The Chief Executive Officer of EeZee Conceptz, Ezekiel Onyedikachi popularly known as EeZeeTee has dispelled what he described as a deliberate attempt by gospel music artist Mercy Chinwo to destroy his record label with lies and emotional blackmail saying that no real child of God destroys another with lies.

In a video shared on multiple media platforms on Tuesday, Mercy Chinwo accused EeZeeTee of threatening to destroy her career and subject her to servitude during her period with his label.

Reacting to some of the allegations made by Chinwo, EeZeeTee stated that it was sad that someone who claims to be a child of God and also a gospel artist would descend so low as to want to destroy another person with lies.

He said: “It’s heartbreaking that you can go to this extent to tarnish the credibility or tarnish the image of someone. You had promised that you would destroy my reputation and the organization. Well done.
When you’re done achieving it, I hope you get a crown in heaven.

“I mean, all of those extreme words, extreme usage of words just to make it look like, I mean, it is stupidity for us not to allow you go for an event because every time you go for a meeting and you’re blessed, we share in that blessing.

“How would we sabotage our investment? We need to be a little more intelligent with the narratives we’re presenting. We do not, in the desperation to damage the reputation of someone, begin to now put ourselves in a critical light, especially to those who are very logical in reasoning and can pull one or two.

“The question is this, are we going to carry strife in our hearts, bitterness in our hearts, resentment in our hearts and go everywhere, you know, acting like we’re doing ministry and kingdom?

” How does it feel to think that because I’m portraying and pushing out, you know, reconciliation and peace, it means that I am weak? What would you say to someone whom you say is more like a boss, more like a father to you, that you have now got contact, you deal with me?

“God has helped us with this office and we’re privileged to come in here neither by association nor by marriage. This is God’s calling and anybody who says, I will deal with you and I will kill you, is not contending with me but with God who has called me. Same with her. I can never boast to say, ‘I made you, I’ll kill you,’ I didn’t make you.

“I was privileged to have housed the platform where you found expression and this cannot be discredited. Let me ask you a question. What is the profit or crown given to a child of God who sees another one go down? It is not what anyone should be proud of.

“I think that we are at the point where we should be truthful and sincere. There is a consistency of lies and pretence. What do you expect of someone who can perfectly imitate the voice of a child and it sounds so real like she’s a child? She’s a fantastic actress.

‘Keep acting, keep crying. They pray with these songs a lot. So they can’t believe that somebody who is singing worship to God can lie.

“We understand all of that. But the truth is constant. No matter how far lies run, it takes just one truth to catch up with it.

“This is an attack on the body of Christ. Only a stupid person would by their hand destroy what God has helped them to be.”

The Real Issue
EeZeeTee further stated the real issue between him and Mercy Chinwo was about reconciling their accounts which he had made several attempts to resolve even through some respectable men of God but that his peaceful gestures were misconstrued as weakness and sign of guilt.

He said: “For more than two years, there’s been quite a lot of challenges and disputes behind the scenes. I had not felt or seen the need to come out to discredit any of my artists. I feel it’s stupid to put down your products. It doesn’t make any sense.

“Why would you want to sabotage your investment? Only stupid people will destroy what God has used them to build. But when it got to a point where it became a gross dimension of intimidation, my life being at risk, still for the love of the body of Christ, I made efforts to see how this would be resolved.

” I met a pastor of mine who is Apostle Eugene Ogwu. I was a baby drummer from his church, Abundant Life Evangelical Mission in Port Harcourt, regarding this matter. We had a meeting with Mommy Ezekiel, the wife of our father, Christian Pentecostal Mission, regarding this matter.

“I was privileged to meet Bishop Humphrey Erumaka regarding this matter. I also went to meet Bishop Mike Okonkwo, our big daddy, regarding this.

“But what did I hear? He’s running everywhere to meet these people. Now he’s very scared. What is he scared of? Why is he running around? And I’m like, well, the Bible says we should follow peace with all men.

“This is a prescription of the scripture. Let us deal with these issues internally. It makes no sense that we would choose to wash our dirty linen outside.

