white-gloved pallbearers at the start of the Mass.

The crowds clapped loudly again at the end of the service when the ushers picked up the casket and tilted it slightly so that more people could see it.

After the funeral, as the great bells of St. Peter's pealed in mourning, the coffin was placed on an open-topped popemobile and driven through the heart of Rome to St. Mary Major Basilica.

The popemobile left the Vatican from the Perugino Gate, a side entrance just yards away from the

They highlighted the macroeconomic reforms, which have improved investor confidence, and expressed optimism for an ambitious growth target of seven per cent.

Edun confirmed that critical economic indicators were now trending positively, noting a clear break from the precarious conditions that existed a few years ago.

Edun added: “Nigeria’s reform efforts are strongly appreciated by the international community as the most credible way to economic prosperity. In fact, the US State Department described Nigeria’s reforms as an economic miracle.

“Nigeria is economically, financially, in a much better place than it was just a couple of years ago. Inflation is coming down; the exchange rate is stabilising; food prices are easing, and the fundamentals are much stronger,” Edun said.

However, he noted that growth must be accelerated to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

“Unless we get to about seven per cent growth, we are not going

deposits in the year under review. Investigation showed that average interest on 12 deposits closed December 2024 at 13.57 per cent from 9.75 per cent in December 2023, attributable to CBN’s increase in Monetary Policy Rate (MPR). The breakdown revealed that ETI announced N31.64 trillion

according to him was being collected by less than one per cent of Nigerians.

He disclosed further that no fewer than $400billion was equally borrowed to stabilise naira against the dollars, a fiscal policy which left the country’s economy at the brink.

While commending President Tinubu for taking the hard decision to revamp the hitherto comatose economy, Adeola observed that all the reforms being undertaken by the incumbent administration in the country were to secure the

Santa Marta guesthouse where Francis had chosen to live, instead of the ornate Renaissance apartments in the papal palace.

Crowds estimated by police as numbering some 150,000 lined the 5.5-km (3.4-mile) route to St. Mary Major.

The scene resembled many popemobile rides Francis took in his 47 trips to all corners of the world.

Some in the crowd waved signs, and others threw flowers towards the casket.

They shouted "viva il papa" (long live the pope) and "ciao, Francesco" (goodbye, Francis) as the procession made its way around Rome's ancient monuments, including the Colosseum.

Pope Francis' death ushered in a meticulously planned period of transition, marked by ancient ritual, pomp and mourning.

Over the past three days, thousands of people filed past his open coffin, laid out before the altar of the cavernous basilica.

Choirs at the funeral sang Latin hymns, and prayers were recited in various languages, including Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese and Arabic, reflecting the global reach of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church.

Many of the faithful camped out overnight to try to secure spots at the front of the crowd, while others hurried there in the early morning.

Pope Francis, the first non-European pope for almost 13 centuries, battled to reshape the Church, siding with the poor and marginalised, while challenging wealthy nations to help migrants and reverse climate change.

to substantially reduce poverty and improve the life of Nigerians. That is the target and commitment of this administration.”

He noted that currently, Nigeria’s economy was growing at an average of 3.4 per cent in 2024, with the most recent quarterly figure recorded at 3.84 per cent.

Edun outlined key strategies to bridge the growth gap, including boosting agricultural productivity, expanding digital infrastructure, supporting entrepreneurship, and enhancing access to finance across all sectors.

Tinubu’s administration, he revealed, was also pivoting away from dependence on concessional and commercial external funding towards aggressive domestic revenue mobilisation.

“The objective is to create jobs locally, empower youths, and support them through essential infrastructure.

“The focus now is on domestic revenue mobilisation.

“The focus is on crowding in the private sector so that they can

future of the unborn generations of Nigerians.

He, however, appealed to Nigerians to continue to be patient with the administration of President Tinubu, declaring that the current economic policies have started yielding positive results.

On the empowerment programme, the senator explained that the programme was organised to reward and appreciate the constituents in Yewa North Local Government Area for their support during the 2023

"Francis left everyone a wonderful testimony of humanity, of a holy life and universal fatherhood," said a formal summary of his papacy, written in Latin, and placed next to his body.

In his homily at the Requiem Mass for Pope Francis, the Dean of the College of Cardinals recalled the highlights of his intense and prophetic 12 years of pontificate marked by his closeness to the people, “especially the least and the last amongst us”, said a statement from the Vatican.

Over 250,000 people from all walks of life poured into St. Peter’s Square and the adjacent areas yesterday morning to bid their final farewell to Pope Francis at his Requiem Mass. Over 150,00 others lined the streets of Rome as his coffin was taken in procession to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

“The Solemn and moving celebration was presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, joined by some 250 Cardinals, Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops, priests, and consecrated religious.

“In his homily, the Dean of the College of Cardinals delved into the many highlights of his remarkable and intense 12 years of Petrine Ministry marked by his style of closeness to the people and spontaneity of his gestures until the very end, but most importantly, by his deep love for the Church which he wanted open to everyone,” the Vatican statement added.

Thanking all those present and extending his greetings to the numerous religious leaders, Heads of State, Heads of Government and

come in and invest across the board: infrastructure, digital, toll roads.”

He explained that the imminent passage of key tax reform bills would significantly increase Nigeria’s taxto-GDP ratio, improving the federal government’s revenue base.

“They can probably tell you better than I, but I think the imminent passing of that tax reform bill is on the horizon, and once it is passed, it does have in it the potential for increasing tax revenues that are earned by the government,” Edun said.

The minister stressed that the private sector must be the engine of sustained growth and job creation.

According to him, with macroeconomic stability returning and investor confidence rebounding, Nigeria appears poised, if reforms stay on course, to realise its long-elusive dream of inclusive, broad-based prosperity.

“We have turned the corner. It is now time for every Nigerian to contribute towards building a stronger, more prosperous economy,” Edun added.

deposits from customers in 2024, about 66.4 per cent increase over N19.01 trillion in 2023, while Access Holdings reported N22.52 trillion deposits from customers in 2024, representing an increase of 47 per cent from the N15.3 trillion posted in 2023. The two Pan-African financial institutions have subsidiaries in over 30 African countries that have played a critical role in customers' deposits. In the year under review, Zenith Bank announced N21.96 trillion in customer deposits,

general election.

He added that the empowerment programme, which was also held in Imeko-Afon LGA on Friday, will be held in Yewa South, Ipokia and. Ado-Odo/Ota LGAs.

Reeling out his achievements in the Senate in almost two years in the saddle, Adeola, said he has taken the advantage of his position as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations to fight for the rights of his constituents and facilitate developmental projects to Ogun West.

Official Delegations from across the world attending the Mass, Cardinal Re noted that the outpouring witnessed in the week of mourning told a lot on how much the pontificate of Pope Francis “touched minds and hearts” of many people, not only within the Church.

Referencing the Gospel passage where Christ charged Peter with shepherding His flock, Cardinal Re remarked that “Despite his frailty and suffering towards the end, Pope Francis chose to follow this path of self-giving until the last day of his earthly life,” in which he “followed in the footsteps of his Lord, the Good Shepherd”

“The final image we have of him, which will remain etched in our memory, is that of last Sunday, Easter Sunday, when Pope Francis, despite his serious health problems, wanted to give us his blessing from the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica. He then came down to this Square to greet the large crowd gathered for the Easter Mass while riding in the open-top Popemobile,” the Cardinal stressed.

He recalled how his decision to take the name Francis “immediately appeared to indicate the pastoral plan and style on which he wanted to base his pontificate, seeking inspiration from the spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi.”

With his temperament and form of pastoral leadership, and through his resolute personality, said Cardinal Re, “he (the late Pope) immediately made his mark on the governance of the Church.”

“He was a Pope among the people”, with an open heart towards everyone,

On his part, Cardoso noted that the reforms undertaken in the last 18 months, have strengthened monetary buffers and stabilised the foreign exchange market.

Cardoso said: “We are custodians of stability. Our role is to ensure that people can plan without suffering the shocks of internal or external disruptions. This is not the time to be cynical. If we do not recognise and take advantage of our opportunities, others will.

“Capital moves to where the environment is enabling, it’s not the time to be cynical. It’s time for us to look to the future. With every confidence that we will get out of any problem that we are faced with,” he added.

Cardoso noted that Nigeria’s resilience amid recent external shocks had earned international respect.

“It has taken a lot of coordination between the fiscal and the monetary, learning from mistakes, being bold enough to look at other means of doing certain things to get better results, and now we are here at a time

He listed road construction, power transformers, installation of solar lights, ICT centres, construction of Primary Healthcare Centres, ultramodern markets, police stations as some of the infrastructural projects he had facilitated and completed under two years

The senator, however, disclosed that another set of 3,000 students selected across the six LGAs in Ogun West will be given scholarship and bursary awards of N200,000 and N100,000, respectively.

especially the marginalised, the least among us, but “also a Pope attentive to the signs of the times and what the Holy Spirit was awakening in the Church,” Cardinal Re remarked.

How First Non-European Pope in Almost 13 Centuries Requested for Simple Burial

Although traditionalists pushed back at his efforts to make the Church more transparent, while his pleas for an end to conflict, divisions and rampant capitalism often fell on deaf ears, the pope carried his desire for greater simplicity into his funeral, having rewritten the elaborate, book-length funeral rites used previously.

He also opted to forego a papal tradition of three interlocking caskets made of cypress, lead and oak. Instead, he was placed in a single, zinc-lined wooden coffin. His tomb has just "Franciscus", his name in Latin, inscribed on the top. A reproduction of the simple, iron-plated cross he used to wear around his neck hangs above the marble slab.

However, after the Pope is laid to rest, attention will now switch to who might succeed him. The secretive conclave is unlikely to begin before May 6, and might not start for several days after that, giving cardinals time to hold regular meetings beforehand to sum each other up and assess the state of the Church, beset by financial problems and ideological divisions, Reuters added.

where the international community is asking others to learn from what Nigeria has been able to accomplish.

“Indeed, the macroeconomic stability we are beginning to see today would not have been possible without these decisive actions,” he stated.

“Our policy stance is firmly focused on bringing inflation down to single digits in a sustainable manner over the medium term. Our goal is to restore price stability, protect household purchasing power, and lay the foundation for long-term investment.”

The CBN governor further disclosed that the gap between the official and parallel market exchange rates had disappeared, while speculative arbitrage, a persistent source of currency pressure in past years, had also vanished.

“This renewed stability has restored confidence and spurred autonomous inflows through formal channels. These inflows are diversifying our

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

AKPABIO LEADING NIGERIAN DELEGATION...

MASS IN HONOUR OF POPE...

Secretary

Omo-Agege Begins Consultations as Tension Grips His Camp over Oborevwori’s Defection to APC

Aniagwu gives reason why governor defected

Omo-Julius Onabu in Asaba

With the sudden defection of the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the camp of the former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has intensified consultations on how to be adequately accommodated in the ruling party, THISDAY has learnt.

This is just as the Delta State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, has further explained why the state chapter of the PDP decided to join the ruling APC.

Omo-Agege, once the undisputed leader of the APC in Delta State, could now be forced to play the second fiddle to his former bitter rivals, notably Governor Oborevwori and his predecessor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa.

The shell-shocked supporters of Omo-Agege have since the defection on Wednesday kept a loud silence as

his aides have also refused to respond to phone calls.

It was, however, gathered at the weekend that Omo-Agege, has following the defection, been engaged in deep consultations with some of his leading associates, including Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, Chief Ayiri Eyamami, former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Monday Igbuya; former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Ozuozorie Macaulay, among many others.

The APC in Delta State had been cloned in the image of the former deputy president of the Senate after he singlehandedly influenced the emergence of all state and local government executives during the last congress in 2021.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, had at that time, described the APC executives across the state as Omo-Agege’s house boys and house girls.

Last February, Omo-Agege had

UK Deports 43 to Nigeria, Ghana as Implementation of Border Security Plan Deepens

The United Kingdom Government has deported 43 individuals, including failed asylum seekers and convicted foreign offenders to Nigeria and Ghana as part of its ongoing border security measures under the “Plan for Change.”

According to a report published Friday on gov.uk, the deportees included 15 failed asylum seekers, 11 foreign national offenders who had completed their prison terms, and seven individuals who voluntarily agreed to return.

This marks the second deportation flight to Nigeria and Ghana since the last general election, raising the total number of deportees to these two West African nations to 87. Officials highlight that this reflects strengthening diplomatic ties and cooperation on immigration enforcement between the UK, Nigeria, and Ghana.

Since the current administration assumed office, over 24,000 individuals have been deported—a figure representing an 11% increase compared to the previous year. Deportations of foreign national offenders specifically rose by 16%, with 3,594 criminals removed from the country.

Authorities emphasised that all removals were conducted “in a

dignified and respectful manner.”

Angela Eagle, the UK’s Minister for Border Security and Asylum, commented, “This flight demonstrates how international partnerships deliver on working people’s priorities for swift returns and secure borders. Through the Plan for Change, we’re going further in restoring order to a broken system, accelerating returns of those with no right to be here, and closing expensive asylum hotels.”

She thanked the governments of Nigeria and Ghana for their role in facilitating the deportations, stressing the mutual commitment to disrupting organized immigration crime.

Baroness Chapman of Darlington, Minister for Irregular Migration at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), added, “Working internationally is critical to tackling irregular migration. I welcome our strong cooperation with Ghana and Nigeria to return those with no right to be in the UK and deliver on the Plan for Change.”

This deportation operation follows the Organised Immigration Crime Summit, where the UK convened over 40 countries, including Nigeria and Ghana, to intensify the global fight against smuggling gangs and secure international borders.

during his consultations around the state, charged Oborevwori and Okowa not to defect because they were not wanted in the APC.

Speaking at a parley with party members in Ika Federal Constituency, he said:

“We have built this party from scratch, and we will not allow people with questionable records to destroy what we have worked hard for.

“Soon, we will have three senators, and I am aware that the three PDP House of Representatives members are joining APC.

“Some House of Assembly members will also join us. We welcome everyone except Oborevwori and Okowa. They should remain in PDP and rebuild their party.”

There were speculations at the weekend that Omo-Agege could be heading towards another party.

However, an associate who spoke to journalists rebuffed the claim asserting that there were many reasons for Omo-Agege to remain in the APC.

“It is not going to be easy, one must confess, but there are many reasons not to believe the rumours of Omo-Agege defecting.

“His reason for keeping quiet is essentially because he needs to consult and right now consultations are going on with many of his associates. They need to decide what they want, and what they can come out with the new development,” the source said.

“He has to talk with others too, he is not going to go alone. He has people like Igbuya, Ayiri, Chiedu Ebie (NDDC Chairman), Ibori’s daughter, Nwaoboshi, and many, many people.”

“When they finish they will now have to present their template to the national leadership for them to engage

with the newcomers,” the source said.

Some of his former followers who were once derided as his house boys have been enthusiastic over the development.

For instance, the state executive which was at one time beholden to him on Thursday without reference to Omo-Agege ordered local government chairmen to immediately mobilise registration materials for the newcomers.

Meanwhile, the Delta State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Aniagwu, has further explained why the state chapter of the PDP decided to join the ruling APC.

Speaking on a television programme, Aniagwu said that remaining in the PDP, given its current challenges, would not advance the development of Delta State or its people.

According to him, the decision

to leave the party was carefully and primarily taken to avoid leading the state and its citizens into a bleak future, similar to the experience of Zamfara State.

"You will recall that since 1999, when the present Republic began, the PDP has held sway in Delta and made significant inroads in the state.

"In Delta, the PDP was strong before we decided to move. So, it's not a question of the PDP being weak in Delta that led to this development.

"I am very sure we have followed the developments at the national level of the party. The last straw was when the party’s governors met in Ibadan and decided not to collaborate or merge with anyone. Instead, they invited others to join them. That decision did not come from a position of strength, especially given the issues affecting the party’s vital organs.

Obi Launches ID Cards, Online Registration for Obidients

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has unveiled an online registration portal and identity cards for members of his Obidient Movement, both in Nigeria and across the diaspora.

The movement’s National Coordinator, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, and Director of Strategic Communications and Media, Nana Kazaure, disclosed this in a joint

statement yesterday.

According to the statement, each identity card will feature a QR code for authentication and display the flag of the holder’s country of residence.

It partly read: “Obidient registration portal supports Nigerians and fellow Obidients living in the diaspora. You will observe that the ID has a flag on it. For example, if you’re not resident in Nigeria, the top right-hand corner

will carry the flag of your country of residence.

“That way, we can all witness first-hand the embodying of our spirit of diversity, comradery, and unity and how far-reaching the messaging Obidient Movement is.

The OBX is constant on the ID card. The Diasporan and Nigerian cards, all start with the same prefix which is the OBX.

“The QR code on the bottom right-hand corner is there to

authenticate your card, which can be scanned with any QR scanner such as a smartphone, to give Obidients a secure and confident way of interacting with one another.

“So if you choose to support or do business with an Obidient, you can scan the QR code or verify the OBX ID online to confirm that the person is who and what they truly say they are and are who they truly claim to be.

JAMB Dismisses Rumours of Posting Candidates Outside Chosen Exam Towns

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has debunked rumours suggesting that it posts candidates to exam centres outside the towns they selected.

In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, clarified that candidates are always assigned to centres within their chosen towns based on available Computer-Based Test facilities.

Benjamin emphasised that the Board prioritises candidates’ convenience, ensuring that their examination locations align with their preferences among listed options.

He stressed that candidates retain the right to choose their exam towns, and JAMB strictly

adheres to those choices when making centre assignments.

“It is our firm belief that some parents are continually being deceived, misled, and defrauded by their wards and some secondary school proprietors who perpetuate this falsehood.

“Let it be unequivocally clear: at the time of registration, candidates have the right to select their preferred examination town.

JAMB subsequently assigns them to a centre within the selected town.

“The baseless claim that candidates are posted to towns different from their choices is erroneous, malicious, and aimed solely at tarnishing the Board’s reputation. It does not happen.

“The Board therefore challenges this false yet popular narrative by offering a handsome financial

reward to anyone who can provide authentic proof of even one candidate who has been posted outside their chosen town,” he said.

Benjamin added that, to ensure transparency and to avoid “being a judge in one’s own case”, such proof should, within the next 96 hours, be sent to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission WhatsApp number: 08056003030.

According to him, this process will ensure that an independent body can confirm the evidence, deliver the reward if appropriate, or exonerate the Board once and for all from the recurring campaign of calumny.

“Anyone who finds no fault in airlines requesting air travellers to arrive at the airport two hours before departure should equally

find no fault in encouraging candidates to arrive at CBT centres 90 minutes before the commencement of examinations for preliminary verification.

“Many parents who expect candidates to spend no more than two hours for a two-hour examination are evidently unaware of the necessary preliminary processes,” he added.

Benjamin appealed to the public to grant agencies the benefit of the doubt and to trust that they exist to serve the public interest in the best possible manner. He maintained that JAMB remains committed to the public good at all times.

He advised candidates against harbouring superstitious and baseless dreams of reaping where they have not sown.

President of the Senate and leader of Nigeria's delegation to the burial ceremony of Pope Francis, Senator Godswill Akpabio (left), and the Chief Protocol to the Vatican, Bishop Javier Domingo Fernandez Gonzalez, when Akpabio arrived Rome…Friday

to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume (right), and Papal Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty, at a mass for the late Pope Francis at the Pro Cathedral Garki, Abuja…Friday

ECONOMY ON THEIR MINDS...

L-R: Director, Institute for Development Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (Enugu campus), Dr. Ben Nwosu; former Economic Adviser to the Governor of Abia State/Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, UNN (Enugu Campus), Dr. Chukwuma Agu; Chairman, FIT Group of Companies, Chief Loretta Aniagolu; Professor of Economics, UNN, Nsukka/Co-Chair, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), National Advisory Council, Prof Osita Ogbu; Public Policy Analyst and Moderator, Ms. Chimaza Okorie; Commissioner of Finance, Enugu State Government, Dr. Emeka Urama; and NESG Board Member, Mr. Nnanna Ude, at the NESG’s National Dialogue Series in Enugu…recently

APC Will Soon Implode, Says Wabara

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara, has declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will soon implode as a result of the defection of PDP members, who will displace loyal APC members that laboured to build the ruling party.

Wabara, who accused President Bola Tinubu of turning Nigeria into a one-party state, said no amount of political trick would save the APC from “total defeat in 2027”.

Speaking to journalists yesterday, Wabara warned that muzzling the opposition under any guise would birth tyranny and despotism, which he said, posed grave danger to democracy.

“I have earlier warned against Tinubu turning Nigeria into a one-party state and it’s all coming to pass now. He has no apologies for that, and this is not good for our

democracy,” Wabara said.

The former Senate President encouraged PDP members across the country not to be discouraged or demoralised by the development in Delta State.

He said there was no cause for alarm over the recent defection of the party’s vice presidential candidate in 2023, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa; Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori; and some PDP chieftains in Delta State to the APC.

Wabara, who noted that the PDP would “surely miss” the defectors, however, said the defection would not deplete the fortunes of the party in 2027.

He, rather, described the development as “a blessing in disguise”.

Wabara said: “APC will soon implode” as a result of the defection of PDP members, coming to displace loyal APC faithful who have laboured to build their party”.

He said: “The PDP will laugh last

because very soon, there will be an implosion in the APC. Those people joining the APC will soon want to displace the party members who have built the APC over the years. The displaced APC members will look for where to go, and they will simply come over to the PDP.”

Wabara, who said he was not surprised at the defection of the high-profile PDP chieftains, noted that “decampment in politics, is not unusual.”

He attributed the action to some factors, including choice, loss of confidence in the electoral process, and desperation for a second term in office.

Wabara said: “It was expected, and I think we should expect more. But there’s nothing to worry about. That’s politics. We long expected such defections and we know the reason: Some are doing so for second tenure, and some for protection.”

The PDP BoT Chairman declared that despite the defections, the 2027

polls would not be a smooth sail for the ruling APC contrary to false hope by its leadership.

Wabara said Nigerians “who have been subjected to agony and economic hardship as a result of APC’s bad policies and maladministration will use their votes wisely, protect their votes, and ensure that they count.”

“It’s a movement of the leadership and not the followership. Even at that, I have it on good authority that not all the leaders are moving to APC. At the fullness of time, Nigerians will decide. Nigerians will decide the 2027 presidential election, not parties.”

Wabara further noted that lack of confidence in the electoral umpire is part of the reason for drift towards the ruling party as political office seekers will always want to be sure their mandate is safeguarded.

“Those people defecting know that in 2027, the outcome of the election may not reflect the true will of the people. They may be afraid that

2027: Deputy Speaker Mobilises Support for Tinubu in South-east, Says President’s Mandate Deserves Renewal

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has called on the South-east zone to appreciate the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reposition the zone with special interventions.

He made the call over the weekend when he opened an office complex in Umuahia, Abia State capital, for Renewed Hope Partners.

Kalu stated that Tinubu has given the South-east a sense of belonging, citing the establishment of the South East Development Commission (SEDC).

the results of the elections may be compromised but Nigerians will not allow such broad-day robbery again.

“The idea of the electoral body writing and announcing any results and asking aggrieved parties to go to court will not work again. Nigerians will vigorously resist anything undemocratic because this country must be made to work for the good of all.

“The fear of the decampees is that the APC might want to give one or two states to the opposition to create the impression that the election was democratic. But the bitter truth is that the 2027 election will be between the APC and Nigerians determined to

rescue their country from political hijackers.”

Wabara, however, noted that the mass defection of Ijaw PDP chieftains would not have occurred if the late Ijaw leader, Pa Edwin Clark, were still alive.

“I really mourn the death of Pa Edwin Clark because if he were to be alive, this political rascality in Delta wouldn’t have taken place. Even though Pa Clark was not a card-carrying member of the PDP, he was not in support of the APC policies and Government. The Ijaws in Delta PDP wouldn’t have disrespected Pa Edwin Clark by taking that decision.”

2027: Rivers PDP National Assembly Caucus Declares Support for Tinubu’s Re-election

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Members of the Rivers State Caucus in the National Assembly have declared their support for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

He said that 2027 would be an ample opportunity for the South-east to show their appreciation to Tinubu with massive votes to attract more democracy dividends.

According to him, Tinubu has done more than past Nigerian leaders to bring developmental projects to the South-east, adding that his economic policies have also positively impacted the zone.

"President Tinubu has recommitted to finishing the Port Harcourt–Maiduguri (railway) corridor. Once operational, it will link Aba and Onitsha hubs to northern markets,

Kalu noted that President Tinubu has expressed his commitment to the completion of the Eastern railway corridor, which his predecessors had overlooked.

unlocking 50 billion in annual trade throughput," he said.

Kalu pointed to Tinubu’s reinvigoration of Nigeria's economy, noting that the "aggregate national revenues (have) more than doubled, surpassing 9.1 trillion in H1 2024 over H1 2023, through automation, anti-leakage measures, and creative funding, all without burdening citizens."

He heaped praises on Tinubu for reducing Nigeria's debt service burden, given that "the share of revenue devoted to debt servicing fell from 97 per cent to 68 per cent in just 13 months, while $7 billion in legitimate FX obligations were cleared, preserving funds for development."

Kalu, who described himself as

a good ambassador and staunch supporter of President Tinubu even before becoming the deputy speaker, further praised him for doing a good job in foreign direct investment uptick. He said that the president "has so far attracted proposed investments worth $50.8 billion into the country", adding that the nation stands to reap bountiful economic dividends when the proposed investments materialise.

Quoting the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Kalu stated that "the Nigeria’s GDP grew by 3.4 per cent in 2024, an increase from the 2.7 per cent recorded in 2023", adding that "the final quarter of 2024 saw a growth rate of 3.84 per cent, the highest in three years".

Family Unveils Funeral Programme for Afenifere Leader, Ayo Adebanjo

The family of the late leader of the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has announced the funeral arrangements for the deceased elder statesman.

Adebanjo died on February 14 at the age of 96 at his Lekki residence in Lagos.

The family, in a statement said the funeral/church service would hold on May 3 , at St. Phillips Anglican Church, Isanya Ogbo, near Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

It added that the Thanksgiving Service would be held on May 4 at the same venue. According to the family, the Day of Tributes/Service of Songs will be held on April 30 at 2.00p.m. at Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The family added that the wake would be held on May 2 at 4.00p.m. at Pa Ayo Adebanjo’s country home, Isanya Ogbo, near Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

Expressing deep gratitude for

the support and prayers received since his passing, the family said it welcomed well-wishers to participate in celebrating the life of their patriarch.

“The family invites friends, colleagues, political associates, and the general public to join them in paying final respects to a man whose courage, integrity, and unwavering belief in justice left an indelible mark on Nigeria’s political history,” the family said.

Providing some information about

their late patriarch’s life, the family said: “Chief Samuel Ayodele Adebanjo, widely known as Chief Ayo Adebanjo or Pa Ayo Adebanjo, was born on April 10, 1928, in Ogun State, in the south-western region of Nigeria.

He was born into the family of Joel Adebanjo Adedairo and Salamotu Odubanke.”

It said that Chief Adebanjo began his public journey as a journalist before proceeding to the United Kingdom to study law.

The lawmakers who are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), also called on those aspiring to contest for the country’s number one position in the next general election to shelve their ambitions, stating that Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda remains the surest path to Nigeria’s prosperity and progress.

The caucus, comprising two senators and seven members of the House of Representatives, said their position is based on the visible successes of Tinubu’s agenda, which they described as “working and on course.”