“But every time I put forward my approach towards a peaceful resolution, it was communicated like weakness. It looked like this guy was a weak person. Until I heard a statement that made me sad.

When one of the pastors said to me, stop bothering about the body of Christ. We will deal with you and the body of Christ will be okay. Then I knew that it was a scripted, orchestrated conspiracy and witch-hunting.

“I don’t have issues with people wanting to open their labels. I mean, we have thousands of talents all over within the Christian space. But you need not put one down for yours to go up.”

On the allegation that he was the person who first took the matter to court, EeZeeTee said: ” Around March, all my accounts were frozen.
I couldn’t trace where it was coming from. Until somehow, I got confidential information that it was a few sets of persons who were doing this. They didn’t want the public to know. Because it had been planned to look like the law enforcement agencies were investigating on their own.

“That was kept private. They tried to cover it, but it was revealed. This is a document that shows the petition that was written.

“I mean, she has come out to say that I went to court first. It beats my imagination how one would deny a document, deny her signature on every page of the document, and also deny the living witnesses to the execution of that document. This person we’re talking about is someone who is a fantastic actress. She has a lot of strength with, you know, portraying a victim personality to the world.

“Talent is beautiful, but talent is not enough. How do you say I took you to court? When did the court come in? The dates are there. So look at the dates when the petition was written.

“I was kept in Ilorin, not in Lagos. Why Ilorin? That’s a completely different state out of the place of competent jurisdiction. And then I was detained for nine days.

“Why did I stay that long? Because I needed to write on the statement what they wanted me to write. And I have to negotiate. The same catalogue that they are saying is not the battle.

“It’s not about the catalogue. The same thing was the reason I was detained for nine days. When I came out of detention, I didn’t go public.

“I didn’t bother to talk about it. I didn’t want to come outside to give an impression, to say these ladies who sing about Jesus everywhere.”

On allegation of refusing audit
Reacting to the allegation that he refused to allow an audit of his business dealing with Mercy Chinwo, EeZeeTee said: “I have never been opposed to a financial audit. Never. All I have just said is, let’s have a neutral, unbiased entity. Professional who understands all of the navigations within the ecosystem of the music industry.

“At least the modus operandi within that ecosystem. I want this audit to happen. Because that’s the only way I would also be vindicated.

“But we also need to check your books. You can’t go to equity when your hands are not clean. Check our books. And then we check your books. And whoever is owing would balance of themselves. Whether you like it or not, obligation is an obligation.

I can’t bully a bully
On Mercy Chinwo’s allegation of being bullied, EeZee Tee said: “Regarding the allegation of a bully and all of that, anyone who knows this person we’re talking about will know that you cannot bully a bully. You can find out from her roots, you can find out who she’s been, and those who work with her closely.

“This is just an attempt to assassinate the character of someone. Let’s not go away from the real thing. If you say you’re a true child of God, and I am the one that is the problem, and I have financial fraud as you have called it, can you tell the public that you’re willing to subject your accounts to an audit, by an independent audit? Let’s make these things easy.

“We are willing to bring out our books. All the other artists, she said, refuse to comply with audits. The audit they carried out was based on the documents we made available.

“If there was anything that was done by the label that you didn’t like, you go to courts, the courts will order us to come. We will bring our books.

“There are no courts that will order us to bring the books that we will not bring. We’ll bring our books and whoever is owing who would pay up.”

On paternity allegation
On the allegation by Mercy Chinwo that he was behind the partnership rumours of her child, EeZeeTee said: “It beats my imagination that in all of this, as sensitive as a case of a paternity saga, that’s what you want to use to put false allegations on my head.

“I hope you have enough evidence to prove that allegation that you have made because it is totally disappointing.”

There was a time when childhood was filled with innocence, creativity, and make-believe games. One of the most cherished of these was the playful act of pretending to be husband and wife. Children in school playgrounds, village squares, and backyards would assign roles with giddy excitement. The “husband” would return from an imaginary day at work, welcomed by a “wife” who had been busy cooking sand and leaves, serving up make-believe meals on bottle caps. Other friends played the roles of “neighbors” and “children,” adding fun and flair to the pretend family setting.

These childhood games, innocent as they were, reflected the values ingrained in children by their families and communities. They subtly taught responsibility, caregiving, and cooperation. But perhaps, for some Nigerian celebrities, this childhood game of playing husband and wife never truly ended. Given the rate at which marriages in the entertainment industry crash, one cannot help but wonder: Are some of them still experiencing the hangover of various child’s play marriage they engaged in when they were children? Do they see marriage as a game rather than a lifelong commitment?

Marriage, a sacred institution rooted in love, patience, and commitment, seems to have been reduced to a mere spectacle in the Nigerian entertainment industry. For some celebrities, tying the knot is treated with as much seriousness as signing an endorsement deal or starring in a blockbuster movie. The glitz and glamour of their wedding ceremonies are often headline-worthy, filled with opulence, designer outfits, and guest lists featuring the crème de la crème of society. But barely before the wedding flowers wither, the unions start to crumble, and divorce announcements flood social media like a poorly scripted reality TV show.

Take, for instance, actress Tonto Dikeh and her infamous split from Olakunle Churchill. Their relationship, once celebrated with extravagant public displays of affection, soon turned into a messy social media battle filled with accusations and counter-accusations. Similarly, Nollywood star Chika Ike’s short-lived marriage and the controversial break-up of actress Mercy Aigbe from her husband Lanre Gentry further paint a picture of celebrity unions that often seem built on shaky foundations.

Music stars are not exempt either. Tiwa Savage’s marriage to Tunji “Tee Billz” Balogun crashed amidst public drama and allegations, despite the glamorous wedding they had in Dubai. More recently, Paul Okoye of P-Square and his wife Anita ended their long-time union, leaving many fans disappointed.

Currently making headlines on both the landscapes of conventional media and social media is that of Twoface Idibia’s public announcement of his intention to divorce his wife, Annie Idibia. Without a doubt, his announcement has set social media abuzz, making it one of the top trending topics. Fans and entertainment enthusiasts are reacting with shock and speculation, as the celebrity couple has had a history of publicized ups and downs in their marriage. While some express sympathy for Annie, others debate the possible reasons behind the decision, reigniting discussions on celebrity relationships and their challenges.

At this juncture, it is germane to ask, “Why are celebrity marriages crumbling?” The answer to the foregoing cannot be farfetched as several factors contribute to the seemingly endless cycle of celebrity marriages ending in divorce. Such factors, no doubt, cut across the fairy tale syndrome, the pressure to put on a show, the social media factor, the “Easy Exit” mindset, and infidelity and trust issues.

Explanatorily put, not a few celebrities; over the years, perhaps conditioned by the fantasy world of movies, music videos, and social media, enter marriage with unrealistic expectations. They believe in fairy tale endings where love alone is enough to sustain a marriage, forgetting that successful unions require compromise, effort, and commitment.

In a similar vein, in the entertainment industry, image is everything. Many celebrity weddings are more about branding than genuine commitment. The elaborate ceremonies and expensive rings often serve as marketing tools to enhance a star’s brand, rather than a reflection of true partnership.

Also in a similar vein, marriage in the digital age comes with its unique set of challenges. Celebrity couples often feel pressured to project an image of perfection online. However, the same platform that offers them adoration quickly turns into a battleground when things go south. Dirty linens are washed in public, and fans become judges and jurors, sometimes exacerbating marital conflicts.

Analyzed from another perspective, it is germane to opine that unlike in the past, where marriage was considered a lifelong journey with inevitable ups and downs, many celebrities today treat it as something disposable. The concept of “till death do us part” has been replaced with “till social media controversy do us part.” With the prevalence of divorce, leaving a marriage seems to have become as easy as leaving a movie set after filming.

Also, with fame comes attention, and with attention comes temptation. Many celebrity marriages are rocked by allegations of infidelity, leading to breakdowns in trust. The flashy lifestyle, constant travel, and interactions with fans and colleagues often create opportunities for cheating, making it difficult for many celebrity unions to withstand the pressure.

Be that as it may, there are lessons to learn from failed celebrity marriages. In fact, it is high time celebrities, and society at large, relearned the true essence of marriage. Beyond the spectacle of lavish weddings, marriage requires maturity, patience, and commitment. There are key lessons to be drawn from the failed marriages of Nigerian entertainers, and one of the lessons is that marriage should be built on substance, not spectacle.