The Rivers National Assembly caucus made the declaration yesterday in a statement they all signed, which was read to journalists on their behalf by Senator Barry Mpigi in Port Harcourt.

They also lauded Tinubu’s economic policies, saying they are aimed at repositioning the country’s ailing economy, among other achievements.

The statement reads: “We, the members of the National Assembly from Rivers State, comprising Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, extend our heartfelt gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his trust and confidence in our leader, His Excellency Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, following his appointment as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. We are gladdened by the President’s public acknowledgement and commendation of the exceptional performance of the Minister of FCT, whom he described as the ‘Master of Infrastructure.’

“Now, having carefully reviewed

the President’s economic policies, which are targeted at repositioning our once moribund economy through his Renewed Hope Agenda, and taking into account the massive rot and decadence he inherited on the 29th of May, 2023—including our unenviable debt profile and the terrible inflationary figures occasioned by the printing of N22.7 trillion by the Central Bank of Nigeria through Ways and Means overdraft for the federal government between 2015 and 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“And the near-absence of critical infrastructure to support food production; we have come to the conclusion that the President’s economic plan is the surest way out of our country’s social and economic morass. Further, our assessment is firm that the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda is very much on track with already visible results and a credible basis that offers greater improvement in the economic wellbeing of Nigerians if given the necessary time. Still, we are convinced that the declining inflation figures, the substantial reduction in our foreign debt profile, and an IMF-backed promising growth figure all bode well for the economy in the years ahead.”

While thanking Tinubu for his “swift” intervention in the political crisis in Rivers State, they said the President’s action “has set the process of peace in motion, even as we pray and hope to see a clear path to an enduring peace built on sincerity of purpose.”

The statement further added: “As members of the National Assembly from Rivers State, we declare unequivocally our unconditional resolve to work again for the reelection of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu come 2027.

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

PROMOTING ARGUNGU CULTURE…

'Deconstructing Unity' focused on Argungu Emirate at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos...yesterday

Emir Seeks Military Intervention as Boko Haram Kills 12 in Borno Village

The Emir of Gwoza, HRH Alhaji Mohammed Shehu Timta, has called for military intervention following the killing of 12 people by suspected Boko Haram terrorists along Kirawa road and Bokko Ghide community of Pulka District in Gwoza Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State in the last 24 hours.

The Emir of Gwoza, who confirmed the killings, said two of the victims killed along Kirawa road ambush on Friday, April 25, 2025 were members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), while the other 10 victims are firewood scavengers who were also ambushed and killed yesterday.

Timta who decried the spate of killings in recent times on Gwoza communities and other locations, warned that such renewed attacks, if not checked, would sabotage the efforts of Borno State Government and the military in its ongoing reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Defection: Osun PDP Has Not Lost Any Genuine Supporter, Says Adeleke

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has said he has not lost any of the supporters who backed his emergence in 2022, and urged his followers not to worry about those who have left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a statement issued yesterday in Osogbo, Osun State capital by the governor’s spokesman, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke stated that rather than weakening the PDP, recent defections had only strengthened the party, due to the spread of various developmental projects being executed across the state by his administration.

Adeleke, who was reacting to recent developments in the PDP, noted that the 2022 victory was made possible by dedicated and loyal PDP members, despite the anti-party activities of some chieftains.

“We know how we got to the Government House, and those God used to make it possible. We also know those who worked openly or silently against us. We are aware of

those who opposed us then, but have now embraced our good governance agenda. We also have a verified list of those still opposing us,” he said.

The governor assured PDP members that the party’s membership base had expanded, with many defectors from the opposition joining.

“We have increased in strength and support. We have not lost any genuine supporters from 2022 to date. Our good work has earned us even more supporters, partners, and goodwill across party lines,” he added.

Adeleke said his administration treated all federal constituencies fairly.

“Our infrastructure plan benefits every part of the state, and our local content programmes spread opportunities to all. We run a truly pan-Osun government,” he said.

While urging PDP members to remain steadfast and united, Adeleke expressed appreciation for the wave of endorsements from various interest groups and pledged to remain focused on pursuing the Imole Agenda beyond 2026.

FBI Arrests 22 Nigerians for Sextortion Scam Linked to 20 Teen Suicides

Segun James

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced the arrest of 22 Nigerians allegedly involved in a sextortion ring blamed for the suicides of more than 20 teenagers across the United States since 2021.

In a statement published at the weekend, the agency revealed that the arrests were the result of Operation Artemis, a first-ofits-kind global crackdown on financially motivated sextortion crimes. The operation was conducted in collaboration with law enforcement agencies from Canada, Australia, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom. According to the FBI, Operation Artemis was launched nearly two years ago following a surge in

reports of teen boys being manipulated into sharing explicit photos online and subsequently extorted with threats of exposure unless payments were made.

“As a result of Operation Artemis, FBI investigations led to the arrest of 22 Nigerian subjects, with at least one arrest linked to an American victim who took their own life,” the FBI stated.

The agency explained that in these sextortion schemes, minors, mostly boys, are lured online by individuals posing as young women. After persuading them to send nude photographs, the scammers demand money to keep the images private. Investigators noted that even when victims paid, the extortion often continued, with threats escalating over time.

“It is unfortunate that two of my people who are members of the Civilian Joint Task Force were ambushed and killed along Kirawa road on Friday, while another 10 civilians who went to a nearby bush

Wike

to scavenge firewood were killed today (Saturday), with two others sustaining serious injuries.

“We have since buried the victims today according to their religious rites, while the injured ones were evacuated to Maiduguri for treatment.

“Let me use this opportunity to pray Allah to grant Aljanatul Firdaus to the souls of the departed, and quick recovery to the injured ones.

”We know that the government and the military have been doing their best in managing the over-

decade Boko Haram crisis, but more efforts need to be done in terms of technological warfare and sophisticated equipment to deal with these terrorists.

“I can confirm to you that these renewed attacks would demoralise our resilient people who have started warming up for this year’s cropping season, as many would be scared from going to their farms,” Timta said.

These latest attacks were coming barely a day after the state Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum,

called on the military to launch aggressive operations to eliminate insurgents from their enclaves. Governor Zulum made the appeal at the weekend while receiving a high-level federal government delegation led by the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar; Minister of State for Defence, Chief of Defence Staff; and other military chiefs, during a courtesy visit at the Council Chamber of the Government House in Maiduguri.

Orders Crackdown on Quack Hospitals, Doctors in FCT

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has directed a total clampdown on unregistered hospital and quack medical personnel operating in the FCT, saying “henceforth, anyone found to be operating or working in an unregistered health facilities should be arrested and prosecuted.”

The minister gave this directive while reacting to the death of a pregnant woman, at Afolmi Hospital,

a private health facility located in Durumi, Abuja, following a caesarean section.

Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, said in a statement yesterday, that it was unfortunate that despite the free registration of pregnant women into the FCT Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS), most pregnant women were still not taking advantage of the scheme.

He said: “In the FCT, vulnerable

persons, including pregnant women, enjoy free enrollment into the FHIS, which allows them free access, through the Primary Health Care (PHC) Centres, to all services covered in the Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMPHS).

“Also, in alignment with the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and demonstration of the Wike-led FCTA zero tolerance for maternal mortality, several hospitals in the FCT, including Gwarinpa, Nyanya, Abaji, and Kuje General Hospitals, have been designated as Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (CEONC) centres. These facilities also offer cesarean sections free of charge.

“Our pregnant women are once again urged to take advantage of this free health insurance scheme and stop visiting quack medical personnel and unregistered health facilities.” It should be recalled that yesterday, Chekwube Chinagorom, a 35-year-old woman, was brought in dead to Asokoro District Hospital.

FG to Reopen Enugu Airport for Flight Operations Monday

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

The federal government has announced that Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, Enugu State, will reopen for flight operations on Monday, April 28, 2025, following the completion of emergency runway repairs.

On April 18, 2025, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) announced that due to a sudden and significant rupture in the asphalt surface at a critical section of the runway, the runway would be shut down for emergency repairs.

A statement issued yesterday by the Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, FAAN, Mrs Obiageli Orah, hinted that the work was scheduled to begin on April 22 while the airport would be reopened on May 6, 2025.

"FAAN appreciates all airport users and stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation during this time.

FAAN, has however, confirmed that the rehabilitation works have been completed, and the runway cleared for landings and takeoffs by the engineers working with FAAN.

"The Authority sincerely apologises for the inconvenience but assures the public that all actions were taken in the interest of safety," FAAN said in a statement.

EDUN, CARDOSO: TINUBU’S REFORMS HAVE RESTORED INVESTORS’ CONFIDENCE, STABILISED FX MARKET

foreign exchange sources beyond oil,” Cardoso added.

Shettima Seeks International Collaboration to Advance Nigeria’s Human Capital Devt Strategy

In a related development, Vice President Shettima has clamoured for stronger international collaboration to advance Nigeria’s Human Capital Development 2.0 (HCD 2.0) strategy. Speaking virtually at a high-level roundtable on the sidelines of the 2025 World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings

at the weekend, Shettima said the success of HCD 2.0 depended on data-driven, evidence-based interventions and sustained political will.

The HCD 2.0 programme is designed to elevate Nigeria’s Human Capital Index (HCI) and equip it to face both national and global challenges, including climate change and digital transformation.

Shettima pointed out that the meeting was necessitated by the urgency to invest in the Nigerian people and by the recognition that true national wealth was found not in natural resources, but in human potential.

According to him: “This meeting, for us, is not just another item on our global agenda. It is a continuation of a journey whose beginnings I had the privilege of witnessing about seven years ago. True national wealth is found not in natural resources, but in human potential.

“We will offer our HCD 2.0 Strategy the political backing it deserves to be the priority of our nation, and President Bola Tinubu has never wavered on this".

Shettima reiterated the federal government's determination to ensure the continuity and deepening of the HCD agenda.

“Government is a continuum.

Nowhere is this truer than in programmes that demand patience, vision, and long-term commitment— programmes such as our Human Capital Development programme,” he said. He revealed that under HCD 2.0, six priority indicators from the health, education, and labour force sectors have been selected as “quick wins” to guide policy interventions and track measurable progress.

“We have carefully curated priority indicators and an HCD Dashboard to track them. This allows us to make informed policy decisions and measure our progress against tangible benchmarks,” he said.

L-R: Visual Artist, Moses Oghagbon; Member, representing Surulere 1 Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Fuad Kayode Laguda; Visual Artist/Educator, Klaranze Okhide; and Photo Editor, Thisdaylive, Kunle Ogunfuyi, at the ongoing group art exhibition titled:

Tony Okwoju; and Corporate Affairs Director, NB Plc, Sade Morgan, during a courtesy visit of executives of the

Cash Movement: Violators Risk Forfeiture, Two Years Imprisonment, EFCC Warns Travellers

The Kano Zonal Director, Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Shazali, has warned that travellers – whether businessmen, pilgrims or tourists that violate cash movement laws risk forfeiture and two years imprisonment.

The EFCC boss gave the warning during a strategic sensitisation of stakeholders on legal requirements for movement of cash in and out of Nigeria organised by the Nigeria Customs Service (NSC), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Shazali warned that no excuses or ignorance of the laws would be condoned as violators won’t go scotfree.

He said despite the laws put in place to regulate the movement of cash in and out of the country, travellers, whether

businessmen, pilgrims or tourists, still violate the laws.

According to him, “Nigeria, as a signatory to international anti-money laundering conventions, has established strict laws to regulate the movement of cash in and out of the country.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act, Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, and the EFCC Establishment Act provide clear guidelines on cash declarations and penalties for violations. Despite these laws, many travelers - whether businessmen, pilgrims, or tourists - still engage in illegal cash movements, either out of ignorance or deliberate attempts to evade financial regulations. Today, we will clarify the legal requirements, reporting obligations, and consequences of non-compliance.

“On Legal Requirements for Cash Movement in Nigeria.

According to Nigerian laws: Declaring Cash over $10,000 (or equivalent): – Any traveller carrying $10,000 (or its equivalent in other currencies) or more must declare it to the Nigeria Customs Service at the point of entry or exit. Failure to declare is a criminal offense punishable under the Money Laundering Act. Travelers

must provide evidence of the legitimate source of the cash (e.g., bank withdrawal slips, sales receipts, or company financial records). Undeclared or suspicious funds are subject to seizure and forfeiture. No individual or corporate entity is allowed to physically move large sums of cash without proper authorization from

regulatory bodies. Electronic transfers are encouraged for high-value transactions to ensure traceability as stipulated in the Money Laundering prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.

“On consequences of illegal cash movement, the EFCC, in collaboration with the NCS and ICPC, has intensified surveil-

lance at airports to curb illicit financial flows. Violators face arrest & prosecution. Offenders will be detained and charged to court under Section 2 of the Money Laundering Act and Section 13 of the EFCC Act. Violators also risk forfeiture of funds: Undeclared cash will be confiscated permanently by the federal government.

Truck Falls from Lagos Bridge, Crushes Commercial Buses

Segun James

Tragedy was narrowly averted yesterday when a fully loaded truck skidded off the Pen Cinema Bridge in the Agege area of Lagos, crashing into two stationary commercial buses below.

According to the spokesperson of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, the truck lost control while navigating the bridge and veered off, leading to the fall.

The driver of the truck sustained severe fractures to both hands but was rescued by LASTMA officials who responded promptly to the scene.

Following the rescue, the injured driver was handed over to officers of the Elere Police Division and subsequently taken to the General Hospital, Ile-Epo, for urgent medical care.

Adebayo said LASTMA’s personnel acted swiftly to cordon off the area, divert traffic, and prevent further accidents.

The Lagos State Emergency

Management Agency (LASEMA)

Response Unit later cleared the wreckage, allowing normal traffic flow to resume on the busy Old Abeokuta Road axis.

“Preliminary inquiries suggest that the truck driver, who suffered grievous fractures to both hands, lost control of the vehicle while navigating the Pen Cinema Bridge. Consequently, the truck plunged from the bridge, landing upon the two commercial buses stationed beneath,” Adebayo said in a

statement.

Expressing concern over the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan BakareOki, urged motorists, especially truck drivers, to exercise extreme caution, particularly with the rainy season increasing road hazards.

He emphasised the need for compliance with road safety regulations and the use of newly installed speed-limiting devices to curb such accidents. Bakare-Oki also wished the injured driver a speedy recovery.

Wike Orders Crackdown on Quack Hospitals, Doctors in FCT

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has commended traditional rulers in Bauchi State for actively participating in the advocacy of the polio vaccine uptake in the state.

THISDAY reports that UNICEF in partnership with the Bauchi State Government, has mobilised traditional rulers to ensure massive 2025 polio vaccine uptake and compliance in the state.

Speaking during the monitoring of the vaccination exercise in Ningi Local Government Area of the state yesterday, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, Chief of UNICEF’s Field Office, Bauchi commended the Emirs for actively participating in the advocacy of the polio vaccine uptake in the state.

Represented by Mr Eki

George, UNICEF’s Social Behaviour Change Specialist, Rafique acknowledged that the role the traditional rulers would play to ensure massive vaccine compliance and uptake could not be overemphasised.

According to Dr Nuzhat Rafique, “It is a welcome development to see our royal fathers taking up the leadership role in leading our communities to do the right thing.

“We are indeed very grateful as we have sought for their roles in this campaign and here they are with us to ensure that our children are all vaccinated.

“We appreciated the presence of the traditional rulers during these monitoring exercises, and this will encourage and boost the uptake of the polio vaccine, especially by the non-compliant people in the state.

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has directed a total clampdown on unregistered hospital and quack medical personnel operating in the FCT, saying “henceforth, anyone found to be operating or working in an unregistered health facilities should be arrested and prosecuted.”

The minister gave this directive while reacting to the death of a pregnant woman, at Afolmi Hospital, a private health facility located in Durumi, Abuja, following a caesarean section.

Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, said in a statement yesterday, that it was unfortunate that despite the free registration

of pregnant women into the FCT Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS), most pregnant women were still not taking advantage of the scheme.

He said: “In the FCT, vulnerable persons, including pregnant women, enjoy free enrollment into the FHIS, which allows them free access, through the Primary Health Care (PHC) Centres, to all services covered in the Basic Minimum Package of Health

Services (BMPHS).

“Also, in alignment with the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and demonstration of the Wike-led FCTA zero tolerance for maternal mortality, several hospitals in the FCT, including Gwarinpa, Nyanya, Abaji, and Kuje General Hospitals, have been designated as Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (CEONC) centres.

Otti Debunks Defection Speculation, Says He Has No Plan Currently

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The governor of Abia State, Alex Otti has denied claims linking him to a planned defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Reports had alleged that Otti recently met with Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, to discuss a potential move to the ruling party.

The claims surfaced after Thursday’s national economic council (NEC) meeting at the presidential villa.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Special Adviser to Otti on media and publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, described the reports as “false, baseless and unfounded”.

The governor’s spokesperson said the alleged meeting was misrepresented and had no

political undertone.

“After the National Economic Council meeting on Thursday, April 24, Governor Otti and a few of his colleagues joined Governor Uzodimma to attend the birthday celebration of his twin daughters, an event that had nothing to do with politics,” he said.

Ekeoma said Otti’s “rising profile and performance” as

to

Join APC

Abia governor may be fuelling speculation and political projections from various quarters. He said decisions with longterm consequences would only be taken in consultation with the people of Abia and the governor’s close allies. According to him, Otti remains focused on governance and believes it is premature to allow 2027 politics to “distract from the mandate of service to Abians”.

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

Government Affairs Manager, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Bolaji Layeni; Head of Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs, NB Plc, Chukwuemeka Aniukwu; Head of Public, External and Government Affairs,

NB Plc, Uzodinma Odenigbo; Managing Director, Pernod Richard; President, Spirits and Wine Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Michael Ehindero; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole; Director General, SWAN,

Spirits and Wine Association of Nigeria to the minister in Abuja...Friday

Insecurity: Police Ready to Collaborate with Forest Security Service, Says IG

The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has expressed the willingness of the Nigeria Police to work with the Nigeria Forest Security Service (NFSS), in tackling insecurity in the country.

Egbetokun gave the assurance when the Commander General of NFSS, Dr Wole Osatimehin, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

The Deputy Commander-General (Intelligence), Dr John Metchie, made this known in a statement in Abuja.

Egbetokun who was represented

by the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Operations, Bzigu Kwazi, praised the leadership, officers and men of NFSS for the good job they had been doing.

He said the signing into law of the bill establishing NFSS would empower the organisation to do more in their task of safeguarding forested areas of the country to make them inaccessible for criminal elements.

According to him, the NFSS has been doing its best in protecting the forests that have been occupied

Oborevwori, Okowa’s

by criminal elements and non-state actors.

“There is no member of the National Assembly, both in the Senate and House of Representatives that does not know that the forests have become a threat to us.

“It is also a challenge to all security agencies, including the military, the police, customs, immigration, civil defence and NDLEA.

“NFSS coming in as a security agency and it is a welcome development.

“You have my support with

Defection to APC in Order,

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Rivers State governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 elections, Senator Magnus Abe, has said that the defection of the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy and his entire cabinet, as well as ex-governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, is a move that will strengthen and consolidate the ruling All Progressives Congress’ (APC) support base in the South-south geopolitical zone.

Abe, a former senator

Says Abe

representing Rivers South-East in the National Assembly, described the defections as a signal that Nigeria’s democracy is stronger under the APC, led by President Bola Tinubu.

This was contained in a statement signed by his spokesman, Parry Benson, and made available to newsmen yesterday.

According to the statement, Abe, who is the Chairman of the National Agency for The Great Green Wall, said democracy is strong where every citizen is allowed true freedom of association and freedom of choice.

The statement partly read, “Under President Tinubu, Ni-

gerians have seen a tremendous increase in the resources available to the states, and serious-minded governors have been able to utilise that advantage to the benefit of their people.

“This is the merit that Sheriff Oborevwori and his team have seen and decided to take advantage of it, to move the people of Delta State closer to the centre to accelerate development. It is a step in the right direction, and I commend him.”

Continuing, the statement quoted Abe to have recalled “that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar dumped the Peoples Democratic Party, in 2007.”

my entire management team to support you in whatever way we can. We are ready to work with you as partners in the task of security for our country,” he said. Earlier, Osatimehin said the visit by top officers of the service was to thank the police for the support it has been giving the NFSS in the 36 states in carrying out their duties.

Osatimehin described the Police as a “parenting father” of NFSS, adding that the Force had been at the forefront of training its personnel since it was established in 2016.

According to him, the police has trained hundreds of NFSS operatives across their various training schools in the country. He said that the NFSS Bill had been passed by the two chambers of the National Assembly, awaiting the president for assent.

Osarimehin pledged that Nigeria’s forested areas would be a no-go-area for terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminals when the service becomes a full-fledged government agency.

Speaking on the development,

the Deputy Commander General (Intelligence) of NFSS, Metchie, commended Osatimehin for his leadership qualities, which he said had helped to make the service a force to reckon with in the country. Metchie also praised the police boss, Egbetokun; the DirectorGeneral, Department of State Security Service (DSS), Adeola Ajayi as well as officers and men of the two security agencies, for their patriotic disposition which had helped to deepen trust between them and NFSS.

BEA Scholars Dispute Education Minister’s Claims on Unpaid Allowance Figures

Festus Akanbi

The controversy over the delayed payment of monthly allowances to Nigerian scholars abroad under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) between Nigeria and some foreign countries took a twist at the weekend when the students’ union body and their parents faulted the claims by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa on the current fate of the students and the state of their welfare.

The students’ body, under the aegis of the Union of Nigerian Bilateral Education Agreement Scholars (UNBEAS), said apart from the unpaid allowance for the first four months of 2025, each of the

scholars is owed a total of $6,720 for 2023 and 2024 combined.

They alleged that the Ministry of Education’s claims that all allowances except for January to April 2025, have been paid, in its last public statement, were inaccurate.

The minister, in an interview with THISDAY on Thursday, had faulted the agitation by the students’ body for the payment of their outstanding allowances, which he attributed to the delay in budget provision.

The minister insisted that all the allowances, except for January to April 2025, had been paid.

The minister further disclosed that he would be meeting with the Association of the Parents of

the BEA Scholars this week.

The minister’s position was re-echoed yesterday in a press statement by the ministry, which not only justifies the 56 per cent slash in the allowance to the students but also claimed that the needs of the scholars have been taken care of by the hosting countries. The statement added that the government was making plans to clear the outstanding payments for 2025.

However, reacting on its X account, the student’s body, under the aegis of the UNBEAS, said apart from the unpaid allowance for the first four months in 2025, each of the scholars is owed a total of $6,720 for 2023 and 2024 combined.

COUNCIL OF LEGAL EDUCATION QUARTERLY MEETING…

L-R: President, Nigerian Bar Association, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN; Chairman Council of Legal Education, Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN; Director of-General, Nigerian Law School, Prof Isa

SAN; and Secretary, Council of Legal Education, Ms. Aderonke Osho, at the quarterly meeting of the Council held at it’s headquarters, Bwari, Abuja…recently.

ECWA Raises Concerns over Escalating Attacks, Kidnapping of Members in Kaduna, Plateau

Pays N300m in ransom, says 50 remain in captivity

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

The leadership of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) has said the church was gravely concerned about the rising cases of violence, banditry, and kidnappings in Kaduna State as well as

the brutal attacks that claimed many lives in Plateau State. It appealed that urgent action be taken by the federal government to reverse the trend.

The General Secretary of ECWA, Rev. Ayuba Asheshe, at a press conference held at

Women Kreatives Connect Summit 2025 Empowers 2,000 Female

Over 2,000 young women gathered at the Women Kreatives Connect Summit (WKCS) hosted by Terra Academy for the Arts (TAFTA) on April 24, 2025, at Regal Hall, Daystar, Ikeja. With the theme “Building as a Creative in Nigeria,” the summit brought together female creatives from across Lagos for a full day of inspiration, hands-on workshops, networking, and knowledge sharing.

TAFTA ’ s brand ambassador Bamike “BamBam” Adenibuyan and actor Emeka “Emeneks” Nwagbaraocha featured as guest speakers in a vibrant panel session,

Nigerian carrier, Air Peace, has said its Benin to Abuja flight P47171 was delayed in the air on Friday due to turbulence resulting from adverse weather conditions.

The airline’s Head of Corporate Communications, Dr Ejike Ndiulo, said the delay happened during the aircraft’s descent into Abuja.

He also stated that despite the incident, the aircraft landed safely and passengers disembarked without any problem.

The statement reads: “We wish to address an incident

where they shared personal insights on turning passion into profit and navigating the realities of Nigeria’s creative industry.

Attendees participated in breakout training workshops covering scriptwriting and art business and entrepreneurship. The summit also included live creative challenges, networking moments, and spotlight performances.

Top female content creators were rewarded with free premium content creation kits, reinforcing TAFTA’s mission to equip women with tools to grow and thrive in the creative economy.

involving Air Peace Flight P47171 from Benin to Abuja on April 25, 2025.

“During the aircraft’s descent into Abuja, the flight encountered turbulence as a result of adverse weather conditions, including thunderstorms. In line with global aviation safety standards, our crew activated appropriate safety protocols and held in a holding pattern until weather conditions improved. We are pleased to confirm that the aircraft landed safely and all passengers disembarked normally.”

the ECWA headquarters in Jos at the weekend, noted that the church has already expended over N300million in ransom payments, yet over 50 of their members remained in captivity.

His words: “ECWA expresses its profound grief and deep concern over a surge of violent incidents impacting its members and communities in Kaduna and Plateau States. These interconnected crises, marked by banditry, kidnappings, and brutal militia attacks, demand immediate and decisive intervention from the government and all stakeholders.

“In Kaduna State, the Kwassam DCC of the Kauru Local Government Area has been

Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, said he has no plans to join the opposition coalition being promoted by some opposition leaders, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

Buni’s stance is contained in a statement issued by Mamman Mohammed, the Director-General of Press and Media Affairs in the office of the Yobe state governor.

According to the News

ravaged by relentless banditry and kidnappings in recent weeks. Tragically, over 20 lives have been lost, and over 100 individuals, including church members and community residents, have been abducted.

“The church has already expended over N300 million in ransom payments, yet over 50 individuals remain in captivity, placing an unbearable financial strain on the church and affected families, many of whom have lost their livelihoods. The targeting of predominantly farming communities in the region further exacerbates the crisis, posing a significant threat to food security in the affected areas and

Agency of Nigeria (NAN), a viral message had claimed that Buni and four other All Progressives Congress (APC) governors were finalising plans to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before the 2027 elections.

This follows growing coalition talks among opposition politicians seeking to wrest power from the ruling APC ahead of the next general election.

The former vice-president has been at the forefront of strategic

neighbouring communities due to the disruption of agricultural activities.”

He added: “Simultaneously, the Binawa LCC of ECWA Saminaka DCC in the Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State has also suffered recent attacks. On the night of Tuesday, February 4, 2025, three communities – Majagada 2, Majagada 1, and Tsohon Gann Binawa – were targeted, resulting in the kidnapping of 16 individuals, the killing of six, and injuries to four others.

“These tragic events have plunged the affected communities into deep mourning and fear, highlighting the continued vulnerability of ECWA members.

meetings and talks around the proposed coalition against the APC.

However, Buni’s spokesperson dismissed the claim of Buni joining the coalition, describing it as “baseless fabrications, unwarranted imagination, and assumptions that did not cross paths with reality in any way, shape, and form”.

He said the author of the message had never been close enough to Buni to predict the

These incidents in Kwassam and Binawa are but two examples of the numerous kidnapping crises affecting the wider ECWA family across Nigeria.

“Adding to this immense pain, a separate tragedy occurred in Biliri, Gombe State, during an Easter Monday celebration. A trailer truck lost control and tragically struck a procession of Christians, resulting in the deaths of five individuals and injuries to many others.”

The cleric further lamented, “ECWA is witnessing an alarming escalation of violence in Plateau State, orchestrated by Fulani militia and their sponsors against defenceless communities.

governor’s political movement.

“Buni is no ordinary member of APC; he is not just an APC governor. He is APC in all ramifications, with APC flowing in his veins,” the statement reads.

“His contributions to building APC as a two-term National Secretary and National Chairman who chaired the party’s convention committee make him unique, and whose imagination of leaving the party cannot be speculated.”

Afe Babalola Urges Nigerians to Return to Agriculture

Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

The founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, (ABUAD)

Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), has reiterated his calls for a return of the country to the era of full agriculture practice, saying no nation, especially in Africa, can thrive, or achieve greatness, without the sector.

This is coming just as the nonagenarian elder statesman emerged as African Man of the Year, in Food Security, for the

second time. Babalola thus set the new record at the weekend, having also emerged as the recipient, eleven years ago, in 2014, defeating other nominees from across the continent.

The award was bestowed on Babalola by the Global Food Security Initiative for Green Sustainability/FIGS- Africa, and having won the award twice, the legal luminary has thus become the first African to have attained the feat.

In Nigeria, for several years, Babalola has been adjudged one of the leading large-scale farmers in Nigeria, and the largest single farmer in Ekiti, his home state, where he is also renowned as the highest taxpayer, and second largest employer of labour, after the state government.

Babalola who expressed gratitude to the global body for recognising his contributions to agriculture, described it as a challenge in ensuring food

sufficiency. He, however, described Nigeria as a net-consuming country, pointing out that the nation cannot achieve true development without prioritising large-scale production of goods and services, particularly in agriculture.

He urged the governments at all levels to create a conducive environment for farmers, saying this would enable the subnational to be a self-sustaining food hub.

Hayatu Chiroma,

Editor: Festus Akanbi

08038588469 Email:festus.akanbi@thisdaylive.com

CBN Policy Shift Lifts Nigeria’s Credit Outlook

The global credit rating agency, Fitch Ratings, recently upgraded its credit rating of Nigeria to B. Fitch said that the economic reforms have improved policy credibility and reduced near-term risks to macroeconomic stability. At the top of the reforms list are the Central Bank of Nigeria’s greater formalisation of FX activity, monetary policy tightening through a combination of policy rate hikes, prudential and operational tools like the open market operations to strengthen Festus Akanbi

The positive Fitch Ratings on Nigeria economy did not come as a surprise to stakeholders who have been keenly watching key economic policies authorities.

arbitrage in the markets, introduction of electronic FX matching platform and a new FX code to market as well as deployment of monetary Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has demonstrated commitment to achieving sustainable economy growth and exchange rate stability.

Already, the latest Fitch rating moved Nigeria’s long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating (IDR) from negative to stable, meaning that the country stands a better chance of attracting foreign investment, borrowing money on international markets at better interest rates,

Fitch also applauded government’s commitment to policy reforms implemented since its move to orthodox economic policies in June 2023, including exchange rate liberalisation, monetary policy tightening, and steps to end removal.

“These have improved policy coherence and credibility and reduced economic distortions and near-term risks to macroeconomic stability, enhancing resilience in the context of persistent domestic challenges and heightened external risks,” the agency stated.

FX Code/ EFEMS Implementation Continues

The CBN recently took a strategic step to enhance transparency and boost market conForeign Exchange Code (FX Code) in Abuja. The FX Code has so far ignited naira stability

CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso recently launched the FX Code, emphasising integrity, pillars for driving Nigeria’s economic growth and stability.

He emphasised that the FX Code was built on six core principles: ethics, governance, execution, information sharing, risk management settlement processes.

These principles, he explained, aligned with international standards while addressing the unique challenges within Nigeria’s foreign exchange market.

According to Cardoso, “The FX Code represents a decisive step forward, setting clear and enforceable standards for ethical conduct, transparency, and good governance in our foreign exchange market. The era of opaque practices is over. The FX Code marks a new era of compliance and accountability. Under the CBN Act 2007 and BOFIA Act 2020, violations will be met with penalties and administrative actions.”

has been made to ensure that the FX Code comprehensively addresses various aspects of market conduct and practice, it is not intended to be exhaustive.

Governor Cardoso also noted that the journey towards market reform is already yielding results.

Beyond the foreign exchange market, the FX Code forms part of the CBN’s renewed focus guiding principles, alongside 52 sub-principles, were designed to become the benchmark for conduct across all participating institutions.

Issued as a guideline for the foreign exchange market, the FX Code is backed by the authority

of the CBN Act of 2007 and the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) of 2020.

Besides FX Code, the apex bank also introduced the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System economies in enhancing the functionality of the foreign exchange market.

The EFEMS was meant to check forex market distortions, eliminate speculative activities and instill transparency. The EFEMS, which is commonplace in developed and developing markets trading volumes, and market activity.

X-raying Monetary Policy Decisions

In February, the apex bank retained its benchmark lending rate at 27.50 per cent, marking in almost three years.

CBN had been persistent in raising the lending rates since March 2022 when the rate stood at 11.5 per cent.

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the bank stated that its unanimous decision wasments, which it noted with satisfaction.

These include stability in the foreign exchange market, leading to an appreciation of the exchange rate, and the gradual moderation in petrol prices, both of which are expected to positively impact price dynamics in the near to medium term.

The benchmark rate is the standard interest rate set by central banks, used to guide lending

also retained the asymmetric corridor around the MPR at +500 to -100 basis points.

Cardoso said the committee voted to retain the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) at 50 per cent for commercial banks, while maintaining the CRR of merchant banks at 16 per cent.

Other Highlights of the Ratings Upgrade Fitch expects the macroeconomic policy and sustain improvements in the foreign exchange (FX) market’s operation, though it will likely remain much higher than rating peers.

It also expects “a continued reduction in external vulnerabilities through further easing of domestic FC supply constraints, while renewed energy sector reforms should help sustain current account surpluses”.

It added: “Greater formalisation of FX activity including the CBN’s recent introduction of an electronic FX matching platform and a new FX along with monetary policy tightening, has led to a greater rise in FX liquidity and general stability in the FX market after a 40% depreciation and parallel exchange rates.

and autonomous sources rose by about 89% in 4Q24, compared to an 8% rise in 4Q23. We expect continued formalisation of FX activity to support the exchange rate, although we anticipate modest depreciation in the short term.

“The CBN has tightened monetary conditions through a combination of policy rate hikes to 27.5% (up 875bp since February 2024) and use of prudential and operational tools such as open market operations (at rates closely aligned to the MPR) to strengthen monetary policy transmission

Reacting to the Fitch rating, Oladele Adeoye, rating agency, said it was a positive development “in all ways.”

-

dence in Nigeria’s Eurobond as people would readily subscribe whenever it is issued.

“Good rating also implies lower cost of funds.rency into the economy, and this will give further room for the CBN to support the local currency and strengthen the exchange rate,” he said.

On how the government can improve on this, Adeoye said: “Nigeria must increase productivity that can boost export and lower import. This will enhance the external reserve and improve

“We need to continue to improve our revenue base, and this includes both oil and non-oil revenue.”

Institute of Credit Administration (NICA) Chartered, Prof. Chris Onalo, said the national body for credit management said the Fitch rating “means a lot.”

He said he could not agree less with the agency’s rating. “It is solid, it is stable, it is progressing, and it has a future outlook,” Onalo said.

On further steps the government can take on the economy, he said: “The government should focus on expanding the economy. In other words, all-inclusive economic activities.

He said: “The Fitch Ratings shows that the country has a stable outlook in terms of on our foreign direct investments.

Other analysts described the Fitch rating as

According to them, the development means improving Nigeria’s creditworthiness, which could open up new opportunities for the country across several sectors.

“A ‘B’ rating from Fitch is a step up, which is generally a positive sign. It means Fitch believes Nigeria’s creditworthiness has improved,” Dr. Balogun said.

He explained that the upgrade could enhance Nigeria’s attractiveness to international investors. “A better credit rating makes Nigeria a more attractive place for investors. This could lead to increased foreign investment in various sectors,” he noted.

One of the major implications of the improved rating is that Nigeria may now be able to borrow at lower interest rates.

With positive Fitch Ratings, which would lead to potentially lower borrowing costs, the government could invest more in infrastructure development - roads, bridges and power plants - thereby attracting both local and international capital.

Such investments would support the government’s continued drive for infrastructure development and sustainable economic growth.

Central Bank Headquarters, Abuja

Cardoso

All Eyes on Legal Tango over FX Transaction

The ongoing dispute between Kam Industries Nigeria Limited and Ecobank Nigeria Plc over an alleged $9.5 million foreign exchange facility has raised important questions about how indigenous businesses Wale Igbintade

The legal face-off between Kam Industries Nigeria Limited and Ecobank Nigeria Plc has deepened, with both parties locked in a heated dispute over a $9.5 million foreign exchange (FX) transaction.

At the core of the controversy lies a disagreement over the nature of the FX facility, the obligations of the parties involved, and the application of legal procedures, which Kam Industries claims are deeply flawed and prejudicial.

Ecobank alleged that Kam Industries accessed a $9.5 million FX facility and failed to repay the debt, prompting the bank to seek legal remedies, including the freezing of the company’s accounts and assets.

However, Kam Industries, a prominent indigenous steel manufacturing conglomerate, asserted that the bank’s position misrepresents the facts, and the legal actions taken are both unwarranted and unlawful.

According to Kam Industries, the transaction in question stemmed from foreign exchange forward contracts and a letter of credit issued for the importation of raw materials vital to the company’s operations. Under this arrangement, Ecobank facilitated the remittance of funds to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which was expected to deliver the equivalent FX within a 60-day contractual period.

Represented by its legal counsel, Mr. Yakub Dauda, Kam Industries insisted that the firm never received the foreign exchange from the CBN. Therefore, it argues, any claim that the company defaulted on a repayment obligation is fundamentally flawed.

“The funds were paid to the CBN by Ecobank on behalf of Kam Industries under a forward contract,” Mr. Dauda explained. “The FX was not delivered by the CBN as agreed. The legal and financial responsibility lies with the CBN, not Kam Industries.”

Despite this, Ecobank issued a formal demand letter in 2024, giving Kam Industries a seven-day ultimatum to repay the sum or face legal consequences.

Kam Industries responded by highlighting the intricacies of the transaction and urged Ecobank to seek recourse with the CBN.

Nevertheless, Ecobank escalated the matter. Acting through its senior counsel, Mr. Kemi Balogun, SAN, the bank secured an ex parte Mareva injunction from the Federal High Court in September 2024, effectively freezing the assets and bank accounts of Kam Industries, its affiliate Kam Steel Integrated Company Limited, and its Chairman, Dr. Kamoru Yusuf.

Kam Industries has fiercely contested the injunction, raising multiple red flags over the legality and procedural soundness of the court’s involvement.

A central pillar of Kam Industries’ argument is that the Federal High Court lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate the matter. The firm maintained that the parties involved—being private entities - fall under the jurisdiction of the State High Court unless the matter directly involves a federal agency, such as the CBN.

Moreover, Kam Industries maintained that, though the Mareva order was issued in September 2024, the company was not served the order until March 18, 2025—over six months later. It stated that, according to legal tradition, Mareva injunctions are emergency measures designed to prevent immediate asset dissipation. The delay in service undermines this rationale and renders the injunction questionable.

The firm also alleged that a designated court bailiff or official did not serve the injunction as required by law. Instead, the bank’s legal representatives purportedly took it upon themselves to circulate the order to 25 commercial banks along with a covering letter containing threatening language and legal interpretations. Kam Industries described this conduct as unethical, contrary to established court protocols, and potentially contemptuous.

In a detailed response, Kam Industries clarified that satisfying the Ecobank demand through alternative FX sources would expose the company to serious regulatory breaches.

The company contends that if it were to source fresh FX to repay the facility while the CBN eventually delivers the original contracted sum, it would constitute “roundtripping”—a violation of CBN’s FX regulations.

“This is a matter of public interest and regulatory integrity,” a source close to Kam Industries said. “Complying with the bank’s demand under these circumstances would not only be unjust but also illegal.”

The firm also pointed out that garnishee orders, which allow for the seizure of funds to settle debts, are typically issued only after a judgment has been secured. In this case, Kam Industries argues that there is no court judgment, and therefore, no legal basis for asset freezes or other enforcement actions.

Ecobank, however, remains adamant that Kam Industries owes the money. The bank insists that the company received and benefitted from a foreign currency line for importation purposes and has failed to fulfill its repayment obligation.

In its legal filings, the bank stated that the facilities have become due and unpaid and that the defendants have shown “deliber-

ate refusal, neglect, and failure” to liquidate the indebtedness. It further accused Kam Industries of attempting to transfer or conceal its assets to frustrate the bank’s recovery efforts.

“The defendants’ assets are at risk of dissipation unless the court intervenes,” Ecobank stated. “There is an urgent need to preserve the status quo pending the court’s decision.”

As the matter continues to unfold in court, legal experts and industry stakeholders have raised concerns about the wider implications of the dispute. Many argue that high-handed enforcement measures, particularly against indigenous companies critical to Nigeria’s industrial ecosystem, may have a chilling effect on business operations and investment.

“This case is a test of how we balance creditor rights with procedural fairness and economic impact,” said a senior commercial lawyer in Lagos.

“Kam Industries is not just a debtor—it’s a cornerstone of the local manufacturing sector. Allegations should not be enough to paralyse its operations without due process.”

Others echo the sentiment, pointing out that legal missteps in high-profile cases can erode investor confidence and destabilise the fragile industrial sector, especially when FX scarcity and regulatory bottlenecks already pose significant challenges.

The Kam Industries–Ecobank dispute offers a rare window into the complexities of FX transactions, commercial banking, and judicial processes in Nigeria. It brings to light the importance of regulatory clarity, procedural integrity, and the role of the courts in maintaining a fair and balanced business environment.

As the case proceeds, all eyes remain on the decision of the court which may determine the future of FX-based lending, corporate accountability, and the extent to which procedural fairness protects both lenders and businesses in Nigeria’s dynamic economic landscape.

www.thisdaylive.com

TONY EZENNA: ENDURING LIGHT OF INTEGRITY AND ENTERPRISE

FR. GEORGE

ADIMIKE pays tribute to Sir Tony Ezenna on the occasion of his birthday

Is John Mahama on a reset mission? It’s too early to say, argues BANJI OJEWALE

opinion@thisdaylive.com

Let the world rise and help

Edem Ossai, MAYEIN’s founder, to empower our children, writes NIYI OSUNDARE

TO PUT A BOOK IN THE HAND OF EVERY CHILD

What better way to begin this brief address than to ask Edem Ossai, MAYEIN’s Founder herself, to take us by the hand and lead us through the dream that mothered the actualization of today’s event and its predecessors since the birthing of this tremendously valuable initiative some 14 years ago? Here, in her own words, is a brief history of how the MAYEIN dream was born and how her call to action was prompted by an irresistible resolve:

I was troubled by the alarming number of children hawking goods on the streets of Ibadan during school hours. I believed that mobile libraries and small physical libraries in under-resourced neighborhoods would be an effective way to provide reading support and literacy resources to poorer and marginalized children who were out of normal school settings. I thought “If I can just put a book on the tray, it could change the child’s life”.

Without any doubt, Edem was not the only one that saw these juvenal hawkers. They are all over Nigerian streets: those who hawk for their petty-trader parents or guardians, child of jobs, any kind of jobs from the riskiest covered youngsters schooled in the art of

bowls in their hands, blackmailing passersby with the name of the merciful God who only opens Heaven’s door to those who open their wallets for the faithful beggar. Not far from here are demanding mentors and clerics waiting for the daily takings of this last category of juvenal menace ….

I too have a story not too different from Edem’s own as told in her quote above.

Sometime in November last year, I was at the famous Oje Market in Ibadan to savour the typical market atmosphere in this seemingly amazing world of buying and selling. I ended up at my usual plantain depot, where my real business was usually accompanied with humorous repartee and how-is-the-family pleasantries, I discovered to my chagrin that the stall-keepers that day were two children aged about eight and ten. “Where is Mommy”, I asked almost instinctively. “She is away today and tomorrow, and she has asked us to open the shop”. My eyes made a quick dash to my wristwatch. It was 11 o’clock in the morning. “But you should be in school at this time of day”, I said in a tone sobered by torturous bother and anguished complaint. The two children answered me with helpless silence. As I selected my bunch of six plantains, I noticed

my right a boy and a girl, all equipped with

baskets, metal trays, and plastic buckets, each struggling to be the lucky porter of my bunch of six plantains. Again, all the asked “why are you here at this time? Why are you not in school?”. One said he had not had a good meal in two days because he had nothing to eat. Two said their parents looked away in sober silence. My painful testimony has not ended. In the past three years I have noticed a phenomenal rise in the number of juvenal apprentices who accompany the artisans and ‘blue collar’ workers that come to work on my house (and other houses in our neighborhood in Ibadan). Late last year,

two. These were workers who used to and assistants some ten years ago. Without a doubt, the remarkable rise in apprentice population is a symptom of the decline of the affordability rate of higher education among as well as a disenchantment with its prestige, purpose, and indispensability. When I asked one of the new apprentices why he dropped out of high school, he told me he did so at the behest of his father who had observed that in today’s Nigeria, ise owo (technical/artisanal work) is far better than ise iwe (book work). The boy then repeated to me the question his father asked him in words to this effect: what is the purpose of higher education which leaves you jobless after so many years of read, read, read, and bags of money spent on school fees? In this boy’s family, he said further, there are three unemployed graduates, two from the university, one from the polytechnic. Many of the of street hawkers and juvenile loafers in today’s Nigeria are trickle-down victims of the socio-economic anomies so

clearly revealed above in the dire situations of the child porters and juvenal apprentices. In a country where people would rather ka wo {count money) than ka we (count/read opulent politician over the honest professor, the young population is not likely to aspire

And yet, as I have always thought and fervently believed, if you want to know the future of a country, go straight in to its classrooms and laboratories and libraries. Listen to the songs the children love to sing. Ask who their hero is. Ask: what is the real meaning of EDUCATION? After reading a new book, do you have the urge to write your own? Ask, as my Principal used to do in our secondary school days, “How many new books did you read last month?”. These, in essence, are some of the questions MAYEIN has been asking and asking us to ask, directly or indirectly, in the past 14 years. MAYEIN has been a person-building, home-building, nation-building enterprise with its foot on the Present and its eye on the Future. In a country with a bloated, corrupt government and little governance, with rulers who play deaf when told in loud and clear terms that Nigeria is one of the countries with the largest number of out-of-school children in the world, the intervention of individual initiatives such as Edem Ossai was “troubled by the alarming number of children hawking goods on the streets”. But she didn’t stop at that. . She progressed from alarm to dream: ‘I thought “If I can just put a book on the tray, it could change the child’s life”’. With its book drives and mobile libraries, MAYEIN has been changing lives and making literacy a vital and indispensable achievement. Let the world rise to her aid as she strives to Put a Book in the Hand of Every Child.

Prof Osundare is a Poet and Dramatist

TONY EZENNA: ENDURING LIGHT OF INTEGRITY AND ENTERPRISE

FR. GEORGE ADIMIKE pays tribute to Sir Tony Ezenna on the occasion of his birthday

The challenge of combining integrity and enterprise can feel overwhelming, much like the autumn season. While both the ethos of integrity and pathos of enterprise appeal to people in different ways, integrity is often experienced as a scarce quality among the elite and privileged classes. Many enterprising souls are integrity-deficient, reflecting a society that has subverted good values and normalised morally decadent principles and practices. This dearth of integrity enables enterprises to flourish at the expense of justice to the poor, social harmony and good public order. Each sector has its share of failed elites who complicate societal issues while pursuing material progress. Conversely, the high demands of integrity, which require personal commitment and discipline, often discourage many individuals. Embracing integrity involves creating a balance between responsibility and freedomconscious erection of the statue of responsibility and statue of libertywithin oneself through hard work, self-discipline, innovation, creativity, leadership, and perseverance. Fortunately, Sir Dr Tony Ifeanyi Ndubisi Ezenna, OFR, a Papal Knight of St. Sylvester, is one of the few who successfully combines integrity and enterprise.

Irrespective of challenges, Sir Ezenna uses his business acumen and philanthropy to foster a just, free, and responsible society. Through generous support and sponsorship of projects for the common good, he sows seeds of transformation to turn an oasis of love into streams of improved living for many families, thereby creating a sanctuary of hope. His decades of inspiring journey reflect a narrative of grace, where as a gentle giant he uses every resource to grow vital minerals for human flourishing and to cultivate the well-being of society. Through unwavering resolve, he intertwines grace and responsibility, creating a legacy marked by light and grace. His life serves as an exemplary narrative of integrity, magnanimity, humility, and enterprise—a life dedicated to both God and humanity, radiating quiet strength, profound wisdom, and sincere goodness.

With a compelling quest for knowledge, a disciplined lifestyle, unwavering faith, and absolute trust in divine providence, this gentle giant ascends to new heights of success, breaking barriers and shifting frontiers in both entrepreneurship and integrity. Ever rigorous in his leadership and personal life, he is all but ruthless, striving to bring out the best in himself and his collaborators without compromising anyone’s dignity.

Chief Ezenna (Ijele Akokwa) leaves no stone unturned in his race to excellence. He acknowledges divine providence without neglecting the human efforts necessary for success he neither stretches grace nor adores hard work. The conviction that nothing given to God is ever wasted inspires him to engage daily in building a better society. Since our choices shape our existence, his noble aspirations guide him toward choices that unlock the potential in others. He embraces his life as a project dedicated to the entrepreneurial possibilities that can enhance the well-being of many families and individuals, maintaining integrity as his guiding principle and refusing to entertain inactivity or waste his talents.

A great advocate for a better society, Sir Ezenna confronts the harsh realities of our land, which often appear irredeemable, with commitment, determination and poise. He strives for a new Nigeria that stretches the old, corrupt, oppressive and dysfunctional order. Through stewardship,

entrepreneurship, and the deployment of social capital, he taps into reserved, latent energies to ignite the embers of development beneath the ashes of societal decay. He recognizes that without God and a solid moral foundation, humanity risks orchestrating its own destruction. By placing God and His wisdom in their rightful position, he works diligently to harness divine grace and wisdom for constructive purposes.

Living a life of integrity in 21st-century Nigeria demands a considerable measure of conviction and nerve. Without these virtues, one may succumb to the temptations of corruption and immoral pursuits. Remaining a true gentleman these years confirms the pivotal place of discipline in his life. A faithinformed discipline helps one stay committed to goodness, regardless of the challenges faced. Experience teaches that awareness of the devil’s deceitful tactics and resisting his allure is crucial to avoiding victimisation. The devil often seduces us with counterfeit desires, distracting us from our true aspirations. His inspiring journey fuels his determination not to contribute to the ongoing societal destruction led by the powerful. He recognizes that many privileged individuals have diminished ideals, corrupt notions of human aspirations, and decadent ideas of human flourishing. As such, they submit to the enslavement of unbridled power, an untamed quest for material possessions and excessive self-indulgence and pleasure. He seduces us with power and its contingents, with cheap pleasure.

Chief Ezenna commits his life to promoting integrity and goodness in public life and deploying each person’s grace and talent to good use for the good of humanity. His worship of God and promotion of the common good, business and investment, faith and family life, leisure, friendship and community engagement are rooted in promoting the dual motor of his world vision: integrity and entrepreneurship. He generously deploys his resources to promote integrity in society through the Church, charitable organizations, impactful initiatives, community efforts, and sponsorship of various programs. Ijele empowers thousands of individuals and families through business opportunities, employment, wealth creation, and investments in social and capital projects. In doing so, he embodies both the worship of God and the welfare of humanity. Over the decades, Chief Ezenna has not only committed himself to these principles but has also become a shining light that illuminates the world with these virtues. As he celebrates hisbirthday,this tribute is dedicated to honoring him, alongside countless friends, fans, and family, wishing him a blessed and joyful birthday. Keep living, Sir Tony Ezenna; the Lord is your strength.

Is John Mahama on a reset mission? It’s too early to say, argues BANJI OJEWALE

LIFE IN GHANA UNDER AN NKRUMAIST PRESIDENT

Here in Anyaa, Accra, capital of Ghana, I’ve come across some of the country’s leading newspapers. Their contents – news reports, opinions, vox pop, book reviews, cartoons, (dearth of these), sports, photo stories, advertorials, etc. – give me a larger-than-life image of the Ghanaian society. The two oldest journals, Daily Graphic and Ghanaian Times, with their sister weeklies, The Mirror and The Spectator, respectively, are on parade. The later appearances, Daily Guide, The Ghanaian Chronicle, Modern Ghana (Online), The Insight, Finder, Business Ghana, Statesman, etc., have also been consulted, considered or captured for this short essay.

Ghana no longer has evening sheets. Kwame Nkrumah, the country’s founding president, introduced an Accra evening paper in the late 40s to fight colonial rule and give a voice to the local population. In the 60s, there was also the popular Evening Times. Since then, there’s been no serious contention for a comeback.

The national broadcaster, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), together with a rash of a mixed multitude of FM stations and TV outlets across the Black Star country, constitutes bottomless depths of resources to guide a sweeping view of life in this former Gold Coast land.

Therefore, whether what you get from them comes down as skewed or straight, embellished or exposed, some wandering warts would rebel and escape through to settle the argument. So you can’t but end up with a fair grip of the unhidden state of the society. This is in defence of the media – of any hue.

I don’t believe we should be paranoid about perceptions of the media’s so-termed antisystem or antisocial bent. They are better to be with us, than not to have them. A necessary ‘evil’, some might conclude. An iconoclastic American president, Thomas Jefferson, said long ago that he preferred a society with newspapers without a government to one with a government denied the media.

So, from the press, I have observed Ghanaians welcoming their new leader, John Dramani Mahama, a left of centre Nkrumahist. He swept the ballot last December with the flag of National Democratic Congress (NDC), the party formed by the very much admired Jerry Rawlings. At most campaign scenes, Mahama told wild ecstatic crowds that he’d return to what Nkrumah stood for: developing a progressive and organic society, freeing the grassroots from elite control, pursuing Pan-Africanism, reviewing Ghana’s relationship with Western financial institutions, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, etc. He says also that Founder’s Day, as Nkrumah’s birthday is called, would receive more national acclaim.

The point critics are raising, however, is that although this great African seems to have been fully rehabilitated over the decades after the 1966 February 24 coup overthrew him, there remains the ideological business of rebuilding the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) Nkrumah formed to propel Ghana into history.

For many, it’s not enough that we already have Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah’s totems of homage all over: Mausoleum, a university, streets, intersection, research centres, etc. But many wonder why all who were nostalgic about Nkrumaism went on to form their own political parties instead of simply going back to their hero’s dear old organisation. A military ruler and closet Nkrumah sympathiser, Ignatius Acheampong, frittered the opportunity to recall Nkrumah from exile in Guinea in 1972 for his reinstatement.

Then there’s the Kotoka International Airport, Accra, matter. The hawks want the president to rename the facility. They argue that you can’t

claim to honour Nkrumah and still celebrate Emmanuel Kotoka, the military officer who led the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency-inspired putsch against the revered Ghanaian leader.