In fact, the focus should shift from extravagant weddings to solid foundations. A wedding lasts a day, but marriage is meant to last a lifetime. Love, mutual respect, and compatibility should be prioritized over superficial displays of wealth and status.

In a similar vein, it is high time celebrities learnt how to keep personal matters private. This is as social media has been the downfall of many celebrity marriages. In fact, personal disputes should be handled privately, not turned into online drama for public consumption. The fewer the eyes prying into a couple’s affairs, the better the chances of resolving conflicts amicably.

Again, celebrities should seek counseling and guidance from counselors whenever their marriages are experiencing hiccups.  This is because marriage is not an easy journey, and seeking professional counseling should not be seen as a sign of weakness. Celebrities, like anyone else, should invest in pre-marital and post-marital counseling to navigate the inevitable challenges of marriage.

In a similar vein, celebrities whose marriages are passing through hiccups should understand that love alone is not enough. While love is a beautiful foundation, it is not enough to sustain a marriage. Trust, commitment, compromise, and shared values play a critical role in ensuring longevity in any relationship.

In fact, it is time for some Nigerian celebrities to grow up.  Without resort to denigrating anyone in this context, the childhood game of playing husband and wife was fun while it lasted, but adulthood demands a different level of responsibility. Nigerian celebrities need to realize that marriage is not a performance or a role to be played for the cameras—it is a lifelong commitment that requires dedication, sacrifice, and maturity.

Until many of them let go of the lingering hangover from their childhood role-playing, the cycle of extravagant weddings followed by messy divorces will continue. Perhaps it is time for some serious introspection, because, at the end of the day, marriage is not child’s play.

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai on Thursday noted that if he were still in the President Bola Tinubu-led government, his stance on remarks about the administration would remain unchanged.

This was in his response to the President’s Special Adviser on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala.

El-Rufai had described the state of governance and opposition in the country as a “national emergency” at a national conference in Abuja on strengthening democracy in Nigeria on Monday.

The former governor also lamented the lack of internal democracy and active party structures within the All Progressives Congress, saying, “I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show.’

In its response, the ruling APC knocked El-Rufai, as it accused him of treachery over how he had been dragging the Federal Government and the ruling party recently.

This prompted Bwala’s question to the APC chieftain via his X handle, saying, “My Senior brother if you were to be in the government and cabinet, would you have held and expressed the same position?

“History is replete with examples. It is a government you participated in its formation, that you now want to unseat. Haba Mallam, a Ji soron Allah mana.”

On Thursday, the former governor, via his X handle, asserted his stance, as he called out “latter-day converts” to the Tinubu administration for insisting he wanted to serve as a minister in the current government.

“Good morning, #BwalaDaniel, I was cabinet minister 22 years ago and was clear to Asiwaju that I was not interested in any position in his future government. The pathetic manner all of you latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something that I never wanted in the first place is perhaps a reflection of the level of your moral flexibility.

“If I had remained in the Tinubu government, I will say or do the same on the tragedy within a party I was a founder, and the government that emerged from it – first in private sessions with those concerned, and then go public if no remedial actions are taken. Go and check my public service record from 1998.

“I am only responding to you because I still think you are a decent person who may need a job, and not in the class of Wendell Simlin and that Kaduna pretender that our voters retired in 2019 – these clowns are political mercenaries that receive humongous monthly stipends from the security vote to be the first to jump on X and other platforms to defend everything the Asiwaju government does or fails to do, no matter how indefensible it may be.

“Enjoy your special adviser position, my brother, but remember that allegiance to God and country comes first in the human scale of accountability, before any person or authority.”

[Punch]

Former President Muhammadu Buhari’s penchant for self-promotional, cock and bull stories that are as deceitful as they are unconvincing, is legendary. His appetite for far-fetched and fanciful tales of highly dubious validity is out of this world. It was, therefore, not surprising that he was in his elements on Saturday, January 25, when he claimed that he now lives off rentals from one of his two houses in Kaduna.