Meanwhile, when Ghanaians celebrated their nation’s 68th Independence in March this year, the new government came up with this mantra: Reflect. Review. Reset. It is the charge that the citizens must reflect on the past; they would then review it, and reset it. Partly, it’s a huge and disconcerting admission that Ghana isn’t where the founding fathers projected it. Hence, there’s urgent need to reset (redirect) the journey.

The administration just displaced didn’t face these challenges squarely, Mahama says. It left behind a lot of rot. Fiery cabinet member, Sam Nartey George, says the old government operated on legislation that “belonged to the museum”.

The sitting government has also alluded to a frenzy of embezzlement under the former regime. It has set up Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), whose ruthless agents crash into bedrooms seizing cash and jewellery of ex-public officers.

The government is in high spirits, saying its policies and new budget would truly “reset” Ghana to the vision of the Nkrumah era. Ernest Kofi Adu, who covers the Parliament for the Daily Guide newspaper, says the “2025 (projections) present a blend of ambitious policies and potential challenges.”

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has acidic comments on the budget, however. It says it’s lopsided, as it gives more funds to satisfy the palatial palate of the presidency than it has given the youth and women ministries put together.

The government has dismissed the charge, referring to its 24-Hour Economy Agenda (24-HE) as the magic lever “ensuring that employment opportunities are not dictated by location, but talent and competence… equitable employment, economic flexibility and sustainable business growth”.

Ghanaians are also debating the petitions said to have been sent to President Mahama for the removal of the Chief Justice. What she’s accused of, is still shrouded. But there are strong indications she would go.

Liberal watchers want Mahama to be gender-smart. His NDC has been accused of not being friendly towards the fair sex, despite having a female as his Vice. They are pointing at Namibia, where a woman has just been sworn in as the president. They are also reminding him of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Affirmative Action on women this year.

Ojewale, an author, writes from Accra, Ghana

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA

Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

FBI AND THE ‘SEXTORTION’ RING

There is urgent need to invest in cybersecurity infrastructure

Committed mostly by the young, often called ‘Yahoo Boys’, some fraudsters are increasingly taking advantage of social media to engage in all manner of cross border crimes that continue to sully the image of Nigeria abroad. Last week in the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the arrest in our country of 22 cyber fraudsters who sexually blackmailed and extorted minors in their country. In coordination with multiple law enforcement partners, the FBI said it “conducted Operation Artemis—a surge of resources and personnel to Nigeria to address the high rate of sextortion related suicides attributed to Nigerian perpetrators.” About half of the 22 suspects in the latest arrest were directly linked to victims who took their own lives, according to the FBI.

The FBI investigation and arrests have raised several pertinent questions about the credibility of law enforcement in our country. How many innocent children in Nigeria have died due to the activities of these criminal elements? While authorities in our country assist the FBI in apprehending these criminals, when will they consider the lives of Nigerians important enough to exercise such diligence? Cybercrime refers to criminal acts that are facilitated using the computer, internet or network devices. But to identify Nigerians as breeding scammers whose online activities lead innocent children to commit suicides abroad is a new low, even when we may never know how many people they have also aided to kill in Nigeria.

Communications Technology (ICT) system are ordinarily deployed to perform simple as well as complex tasks. But the cyberspace is also vulnerable to the activities of criminals. Sadly, as most people know to our collective shame, Nigeria has not only been a playground for most of these nefarious practices, but some of our citizens have also become notorious for committing sundry cyber-enabled fraud. “Foreign citizens perpetrate many BEC scams,” a damning statement by the American Department of Justice (DoJ) said in June 2019. “Those individuals are often members of transnational criminal organisations, which originated in Nigeria but have spread throughout the world.”

We must build the capacity of local law enforcement to apprehend these criminal elements who target innocent children, and bring them to justice

What marks out the Nigerian gangs operating internationally is their economic focus. Yet, it is not only abroad that these cyber criminals deploy their negative skills, but they also do a lot of damage at home. So endemic is the problem that the Senate disclosed four years ago that Nigeria lost about $450 million to 3,500 cyber-attacks on its ICT space, representing about 70 per cent of hacking attempts in the country, at that period.

In 2015, the Cybercrime Act was passed into law to address these challenges. The law criminalises a variety of offences – from ATM card skimming, hacking, identity theft to distributing child pornography. It imposes, for instance, seven-year imprisonment for offenders of all kinds and additional seven years for on line crimes that result in physical harm, and life imprisonment for those that lead to death. But like almost every law in the country, there is the problem of enforcement.

Meanwhile, from social networking and research to business and commerce, Information and

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The real challenge, of course, is abroad. In March 2021, six Nigerians were charged in three criminal complaints in connection with their roles in expansive online fraud schemes (including romance scams and Covid-19 pandemic unemployment assistance fraud) targeting individuals in the United States. A month later, another Nigerian was charged for mail fraud, attempted mail fraud, and mail and wire fraud conspiracy, in connection with using social media to target elderly victims. And just a few weeks later, an aide to a Southwest governor was also arrested by the FBI, following his alleged involvement in COVID-19 unemployment fraud in the same country.

To deal with this growing threat to the country’s digital economy, there is an urgent need to improve the capacity of critical institutions in the sector, and the sharing of cyber security best practice from across the globe. In addition, we must build the capacity of local law enforcement to apprehend these criminal elements who target innocent children, and bring them to justice.

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LETTERS AS POPE FRANCIS GOES HOME

The world has paid its respects to Pope Francis. The ‘exequies’, or papal funeral rites, were a fitting tribute to a life of service. The Pope continued the humility of his earthly journey by insisting he not be buried in the pomp and grandiosity of Saint Peter’s Basilica where many of his predecessors lie. Instead, he had expressed a desire to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore. This choice reflects his devotion to Mary and the Church. It emphasizes his commitment to simplicity and service.

The late Pope’s wishes extended beyond his burial location. He also opted against embalming, embracing mortality; chose a simple casket, symbolizing solidarity with the poor; and requested a modest grave, embodying servantleadership. The Vicar of Christ requested that his tombstone bear only a simple inscription: “Franciscus”, signifying his humility and desire to be remembered not for his titles or achievements, but for his name and his identity

as a servant of the Lord.

To be honest, the passing of the Holy Father comes at a significant moment for the world. We are in a turbulent era! There are wars as well as rumours of wars, including the far-fetched possibility of World War III! Besides, the climate change issue is becoming more pronounced! With the exception of President Donald Trump, those denying the punitive effect of the consequences of the depletion of the ozone layer are reluctantly in the view of damning evidence revising their position on climate change.

Pope Francis’ instructive choice of name reflects his commitment to addressing inequality, paying homage to Saint Francis of Assisi, a champion of the poor. This nod to Saint Francis echoes the philosophical underpinnings of Christian Democracy, which emphasizes social justice and human dignity. Influential thinkers like R.H. Tawney, a British Christian socialist, have shaped this movement.

Tawney’s work, particularly ‘Religion and the Rise of Capitalism’, speaks to the role of faith in promoting social change and advocating for greater access to education, healthcare, housing and social welfare. This Christian democratic ethos has inspired social change promoters across Europe, Scandinavia and beyond, reflecting a broader commitment to reducing inequality and promoting human well-being.

Pope Francis’ background in Latin America’s Liberation Theology Movement reflects his commitment to social justice and challenging inequality. This movement, which emerged as a response to the region’s socio-economic disparities, courageously confronted military dictatorships and advocated for the poor. The Liberation Theology Movement’s emphasis on the preferential option for the poor resonated with many Roman Catholic priests, who often faced persecution and violence for their involvement. Indeed, dozens of priests were

killed or disappeared due to their activism. The Liberation Theology Movement revitalized global interest in Christian values. It inspired conversions and renewed devotion. One good example is former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose conversion to Catholicism reflects the movement’s influence in re-emphasizing Christianity’s founding ethos. This revival, marked by leaders like Pope Saint John Paul II and Pope Francis, who risked their lives to challenge inequality and dictatorship, represents a significant moment in modern Christianity. Indeed, the liberation Theology Movement played the kind of roles that in different ways our own National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and the earlier anti-colonial nationalist movements across Africa played in another era. They must be given kudos for this!

Abiodun Komolafe, Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State

The Woman Who Wants to Elevate Amuwo Odofin

Princess Zainab Adewale is no stranger to governance. Born into a political family and married to a politician, she is now on a mission to transform Amuwo-Odofin into a beacon of sustainable growth and progress.

Recently, Princess Zainab Adewale formally declared her candidacy for the position of Executive Chairman of Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area under the platform of Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). The announcement speaks volumes of her commitment and determination to bring service and innovation to the Lagos community.

In a heartfelt message addressed to the people of Amuwo Odofin LG, the Princess, an entrepreneur, political science graduate, and former staff of the Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA) traced her journey through a lineage steeped in leadership and dedicated public service. Adewale is no stranger to governance or responsibility. Her pedigree alone speaks volumes. She is the daughter of the late Prince Ademola Adeniji-Adele, affectionately remembered as the “Prince of Hope,” who not only served as Chairman of Lagos Island Local Government but also left an indelible mark as Honourable Commissioner for Youth, Sports, and Social Development under the administration of former Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN).

area known for its vibrant communities and cultural diversity yet still working to improve infrastructure, create more opportunities for its youth, and enhance the delivery of public services.

Her pledge to the people centres around transforming the local government into a model of sustainable growth and prosperity. “Together, we can elevate Amuwo Odofin Local Government to greater heights,” she wrote, “where every resident has the opportunity to prosper and where our communities become beacons of sustainable growth and progress.”

Adewale’s policy platform touches every facet of community life. From economic development, infrastructure, and healthcare to even fish market development, which involves the creation of a modern wholesale and retail fish market that will support the riverine economy, provide fresh produce to residents, and energize the local food supply chain. As the clarion call to combat climate change continues to reverberate across the world, Adewale is also making it an integral part of her policy. She plans to promote green initiatives that will help build a cleaner and healthier Amuwo-Odofin.

Youths and women are not left out in her transformative policy. She plans to grant them access to one-digit credit through microfinance and provide leadership development and entrepreneurship programs aimed to uplift their socio-economic standing. Adewale hopes to recognise Amuwo Odofin’s rich cultural identity by investing in platforms for artistic expression and creative industries, simultaneously boosting local tourism.

As a vocal lobbyist, she promises to push for infrastructure support, especially roads in Festac Town, Abule Ado, estates in the local government and Trade Fair.

The royal bloodline does not stop there. Her grandfather, the late Oba Musendiju Adeniji-Adele, reigned as the Oba of Lagos from 1949 until 1964 and was the first Deputy Senate President of Nigeria. These ancestral foundations, as she expressed, have instilled in her values of service, integrity, and courage to lead.

In her declaration, the Princess put forward an ambitious but meticulously outlined 13-point agenda designed to tackle the myriad challenges faced by Amuwo Odofin LG, a local government

Her husband, Comrade Prince Ayodele Adewale, also boasts an impressive political career, having served two terms as the Executive Chairman of Amuwo Odofin LG from 2008 to 2014. He was elected at just 33 years old, and his administration saw remarkable achievements across critical sectors such as education, infrastructure, healthcare, security, and more. Princess Zainab, who was part of his close advisory team, now hopes to carry that legacy forward with renewed vigour and a woman’s touch.

Also included in her policy is security. Her administration plans to provide operational support to security agencies, provision of street lighting for safer neighbourhoods, and regular stakeholder engagement through monthly security council meetings. Ending her statement with a powerful promise, Adewale assured the electorate that she would be a leader who listens. “Our administration will be rooted in accountability, transparency, and progress, where every resident is heard, valued, and empowered,” she vowed.

As the APC primaries draw closer, political observers across Lagos and beyond are paying close attention. With the confluence of royal legacy, administrative experience, and a clear, actionable agenda, Adewale is poised to be a formidable force in local politics. Her entry into the race has certainly raised the stakes and energized the political landscape of Amuwo Odofin Local Government.

Ranganath: Data Centres is Enabling New Digital Ecosystems

Regional Executive at Africa Data Centres, Dr. Krish Ranganath, in this interview with Omolabake Fasogbon, discusses the pivotal role of data centres in Africa’s digital growth, AI’s impacts, and ADC’s roadmap for expanding the continent’s digital footprint. Excerpts:

Given your passion for driving innovation in data centre operations, how would you describe the growth and significance of data centres in Nigeria and Africa?

Data centres have become the backbone of Africa’s digital economy, and their growth in Nigeria is a direct response to the country’s increasing demand for reliable, low-latency, and secure digital infrastructure. As businesses, financial institutions, and government shift to cloud-based solutions, the need for world-class data centres has never been more critical. In Nigeria, data centres are not just supporting existing industries - they are enabling entirely new digital ecosystems. The fintech boom, the rise of e-commerce, and the push for smart governance all depend on efficient data storage and processing. Localised data centres reduce reliance on overseas infrastructure, improving speed, security, and compliance with evolving data regulations. It’s important to highlight the role of the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) policies and NITDA frameworks on data domiciliation, which are also key drivers of local and regional data centre development.

How are data centre operations driving the Nigerian and African economies in this era of digital transformation?

Data centres are a fundamental driver of economic growth in Nigeria and across Africa, providing the digital infrastructure that powers businesses, financial services, healthcare, education, and government operations. In today’s digital economy, nearly every industry relies on fast, secure, and scalable data processing, making data centres essential for both operational efficiency and economic expansion. In Nigeria, where fintech, mobile banking, and e-commerce are thriving, local data centres ensure businesses can operate with lower latency, enhanced security, and compliance with data sovereignty laws. This not only strengthens the digital economy but also attracts global investment, as companies seek reliable, in-region data hosting solutions. Lagos is increasingly recognised as the fintech capital of Nigeria and Africa, and we’re seeing AI playing a growing role across all sectors.

You were recognised last year as one of the ‘50 Most Valuable Personalities (MVPs) in Nigeria’s digital economy’. What is your take on the recognition?

Being named one of the 50 Most Valuable Personalities is both an honour and a responsibility. This recognition is not just about me—it’s a testament to the incredible work being done across the industry to build a stronger, more connected Nigeria. It reaffirms the importance of digital infrastructure in shaping the future of business, innovation, and economic growth. Nigeria’s digital economy is evolving rapidly, and at the heart of this transformation are the people and organisations driving meaningful change. My focus has always been on ensuring that

our digital foundations—particularly in data centre infrastructure—are built to support this growth sustainably and securely. Reliable digital infrastructure is not just about technology; it’s about enabling businesses to scale, empowering start-ups to innovate, and ensuring that Nigeria remains competitive on a global stage. While I’m grateful for this award, I see it as a call to keep pushing forward, to continue advocating for a stronger digital ecosystem, and to play a role in shaping Nigeria’s future as a digital powerhouse.

How is ADC leveraging emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to further add value to data centre operations in Nigeria and Africa?

At Africa Data Centres, we are constantly exploring emerging technologies to enhance efficiency, security, and sustainability across our operations. As the digital landscape evolves, adopting smart innovations allows us to optimise performance, improve reliability, and ensure we continue meeting the growing demands of businesses across Nigeria and Africa. Technology plays a key role in improving energy efficiency, streamlining operations, and strengthening security within our data centres. By leveraging advanced monitoring systems and automation, we can enhance our infrastructure’s resilience while maintaining the high standards our customers expect. Additionally, as businesses increasingly embrace digital transformation, we remain committed to providing cutting-edge, scalable solutions that support their growth. Our approach is always forward-thinking—ensuring that our data centres are built not just for today’s needs, but for the future of Africa’s digital economy. By continuously refining our operations and embracing innovation where it adds value, ADC is positioned to drive long-term, sustainable progress in Nigeria and beyond.

Given the sensitive nature of data, what measures are you taking to protect organisations’ data from cyber-attacks?

Our approach to security is built on globally recognised standards, advanced technologies, and continuous vigilance. We adhere to internationally recognised certifications such as ISO 27001 (Information Security Management System) and ISO 22301 (Business Continuity Management System), ensuring that our data centres meet the highest standards for data protection, risk management, and resilience. These frameworks guide our security protocols, from access control and encryption to incident response and disaster recovery planning. Our data centres are also equipped with multi-layered security systems, including 24/7 monitoring, biometric access controls, and strict compliance measures—ensuring that both physical and cyber threats are proactively identified and mitigated. We conduct regular security audits, penetration testing, and compliance reviews to stay ahead of emerging risks. Beyond infrastructure, we also work closely with regulatory bodies and industry

experts to align with best practices and evolving cybersecurity regulations.

How receptive are organisations in storing their data with existing data centre operators like ADC, and what are the likely implications for delays in storing and protecting sensitive data?

Organisations are increasingly recognising the value of secure, scalable, and professionally managed data centre infrastructure. As digital transformation accelerates, businesses are moving away from on-premise IT setups and embracing carrier-neutral, high-availability data centres like ours to ensure reliability, security, and compliance with global standards. The reception has been positive, especially as businesses prioritise data security, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency. Many organisations understand that outsourcing their data storage and infrastructure to a trusted provider allows them to focus on growth while benefiting from world-class security, uptime guarantees, and disaster recovery solutions. However, delays in adopting secure data centre solutions pose significant risks. Organisations that continue to store data in outdated or vulnerable environments face increased exposure to cyber threats, operational disruptions, and regulatory noncompliance. Inadequate data protection measures can lead to data loss, reputational damage, and financial penalties—challenges that can be mitigated by partnering with an established data centre provider.

Today, some state governments are establishing and managing data centres in their states. Do you see this as a threat to private data centre operators like ADC?

The establishment of state-run data centres is a positive step toward strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure. Rather than a threat, it signals growing recognition of the critical role data centres play in economic growth and digital transformation. Private operators like us bring expertise, scalability, and global best practices that complement government efforts. Many businesses and hyperscalers require carrier-neutral, high-availability environments that private data centres are uniquely positioned to provide. Ultimately, a well-developed data centre ecosystem—both public and private—benefits the entire digital economy by enhancing connectivity, security, and data sovereignty.

Adewale

Dr. Krish

And the Headies Goes to…

Vanessa Obioha

Tonight, Nigeria’s music superstars and creatives will gather at the Landmark Event Centre for the 17th edition of The Headies, the annual music awards. After a hiatus last year, The Headies is making a grand return with not just one, but two editions. Its 18th is slated for later this year.

As one of the pioneering award shows spotlighting young and emerging talents, The Headies has evolved into more than just a celebration of music. Its last two editions were held in the United States, in partnership with the U.S. Consulate in Lagos. Now back to base, as its theme suggests, is embracing a broader agenda. One of its newest additions is the Headies Creative Summit, where industry players discuss pressing issues and trends while sharing insights with rising talents.

With 31 categories, including the non-voting category Special Recognition award, which will be given to the ‘Ojapiano’ crooner, KCee, the nominations this year are jam-packed with heavyweights. In the Artiste of the Year category, it’s a superstar showdown as Burna Boy, Davido, Ayra Starr, Tems, Asake, and Rema are all nominees. For the year under review (April 1, 2023, to July 31, 2024), these artistes made massive waves with chart-topping hits

and music tours, but only one will take home the coveted title.

The Song of the Year category is just as heated, with nominees like ‘Showa’ (Kizz Daniel), ‘Commas’ (Ayra Starr), ‘Egwu’ (Chike And Mohbad), ‘Lonely At The Top’ (Asake), ‘Ozeba’ (Rema), and ‘Big Baller’ (Flavour). The frontrunners in this category are ‘Big Baller’ and ‘Egwu’ which dominated airwaves and dance floors throughout the year under review.

One of the most watched and often controversial categories is Next Rated, which recognizes the most promising act. It was this category that led to Don Jazzy and Olamide’s rivalry in 2015 when Olamide lashed out after his artiste Lil Kesh lost the award to Reekado Banks, who was signed to Don Jazzy label. Since that notorious episode, it’s become one of the most anticipated awards. This year, the category is male-dominated, with Qing Madi standing as the sole female nominee. Others include Shallipopi, Odumodublvck, Ayo Maff, and Nasboi.

All eyes will also be on the Afrobeats album of the year which honours the best Afrobeats project during the eligibility period. While debates about what truly defines ‘Afrobeats’ continue, the nominees are widely regarded as flag bearers of the genre: Victony’s ‘Stubborn,’ Asake’s ‘Work of Art,’ Ayra Starr’s ‘The Year I Turned 21,’ Rema’s ‘Heis’ and Young Jonn’s Jiggy Forever.

Timi Dakolo Goes to Stage in ‘Bianca’

Renowned singer Timi Dakolo is set to make his much-anticipated theatrical debut in the stage production ‘Bianca,’ set to take place at the iconic Shell Hall of the

Muson Centre, Lagos on May 1.

Dakolo joins a stellar cast that includes legendary actor Yemi Shodimu, veteran stage star Nelson Orah and rising talent Kamila Jubril, who takes on the lead role of Bianca. Bianca is the latest in a distinguished line of historical productions by the acclaimed Duke of Shomolu Foundation. It is a compelling story of passion, love, and unwavering conviction.

In a statement released by Mrs. Mofoluwake Edgar, Managing Director of the Duke of Shomolu Foundation, Dakolo’s expected electrifying performance is set to redefine theatrical storytelling in Nigeria, forging a new and exciting connection between soul music and theatre.

A celebrated voice in contemporary Nigerian music, Dakolo’s string of timeless hits has cemented his place as one of the country’s most influential music icons. His cameo appearance in Bianca will see him bring his signature talent and soulful energy to the stage, adding a fresh dimension to what promises to be one of the year’s most riveting theatrical events.

Bianca chronicles the life and journey of Hon. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, who is also expected to be in the audience on opening night.

Review: Davido’s 5ive Elevates Afrobeats

Agnes Ekebuike

Davido’s fifth studio album, ‘5ive,’ has emerged as one of the most talked-about projects in recent Afrobeats history, and for good reason. From bustling city streets to car radios and lounges, the album’s sound has become inescapable.

The project stands out not just for its commercial reach, but for the evident growth and maturity woven into its production and songwriting. Compared to his previous release, ‘5ive’ offers more depth, more range, and a level of emotional clarity that reveals an artist comfortable in his evolution. The sound across the album is crisp, layered, and immersive whether played on headphones or large speakers, it surrounds the listener in vibrant, finely-tuned rhythms. Each beat seems to carry its own story, while still contributing to the project’s cohesive flow.

Tracks like ‘10 Kilo’ instantly stand out with their infectious energy and lyrical finesse. A memorable line, “person wey get plans for you no go stammer,” captures the introspective edge

that runs through much of the album. It’s a bold, smooth track with an easy charisma that lingers. Similarly, ‘R&B’ feat Shenseea and 450, brings a soft, romantic energy, blending danceability with tender emotion. It’s a beautifully crafted song, underscoring the project’s melodic versatility.

The album opens with a spoken-word intro by poet Alhanislam, setting a thoughtful, almost spiritual tone. From there, Davido shifts effortlessly between Afropop, R&B, amapiano, and subtle elements of reggae and disco creating a diverse soundscape that feels both expansive and intimate.

Collaborations are another strength of the album. ‘Funds’ featuring Odumodublvck and Chike delivers a high-octane, amapiano-laced anthem, while ‘With You’ with Omah Lay leans into sincerity and melodic vulnerability. These pairings, along with Davido’s seamless transitions between English, Yoruba, and Pidgin, highlight his fluidity and confidence as a global artist rooted in local identity.

At 17 tracks, the album occasionally risks stretching too long, but most songs earn their place through strong arrangements and engaging production.

‘5ive’ feels like a fully realised statement from an artist no longer chasing validation. It’s not just a collection of hits, it’s a solid, intentional body of work that confirms Davido’s place at the forefront of Afrobeats.

Tonight’s event no doubt will have all the Glitz and glamour that the Headies is known for but most importantly will see the coronation of a new class of stars ready to stake their claim in Nigerian music history.

Buchi, Mike Abdul, Others Electrify

‘Aramanda 2025’

This past Holy Saturday, the afro-urban Christian music and arts festival ‘Aramanda’ returned with its theme, ‘Biggest Christian Party,’ showcasing some of Nigeria’s renowned gospel acts, as well as up-and-coming creatives dedicated to promoting the message of the Christian gospel.

Powered by Spotify and staged at the Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, the evening was a convergence of youths in their multitude, with a common goal in mind — praise and worship. Kicking off past 4 p.m., there was a seamless transition of performing artists who helped maintain the tempo. From singers to rappers to spoken word poets to comedians dramatising issues with the aim of providing solutions, ‘Aramanda’s’ return this year left no room for snoozing.

With an impressive lineup, some of the standout performers included Tobi Peter, a disc jockey who took the audience on a rave-esque session, blending sounds from present and past, eliciting excitement and pure nostalgia. Performing for the first time at the festival, Kachi Annuncia delivered a soulful medley, connecting with the audience on a deeper level. Singer Angeloh took a page from the Book of Solomon as he performed songs that celebrated personal and romantic relationships, especially honouring women. For their slot, the group Spirit of Prophecy embraced a calmer tone with their opening rendition of ‘Above All’ before swiftly turning the praise on.

Mike Abdul, a member of Midnight Crew formed in the early 2000s, also performed a medley of worship and praise songs that connected well with the crowd, evoking a sense of collective joy and fulfilment.

Anticipated for his appearance, Buchi Atuonwu, mononymously known as Buchi, stepped out in traditional, free-flowing native wear and his signature headgear, commanding the stage with quiet confidence and overt stage presence as he performed some of his biggest records.

The event also paid tribute to the late Big Bolaji (born Bolaji Olanrewaju), who passed away that day after a brief illness. A singer, media personality, and ordained pastor, his legacy was honoured with a minute’s silence, led by convener Gaise Baba.

Yet again, ‘Aramanda’ delivered an unforgettable night of music, praise, and unity, bringing together some of Nigeria’s top gospel acts and fresh talent and reinforcing the power of community and faith.

Iyke Bede

Timi Dakolo on set of ‘Bianca’

Davido

Buchi

Nominees for Song of the Year

ODE TO A SILENT ACHIEVER AT 72 MIKE ADENUGA

To speak of Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr., the Chairman of Globacom, utter the name of a man who forged for himself, through life’s greatest odds, a throne in the firmament of giants. As he clocks 72, the sun bows in reverence, for it too has witnessed few mortals rise with such silent thunder, build with such relentless grace, and reign with such enigmatic might, writes LANRE ALFRED

Ode to A Silent Achiever at 72

Dr Mike Adenuga is no ordinary man. He is the superman cloaked in humility, a sovereign of industry who neither demands the limelight nor needs validation. He is not merely a Nigerian success story, he is a testament to the boundless possibilities of the human spirit when stirred by courage, conviction, and clarity of purpose.

Indeed, very few men are as gifted as Dr. Mike Adenuga. The poetry of his ascent radiates his glory through splendid enterprise, outstanding peerage, and a spirited lunge out of the trenches.

Interestingly, for a man who built his empire in silence, he commands the buzz of an awe-inspiring titan. Unlike his billionaire peers, his emergence hadn’t the thunderclap of applause; he did not emerge with the preening of a man eager for the spotlight. He arrived like dusk—quiet, deliberate, and majestic. There was no procession of cameras, no pre-written script of greatness. Just fire in his bones, vision in his soul, and the patience of a thousand storms.

In a world overrun by loud men chasing borrowed crowns, he built his own throne in silence and the world, recognising true majesty crowned him without being asked.

Now at 72, he stands as a man who has truly lived; he rises as a monument to willpower, discipline, and transcendent genius. He is not a product of privilege, but of persistence, the Bull who refused to break.

written by convention. In defiance of parental expectations that he remain in Nigeria and study at the University of Ibadan, he charted a new path by securing admission to study in the United States. It was there that his perspective on marketing was shaped, particularly under the mentorship of a lecturer known simply as Professor West. These formative lessons would later influence some of the most iconic marketing strategies in the Nigerian telecoms industry.