To be sure, in a country where even local government chairmen live ostentatiously and own multiple properties here and abroad, Buhari’s three houses – two in Kaduna and one in Daura – should positively count for him, assuming that is true. But who owns the house he stays in the United Kingdom? Has he any house in Niger Republic, where he warned Nigerians he would relocate to after his presidency if anyone dares trouble him? Who owns the property where his wife, Aisha, luxuriates in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)? Buhari’s incredulous claim that one of his Kaduna houses is rented out, providing him with funds for his upkeep beggars belief. That means that after his two-term presidency, he now relies on one of his houses in Kaduna to raise money for feeding. Speaking at an All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus meeting at the Presidential Banquet Hall of the Katsina Government House, Buhari said, “After my eight years as a civil president, I have only three houses; one in Daura and two in Kaduna. I have given one out for renting where I get money for feeding.” It was a subtle campaign, carefully nuanced to sustain the Buhari incorruptibility myth.

Nigerians are incensed and understandably so. Prof Chidi Odinkalu, former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), poignantly captured their accusatory mood: “Someone should please tell @MBuhari that he is no longer running for the office of Messiah and, therefore, no longer has any need to keep lying about his earthly acquisitions,” Odinkalu tweeted. Even with his barely disguised disgust, Odinkalu was more charitable than some others. A former Nigerian ambassador to one of the Southern African countries under Buhari wrote: “Does this man have any brain cells left? How can he deceive himself so badly that he even says this nonsense in public?”

So, does Buhari believe his own lies? Yes, he does. That is why he keeps repeating them. But this particular cock and bull story is so outlandish. Buahri is not an ordinary Nigerian. He was not only a General of the Nigerian Army, but also a military head of state and elected president. Nigerian military top-brass retire with mouth-watering emoluments, which have even been further enhanced by President Bola Tinubu. According to the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers and Enlisted Personnel in the Nigerian Armed Forces, which Tinubu signed on December 14, 2024, the Chief of Defence Staff and service chiefs are entitled to a bulletproof SUV or its equivalent, Peugeot 508 or an equivalent vehicle as backup to be replaced every four years and maintained by the military; five domestic aides (two service cooks, two stewards and one civilian gardener); an Aide-de-Camp/security officer, special assistant, personal assistant and standard guard (nine soldiers); three service drivers; one service orderly, escorts and free medical cover in Nigeria and abroad.

 Though Buhari was retired as a Major General at the age of 43 on August 27, 1985 after spending only 23 years in the military (1962-1985), he was the head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria for 20 months. So, he is entitled to the same benefits accruing to the CDS and service chiefs who were under his command. Besides, the upkeep of former presidents is statutory as stated in the “Remuneration of former Presidents and Heads of State Act 1999,” which provided for the remuneration and perquisites of office of former heads of state and former vice presidents of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Act which also specifies the allowances to be paid to family members of deceased former presidents and heads of State, explicitly states: “The Federal Government of Nigeria shall in its annual budget make provision for the remuneration of former Heads of State and former Vice-Presidents.”

Buhari is entitled to all these benefits. In fact, unlike former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was not in the military, Buhari enjoys bounteous retirement benefits as a former military top brass and ex-president. So, simply put, once again, Buhari lied. And that raises a very fundamental question. Does he believe in his own lies? Apparently he does, which explains why he continues to make these bogus claims. Some people have also wondered why it was necessary for him to tell this cock and bull story, so hare-brained that it only elicited incredulous gasps from Nigerians. For him, the cock and bull stories have become habitual, a way of life. But more importantly, he persists in telling these fibs because they serve his purpose. These far-fetched, howbeit self-promotional cock and bull stories define the Buhari essence. He has profiteered from his lies and at 82 years, it is too late in the day to change. People don’t learnt how to be left-handed in old age.

On October 16, 2014, Buhari formally declared his ambition to run for the presidency once again, blasting the then Jonathan-led PDP administration of leading the country towards the precipice. He purchased the N25 million APC presidential nomination form with a purported bank loan. Did Buhari use Aso Rock as collateral for the loan and when did he pay back? Buhari lamented what he called the “high cost” of the nomination form. Yet, under his watch, the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) fixed the cost of its presidential expression of interest and nomination forms at N100 million in 2023, a proof of his hypocrisy. The N25 million cock and bull bank loan story was a deliberate ploy to create the impression that he was different from the pack of Nigerian leaders by not enriching himself while he was in public office.