His return to Nigeria proved to be another turning point. Encouraged by a friend, he joined the ranks of a generation that had studied abroad but chose to return home to help build the country’s economic foundation in the 1970s and 1980s. By his mid-thirties, Adenuga was already at the helm of Devcom Merchant Bank. By 37, his success was catching attention, even if he remained outside the usual circles of celebrity.

A major national newspaper once described him as a man “sitting on a mountain of fortune… not even listed in any ‘Who’s Who’… yet tending many lives.”

His move into oil exploration further distinguished him as a visionary risk-taker. Despite his mother’s caution that the business was a gamble akin to throwing money into a bottomless pit, he pressed forward. That persistence paid off spectacularly on Christmas Day in 2005, when his rig, Trident VIII, struck oil in Okitipupa. The find made Adenuga the first Nigerian to discover oil in commercial quantity, a landmark achievement that underlined his strategic patience. He later took a $10 million loan from the African Development Bank, not out of need, but to establish financial credibility on the global stage. The loan was repaid swiftly, enhancing his reputation as a calculated and disciplined businessman.

His entry into telecommunications marked another audacious leap. At a time when even seasoned entrepreneurs approached the sector with caution, Adenuga recognised the timeless need for communication. He famously predicted that people would always talk and use data, and on this premise, he launched Globacom. The company quickly distinguished itself, not least through its radical pricing strategy dropping SIM card prices to just one naira. Industry insiders recount how the move sparked a frenzy, with long queues stretching for blocks in places like Saka Tinubu and Awolowo Road. It was not merely a commercial tactic; it was a gesture that broadened access and redefined the market.

and understated lifestyle and business successes.

Dr. Mike Adenuga is hardly your random money bag, but a civilisation unto himself, a cosmos of influence where ambition and empathy cohabit in rare harmony. His businesses are not just profit machines; they are citadels of opportunity for thousands. Conoil stands tall as a keystone in Nigeria’s energy infrastructure. Globacom, with its sprawling green across Africa, represents not just a network, but a renaissance, a voice for the voiceless, a reach for the unreachable.

He has shown us that influence does not require noise. That dignity can wear the crown of wealth without losing its soul. That a man can rule boardrooms and bend markets without selling his humanity on the altar of excess.

It takes courage to be Adenuga. You have to travel aeons back perhaps to encounter a charitable heart like his. Much of his gestures stem from his ability to feel, visualise, and appreciate the miseries of society’s underprivileged and build livable lives for them from the ground up. Adenuga defies stereotypical projections of the multibillionaire as the shark next door, the deal-maker or the calculating prospector. There’s something about the feeling he imparts in all his acquaintances, that triggers a change in their circumstances

Adenuga’s bank of love is never bankrupt. He is the proverbial benefactor who was born into a world of iron, that he might make it a world of gold. The only lean aspect of his life is his pride. Blessed with a good heart and a fat purse, if he had his way, he would banish extreme poverty from the world.

In a world where most of his billionaire peers live like the Dead Sea, always taking in and never giving out, he is remarkably different. His kindness is like a magical spell meant to enchant hearts and lift weary souls so that they might fly. While many draw attention to society’s most pressing problems, he resolves them.

If the Chairman of Globacom were crowned the richest man in the world today, it wouldn’t matter to him. He had never been a sucker for worldly and ephemeral titles. Thus he’d keep doling out his fortune to nourish dreams and flesh the hopes of the starving.

Every fibre of his journey is woven with restraint and revelation, forged in the fire of rejection and the chill of obscurity, until he emerged, not with noise, but with nobility. However, behind the public image of Africa’s telecommunications magnate, oil industry disruptor, and financial powerhouse lies the lesser-known story of a boy who once manned goalposts on the football pitch of Ibadan Grammar School. This was a precursor to the role Adenuga would eventually play in shaping the destiny of his continent, according to a tribute penned by one of journalism’s finest, Mike Awoyinfa. According to him, long before the accolades and billions, Adenuga stood between goalposts, showing early signs of resilience, foresight, and leadership.

Family accounts suggest that his childhood was shaped by shared responsibility, as revealed by one of his siblings, young Mike would always be found on the football field, immersed in play. This glimpse into his early life underscores the paradox of his persona: deeply grounded yet instinctively drawn to loftier pursuits.

Even in the games he played, a deeper pattern emerged. Former classmates recall his fondness for a schoolyard game known as “Walk and Hit.” He preferred not to remain up front to savour victory but would rather return to his position as goalkeeper. It was a telling choice—he seemed most at home as the watchman, the protector, the strategist in the shadows.

Adenuga’s ascent did not follow a script

In the process, Adenuga introduced features that would become industry standards—per-second billing, cheaper call rates, and national network sovereignty. Globacom became more than a telecom company; it became a platform for empowerment. His disruptive entry into the sector has been likened to Henry Ford’s impact on the automobile industry, a moment where accessibility, innovation, and mass appeal converged to reshape an entire ecosystem.

Indeed, Mike Adenuga’s journey from a football field in Ibadan to the boardrooms of Africa’s most influential industries is a story not of luck, but of layered choices, long-range vision, and an unshakable belief in the power of silent transformation.

In Adenuga’s world, enterprise becomes magic; the fondling of ambition from a delicate prod into a feral nudge. A push against the odds. Against adversaries and unforgiving fate. Only a titan like Adenuga could brave these challenges and carve from it all, an Eden. It’s a huge task; earth-born deities influence economies, politics, culture and cities. And if they are very assertive, they create not just the laws of government, but the code of mortal existence. However, no entrepreneur has been a god to as many vastly different worlds as Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr.

It is not easy to live as a detribalised Nigerian. For a multi-billionaire, every day is a somersault through blazing declamatory hoops. You know the heart of a patriot, however, from the way he relates with fellow citizens, irrespective of their ethnicity and other vast social stripes. His greatness manifests, especially, in how he treats those beneath him in all spheres of life. Not surprisingly, millions of youths see him as a quintessential mentor because of his guarded

If you ask him, he would tell you that he has not lived in a day, until he has done something for someone who can never repay him. While some billionaires toss satellites into orbit and strive to harness the sun, Adenuga commits his fortune to nobler, simpler objectives, like raising society’s underprivileged from privation to surplus. His vision of giving is structural, intentional, and healing. He does not seek to soothe symptoms; he aims to dismantle the systems that create suffering. He believes that a nation’s best must rise to serve its most vulnerable. And he lives this creed daily.

It is this posture that endears him to world leaders, from Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, who hailed him as a “believer in Nigeria’s manifest destiny,” to France’s President Emmanuel Macron, who praised him for his deep contributions to Franco-Nigerian relations and his cultural philanthropy—most notably, the majestic Mike Adenuga Centre in Lagos, an architectural ode to intercultural dialogue.

To understand Adenuga fully is to embrace mystery. He is not a man of excess words, yet his actions are epics. His life is a manuscript still unfolding—its lines etched in silence, its chapters turning with thunderous grace.

He is a master of perception, a seer of economic currents before they emerge. While others are guided by maps, he crafts his own compass. Where others see risk, he smells opportunity. His success is not accidental—it is alchemical.

The same mind that saw the future of telecommunications before it arrived, that laid pipelines of influence from Lagos to Lome, Abuja to Abidjan, is the mind that continues to imagine futures most dare not dream. And he builds them, not just for profit, but for people.

At 72, Dr. Mike Adenuga is more than a man, he is an archetype. He embodies what manhood ought to be in its purest, most potent form: strength with softness, wealth with wisdom, leadership with love. He has shown that the mark of a man is not in how loud he roars, but how deeply his actions echo in the hearts of others.

Notwithstanding his depth as an entrepreneur extraordinaire, philanthropist, and citizen of humanity, Adenuga covets no vanities, unlike other billionaires. He demands no free verses, heroic couplets, or ornamental rhymes to glorify his personage as a man. Adenuga is hardly given to such infectious vanities.

Adenuga

with KAYODE ALFRED 08116759807, E-mail: kayflex2@yahoo.com

...Amazing lifestyles of Nigeria’s rich and famous

Abdulkabir Aliu: The Startling Abilities of Matrix Energy CEO

There’s a quiet elegance to how Abdulkabir Aliu moves through the corridors of business. It is the sort of presence that doesn’t need a podium or fanfare to make itself known. Yet, it’s unmistakably there: in the soaring graphs of Matrix Energy, in the tens of thousands uplifted by his philanthropy, in the seamless expansion from petroleum logistics to fertilizer blending, shipping, and LPG distribution— and not once dropping the thread.

Aliu, founder and Group CEO of Matrix Energy Group might just be Nigeria’s most understated polymath. Where many executives flounder with scale, he dances with it: fluidly transitioning between engineering, finance, and trading with the ease of a conductor directing a symphony. It’s not hyperbole to say that under his watch, Matrix hasn’t just grown; it has redefined what nimble powerhouses can look like in West Africa.

At only 50, Aliu seems less like a man celebrating milestones and more like one laying blueprints. He has built kidney centres in Maiduguri and Ife, awarded over 4,000 scholarships, renovated rural health facilities, and funnelled investment into women’s empowerment. And it is not all out of public relations necessity, but with a sense of duty that feels deeply personal.

Comparisons, though inevitably unfair, are sometimes instructive. Think of Andrew Carnegie, the steel magnate whose empire was rivalled only by his passion for public libraries. Aliu shares that double vision: the mastery of capital and the insistence on giving back. But unlike Carnegie, Aliu operates in the volatile ecosystem of modern Nigeria and still manages to make elegance out of chaos.

He is, by all appearances, allergic to noise. No grand speeches, no political theatrics. Just work. Strategic, consistent, and startlingly effective. In a business climate short on patience and long on ego, that makes him something of an anomaly.

A quiet storm, if ever there was one, that is who Aliu is.

The Heir, the Heiresses and the Oil Money: Act II of the Indimi Family Saga

Just when Nigerians thought the Indimi drama had reached its final act—with daughters Ameena and Zara accusing their billionaire father of ousting them from their oil fortune—along comes Act II, featuring none other than the heir himself, Mustafa Indimi.

In a move worthy of Nollywood, Mustafa, Managing Director of Oriental Energy, has now entered the courtroom fray with an affidavit against his sisters. He’s backing his father and the company, stating unequivocally that there was no $420 million dividend owed to the sisters, and that the $10 million they received was full compensation for their shares.

This twist leaves the public asking: Why would a brother testify against his sisters? Is this loyalty, strategy, or a bid to preserve corporate continuity? Mustafa’s alignment suggests a deeper family split that is not just all about money but also about control, legacy, and truth.

Readers may wonder: Weren’t these

chartered

shares “signed away” under pressure? The sisters claim they were misled. The father says otherwise. Now, Mustafa says the sale was voluntary and backed by proper documentation. The emails, he insists, came straight from Dad.

Also raising brows is the double-tracked litigation. With two nearly identical lawsuits running concurrently before different judges, questions emerge about judicial consistency, legal ethics, and, let’s be honest, the efficiency of the system.

Then there’s the oil. While the legal drama plays out, Oriental Energy is moving full steam ahead, deploying a new FPSO set to boost production at Okwok Field. Business, as always, remains unfazed by bloodline brawls.

So, what does this all mean? That family dynasties, especially those swimming in oil money, are rarely immune to rupture. That generational wealth, if not carefully structured, becomes a ticking time bomb. And that

sometimes, the biggest boardroom battles begin at the breakfast table. The saga isn’t over. But Nigerians are watching, and so is history.

Traffic Below, Jet Fuel Above: Sayyu Dantata and the Art of Living Well

pilot, but with his own hands on the controls of a private helicopter. The footage was swift, the message unmistakable: while some Nigerians fight for danfo space, others fly past the chaos—literally.

At first glance, it feels unjust. Same country, the same sunrise, yet radically different realities. How did we get here? Why do some dodge potholes, while others float above them in Eurocopter luxury?

Zoom in, though, and Sayyu isn’t just any man with a toy chest of jets and mansions. He’s the founder of MRS Holdings, a petroleum giant with interests across West Africa. From leading engineering operations at Dangote Group to launching West Africa’s first mega lubricant plant, he’s steered industrial revolutions with the precision of, well, a helicopter landing on

Dakuku Peterside’s Midas Touch

In Nigeria, visibility often masquerades as impact. Within this masked space, Dakuku Peterside stands out—and not because he courts the camera, but precisely because he doesn’t. His is the power of quiet conviction, the discipline of long-term thinking, and a strategist’s ability to make complexity look like simplicity. That’s not mere talent. That’s the Midas touch.

Peterside is no stranger to public office. He has chaired critical petroleum committees, led the maritime regulatory agency through reform, and whispered policy counsel into the ears of state governors, who, when pressed, admit that their successes often carry his fingerprints. But what distinguishes him is not his résumé. It is his rare capacity to combine vision with engineering precision. Where others react, he plans. Where many build rhetoric, he builds systems.

A recent visit to China, chronicled in his writings, offers a glimpse into his mind. In a land where infrastructure hums with efficiency,

Peterside saw more than trains and ports. He saw cause and consequence—policy consistency, sequencing, and the invisible logic that makes industrialization inevitable. He returned not with envy, but with blueprints.

That Peterside draws inspiration from Deng Xiaoping and Widodo—not populists but planners—signals what he values: grounded governance, policy durability, and economic pragmatism. Nigeria’s afflictions, he argues, are not mysterious; they are the result of fragmented thinking and short-termism. His antidote is clear: invest in freight rail, power, and technical education before dreaming of “Made in Nigeria.”

Yet the most telling sign of his influence lies in his anonymity. Governors consult him quietly. Agencies request his frameworks off-record. In the theatre of Nigerian politics, Peterside is the stage manager—unseen, but essential.

As new opportunities beckon, one wonders:

a Lagos rooftop. And let’s not forget his $22 million Banana Island mansion—still on the market, by the way. Even among the rich, apparently, some price tags are intimidating. But Dantata doesn’t seem fazed. With whispers of a return to Kano and a stake in MRS Oil worth over 200 million shares, his fortune isn’t exactly tied to real estate liquidity. There’s polo, there are jets, there’s the thrill of building Africa’s future on lubricants and logistics. But beneath it all is the reminder that success, while enviable, is rarely accidental. Sayyu’s story is one of access, yes—but also of execution.

So next time the reader sees a chopper humming above Lagos traffic, don’t just sigh. Consider it a metaphor: some fight traffic, others fly above it. But everyone, somehow, is trying to move forward.

Peterside what happens when the man behind the curtain steps forward? If his past is prologue, Nigeria may finally get the strategic reinvention it deserves.

Remi Tinubu: The First Lady Who is Impacting Many Lives

Scepticism often greets public office in Nigeria, so it is rare for both praise and pragmatism to occupy the same sentence. This is precisely where Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, currently stands, especially after a recent commendation from Leadership Newspaper, which described her as the “Mother of the Nation.” That title, while lofty, demands scrutiny and, perhaps more importantly, reflection.

For her critics, who bristle at the idea of praise amidst widespread economic hardship, the instinct is understandable. Nigeria is weathering one of its most difficult periods in recent history—where the price of

food rises faster than hope and inflation weighs heavier than promises. But pause for a moment: is it possible that even within the storm, someone is handing out umbrellas?

Mrs. Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative has quietly reached corners the federal budget cannot. From the N1 billion donation to the National Cancer Fund for cervical cancer elimination to community-based empowerment programs in fishing, tailoring, and tie-and-dye, her actions suggest a pivot from ceremony to substance. The Leadership team, during their visit to the State House, proposed a partnership targeting two million citizens with skills training. The First Lady didn’t blink. She embraced the collaboration.

Critics may argue that this is political theatre,

and supporters might romanticize it as sainthood. But between those extremes lies a more useful question: What if this is what civic leadership looks like when stripped of noise?

When Senator Remi urged Nigerian women to seek medical help without shame, she wasn’t brandishing policy. She was wielding something rarer in politics: empathy. “A healthy nation is a wealthy nation,” she said—not as a slogan, but as an argument for sustainable public health. Even if one does not agree with the First Lady’s politics, one might concede that her steps, however imperfect, are measurable. And in times like these, that counts for more than applause—it counts for impact.

Dantata

One Lagos morning, while the majority of people were bracing for Third Mainland Bridge notorious traffic, Sayyu Dantata simply took to the skies. Not with a

Indimi

Tinubu

Aliu

Just months after

Idowu Iluyomade Bounces Back

Church of God (RCCG), the controversial clergyman (fondly called Pastor ID) has returned to centre stage with The Family Fellowship, a ministry that blends high society sparkle with Sunday morning solemnity.

Once the face of RCCG’s gilded City of David—its so-called “wealthiest parish”— Iluyomade was unceremoniously suspended in June 2024. The sin was timing.

His wife, Pastor (and style doyenne) Siju Iluyomade, celebrated her diamond jubilee in full Lagos splendour—live music, glitz, highprofile guests—barely a week after the tragic helicopter crash that claimed RCCG stalwart Herbert Wigwe, his wife, son, and a close friend. The optics were catastrophic. Condemnation was swift. Invitations to Wigwe’s funeral were conspicuously withheld. And soon after, the RCCG Governing Council took action.

Fast forward to 2025: the Iluyomades are not sulking in exile, they’re flourishing. The Family Fellowship, now housed at the Oriental Hotel in Victoria Island, began as a modest gathering

Makinde’s Good Example

In the delicate choreography of politics and grief, timing is everything. And this time, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State got it right.

Last week, the Governor quietly visited Florence Ajimobi to mourn with her over the loss of her daughter, Abisola Kola-Daisi. It was a gesture simple in action but profound in meaning. Shared on his official channels, his message was brief, respectful, and deeply felt: “May her soul rest in peace, and may God continue to comfort all those she left behind.”

But behind the solemnity of the moment lies a subtle arc of growth, a story of a leader learning to lead better.

In June 2020, the passing of former Governor Abiola Ajimobi was marked not just by sorrow, but by recrimination. Lady Florence, grief-stricken and vocal, accused the Makinde administration of indifference in her family’s darkest hour. The ensuing

media skirmish between the government and the bereaved family cast a shadow over a moment that should have united, not divided.

The bitterness lingered. It painted Makinde, then still finding his political footing, as cold and politically calculating. The backlash was swift and, for many, unforgettable.

Yet, five years later, here stands a governor not weighed down by ego or old wounds. The Makinde who walked into the Ajimobi home this week is not the one who stood aloof in 2020. This is a man who has, with time and public scrutiny, acquired something rare in Nigerian politics: emotional intelligence.

In making peace with the Ajimobi family, not through words alone, but through presence, Makinde sends a message beyond condolences. It is a soft but deliberate rewriting of the past, a demonstration that power need not always posture; sometimes, it just needs to show up.

From CBN to Power Sector

…

of 40 souls. Today, it boasts over 200 regulars and swells to 300 on good Sundays. The ministry’s pitch is clear: modern relevance meets timeless faith. Think powerful worship, celebrity gospel acts, and sermons that pepper Scripture with savvy references to LinkedIn, therapy, and tech startups.

Meanwhile, Pastor ID’s style is slick, personable, and punchy, particularly magnetic to the upwardly mobile crowd. His wife helms the outreach to women and families, leaning into her years as a voice for faith-based empowerment.

Is this merely reinvention or an audacious redemption arc? Perhaps both. Either way, the Iluyomades have done what many in Nigerian Christendom struggle to do: turn controversy into currency. Their new congregation is young, attentive, and, crucially, growing.

As the choir swells and the faithful rise, one thing is clear—Pastor ID hasn’t just bounced back. He’s bounced forward.

Bayo Adelabu’s Many Struggles

Once a darling of Nigeria’s financial elite, Adebayo Adelabu—ex-deputy governor of the Central Bank and Minister of Power since 2023—is now a man grappling with the limits of political power in a sector where even megawatts come with migraines. His résumé glows with credentials: audit stints at PwC, top finance posts at First Bank, and a failed shot at Oyo State’s governorship. But none of that experience seems to have lit a path through the darkness of Nigeria’s power crisis.

Things have recently taken a darker turn. The Presidency has quietly commissioned a 10 billion solar mini-grid to take Aso Rock off the national grid entirely. The symbolism is damning: even the President no longer trusts the system Adelabu was appointed to fix. It is, quite literally, a vote of no confidence powered by sunlight.

The solar pivot is not just about sustainability, it’s an indictment. If Nigeria’s top

How Awele Elumelu is Rewriting Nigeria’s Healthcare Story

The headlines of Nigeria’s foremost newspaper are largely dominated by political noise and public despair. But Dr. Awele Elumelu recently single-handedly changed that narrative by building something quietly radical. In picture form, she built hope with walls, floors, and functioning equipment.

AVON Medical’s newest ultra-modern hospital in Surulere isn’t just a health facility— it’s a symbol. In a sea of Nigeria’s healthcare shortfalls, it stands like a lighthouse, one that doesn’t just shine, but actually shelters. And at its helm is a woman whose influence resists spectacle.

Lady Awele is not new to legacy work. She has long straddled medicine and business with a quiet precision that belies her impact. Where many would choose visibility, she chooses results. Where others would ask for applause, she answers to conscience.

Awele’s newly inaugurated 50-bed hospital

opened with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in attendance, is a continuation of a promise she made in 2009: that access to quality care should not depend on income or address. That was when AVON Medical launched.

Now, the AVON network encompasses clinics, diagnostic suites, and an HMO. It is also a deliberate attempt to rewrite healthcare norms in a country where less than 2% of global health workers serve a population burdened with 20% of the world’s diseases.

Lady Awele’s approach is rooted in Africapitalism: the idea popularized by her husband, Tony Elumelu, that the private sector must solve real problems, not just chase profit. As she puts it, “Healthcare isn’t a gift. It’s an investment.” Clearly, in her view, clinics are not charity, they are infrastructure.

For Lagos’ rising professional class and aspirants just below, this isn’t just inspirational— it’s aspirational. It signals that quality healthcare

The exodus has begun—quietly at first, like a trickle down a cracked wall. But now, with defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flowing faster than a Jabi downpour in July, one begins to wonder: Who will save Nigeria’s oldest surviving opposition party?

office must install a Plan B, what does that say about the system’s Plan A? Adelabu has deflected, blaming decades of decay and governments that “worked the talk,” but his technocratic exasperation now rings hollow. Despite his boasts of boosting generation to 5,800 megawatts, the public is unmoved. Transformers still burn, the national grid still collapses, tariffs still bite, and the promised Siemens revolution is stuck in Phase One limbo.

Adelabu’s habit of invoking the failures of the past may have once offered cover. But now, the past is catching up, and so is reality. Like critics pointed out, he may understand finance, but power demands more than balance sheets and rhetoric—it requires a grid that works. As Nigerians rig their own solutions, from petrol generators to solar panels, Adelabu finds himself sidelined in a game he was meant to lead.

In just a few weeks, PDP has watched its house lose bricks. There was Oluwole Oke, a six-term House of Representatives veteran from Osun State. There is Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor of Delta State, who peeled off his party colours and crossed into APC’s increasingly broad tent, all in the name of “development.” In Jigawa, 216 grassroots members, plus a smattering of community leaders, slipped away during a forum meant for citizen engagement but that doubled as a quiet coronation for APC’s growing dominance. Some defections are still half-whispered: Akwa Ibom’s Governor Umo Eno flirts with political polygamy, speaking of a “unity party.” Enugu’s Peter Mbah and Rivers’ beleaguered Siminalayi Fubara eye the exit but hesitate, possibly waiting for the right breeze to carry them across.

Asked about a pattern, analysts argue that this is no ideological awakening. It’s the old Nigerian choreography: proximity to federal power, strategic repositioning, and an ever-ticking electoral clock ahead of 2027. The defections are less about dissatisfaction and more about calculations. And the math is simple: President Bola Tinubu is in Aso Rock, and nobody wants to be on the wrong side of patronage. Should PDP be worried? Absolutely. The party isn’t bleeding, it’s haemorrhaging. This isn’t the first time Nigeria has seen political migration (see 2014’s gale of defections), but the frequency and high profile of the current departures suggest more than discontent. It suggests irrelevance.

Can PDP stop the drift? Possibly— but it must first decide if it wants to be a party of legacy or a living, breathing political force. That means leadership coherence, ideological clarity, and offering not just criticism of APC, but a vision Nigerians can believe in. Until then, the defections will continue.

Iluyomade

Makinde

Saraki

Resurrection stories are not new to the pulpit, but few are quite as theatrical as Pastor Idowu Iluyomade’s.

his dramatic exit from the Redeemed Christian

Elumelu

Adelabu

doesn’t have to be flown in or flown out for. It can be built here, by people who believe in Nigeria.

PDP Governors with No Conviction

I’M OFF TO MINNA

This advertising legend has been looking for me to beat ever since I drew his caricature with his fine head far bigger than his body. He would say, “Edgar, I will soon send Mushin boys to you,” and I would boldly reply “I dare you.” Then he would call Mudi and ask him to lend him Warri boys so that they could come and beat me.

He doesn’t know that I have Mudi’s nudes and as such, Mudi is under my control. Mudi would say yes and quickly call me, “Oga dey look for you to beat you.”

That was how Daddy called during the week.

“Duke, I have a message for you in Minna. I will need you to go to Minna and collect something for me.”

I was happy to be of service to this Baba who redefined a whole industry. This Baba who almost single-handedly recreated marketing communications, mentoring so many brilliant minds and have retired elegantly and so deservedly. An opportunity to serve him would always be grabbed. When he said that I have to go to Niger State, I didn’t hesitate. He told me that he was going to send a oya and he said, I will send a first class

Not only him o. They are very plenty o, and when I say plenty I don’t only mean the horde of YES men in his state who have reportedly followed him in this nefarious journey.

We have seen reports that say that his deputy, his exco and the whole House of Assembly including his predecessor who was running mate in the last election have all joined him in this walk of shame.

Reports are now rife that my Governor Umo Eno and his Rivers State counterpart, the bald headed “Fubs” may soon join the bandwagon.

For me, this is not surprising, not even alarming because I for one didn’t expect much from this generation of so-called leaders.

These are not leaders but just merrymen who have found themselves in positions as a result of efficient boot-licking and as such are not guided by any ideology or principles.

ticket and I will stay in the best hotel for just two days.

Then I started seeing clips of Bago. Mbok, I will not call him Excellency this week, na next week I go give am back him title. That one was proclaiming in a languorous voice “any dreadlock person should be arrested, fined and have his hair cut off.”

I just screamed o, na why daddy wan send me go Minna. Kai, what Mudi cannot do, Daddy wants Bago to do it. Kai, I laughed ehn. These our elder statesmen with sense. Kai, Daddy. I chatted him up, “Oh, so you want Bago to shave my dada?” and he laughed and laughed. Kai.

Eventually, the governor who appears to be thoroughly overwhelmed with the security situation in his state recanted and said – ohh it is the “dada” people who belong to a cult terrorising our state and not the Duke of Shomolu type of “Dada.”

Daddy Shobanjo, shebi you used to watch Mafia films, you have fired round one, wait till I fire my own round. Your caricature this time will have you selling bread inside Shomolu with only “pata.”

How are you my Daddy? You remain an engaging icon. Thanks

My own is that Nigerians should not be fooled that all these moves are in their interest. These are lily-livered men, driven by self-interest and a strong need for self-preservation, and an insane need to preserve their freedom after soiling their hands.My message to Nigerians today is for us not to be alarmed. Do not worry or stress yourselves for it gets darker just before light. If they like, let them turn us into a one-party state. Let the oga transmute, everything will reset. Shebi we have seen it before. Nigeria is not a country that you joke with. Our 200 million heads are very strong, when the time comes, everything will reset and these “loafers” will come running to us for shelter and at that time, we will show all of them just what it really means to be a Nigerian.

These ones are behaving like children born by drunk errant sailors who deposit seeds at every port their ships berth and move on. These ones are not Nigerians, they are what we call in Shomolu “Tambolo.” Thank you.

In this era of lily-livered, yellow men who truly are nothing but “tambolo” leading us, people like His Excellency Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN stand really tall and almost alone in a forest that is inhabited by scavengers. Yes, I am angry today and I am sure you can all tell. All these noises of cross-carpeting is really annoying and irritating.

Mbok, let me even leave all that “jagbajantis” and talk better thing abeg. My very good paddy, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, set up this meeting for me on the back of the new book on power that I am working on.

Meeting with Mr. Fashola was very rich. The discussions went from the UK Supreme Court’s definition of who a woman is down to the current state of national leadership, and touched on the seeming helplessness of some governors to handle insecurity in their state, to leadership in governance – a topic he would be contributing to in the book, and ended up with his stints as a twoterm governor of Lagos. He took me very comprehensively into the fight against the Ebola scourge

which threatened to ravage the state during his time. We also looked at Lagos State – executive and legislative relations, party and executive, intra-executive relationships and all.

For the first time in a long while, I wasn’t bored listening to a retiree. You know those people can talk you to death. They will talk for hours and hours and you will just sit down there with a smile on your face, praying for the nurse to come in for the hourly injection so you can run away. Fashola was different. He was engaging and by the time he got to the state of the Judiciary, I was salivating and begging for more.

Unfortunately, I cannot be specific and go into details as it was a gentleman’s conversation and I be gentleman.

If you want to hear, go to Pastor Ituah, beg am to give you access and then you self go to Fashola house go and hear.

Thank you so much sir, that was head opening, I swear. I am better for it. God bless you sir.

THAT ASO ROCK SOLAR PANEL MATTER…

When Daddy see N300million bill, he shout o. “Gbajaaaaaaaaa!!! Gbajaaaaaaa!!! Kilo de oo. Which one is this one again o.”

BIODUN SHOBANJO:

A RICH MOMENTWITH BABATUNDE FASHOLA

Shobanjo Fashola Danjuma

Oyemade

Oborevwori

Gbaja shaking, would have replied “Sir, it is bill from the Disco.” Baba would drop his morsel of amala and say “aghhhh, efe kpa mi ni. What kind of bill is this?”

Gbaja would reply “Baba mi, last month it was N50 million, so how it jumped to this one, I don’t understand. Yes, we are in Band A, it should not be like this o.”

“Is Seyi still sleeping with AC?” Daddy asks. “Yes sir,” replies Gbaja . Tinubu would shout – this boy will not kill me. I had told him to stop sleeping with AC. Look Gbaja, I did not come from Bourdillon to come and be paying this kind bill, please what is the alternative? Gbaja would now smile and whisper into Baba’s ear: “Inverter is what everybody is using o.” Baba would ask, “please what is that?” and Gbaja would answer “It is something that will be using solar to be charging the batteries and then it will give you light. Everybody is using it, even Buhari in Daura.

Then Baba would beckon Gbaja and pull his ear: “Is Obi or Atiku or that weaselly El-Rufai using it?”

“Those ones are illiterates na, they have never heard of solar powered energy before, you can verify what I am saying if you don’t believe me,” would be Gbaja’s reply.

“Oya go and install it quickly. My people of Nigeria, everybody is on their own o. When our president has resorted to self-help, wetin remain on this matter. For the rest of us na to go back to lantern and candles o. Back to the stone age. Na wa.

POJU OYEMADE AND HIS

‘WOBBLY’

PLATFORM

When you make statements without cross-checking your facts, you run into the kind of turbulence this Man of God has run into. He reportedly said that a medical doctor would have spent N500,000 to qualify as against the $2,000 to do the same in America or something to that effect. This statement is so arrogantly annoying that one would have felt a very strong need to ignore it and move on. But you all sha know that I like looking for trouble and as such, this would have been very difficult for me to ignore.

N500,000 for what? Is it to buy the form or to buy the buckets, broom and candle to take with you if na UCH you dey go? This young man should by now have a huge back-office team that would be preparing him for these engagements so that he would not be coming out in public to be spewing “okpata.”

The statement has really annoyed the Association of Resident Doctors and rightly so. They have asked for his testicles and have been going at him with venom.

My own is that, Oga should just retract the statements, apologise to the group and mind his business of “farming for tithes” and not put his mouth in areas that he has no competence or wey no concern am. Na wa.

T.Y DANJUMA’S SELF-DEFENCE ADVOCACY

For the umpteenth time, General Danjuma has been reported to have asked for self-defence. I am beginning to shift grounds with the way people are being massacred in that Benue -Plateau axis.

Almost on a daily basis, we hear of hundreds being slaughtered just like that so that cows can feed amongst other mundane reasons.

Authorities seem overwhelmed and apart from issuing statements of “fishing out and dealing decisively with the culprits,” nothing happens. In fact, as the man is issuing his statement in Abuja, another 100 are being disemboweled in

Taraba.

I think time is rife for us to look towards General Danjuma’s suggestion even if it is in a limited capacity. If there is some kind of deterrence, just maybe, we may begin to witness some sort of calmness.

Gen Danjuma, it’s looking like you are beginning to look right with this preferred solution. Let’s try it abeg, the killings are just too much. Sad.

SHIMITE BELLO: A VERY SAD STORY

I saw this lady’s picture and asked myself a very succinct question. Who would kill such a beautiful woman? The report that she might have been poisoned by her husband hit the airwaves, sending shock waves all over the country.

The lady was an adviser to the decamped Governor of Delta State who came with a deep pedigree of work both in the public and private sector.

Somehow, from what we can piece together, she may have found herself in an abusive relationship which could have led to this sad occurrence.

We cannot speak very factually as investigations are ongoing but that said, the fact that she is no more under such

shady circumstances leaves much to be desired. This is truly a very sad story.

EBITIME AGAMA: THE CONFLICT NEXT DOOR

This is the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and under his watch Nigerians have lost N1.3 trillion to a Ponzi scheme. Mbok, if you were in his shoes what exactly would you have done as a man of principle?

Make we no go far- that thing you want to say is not Nigerian. No Nigerian, dead or alive would resign over a paltry loss of the sum of N1.3 trillion. After all, the money is not enough to install solar energy in Oyo State.

So, my brother first slides into – we will help recover all the funds, and then slides back again – we can no longer do that, and then finally slides into – we would arrest bloggers and influencers. See, when we do not have expansive leaders in place, issues like this would be approached with the pettiness of out-offavour prostitutes fighting over that one lazy customer who saunters in.

As I write, no head has rolled in the

OBI CUBANA’S UNCHARITABLE CONDUCT

A few days after his 50th birthday, which was lavish as usual, this gentleman drove himself into a storm. Apparently, he had made a statement on his next-of-kin and in juvenile joy, his adopted son posted something to the effect that “I thank God I am a next-of-kin.”

Daddy in reaction, jumps on social media to say his biological son is his next-of-kin, thereby throwing himself into needless turbulence, and most likely traumatising the young boy. This penchant for publicity and imagebuilding based on fluff is the undoing of these people. Please, tell me exactly what Obi Cubana brings to the table beyond this crass show of wealth not backed by any enduring ideology or what I want to call depth of purpose?

Mbok, what is the issue with next-ofkin? Anybody can be next-of-kin. It’s not an issue, if the boy comes out to say I am next-of-kin, does that mean he is next-of-kin abi na him go go

bank fill his name or na him go write your will?

So, for him, he must have seen this as another opportunity to trend, and boom he fires.

In the process, he throws up issues in the very fragile sector of adoption. Millions of Nigerian children have been abandoned and the adoption system which is only just finding its feet is now being queried by this irresponsible behaviour of this man.

Even the boy, how will his relationship with his adoptive mother be who will start looking at him with suspicion now?

The Herbert Wigwe saga is still ongoing and Obi Cubana throws in his own wahala. If you have adopted a child, you owe that child and society to bring him up in an inclusive manner. Abeg a word is enough for the wise before they will now go and say that it is because he did not invite me to his party that’s why I am beefing him. I know how they reason.

surveillance unit of SEC. The DG has not offered his resignation, he has not been summoned by the National Assembly and nothing but empty statements. They say, ohhh he has been warning them and they didn’t listen. These are funds being moved through a system with regulators every inch of the way and monies that volume just disappear o. Not cash o that someone can say they put in a box and run away at night but a system with approval matrix at all levels.

The N1.3 trillion loss should shake the DG of CAC, Governor of CBN, head of EFCC, bank MDs and all of these funny people who have played a role in effecting collections and transfers. Instead of these, na bloggers and influencers who have not been forewarned by policy or laws that are being harassed.

The problem is that there are no consequences. If I were the President today, I know wetin I for don do this SEC DG. Kai, I just trust myself. But it’s ok, na Nigeria. Thank you.

PORTABLE’S DISMANTLING OF SPEED DARLINGTON

Last week, some brilliant Nigerians put these two annoying fellas in a ring and made a ton of money. Everybody won except Speed who is better known as Akpi. He was beaten to a pulp. In fact, the beating he received is like the one I once received when one Igbo boy beat me at Awoseyin street in Shomolu when I was still hawking bread.

The man landed blows on my face in their thousands to the point that I started hallucinating and people had to pour water all over me to wake me up.

The Yoruba man is a natural boxer. Go watch them at the various motor parks that litter Lagos. Once there is a call for a fight, they immediately strike the pose of a boxer, prancing up and down and throwing punches in the air, and shouting “ko ni da fun eh.”

The Igbo man on the other hand is a natural wrestler. Even Chinua Achebe’s Okonkwo typifies this.

If you watch any fight between Agbero in Isale eko and Igbo trader you will see what I mean. The “agbero” will be doing like Mohammed Ali. He will be prancing, running all over the place with his arms blocking his face in a classic boxer’s pose and screaming, “ma kpa ehhh.”

His cronies will also be shouting “eba wa kpa omo yibo,” but the Igbo boy will strike his natural wrestler pose waiting for the moment where he can move in and lift the Yoruba boy from the ground and drop him in a Russian bear hug and everything will finish.

So putting Akpi, an akpu laden Igbo boy, in the boxing ring with an agbero who even went to prison a few days earlier to continue his training was sending Akpi to what could have been his early grave. Akpi received so much beating that even me, I come dey vex in my house. By the end of the fight, Akpi was looking for his seat as his eyes were both closed from the punches.

Portable has beaten two Igbo boys now and to add insult to the injury, Burna Boy was said to have sent him N20m for a job well done.

I think the next celebrity fight between an Igbo boy and a Yoruba boy should be wrestling. This boxing is giving the Yoruba boys an undeserved advantage. Yourba and igbo people are our real problem in this Nigeria. They think we don’t know that they like themselves and they will be pretending to be fighting themselves.

Just go and check the rate at which they are having sex with each other and marrying themselves and you will see that they are just scamming us. They love themselves o.

Obi Cubana

When Folly Coker Bowed out of NTDA

Hardworking Folorunsho FolarinCoker is known for working wonders wherever fate had placed him in the public service in past years.

By all measures, Folorunsho Folarin-Coker is no doubt an accomplished man.His status makes him the envy of many as he towers far and above many of his contemporaries.

Even in his everyday life, his profile is continually on the rise. It is easily agreed that he is blessed with the proverbial Midas touch!

So when he was appointed as the Director General of Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), the appointment was applauded by those who knew his antecedent. He didn’t let his boss and fans down as he rolled up his sleeve and hit the ground running.

He turned NTDA around while putting Nigeria’s tourism on the global map.

So, many would understand why emotions ran high recently when NTDA staff hosted a heartfelt send-off ceremony for him at the authority’s Village Hall in Abuja. The event marked the end of Coker’s transformative eight-year tenure, during which he significantly reshaped Nigeria’s tourism landscape.

Staff members and industry stakeholders gathered to honour Coker’s visionary leadership. Notable achievements during his tenure included the enactment of the NTDA Act, which transitioned the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) into the NTDA, aligning it with global standards.

He also spearheaded initiatives, such as the ‘Tour Nigeria’ brand to promote domestic tourism; the ‘Nigerian Flavours’ culinary project, and the digitalization of tourism services, enhancing Nigeria’s online tourism visibility through partnerships with global tech giants.

In his farewell address, Coker expressed deep gratitude to the NTDA staff, emphasising that the achievements were a collective effort. He urged them to uphold professionalism, foster unity, and continue the collaborative spirit that defined his administration.

The ceremony was filled with tributes from colleagues who described Coker as a mentor and a unifying figure. His commitment to inclusive tourism promotion was also recognised by South East traditional rulers.

Mohammed Bago’s Misplaced Priority?

Nigerian political leaders will not cease to amaze their citizens with all manners of shenanigans and funny policies that often make Nigeria a laughing stock and subject of ridicule worldwide.

Last Tuesday, Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, set tongues wagging when he directed security operatives to arrest anyone wearing dreadlocks and long unkempt beards.

According to his words, this is part of the measures and efforts to curb the resurgence of insecurity in the state capital.

He stated that anyone found in possession of any weapon, including knives and sticks, should be treated as an armed robber, and if killed, the parents must pay for the bullet before releasing

the corpse. He also ordered that anyone keeping dreadlocks should be arrested and shaved.

The pronouncement coincided with his curfew announcement across Minna, the state capital. This, as gathered, has generated debate, not only in Niger, but across the country where many have condemned the announcement by tagging it as a misplaced priority.

In the past, the governor had been accused of an all-bark-and-no-bite attitude as banditry continues to reign supreme in the state while he plays it by the ear.

The governor should begin to look for ways to tackle the insecurity plaguing his state and stay away from mundane issues.

Banking Guru, Akinsola Akinfemiwa, Hits Platinum with Grace

Top businessman and Ibadan, Oyo Stateborn billionaire Ayodeji Karim is a man with many gifts and he has never forgotten to use those gifts. In fact, he is considered a maestro in the art of money-making.

Following in the footsteps of his billionaire brother, Kola Karim — owner of Shoreline and the Agbaoye of Ibadan — he has ventured into diverse sectors including agriculture, hospitality, entertainment, sports, and real estate. Always on the lookout for new opportunities, his investments consistently yield success. Over the years, he has built a formidable reputation both in Nigeria and beyond. His track record speaks volumes, earning him recognition as one of the most visionary corporate leaders in the country.

The intelligent and charismatic man, who is also chairman of Winchester Homes, has redefined real estate in Ibadan, Oyo State and beyond.

Dr. Adebola Latifat Adeyemi epitomises what love and care for humanity mean. An upright, upwardly mobile woman who has not only done so well for herself, but has compassionately done so much to impact others whose paths cross with hers.

When Dr. Adebola tells people she is a naturopathic doctor, the most common response she likely gets is, “Oh, you are in Hijab and don’t have dreadlocks.” She gets that a lot but often does free few minute consultations so people can meet her and know that she’s not one ‘crazy’ witch doctor who keeps a cauldron in the backyard.

As a multiple international certified natural medicine expert and Hijama therapist, Adebola is on a mission to ensure optimal wellness of every soul through natural healing using natural solutions. Adebola —who started as a journalist nearly two decades ago— didn’t become a naturopathic doctor because she doesn’t believe in modern medicine. Far from it. She actually did but only on a mission to ensure there is an integration of natural medicine into Nigeria’s healthcare system after a painful personal experience that guided her

Akinsola Akinfemiwa’s name is synonymous with banking. The former Managing Director of Skye Bank has etched his name in gold in the financial industry.

He is no doubt an accomplished banking wizard with a distinguished career spanning several decades, and demonstrating expertise in senior management, advisory roles and board memberships.

Today, the history of the banking business in Nigeria cannot be complete without the Ondo State-born banking wizard’s name appearing many times. He was part of the few classes of experts that introduced dynamism and rewrote the story of the country’s financial sector, launching it into the global map.

As a banker, he was a darling and inspiration to so many people. He would later become a phenomenon. It is on record that after he took over Prudent Merchant Bank, with just a branch,

he successfully transformed it into a leading commercial bank with branches all over Nigeria.

The Ile-Oluji, Ondo State High Chief, was one of the leading bank chiefs who successfully navigated their institutions through the CBN’s energy-sapping consolidation programme in 2005. That feat further projected him as a major figure in financial institutions in Africa.

Upon his retirement, the brilliant banker took a deserved rest before he went on to become the Chairman of Heritage Bank.

Apart from banking, he was also the Vice-Chairman of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), appointed by the federal government. For all these and more, the banking guru established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the Nigerian financial circle. Last Tuesday, April 22, Akinfemiwa joined the platinum club. To say that the consummate banker was happy is definitely an understatement, as he literally climbed the mountain-top to give thanks to his Creator for this special privilege.

Billionaire Businessman, Ayo Karim, Expands New Coast

towards the healing powers of wet Hijama cupping and other naturopathic therapies — approaches that not only alleviate symptoms but also transform lives.

According to her, that experience she had about a decade ago, gave birth to Khasmal Holistic Naturopathic Health Center, dedicated to providing affordable, holistic and natural healthcare solutions not only to the wealthy but all Nigerians seeking a comprehensive approach to wellness.

In advancement of this integrative healthcare service, Adebola officially unveiled her ultra-modern premier holistic health clinic on Wednesday April 16 - a day she turned 49 - to meet the needs of those who are fast giving naturopathic medicine a trial. The new health facility - situated in Ikeja, Lagos - was commissioned by the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who was ably represented by the Registrar, Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board (LSTMB), Prince Babatunde Adele.

At the clinic, Adebola and her support staff offer an array of services

You will recall that Karim recently signposted the second phase of his real estate business with the ground-breaking ceremony of the Aseyori Estate, Phase 2. The project brought hope to many with the mission of providing affordable homes to residents and people of Oyo.

The estate has some major facilities that make the project stand out among others.

The boss of Pythagoras lounge recently took delivery of a hotel in Ibadan, an outfit that many have considered as one of the best things to have happened to the ancient city.

As gathered by Society Watch, the hotel, Chesterfield is an architectural masterpiece with top-notch facilities that have gotten many people talking of its wonderment.

such as acupuncture, cupping, colon hydrotherapy, pelvic floor therapy, body composition analysis and well-woman examinations. The facility also sells herbs and supplements, which is a big part of her practice.

Bago

Coker

Akinfemiwa

Adeyemi

Karim

In Her World, Rhythm Meets Storytelling

From pastime to international performances, Alice Kwukei, an energetic Swange dancer, shares with Yinka Olatunbosun how her passion for theatre arts has opened doors to global stages

The signature movement of a Swange dancer is characterised by a rhythmic wave of hands and a

Swange is an energetic performance often -

Perhaps no one embodies this better thanoutstanding performer of the Tembe Duen/ environment rich with the sounds of drums surprise that she began dancing at the age dance anywhere and to whatever music I

to recruit top artists to represent their peers with her outstanding perfor-

This recognition was a huge honour

Determined to expand her horizons

career came when she performed forShe emphasises the importance ofmentoring and nurturing the next genera-

do not have any regrets about my career

Kwukei in a group performance

Kwukei in a stage performance

Kwukei

Beyond the Scriptures with New Perspectives on Spiritual Truths

“Imarks the lives of churchgoers beyond my capacity to Episcopal Bishop of Newark, in Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism.)

This provocative quote marks one of the opening spiritual education: The Spirit of Truth Brings the Everlasting Testament. Thankfully, he does not write to shame his readEnd-Time prophesied by Jesus Christ, and that this can be substantiated through the Bible.

Lampe would already be familiar to a number of readers as the author of such illuminating works as The Christian and Reincarnation, Building Future Societies: The Spiritual Principles, Thinking Abouttions, and The Primordial Laws of Creation: Keys from that of the Catholic Church, which is again Ethiopian Orthodox Churches.

The obvious question arises: “Which Bible is Lampe is not seeking to take sides on the issue. and interpreting the Bible.

To illustrate further he cites several issues that many Christians may yet be unaware of. For example: (KJV: “And the light shineth in darkness; and the (e.g. ASV – American Standard Version) speak others (e.g. NJB – New Jerusalem Bible) render it same meaning.

BOOK REVIEW

are omitted in the Revised Standard Version (RSV), the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), the

This awareness should spur the Christian to cannot fully understand the Bible without going beyond the Bible. This requires us to be open to new revelations.

Whether we know it or not, many of our views on fundamental issues like gender equality, slavery, racism, etc. have already required us to “look beyond

For example: Ephesians 6:5-9 and 1 Timothy 6:1-2, (NKJV, NRSV, and certain other versions) are not critical of slavery – they are more concerned that slaves should be obedient to their masters. But thinking Christians have already looked beyond the Bible to arrive at a deeper understanding of such matters.

This should not be controversial:

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

But when that which is perfect is come,

Then that which is in part shall be done away. (1

Paul wrote these words long after the well-known Spirit at Pentecost cannot be what Christ was refer-

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth:

For he will not speak on his own; but will speak whatever he hears:

And he will declare to you the things that are to

For Lampe, this approach is crucial to fully important prophecy – that regarding the coming If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not,

And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but

he

is the same Personality that Christ referred to as the Spirit of Truth.

into both Old and New Testament, e.g.: John to the seven churches which are in Asia: is, and which was, and which is to come; And from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful

This indicates that Jesus Christ is not the same

people have been expecting him for 2,000 years.

At this point, Lampe provides a new way of looking at the Bible by going beyond the Bible into physics and astronomy. In the same way as

and the position of the Sun, and which is completed which we call an Age, is thus around 2,000 years. This is not merely an arbitrary number, as these Ages have meaning to astronomers who study We lived in the time of the Old Testament (the Age of The Father) for about 2,000 years from the time of Abraham to the time of Christ and we have lived in the time of the New Testament (the Age of The Son) for about 2,000 years. The same logic indicates that we are now due for the Everlasting

them that dwell on the earth,

And to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; For the hour of his judgment is come: And worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. (KJV,

Clearly, an Everlasting Testament will leave no teachings to us once again. It will shed light on all economic, social, etc.

A key resource Lampe cites for further investigation along these lines is the three-volume work In The

scholarship. This reviewer would go so far as to say that, irrespective of whether the reader agrees or disagrees with the author, there is no thinking Christian that will not learn many new and valuable things from this work. Therefore, it is highly recommended.

*LawaniwritesfromLagosandblogsathttps:// www.worddiscovered.com.

Promoting Experimental Films on World Stage

Yinka Olatunbosun

Unassuming, Precious Odumor could easily keep the conversation minimal but that was not allowed.After exchanging pleashis initiative, International Arts Film Festival (IAFF) became the centre of the chat. Odumor is an award-winning festival director -

knack for promoting independent cinema, nurturing emerging talents, and creating engaging cinematic experiences for diverse audiences put in a good -

nections, and managing events to create seamless and memorable festivals, have a career in showbiz started with organising events such as the Spectacular Award Show, and working as coordinator of the "Chill with a Star" talent show which held in Abraka, Delta State. In late 2017, he launched acame a well-known name across various parts of Nigeria. Through Phreshmedia, he provided media services, facilitated equipment rentals, provided making and media productions. and set out to share untold African stories, which led to the creation of the "International Art Film Festival (IAFF)," which is held annually in the United Kingdom. Till date, the International Arts

cinematic trends has made him a key player in the

on the rationale for establishing IAFF, he said: “It

FILMMAKING

is my love for storytelling, basically, and trying to

Kingdom, Nigeria, United States, Cameroon, China, Canada, South Africa including 15 other countries.

play a key role in the festival ensuring its success and ultimately making sure that awarded nominees are true and deserving. Some of his associates include Bridget John who is an award-winning Scottish Nigerian actress residing in Atlanta, Georgia whodustry for many years. She had played lead and theatre productions. Other members of his team and coach for people in the industry, Will Kim, a

those online screenings, because we are trying to give

physical events where some people, some are able to make it there. We have

their entries to the festival. One of them is Enna

“We believe that our festival is making a good

have come in through our platform. For instance, recently and then earned another screening in

queen, owning her space with elegance and poise. secrets of cultural roots and quiet power. strikes a powerful chord: an urgent ecological

that

and a rallying cry to preserve it.

Kolawole Lawani

that came down from heaven, Even the Son of man which is in heaven. (KJV,

IN THE ARENA

Insecurity: Time to Confront the Monster

Davidson Iriekpen writes

that it is time for President Bola Tinubu to begin to seriously address Nigeria’s

Asecurity

challenges as the constant loss of lives is simply unacceptable

fter a working visit and retreat in France and London lasting 18 days, President Bola Tinubu last Monday returned to Abuja to face the mounting challenges confronting the country.

Tinubu departed Nigeria on April 2, 2025, for Paris on what the Presidency described as a short working visit. According to the official statement, the retreat was used to review the progress of ongoing reforms and to plan strategically ahead of Tinubu’s second anniversary in office.

Unfortunately, the trip sparked criticism from the opposition and other Nigerians, who raised concerns about the president’s absence amid worsening insecurity in parts of Nigeria, particularly in Benue and Plateau states, where several deadly attacks have escalated.

They raised concerns over the frequent trips, accusing the president of being more interested in globetrotting than addressing the numerous pressing issues in the country.

The Presidency, however, countered critics, noting that as a leader working to bring foreign investments into the country, Tinubu couldn’t afford to sit back “when the harvest was out there.”

It defended the president’s trip, insisting that Tinubu has remained in constant communication with key officials and has been issuing directives to security agencies to tackle emerging threats across the country.

Just when Nigerians thought that the two weeks were coming to an end and that the president would soon return, on April 17, the Presidency issued another statement extending the trip, saying the president would return to the country to resume his official duties after the Easter holidays.

Since the advent of the Fourth Republic, successive presidents have been attending every international conference or summit they are invited to outside the country. On many occasions, the trips were taken to the detriment of urgent domestic issues that required the presence of the president.

Like his predecessors, President Tinubu is toeing a similar path. In less than two years in office, he has spent at least 59 days in eight separate visits to the European country since assumption of office on May 29, 2023.

Though many have argued that it is inevitable for any leader of a country to travel out to discuss bilateral or multilateral issues with his peers, they also insisted that he must balance the trips against national issues that require his attention at home.

It is not enough to always argue that the president they elected can work from anywhere. Nigerians want him to stay back at home and deal with problems confronting the country.

In fact, more criticisms came for the president following reports that he left Paris for London where he allegedly met with some key northern and southern figures to woo them ahead of the 2027 elections, when the focus should have been on how to tackle the insecurity plaguing the country.

In the two weeks that President Tinubu was away in France, about 250 persons were killed across the country. While 112 persons were killed in Plateau, hundreds were injured, with many displaced from their ancestral homes, and at least 80 houses razed.

The attacks put the number of deaths so far recorded in the state at about 3,000 since 2023 when the current administration took over the government.

In Benue, a total of 83 persons were killed. Governor Hyacinth Alia during his on-the-spot assessment tour of the Logo and Gbagir communities of Ukum Local Government Area, declared that the state was going through “a real war.”

Governor Alia added that the attackers are Malians and not Nigerians.

In Kebbi, Lakurawa terrorists attacked Morai village in Augie LGA, killing at least 13 vigilante members.

In Sokoto, 12 people were killed by bandits allegedly led by the notorious wanted kingpin, Bello

Turji, during an attack on Lugu town in Isa LGA as the gunmen were returning from a Sallah visit to one of the communities.

Every part of the country is dripping with blood.

In Kwara, Niger, Kebbi, Katsina, Borno and others, people are being killed.

So bad has the situation become that the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, in his Easter message to Nigerians, expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation, saying that the country was slowly turning into a vast national morgue.

He lamented the scale of human suffering across the nation, describing the current climate as marked by “a culture of brutality and savagery never witnessed in the history of our dear country.”

Kukah used the metaphor of the crucifixion to illustrate the extent of national pain, calling on President Tinubu to urgently intervene and rescue citizens from what he termed “this cross of evil.”

Following his return, President Tinubu held a meeting with the service chiefs on Wednesday and gave them a marching orders to end the killings, according to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu.

However, Nigerians are used to such presidential orders, which have never yielded positive results since the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The primary responsibility of any government is securing the lives and property of its citizens. Nigerians cannot continue to witness these cease-

POLITICAL NOTES

less bloodbaths that have continued unabated.

No doubt insecurity threatens Nigeria to its foundation. People cannot go to their farms to feed themselves and their families, and also supply food to the country. Food security is under serious threat.

With massive insecurity in the country, foreign investments are under threat.

This should worry the both the federal and state governments more than the politicking they are currently engaging in ahead of the 2027 elections. Many have posited that a caring president should have told the governors and members of his party that it is too early to be embarking on political activities.

Throughout the eight years of the administration of President Buhari, there was no concerted effort to address the killings in the country despite pressure from local and international observers.

It is disheartening that under President Tinubu, the federal government has not taken deliberate steps to handle the situation differently and save the people from incessant attacks.

It is not enough to say the people should learn to leave in peace. Leave in peace with who – terrorists or foreigners?

It is time for President Tinubu, the NSA, Service Chiefs, the governors and all who are saddled with the responsibility of securing the citizens to think outside the box and find a solution to end the persistent carnage in the country.

Many have argued that a president who travels frequently and excessively, neglects security reports, and takes a cavalier approach has failed in his duty and responsibility of protecting lives.

Since President Tinubu reconstituted and reconfigured the nation’s military architecture - a move widely seen as a sign of his seriousness in combating these agents of darkness - little progress has been made to tackle the monster. Not a single attacker has been paraded to convince Nigerians that the government is on top of the situation, fuelling speculations of conspiracy.

Despite the president’s repeated orders for troops to pursue suspected terrorists responsible for these mass killings of people across the country, Nigerians are yet to see any significant improvement.

It is high time the federal government took decisive action to address the insecurity plaguing the country. The herdsmen and others perpetrating the killing cannot remain untouchable. It is no longer enough for President Tinubu to merely express sadness and order actions to bring the perpetrators to justice; he must hold security agents to account.

State Govts’ Growing Intolerance to Criticisms

Amid the economic hardship in the country, state governments have continued their intolerance to dissent voices.

This was what happened in Borno State where the police arrested and detained one Sultan Usman for five daysforcriticisingtheExecutiveSecretaryoftheBorno StateGeographicalInformationService,AdamBababe, over flood prevention measures in the state.

Usman, a popular social media activist in Borno, was taken into police custody last Monday. His lawyer described his arrest and detention as unlawful.

After a flood disaster devastated homes and businesses in Maiduguri, the state capital, in September 2024, flood prevention became a topical issue in the state.

Shortlyafter,Bababe,whoseagencyisresponsiblefor land administration, in a post on his X (formerlyTwitter) handle, blamed communities that resisted his agency’s

steps to implement flood prevention measures for the disaster.

But Usman replied to him, saying the tweet was like an open admission that the government had failed in its responsibility.

Although Bababe acknowledged that the post was deleted immediately, he reported Usman to the police, leading to his prompt arrest and detention.

It is a common knowledge these days that many Nigerians have been persecuted by the security agencies at the instance of governors and aides who are intolerant to criticisms.

This has been a pattern each time officials state governments are criticised.

InSokotoState,18-year-oldHamdiyyaSidiShariffis currently standing trial for criticising Governor Ahmad Aliyu.

Shariff was arrested and put in prison for allegedly

lamenting the rising killings and general insecurity in the state on social media.

In a viral video, she revealed how bandits pillaged their villages without any restraints, and how displaced womenseekingrefugeinthestatecapitalarenowbeing sexually exploited due to abject poverty and squalor. Recently,ontheordersofGovernorHopeUzodimma of Imo State, the police abducted his former commissioner,FabianIhekweme,inAbujatoOwerriforcriticising the governor. He was detained for more than a month. His arrest was said to be connected to his frequent criticism of Uzodimma’s style of administration.

These arrests and detention constitute a serious assault on free speech and democracy, and are therefore unacceptable.

No one should be punished solely for expressing an opinion that is contrary to that of the government. It is simply anathema to democracy.

Tinubu

BRIEFING NOTES

As Tuggar, Bauchi Dep Gov Clash over 2027

As the permutations of the 2027 governorship race in Bauchi State deepen, Ejiofor Alike reports that the recent clash betweenthestateDeputyGovernor,AuwalJatau,andtheMinisterofForeignAffairs,AmbassadorYusufMaitamaTuggar, was an indication of what would be expected from the political giants eyeing the seat of Governor Bala Mohammed

The battle for Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State’s seat took a dramatic turn recently following an altercation between the state Deputy Governor, Auwal Jatau, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar.

Tuggar and the deputy governor are from Bauchi North Senatorial District, which has never produced a governor since the return to democracy in 1999.

Though Tuggar has not declared any ambition to run for the governorship seat in 2027, there are strong speculations that he is eyeing Governor Mohammed’s seat.

It is believed within the political circles in the state that the foreign affairs minister will slug it out with the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Ali Pate, for the gubernatorial ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Pate had declared that he was ready to serve the people of the state but was preoccupied with delivering on the mandate given him by President Bola Tinubu.

Whoever emerges as APC candidate will contest with Governor Mohammed’s preferred successor who will fly the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Watchers of political developments in the state believe that the state deputy governor is Governor Mohammed’s potential successor.

Tuggar and Governor Mohammed’s administration have been in a running battle over the minister’s criticisms of the governor for his stance on President Tinubu’s tax reform policy.

However, this accusation was linked to the 2027 governorship race.

Tuggar had in January alleged that the governor was using President Tinubu’s tax reforms to launch his 2027 presidential ambition.

The minister, who described Mohammed’s administration as a failure, condemned the state government’s land use policies, dismissing them as “land grabbing” initiatives.

Reacting, the Chief of Staff to the governor, Dr. Aminu Gamawa, had in a statement alleged that Tuggar’s attacks on Mohammed were clearly motivated by his ambition to contest the governorship seat in 2027.

Gamawa, in the statement, claimed that Tuggar failed in his duties as minister due to the distraction by his governorship ambition.

He added that the minister’s alleged “absentee politics” and poor performance in foreign affairs had diminished Nigeria’s diplomatic strength, especially in Africa.

“Under Tuggar’s mismanagement, ECOWAS, a once-united and robust sub-regional body, is now in disarray. His poor advice to President Tinubu on the crises in the Sahel has led to

the withdrawal of key member states like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger,” the statement read.

The statement further accused the minister of aligning Nigeria with “French neocolonial interests” at the expense of the country’s traditional Afrocentric foreign policy.

With these developments, it was not surprising that Tuggar and the state deputy governor had an open clash penultimate Friday inside a Coaster bus transporting dignitaries from the Bauchi airport to the Emir’s Palace for the turbaning of former Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar as Makama Babba 1 of Bauchi Emirate, which also coincided with his daughter’s wedding.

Tension was said to have flared after Tuggar allegedly made derogatory remarks about Governor Mohammed’s administration, which provoked an angry reaction from the deputy governor.

It took the intervention of Vice President Shettima who was also in the bus for the two political giants to sheathe their swords.

However, the feud deepened after the governor’s son, Shamsudeen Bala Mohammed, reposted Facebook updates hailing the deputy governor for “defending my father’s honour.”

The post made in Hausa also added that “today, the Deputy Governor reaffirmed his loyalty to Baba Kaura (Governor Bala).”

Though reports claimed that the deputy governor slapped the minister, Jatau’s media aide, Muslim Lawal, maintained that his principal is “a responsible person” who would never engage in such conduct, especially in the presence of the vice president.

In his reaction, an aide to the minister, Mr. Alkay Abdulkadir, also clarified that his boss was not slapped by the deputy governor.

While explaining that the report was intended to embarrass the minister, he said that the crisis began with a heated exchange between the state governor, and the minister.

“The minister is an athlete and is more physically fit. If it came to a fight, he couldn’t be slapped without a corresponding action. So, it’s untrue and impossible,” Abdulkadir explained.

Tuggar’s son, Adam also denied reports suggesting that Jatau slapped his father.

He also accused Shamsuddeen Bala Moham-

NOTES FOR FILE

med, son of the governor, of spreading the falsehood.

In a statement posted on his official Facebook handle penultimate Saturday, Adam noted that he had never engaged in political discussions on any cyberspace.

“The recent shameful act by the spoiled brat son of the Bauchi State Governor and his media dogs has compelled me to throw some tantrums.

“Honestly, I have never seen an educated illiterate like him,” Adam wrote.

He continued: “Regarding the matter currently trending, I can beat my chest and say confidently that even if the fabricated story were true, I assure you, if it had been your father (governor) who slapped Ambassador Tuggar, he would have gone home with a bleeding mouth and nose, let alone an incapacitated Deputy Governor like Jatau.

While noting “that politics is a no man’s land,” Adam reminded the governor’s son that Tuggar’s father was a grassroots politician, who served as Senator during Nigeria’s Second Republic.

“Where was your grandfather then? Who was he? What contributions did he make to the development of Bauchi State, let alone Nigeria at large?”

“Tuggar like other potential gubernatorial aspirants, has not even officially shown interest in the state’s highest office. So why the unnecessary noise and attention-seeking?” Adam queried.

The minister and the deputy governor are not the only political gladiators from the state who have clashed over 2027.

Former Governor Abubakar and ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara had also clashed. Governor Mohammed and Senator Shehu Buba Umar had also engaged in a war of words after Umar had accused the governor in August last year of mismanaging federal allocations and relief materials meant for the state.

While Jatau, seen as Governor Mohammed’s potential successor, confronted Tuggar in a show of loyalty to his boss, the minister’s persistent attacks on the state government are viewed as strategic moves to secure the APC governorship ticket through President Tinubu’s influence.

However, the health minister, Pate’s early expression of interest may collide with Tuggar’s undeclared ambition.

This will potentially make the contest for the APC ticket very hot, given the huge influence of the two political gladiators in President Tinubu’s cabinet and the ruling APC.

With these unfolding developments, the clashes among these political gladiators were ominous signs of what should be expected in the race for the Bauchi State Government House in 2027.

Again, IG Embarks on Usual Rhetoric

The Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mr. Kayode Egbetokun last week ordered the immediate withdrawal of Police Mobile Force (PMF) personnel from private individuals across the country.

Describing the PMF as “the elite tactical arm of the police”, the IG said the unit must be repositioned to focus on its core mandate of responding swiftly to riots, emergencies, and violent threats. He decried the assignment of PMF operatives to escort and guard duties for VIPs and private individuals, calling it a “distortion that weakens operational effectiveness”.

The IG noted that the reforms are part of a broader effort to restore discipline, uphold human rights, and raise operational standards in line with global best practices.

This directive by the IG is not new. In fact, previous IGs had on many occasions ordered the withdrawal of the MPF personnel attached to several VIPs.

Sometimes, it can be ban or disbandment of roadblocks on major roads.

But the more these orders or directives are given, the more Nigerians see a detachment of policemen with these VIPs and more roadblocks mounted on the roads.

What usually happens is that each time the directive to withdraw MPF is given, the policemen are not always withdrawn as directed. It’s always an opportunity for the VIPs to renegotiate the terms.

Meanwhile, these are the policemen seriously needed to address the insecurity in the country that are usually assigned to VIPs who can afford them.

Last February, following complaints by Nigerians that heavily armed police personnel in mufti used to harass innocent people in gestapo-style, Egbetokun directed police officers not to bear assault rifles when dressed in mufti.

He also banned them from using commercial buses and other unmarked vehicles that hide their identities.

The use of mufti and commercial buses and other unmarked vehicles make it impossible for Nigerians to differentiate them from criminals.

But despite the ban and warning, personnel of the force have refused to comply with it.

All over major cities, police operatives are seen in muftis and unmarked vehicles and commercial buses harassing Nigerians.

This is why many Nigerians believe that IG Egbetokun’s latest directive is another empty rhetoric.

Jatau

Tuggar

Egbetokun

Oborevwori: New Battlelines for Delta’s Political Gladiators

The earth-shaking mass defection by leaders and stakeholders of the Delta State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday, contrary to expectations in certain quarters, might not signal an end to the tension-soaked struggle among the different leaders, their close associates and others jostling for political relevance in the state, writes Omon-Julius Onabu

Wednesday, April 23, 2025 witnessed the defection of the entire leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State to the, hitherto, rival All Progressives Congress (APC) in a major and comprehensive realignment of political forces and interests across the state’s political landscape.

At the head of the long queue of the high and mighty in the party, was Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, the current indisputable leader of the PDP in the state and his deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme.

The lengthy line also included Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, who is Oborevwori’s immediate predecessor and the PDP vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 general election; the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Emotimi Guwor with his team of legislators, and the members of the State Executive Council (EXCO).

It also had the State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Solomon Arenyeka; the local government chairmen and political appointees, as well as the various leaders of the party, who had held sway in the state in nearly 26 years since the restoration of democracy in Nigeria.

Some present and past PDP members of the National Assembly also attended the high-profile stakeholders’ meeting held at the Government House, Asaba, according to the pioneer state chairman of the PDP, Senator James Manager.

Manager broke the news of the large-scale defection to journalists who were at the Government House, venue of the meeting.

He stressed that the decision to abandon the Delta PDP ship was rooted in the seeming or obviously intractable disagreement within the party’s leadership at the national level, adding that it was neither spontaneous nor based on the spur of the moment.

He said the decision was midwifed through a meticulous and extensive process of negotiation with stakeholders from the top to bottom rungs of the ladder.

The sixth-time senator from the Delta South senatorial district did not

mince words about the fact that Governor Oborevwori and his state party co-travellers took the decision as a last resort because they had arrived at the painful conclusion that the festering series of leadership crisis in the PDP at the centre had become fatally cancerous.

Manager said: “Some consultations have been going on and the climax of these consultations is what you are seeing today. We have discussed and have disagreed to agree and it is a unanimous agreement.

“I am the pioneer state chairman of the PDP; you cannot be in a boat that is already capsizing, because I am a riverine man.

Looking at issues the way they are, we have come to the inevitable conclusion to do something about it. It is a collective decision for so many reasons.

“The PDP is truly in trouble. If you look well, the current PDP state chairman was in the meeting, the governor was there, the deputy governor, the immediate past governor, the speaker. All of these persons were in the meeting. National Assembly members and even the House of Assembly members. The who- is- who in Delta State was in the meeting to make this decision.”

To buttress Manager’s explanation, the State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, said: “For some time now the media, particularly the social media have been awash as to what political decisions that we are going to be taken in Delta. While that was on, the governor and the leaders of the party have been very busy carrying out some necessary consultations; and, it is also part of that consultation that has resulted in this meeting today for the leaders of the PDP to be able to advise as to what necessary steps that needed to be taken. It is said that when the taste of the palm wine changes, the drinking pattern also changes; and, the leaders of the party

were unanimous in their view that the political temperature has changed.

“And, there was a need for change that will help cement the development in our state: To build the bond of love that has existed in our state and to further advance the security and welfare of our people. We believe that what is happening in the PDP at the national can be likened to that palm wine whose taste has changed and that is why this decision has been taken.”

This latest development has brought many Captains in the Delta APC boat.

The APC in Delta State is set to become a truly full house of who-is-who in politics in Delta State. The VicePresident, Senator Kashim Shettima is billed to formally welcome the defectors to the ruling APC, on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, at a grand ceremony in Asaba. And, irrespective of whether or not the litany of reasons adduced for the defection of Oborevwori and company to the APC is sufficiently persuasive or acceptable to millions of registered voters in Delta State, the APC would soon become the new battleground for both the “old” APC leaders and the new, including Governor Oborevwori and ex-governor Okowa.

In recent years, the APC in Delta State has been a volatile zone where several contending groups have engaged in an unrelenting supremacy war over the party’s structure.

At a time the influence of former Governor James Ibori was looming large in the party in the state, former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, returned home in 2023, claiming the position of Delta APC Leader. The supporters of the Minister of Aviation, Hon Festus Keyamo also regarded him as the APC leader in the state, based on his position as a high-ranking member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

With the man considered as a “gentleman in politics”, Ororogun O’tega Emerhor; former governorship hopeful, David Edevbie; the current Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Com- mission (NDDC), Hon. Chiedu Ebie; and several other former PDP members becoming strong leaders in the APC, the question of control of the soul of the party remains very engaging.

Before the senator representing

Delta North, Senator Ned Nwoko, left PDP to join the APC in late 2024, his counterparts for Delta Central and Delta South, Senator Ede Dafinone and Senator Joel Onowakpo-Thomas, respectively, were also APC members who had earlier left the PDP. Senator Peter Nwaoboshi from Delta North had earlier quit the PDP for the APC. Nonetheless, now that Governor Oborevwori is set to become the “natural” leader of the APC in Delta, a position made incontestable because of his position as the Chief Executive Officer of the state, some self-acclaimed leaders of the party will have to swallow their pride and accept the reality of the unfolding new dispensation in the APC.

For instance in Delta North, Senator Nwoko and Senator Nwaoboshi, as a matter of courtesy and mark of respect, may have to defer to former Governor Okowa; the current deputy governor, Sir Onyeme as well as former deputy governor, Chief Benjamin Elue.

However, these senators are higher than the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Kingsley Emu and a handful of political app ointees under Oborevwori who are from the zone in the party hierarchy.

The story will likely be the same for Delta Central and Delta South, where political heavy weights like Ibori and former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, hail from, respectively.

Public reactions to the mass defection by the Delta State PDP to the APC, have shown that a lot of explanation will have to be made in the days and months leading to the much-talked-about 2027 election.

The mass defection will most likely enhance the second term ambition of Governor Oborevwori, all things being equal. But the voters must be truly persuaded and carried along.

One way of doing that is not to allow a new wave of divisive friction in the new APC in Delta State that is about to be bloated by many “captains” in one ship. The existing internal rift within the party is not about to vanish because there is no longer a strong opposition party in the state with the PDP as good as dead.

Oborevwori Keyamo Okowa

Ibori Omo-Agege

Adewale: My Mission is to Ensure Tinubu Becomes the Last Incapable Person to Govern Nigeria

In this interview with Chuks Okocha , the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the 2023 general election, Chief Adebayo Adewale speaks on a wide range of issues and how he hopes to defeat incumbent President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. Excerpts:

YouarefromtheSouth-west;areyounotintimidatedbyPresidentBolaTinubuincumbency?

I’m at peace with myself and I will challenge him. The country is in turmoil - insecurity, killings in Plateau, Zamfara, and Benue states, and a lack of opportunities. What Nigeria needs at this moment is a capable hand that can move the country forward. We don’t need tribe or religion to move Nigeria forward. Nigerians should do away with the myth that dislodging an incumbent is impossible

Tinubu’s trip without regard for the constitution is a cavalier way which must be put to an end. This president doesn’t understand the oath of office he took! He started violating the oath right from Eagle Square till now.

My mission is to make sure that Tinubu is the last to be a bad president by making reasonable Nigerians believe in the politics of their country.

AreyounotintimidatedbythelikesofformerVicePresident AtikuAbubukarandNasiruel-Rufai?

The media is the problem here. As I talk with you here, Atiku is not a member of the SDP. I have checked with the chairman of the SDP in Adamawa State and even with the chairman of his ward; the feedback I get is that he is a member of the PDP. The same with El-Rufai. In Kaduna State, they said that they don’t know him as a member of the party.

In any case, the more the merrier. I can’t be intimidated by them. This is politics. My party members know that I’m for the 2027 presidential election. That you are disfavoured in a party and jumped out to another doesn’t make you an opposition leader, but unemployed! The critical contradiction in opposition politics in Nigeria is that, we have many people whose opposition consists of changing the incumbent without changing the system.

Howwillyoutacklethekillingoffarmersbyherdsmen?

My security research and analysis show that some of the conflicts are linked to herder-farmer disputes, but it goes beyond that. Much of it is terrorism, criminality within the government, or politics using violence to unsettle opponents. The conflict arises because the government isn’t playing its role in agriculture. Globally, agriculture is an industry with rules, unlike professions like law or journalism, which don’t generate violence. Animal farming must have laws.

First, implement laws controlling the movement, recognition, and registration of livestock. Management of farmlands to prevent conflicts, ensuring farmlands are designated and registered with local governments. Every cattle in a local government must be registered, and movement across local government lines requires registration. We must maintain a national livestock registry, including new calves, and mandate insurance for every cattle.

This mirrors third-party insurance for vehicles, which reduced disputes by ensuring compensation without fights. Similarly, insured cattle and crops would reduce conflicts. If a registered animal dies, the owner calls the insurance company for assessment and compensation, eliminating the need for violence.

For the terrorism aspect, the government has tools for advance warning, including the DSS. Yet, in many communities, there’s no dedicated number to report strangers—a governance failure. Chinua Achebe noted in 1982 that leadership is Nigeria’s problem. Symptoms of bad leadership are mistaken for new issues. A president who travels excessively, neglects security reports, and takes a cavalier approach fails in this role. The job demands commitment.

RegardingbanditryandterrorismintheNorth,particularly theNorth-eastandNorth-west,thegovernorofBornoState, BabaganaZulum,saidsomelocalgovernmentshavebeen takenoverbyterrorists.Whatisyourapproachtotackling theBokoHaram-ISWAPcrisis?

A nation’s flag and map signify territorial integrity. Any government unable to maintain this isn’t a government. Whether independently or with partners, territorial integrity must be upheld, ensuring court warrants can be executed nationwide.

Having ungovernable swaths controlled by outlaws is unacceptable. The problem is that those in government lack governance knowledge. They’re attracted to the privileges and titles of office, not the responsibilities.

Imagine a chief physician in a federal medical centre who ignores medicine to focus on finances. They’d fail. The President, as Commander-in-Chief, must treat this role as a job, not an appellation. The composition and orientation of the armed forces’ senior officers must reflect this.

When I ran, I consulted 89 retired senior officers, mostly generals and colonels, to understand issues like Benue, Boko Haram, and banditry. As a potential Commander-in-Chief, I need

to know the specifics—what happened, precedents, and differences between regions. Banditry in Benue differs from Boko Haram, and both differ from other conflicts. Some issues, like Boko Haram, exceed state government capacity.

Current responses are reactionary and sporadic, causing problems. The president must share intelligence with key stakeholders, as the situation is escalating. I’m concerned for those affected now and those who will be affected if this continues.

What’syourviewonstatepolice?

In my personal opinion, it’s not just about state police. Every level of government with legislative authority should inherently possess corresponding enforcement powers. It undermines sovereignty to claim, “I can pass a law prohibiting parking here,” but lack the authority to appoint marshals to enforce it. If, as a local government, I enact a law stating that markets must open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m., why should I rely on the federal government to enforce it? I should have the power to deploy marshals to ensure compliance. Similarly, if I establish laws on hygiene, such as mandatory food inspections, I should have the authority to enforce them against violations.

Logically and philosophically, this principle is clear. In a unitary state, all laws and policing powers emanate from a single source. However, in a federal system, every tier of government with legislative competence must also have enforcement competence within its jurisdiction. This is the standard practice.

Thus, federal police enforce federal laws, state police enforce state laws, and local council police enforce council by-laws. In the United States, where I’ve lived for many years, this is evident. Universities have campus police, and cities have their own police forces.

This system existed in Nigeria during the First Republic but was abused—not to the extent we see today. However, the current abuse stems from the president’s ability to exert undue influence over state governors, facilitated by the constitutional immunity provided under Section 308. This immunity restricts governors’ autonomy.

Consider the situation in Rivers State: Had the crisis persisted, Governor Fubara might have been forcibly removed by federal authorities. A federated system requires that each unit functions independently.

States should also have their own prisons or correctional facilities. In the U.S., minor offences like reckless driving or domestic violence typically lead to detention in county jails, not federal prisons. For instance, when Donald Trump was arrested for violating Georgia state laws, he was taken to Fulton County Jail, as the case was prosecuted by the Fulton County Prosecutor.

We must govern strictly and intelligently, adhering to proper systems. The reluctance to establish order stems from entrenched indiscipline. The public behaves as though they have no say in who occupies public offices, allowing unqualified individuals to be appointed to suit the whims of those in power.

For example, if you appoint a visually impaired person as a driver, you might limit vehicles to two miles per hour, ensuring you never reach your destination. Similarly, you wouldn’t ground all aircraft because your village lacks pilots. Public offices must be filled by qualified individuals who can operate effectively within the constitutional framework. The President with all due respect, may meet nominal qualifications, but his character, diligence, and seriousness fall short.

Correcting this requires appointing individuals of merit, not those even less qualified. When selecting senators, representatives, or assembly members, we must prioritise competence. This is where Nigeria falters. If you’re building a hospital, the chief matron must be a qualified nurse—appointing an unqualified person risk life.

The Nigerian elite and electorate often ignore the qualifications required for public office. We appoint individuals to government roles whom we wouldn’t trust to marry our daughters or employ as accountants in our private companies. Yet, we place them as ministers or commissioners of finance. This reflects our lack of seriousness about governance.

Governance determines the difference between poverty and prosperity, security and insecurity, development and underdevelopment. Nigeria could be a paradise, but it isn’t. I recently returned from the Middle East, where water flows more reliably in desert homes than in Nigerian universities. This highlights the failure of Nigeria’s current elite.

If today’s elite had led Nigeria during the First Republic, we might still be under colonial rule, extorted by the British for independence. The current generation would not have built a single university, and any that existed would be substandard. Our new universities fall short because we’ve isolated ourselves from global standards.

Adewale

Attempts at Assassination of African Leaders for Opposing Imperialism: The Case of Ibrahim

The conduct and management of global affairs by the big powers is currently challenged by three categories of cold war politics: the ‘America First’ and ‘Make America Great Again’ policies adopted by President Donald Trump; the reactive policy of ‘I tooism’ of countries like China, Iran and North Korea; and the ‘let-me-alone attitude’ of the weak onlookers of the world, especially the African countries that are singing again the songs of national sovereignty. Without doubt, right from the timeAfrican states began to accede to national sovereignty as from the end of the 1950s, the untold story or over which there has been much silence is the colonial policy attitude of let them have the power of self-control while the responsibility for control of national resources is left for the colonial masters. In this regard, the colonial masters calculated very well by ensuring that Africans in their support, who were weak in heart and can be easily manipulated, were brought to power by all possible means. Those African leaders lead their countries to the detriment of the interests of their people but always to the advantage of their former colonial masters. Leaders that have the effrontery to confront the colonial powers were generally killed by their own people, but with the logistic support of foreign countries.

And true enough, in countries where assassination plan fails because of local resistance, post-colonial relationship was often made difficult and punitive. Guinea Conakry suffered that when the country refused to be part of the 1958 French Community which was established by General Charles de Gaulle. In 1963, the Togolese President, Sylvanus Olympio, was brutally killed during an alleged French-sponsored mercenary invasion, which prompted Nigeria under Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa to formulate an exception to the UN principle of non-intervention in the domestic affairs of other sovereign countries. Thus, assassination of leaders for opposing imperialism has a long history. The assassination attempt of the Burkinabé President, Ibrahim Traoré, is not new but different in style.

Opposing Imperialism and Assassination Attempts

Opposing imperialism has been generally sanctioned more by assassination than by killing and murdering. An assassination is a murder which is considered illegal, unfair and unjust. Murder is simply the killing of a private individual. Assassination becomes a murder when it encompasses non-public influential figures. It is the murder of a public or influential figure for political or ideological considerations that makes it an assassination. Assassination is generally carried out secretly and the motivation is always political. As there is differentiation between killing, which is to end the life of someone or something, and dying which is to stop living, so are assassination and murder different. In other words, murder is the killing of another person with a deliberate intention that excludes the political. True, assassination is also an expression of murder except that its motivation has to be political while the target of murder is always not a political figure.

In the context of Africa, and particularly in the case of Burkina Faso, it is the conflict between the opposition to imperialism, on the one hand, and the non-preparedness of the imperialists to condone such opposition that largely explains the frequency of assassination attempts. The historiography of assassinations and assassination attempts in Africa has clearly shown that it is always those African leaders that are visibly challenging the colonial powers that are generally slated for killing or assassination. If the assassination plot fails, the efforts may be renewed and strengthened until the ultimate objective is achieved. This is how the eighteen assassination attempts on the life of Captain Ibrahim Traoré should be explained and understood. He is currently captivating international attention with his objectivity of purpose and clarity of focus. His humility and daring personality raises many questions on the minds of the threatened global powers in the West.

In this regard, we observe and posit here that end to imperialism is, at best, a dream. So cannot but be the situation of assassination

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attempts. International relations is necessarily a conflict system in which the rules of might, regardless of the ramifications, often define decision-taking. For instance, the principle of weighted voting applies in the financial institutions. It is a principle according to which the number of votes is determined by one’s capital investment into the organisation. Payment of assessed dues, as distinct from voluntary contributions, does not imply equality. This is because computations are based on a certain percentage of GDPs of member states who do not have the same annual GDPs.

There is also no equality when a distinction is made between Nuclear Weapons States and non-nuclear weapons countries. Some countries have the privilege of developing nuclear capability while some others cannot. This situation engenders inequality and unfairness, as well as injustice. This also naturally generates opposition and animosity. More concernedly, foreign policy objectives also vary according to States. This is why it cannot but be difficult to ensure international peace and security when national interests are operationally in conflict.

For instance, Donald Trump’s policy of ‘America First’ is undoubtedly very patriotic at the domestic level, but when patriotism generates animosity that impacts national security and survival, at the external level, then that type of patriotism needs to be redefined. The US-China policies of order versus counter-order can only generate disorder to the detriment of global peace. The United States currently finds it difficult to accept that it is already treading the path of decline and that China is already

With this development, what does anti-terror war mean when the victims of terrorism are the very people aiding and abetting terrorism? What future has Africa in terms of sovereignty when the people are themselves the moles? Soldiers that swear to defend their nation are the same people revealing military secrets to the enemy? Who is Bahari Abdraman, the assassination chief plotter, really working directly for; the terrorists or foreign powers? Are there not two different groups of terrorists militating against political stability in Burkina Faso: traditional Jihadist terrorists and terrorists working for foreign powers? What future has Burkina Faso if Ibrahim Traoré is assassinated today? Who wants to succeed him? What type of training is given to African soldiers when sent abroad? Why is it that those who have had training abroad often play most active parts or lead coups d’état and assassination agenda? Why is it that presidential guards or people believed to be trust worthy that always betray the trust and oath to defend their nation? Is it not a serious shame on any Burkinabé military officer to prefer a bribe of $5m to securing his country? Accepting money to kill a compatriot is most shameful, Shame on the plotters, their children and their entire family. Unconstitutional change of government may not be good but Ibrahim Traoré has clearly shown that there can be a benevolent unconstitutional change of government because his government has lifted Burkina Faso within the past two years of his coming to power in 2022

Traoré

bracing up to step into its shoes of global leadership. Conjecturally put, the future of ‘America First’ policy is not bright. It has the great potential to wean even before Donald Trump leaves power. This is simply because of the increasing anti-America sentiments in several parts of the world of today.

First, there is the I-tooism stand of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). The BRICS owes its establishment to the disregard for the global economic institutions dominated by the United States. The International Monetary Fund that has the responsibility ‘to promote international monetary cooperation, facilitate the expansion and balanced growth of international trade, and foster exchange stability,’ is one of the major targets of the BRICS which wants its own currency in use and reform of the IMF and the World Bank.

Secondly, another manifestation of I-tooism is that of Iran who wants to be a nuclear power like the Nuclear Weapons States, that is the P-5 of the United Nations Security Council, but to which the United States is vehemently opposed. The United States has suggested to Iran to depend on the importation of uranium rather than trying to produce fuel for its nuclear plants. Iran has flagrantly rejected the American demand because it wants to acquire its own uranium enrichment capacity for its own civil nuclear programme.

In the same vein, North Korea is an advocate of I-tooism. Considering that the United States and its allies waged war against North Korea during the 1950-1953 Korean War, North Korea not only wants to develop nuclear capability to counter the threats from the Western world, but also to showcase the point that it has capacity and capability to develop nuclear technology. Having nuclear power is seen as a manifestation of national prestige. Even though the capacity to develop the nuclear power is largely a resultant from the 1959 agreement done by the then Soviet Union and North Korea to build nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, there is no disputing the fact that the authorities of Pyongyang have gone beyond the need for peaceful uses of their nuclear energy. North Korea is already talking about its capacity to launch nuclear missiles that go as far as American soil. Consequently, America First policy has its own different interpretation in many other countries. For Iran and North Korea to be insisting on the needs to define their security strategy by themselves and to be insisting on themselves and not on the nuclear umbrella of any foreign country, is also about self-assertion first. The political mentality of the North Koreans is that the United States is the successor country to Japan who occupied North Korea from 1910 to 1945 and therefore seen as an imperialist and capitalist per excellence. For North Korea, Americans are enemies and therefore requiring North Koreans not being taken by surprise. But what happens to the third category of cold war onlookers? The policy strategy is not simply to sit down and look, but to prevent the carriage of the first two types of cold war to their territories, as well as underscoring the no compromise with their national sovereignty. In this regard, the onlookers place emphasis on promotion of self-identity. Local languages are promoted to the status of lingua franca. De-Frenchification programmes are put in place. Places with French colonial names are changed, and development of local human capacity is prioritised. Francophone African countries also harmonise their efforts in the spirit of solidarity. With this type of development, if Ibrahim Traoré is assassinated one day, what will become of his anti-imperialism struggle? Are Africans of today truly interested in any anti-imperialism struggle? This is still a moot question but time will tell, especially bearing in mind that colonial power or any given terrorist cannot come directly to plant bombs near the presidential palace to kill the president without in-house complicity. The military can be good and bad. Let us interrogate the military situation in Burkina Faso to justify our position.

Ibrahim Traoré’s Case: Need for caution

From the foregoing, when discussing assassination attempts, we simply mean efforts made to take life out of public figures deliberately and for political reasons. In the process of an assassination plan, a situation of murder can arise. Looking at the records of assassination attempts to kill the Burkinabé leader, Ibrahim Traoré, it can be rightly argued that he really is a living dead. He has survived eighteen assassination attempts in Burkina Faso. His life is under permanent threat of possible assassination

The many assassination attempts at his life raise several questions on when there can be an end to imperialism, how it can be ended, who can or will have the capacity to end it, and how the people who feel that they are being oppressed can be permanently prevented from complaining against foreign oppression and from taking up arms to fight for their own survival. Ibrahim Traoré is indisputably one of those fighting imperialism even though reasons of anti-terror agenda are what are frequently adduced for his coming to power. If he has an anti-terrorist agenda and he has anti-imperialism disposition, should that be the reason why eighteen attempts to assassinate him be made? Why is it that African people, African soldiers, close collaborators often accept to be used to kill other compatriots? What really can be said to be the offences of Ibrahim Traoré to warrant the permanent agenda to take his life? Why should the big powers think that Burkina Faso can be permanently suppressed or that there will never be an end to hegemonic domination of the Burkinabés?

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Traoré

ENGAGEMENTS

My Party Will Swallow All Yours

Nigeria’s political landscape never ceases to astonish and amaze. In additiontoourhabituallysurprising electoral outcomes, our politicians aredramatistsofimmensecreativity. They have an uncanny ability to literally convert things into their opposites and still retain public attention and ignite curiosity and sustain interest. They have just as a group staged a successful mass psychological coup against the electorate. Nearly all our normal political expectations have been altered.

Barely two years into the tenure of the Tinubu presidency, the politicians have dramatically altered the nation’s political agenda and expectations. First, instead of holding themselves to account on the unfulfilled promises of the 2023 elections, the politicians have positioned the 2027 election as the central political concern of the moment. Forget the hunger, the unemployment, the rampaging inflation and the epidemic of insecurity and daily deaths in droves. The exchange rate of the Naira is not as important as who gets to appoint the next CBN Governor. Face 2027 and the prospect of a Tinubu second term.

Secondly, the politicians have positioned the prospect of an opposition coalition political grouping as the biggest political challenge in the horizon. Ignore the many incompetent ministers and corrupt officials of the incumbent administration. The problem of the moment is the collective of Atiku Abubakar, El-Rufai, Peter Obi, Kayode Fayemi, Datti-Ahmed,RotimiAmaechietc.Intheperspective of the incumbent administration, these political gadflies are the ‘enemies’ of the moment. In their own right, the coalition opposition elements are complicit in diverting attention from the current challenges and focusing instead on the 2027 contest and their own chances of toppling Tinubu and the APC.

Thirdly, the opposition political figures are being driven to a wall where they just have to struggle for dear life. Their parties are on fire with internal contradictions and subversive plots sponsored by the ruling party. So, they have to strive to save their individual political lives in addition to salvaging the remnants of their embattled parties. In addition, the politicians, especially the one in the ruling APC, want us to start juggling as to which parties stand a better chance of ousting Mr. Tinubu and his gang from AsoVilla. A faction of them have already declared Mr.Tinubu re-elected! In this regard, they have invented a new political pastime which we better call serial ‘party slaughter”. The object is to ‘kill’ as many of the opposing parties that have electoral prospects as possible. In this regard, the APC has converted the embattled Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into a virtual political killing field of sorts. The casualties are piling up by the day.

Mr. Wike and his fellow warmongers in the employ of the ruling APC are compiling the casualty figures and reporting back to headquarters where the generalissimo is nodding in satisfaction. A smaller squad of trouble makers in the ruling APC is engaged with the Labour Party and the possibility of an SDP gathering point for the prospective opposition coalition.

But by far the greatest political drama and diversion of the moment is the increasing gale of defections and decampments from opposition parties, especially the PDP, to the ruling APC. It is like a season of mass migrations from all parties to the ruling party.

A jungle metaphor is the most apt at this moment. A forest of larger wild creature swallowing and chewing up smaller ones best describes recent happenings in Nigeria’s political space. In a gale of defections and decampments, major politicians from other parties have been trooping into the ruling APC in a series of decampments that are best described as insane.

In just one day, the migration took a quantum leap.

The Delta State governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his immediate predecessor both announced a dramatic decampment to the APC from the PDP. This particular defection is multiply significant. A sitting governor elected on the platform of a rival part changes his platform midway through his tenure. Similarly, a former governor who was the vice presidential candidate of the major opposition party also defected to the ruling party that he had opposed only in the last election. More

importantly, these two defections came alongwiththedefectionofallthechairmen of local governments in the state which is considered a strategic state from point of view of national resources.

In addition, it is rumoured that Kwankwaso and the governor of Kano State are set to decamp to the APC from NNPP. Similarly, Kano North Senator Kawu has decamped from the NNPP to the APC. In the same vein, Labour Party Senator Imasuen of Edo State is said to be getting set to decamp from the LP to the APC. News reports from across the country indicatethatatotalof216PDPandNNPP members in Jigawa state have decamped to the APC. From the Southwest, House of Representatives member Oluwole Oke has also decamped from PDP to the APC.

Once the trend has been activated, the likelihood that it would continue is clear and present. It is a trend that has been intensified by the weaponization of poverty and hardship by the policies of the Tinubu government. Most Nigerians have been driven to a solid wall of want and hardship.The perception is prevalent that only those who join the ruling party stand a chance of surviving the pervasive hardship. Forget about party ideology and beliefs. This is the hour of crass survival.

Ordinarily, it is an implicit assumption of democracy that individuals are free to change their beliefs and party affiliations subject to the relevant rules. The right and liberty to freely associate or change affiliation is a democratic right. We can question an unusual velocity of exodus of partisans in any direction within the party spectrum. We can also raise larger issues that touch on the general trend of membership in the nation’s political party architecture.

For instance, there is something that is quite troubling in the recent wave of migrations and decampments into the APC. At a time when the state of the nation is sorry and sordid, it is inconceivable that political leaders and notable citizens should be trooping into the very party that is squarely responsible for running the nation aground. There is a consensus among most ordinary honest Nigerians thattheAPCgovernmentunderMr.Tinubu has been an unmitigated disaster. Ordinarily, when parties are in power, they strive to a record of governance and performance that would at least make them a tolerable option in the next elec-

tion. A bad party is usually punished by a denial of the mandate in the next election. A party that scores so abysmally in all areas of governance and whose leadership has the worst job approval rating in recent history has no business canvassing for increased membership let alone attracting an obvious drove of new members. In fact, such a party should be avoided like a plague so that it does not infect the electorate with a contagion of negativity.

What we are witnessing is therefore an obvious reversal of normal political expectation and behavior. This trend is of course a reaffirmation of the transactional essence of Nigerian politics. For most Nigerians, the political party is a machinery for the distribution of resources through pork and patronage. People want to be part of where the powerisandwherethepatronageisbeingdispensed andshared. Intherunuptothe2027race,therefore, politicians are jockeying for vantage positions in the political party they consider the most viable electoral platform.

If this trend continues, we are heading for a situation in which the majority of active politicians will converge in the APC as a virtual “one party” republic.The most obvious target of the migrations is of course the PDP, the erstwhile major opposition party. The party has in recent times been the venue of the destabilization machinations of the Tinubu political machinery headed by Mr. Wike, Minister of the FCTwho apparently has a mandate to destabilize and cannibalize the major opposition party to the advantage of the APC.

The gale of migrations into the APC ordinarily makes the task of an opposition coalition much easier and a more attractive proposition for the next two years. The exits define the enemy. The rate of departures delineates the line and rules of engagement in the looming 2027 confrontation. Depending on the strategic acuity of the opposition coalition, a fat ugly APC would be the easiest political balloon to deflate. It could also become a behemoth that is all pervasive and difficult to overwhelm.

The current massing in the APC also hints at the possible ideological outlines of the 2027confrontation. The APC will carry on as a signpost “progressive” party. But its new membership and configuration make it anything but progressive in essence and outlook. It poses a challenge for the coalition of real progressives that have been rumored to be working towards a new party. From the names that have been touted as leaders of the new coalition – El-Rufai, Amaechi, Fayemi, Obi, - a real progressive social democratic movement seems to be in the offing. That is the desirable direction that is required to brand the APC in its right coloration as a decadent and corrupt ultra reactionary collection of conservative rejects. A

party that hoists Tinubu, Akpabio, Ganduje, Umahi and Matawalle as its mascots surely knows where it belongs on the scale of credible political gatherings.

Irrespective of the parties from which the politicians are migrating from, they are all members of the same party. Their backgrounds are the same. Their outlook on issues is the same. Their interests are the same. Their orientations are the same.

The opposition parties are mostly torn by crises and instability. In that process, they are reinforcing the notion that our system has no credible opposition. The so-called opposition parties lack internal integrity or self-defining identities to justify their independent existence in a multiparty democracy. In thisatmosphere,onlytheAPCwearstheappearance of cohesiveness.

Even then, the present cohesive appearance of the APC owes only to one factor: it is the party in power and has the monopoly of control of power, patronage and pork. Outside that circumstantial exigency, the APC is as splintered as the rest. It is even more incoherent than the others in terms of ideas and a track record of governance and definable legacy.

Effectively, then, we are in a practical one party situation. There is the ruling party and literally no opposition parties properly defined. Intrinsically, there is no difference between all the major parties in contention in our democracy. There are no ideological or value differences among our parties. They are all acronyms, colourful flags and emblems with little intrinsic ideological meaning. They may have different acronyms but a united by a common blood stream of prodigal values.

Our parties are populated by the same caliber of Nigerian politicians drawn from a uniform national elite pool of unemployed college graduates, failed “charge and bail” lawyers, unsuccessful venturers and other jobless middle-aged hustlers, etc. This is why it is ever so easy for people to migrate from one party to the other with ease. No ideology. No core beliefs. No values. No commitment to any form of service to the people. No vision for the nation. Mostly a keen eye for financial returns wherever it may be found. Nigeria has earned a distinction of being the only country in which an individual can have breakfast in one party and end up with dinner in a totally different party without any qualms. Going by the present trend, the ruling APC could swallow up most of the membership of the other parties and suffer no indigestion. But whether most Nigerians can inhabit the same political household up to the 2027 election is a huge uncertainty. For the APC to retain power in 2027 if Nigeria remains in this desperate disrepair, it will require more than a drove of “follow follow” membership. For the ruling party to lose power, an opposition coalition must meet the broad majority of Nigerians in the places where they feel the pain most.

Barcelona players celebrating winning Copa del Rey after

KEEP THE HONOURS COMING…

L-R: Mr. Jiwar Lalwani; Chairperson, Foreign Investment Network (FIN), Dr. Olayinka Fayomi; Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun; and Regional Representative, UK and Ireland, Mr. Ahabue Borha, at the presentation of Distinguished FIN Visionary Leadership Award to the governor at the governor’s office, Oke-Mosan Abeokuta…Friday.

SIMON KOLAWOLE

Defections and Other Matters Arising

Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta state has ended weeks of speculation by defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC). It is significant: this is the first time Delta state would not be governed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since the dawn of the fourth republic in 1999. He has relocated to the APC with a number of key Delta politicians, including Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, his predecessor and — wait for this — Alhaji Atiku Abubabar’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election. (Okowa, may I remind us, is currently facing an EFCC investigation over allegations of mismanaging N1.3 trillion.) And we are hearing genuine rumours of more defections ahead.

With the exit of Delta, only Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Enugu, Rivers and Taraba states have now been governed by the PDP non-stop since 1999. The former ruling party now controls only 10 states, trailing the APC which has a massive 23. The Labour Party (LP), the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) have one each. Wow, how are the mighty fallen! At the height of its power, the PDP controlled the entire south minus Lagos state. In fact, only Lagos, Borno and Yobe states have never been governed by the PDP. In the 2007 governorship election, the PDP won 27 states — before losing four in court and gaining four via defections.

If my memory serves me right, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi was the first governor in our history to defect. He left the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) for the Nigerian People’s Party (NPP) in May 1983 after a prolonged face-off with the party leadership over ideological issues. In a rare display of honour, Rimi said he could not continue as Kano state governor having left the party that sponsored him to office, so he resigned. His deputy, Alhaji Abdu Dawakin Tofa, replaced him. Regrettably for Rimi, he lost the August 1983 governorship election to Alhaji Sabo Bakin Zuwo, who flew the PRP flag. (NB: Zuwo thereafter removed all the emirs installed by Rimi. Some things never change in Kano, do they?)

Oborevwori’s defection to the APC has reignited the debate on the health of our democracy. Many have expressed worries over Nigeria’s possible descent into a one-party state. This is generally considered to be antithetical to competitive democracy and a dangerous invitation to dictatorship. The one-party debate has dominated African discourse for decades. Many African leaders, such as Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana), Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), Gnassingbe Eyadema (Togo), and Julius Nyerere (Tanzania), supported one-party system as the antidote to division in the body politic and as a catalyst for building national consensus. It brings everyone under one umbrella “by fire by force”.

I do not support the one-party system. While I admit that it has worked in socialist countries such as China and Vietnam where human and economic development has also been on the up, the same thing cannot be said of Cuba, Eritrea and North Korea which are nowhere near the prosperity recorded in China and Vietnam. This should raise questions as to what is really driving the success stories of China and Vietnam: is it the one-party system or something else? Since most of the flourishing countries in the world — going by quality of life and shared prosperity — run multi-party democracies, I am not sure we can credit one-party system with promoting peace and progress.

My position is that in a plural society, a multiparty system is desirable. Nigeria is made up of over 250 ethnic groups, two major religions, 36 states and six geo-political zones, north and south. Forcing everyone into one party

may indeed create “peace” and “unity” as the promoters argue, but it may be the kind of peace you find in the graveyard. I like competition — competition of ideas. I like a race to the top — a race to win the hearts of the voters with alternative policy offerings. I like people having options and choices. Every system is flawed but I can live with the inadequacies of the multiparty system. Dozens of democracies have abandoned one-party system in the last 30 years.

But as Mr Felix Morka, the APC national publicity secretary, has aptly said, it is not the responsibility of the ruling party to strengthen the opposition. You cannot blame the APC for wooing opposition figures. You should blame the opposition politicians for having weak convictions. It is so easy for you to be in one party at breakfast, move to another at lunch and return “home” at dinner. When a party loses a state, within weeks the new party inherits its members and supporters. A state that was fully PDP yesterday can become wholly APC tomorrow. The situation is made worse by the use of federal might to whip certain politicians into line. In the end, many people care only about political survival.

We still need to be reminded that many of those we call APC “chieftains” today were once among the most powerful politicians in the PDP. In fact, the current national chairman of the APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, was a founding member of the PDP and was deputy governor to Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso from 1999-2003 and 2011-15. He defected with Kwankwaso to the APC in 2013. Many past and present APC governors were in the PDP. Some PDP politicians were once in the APC as well. Many politicians have changed parties thrice. In the real sense, therefore, many politicians change their jerseys out of political expediency. Politics is, in any case, about interests. The rest is a packaging. What then? There are so many issues that come with defections that should not be deflected. For one, it is now very clear that defection has become part and parcel of our political culture. We do not need to run away from it. Every democracy evolves with practice. Despite constitutional provisions and court rulings (some of them contradictory), politicians have continued to move from one party to the other and continued to retain

their elective positions. We should just stop deceiving ourselves. Let us expunge the constitutional restraints. Nobody is obeying the law. No defector has lost a seat or a position. Let us face the reality and amend our laws accordingly. Nigerians love defection. Simple. Two, opposition politicians are deflecting the real issue by lamenting that the APC is turning Nigeria into a one-party state. Lamentation does not help anybody. Opposition parties used to lament about the PDP turning Nigeria into a one-party state from 2003 till 2013. I recall constantly writing that the parties must unite. The lamentations changed nothing until the opposition figures finally came to their senses, buried selfish ambitions and worked for a common purpose: wresting power from the PDP. Presenting a strong, united front against the PDP created the greatest political upset in our history in 2015. This is a tested and trusted template but all I can hear today are mere lamentations.

Three, may I further argue here that these defections are deflecting, or distracting, our attention from another major fact about elections in Nigeria: that a governor does not always determine the presidential candidate that the people will vote for. There seems to be an assumption that once the governor of a state defects or backs a candidate, the voters will sheepishly follow his route. Yes, governors are powerful. They build, control and fund structures. That is critical to winning an election. However, there have been instances when governors could not deliver their states to their preferred presidential candidates. In fact, a sitting governor can be voted out. The evidence is there.

As recently as 2023, Delta was under a PDP governor who was also his party’s vice-presidential candidate, but the people voted for Peter Obi, candidate of the LP. Fact. The Lagos governor could not deliver the state to his party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Fact. Same trend was recorded in Edo, Cross River and other places. Tinubu and Atiku also won in states under the control of other parties. I am saying there are several factors that determine who the citizens cast their votes for, but the preponderant opinion appears to be that the 2027 presidential election is done and dusted. Ganduje has said as much. May I go against the grain by saying nothing is settled yet.

I am very much aware that the opposition is in disarray. Perhaps this is driving the narrative that 2027 is over before it has even started. This is a very strong argument. After doing an extensive analysis of the 2023 presidential election, I came to the conclusion that the APC won because the opposition was divided into three. The votes that used to go to the PDP in at least 10 states went to the LP. According to results posted on the much-derided IReV portal, the APC polled 8,794,726 votes while the PDP, the LP and the NNPP had 14,582,740 combined. Do the math. The details are still there on the portal. The opposition won in 2015 by coming together, not by drifting apart. Fact.

There are at least two models of galvanising voters before an election. The party-led model of 2015 was a culmination of a series of factors: united opposition, votepulling candidature and a movement of disenchanted voters. This turned out to be a winner. There was also the movement-led model of 2023 built on vote-pulling candidature. Although, the APC had enough time to plan for 2015, we saw in 2023 that you do not need all the time and the money to galvanise the streets. The movement gained momentum but did not have the numbers to cause an upset. However, we saw the potential. While I cannot say whether or not Tinubu will be defeated in 2027, I know that the day is still young.

And Four Other Things…

GORING GOMBE

Gombe is one northern state I celebrate as a role model for religious tolerance and accommodation. In terms of religious demographics, Gombe is a mirror image of Kaduna state — minus the resentment and bloodbath. However, something has been happening in Gombe that may potentially change the narrative of peaceful co-existence. For the third time in six years, a vehicle plunged into a Christian procession last week. It happened in April 2019, December 2024 and now April 2025. In the words of James Bond, once is a happenstance and twice is a coincidence. But thrice? That is enemy action. I appeal to the authorities to take this as a serious matter. Delay is dangerous. Troubling.

WANTED DREAD & ALIVE

Governor Umar Bago of Niger state on Tuesday ordered security operatives to arrest persons with dreadlocks in Minna, the state capital. “Anybody that you find with dreadlocks, arrest, barb the hair, and fine the person,” the governor said. “Nobody should carry any kind of haircut inside Minna.” And the people at the meeting clapped for him! They probably don’t know that some people are born with locks. Bago’s attempt to back down may not work, going by the culture of our security agencies. Do we still remember the trigger for the #EndSARS unrest? Police profiled anyone with tattoo and dreadlocks as scammers. We know how it ended. We don’t ever learn anything in Nigeria. Pathetic.

RENEWED HOPE

Sir Siminalayi Fubara, the suspended governor of Rivers state, reportedly met with President Tinubu in the UK last weekend, after which he issued a statement calling on Riverians to rally behind the president’s “renewed hope agenda”. In his Easter message, Fubara said the season “represents a time for reconciliation and unity”. A lot of people were angry with him but I was not. I have lived long enough in this country to know that, in the words of Bolaji Abdullahi, Nigeria will always defeat you. It doesn’t matter whether you are right or wrong — whoever controls the military controls the country. It seems Fubara realised this fact too late and has now opted to renew his hope. Helpless.

NO COMMENT

Mr Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, accountant-general of the federation (AcGF), told the National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday that the excess crude account (ECA) — set up in 2004 by President Obasanjo to save the difference between the budget price for oil and the actual price — now holds exactly $473,754. You won’t understand. When President Yar’Adua died in May 2010, he left $20 billion in ECA. President Jonathan assumed power and governors pressured him to share the money ahead of the 2011 elections, declaring that ECA was “unconstitutional”. By 2015, we had only $2 billion left. And in 2025, it is now less than half a million dollars. Enough to buy peanuts. Hahahaha.

Ganduje, APC National Chairman