Yet, this same man became president and refused to fulfil his promise of public declaration of assets, a task which his predecessor, Umaru Yar’Adua, easily accomplished even without making such promise on the hustings. Buhari’s latest cock and bull story of sustaining himself out of office with the rent he collects from his Kaduna property is another ploy to wheedle the unwary and sustain the lie that he did not enrich himself corruptly. But how could Buhari be a Mr Clean when his administration has been adjudged one of the most corrupt in Nigeria’s post-independence history? And this verdict was given not by the opposition but chieftains of the ruling APC who succeeded him. How could Buhari be a saint when most, if not all his lieutenants, including personal aides and ministers are being tried for massive corruption? 

But can anyone blame Buhari for this insulting holier-than-thou hubris? In any country other than the banana republics of Africa, including Nigeria, Buhari will be busy accounting for his wretched eight-year stewardship, a record he should be ashamed of. And if he is held to account, he will not be insulting the sensibilities of Nigerians with his cock and bull stories. On August 17, 2023, I wrote an article, Why Buhari must be put on trial, where I stated, emphatically, that elsewhere, presidents are called upon to give account of their stewardship and those found wanting are punished. It is even more so in the case of Buhari because even if no criminal charges are brought against him – I don’t see why not having presided over a criminal enterprise in the name of governance – he should be put on trial… for not doing his job well enough and ruining Nigeria, literally.

Any claim by Tinubu of fighting corruption that excludes holding Buhari to account is a hoax. This perpetual immunity which Aso Rock tenancy confers on former presidents is the reason why corruption festers and why Buhari waxes lyrical about his incorruptibility with his cock and bull stories, which every Nigerian knows is a scam.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) appears to be a victim of polarised perception. While the Bureau may not have engineered it, dilemmas in message reception are a cause. This crisis comes when individuals or entities act innocently, reeling out information they consider reasonable or expertly cultivated but lacking control over how it is received. The control is open to many vagaries. The vagaries are uncertain, turning positive or negative, popular or unpopular. The sender can be celebratory when popular but disillusioned when otherwise, depending on self-esteem or zeal to power on.

Sometimes, a sender strikes believability with a category or categories of audiences, while others will remain brickwalls, completely untrusting of the information. The ultimate wish of most senders of information, especially in public spaces, is for the message to resonate with as many people as possible or with the critical mass of the audience in segments. The NBS is caught between this balancing act of perception and credibility, considering the body’s status as the pivot of national data collection and as the provider of valuable figures for development planning.

NBS figures will likely be caught in a politically polarised nation like Nigeria, not because the organisation is lacking in quality expertise, making it look like a quasi-research and development outfit, or because its research processes are not compliant with international best practices, enhanced by its regular collaboration with multilateral organisations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, The United Nations Development Organisation (UNDP), amongst others but because it just had to experience its portion of cynics, and its city of critics.

Statistics are data or computations largely emerging from a painstaking process of applying techniques to unearth realities, gain insights into a phenomenon and leverage it for development. It is a social scientific route to quantitative knowledge production, moving away from a prosaic, descriptive pattern for visualising realities and essences in figurative, illustrative and graphical patterns. Though they might be fraught with limitations, these are usually not enough to obfuscate the benefit, provided methods are reasonably chosen, mixed and dutifully executed, and in so far as analysis is also evidence-driven, fact-based and rigorous.

The NBS is saddled with these responsibilities on behalf of Nigeria, investigating Gross Domestic Product (GDP), trade and industry, trade statistics, population and demographics, financial and monetary data, labour and employment, social and welfare data, transportation and infrastructure, prices and cost of living,  agriculture,  energy and environment, crime and security, information and communication technology, and special surveys and reports, comprising data on health, education, and child welfare, multiple indicator cluster surveys and data on poverty and social welfare. Objectivity and freedom from values are the expected characteristics of the outcomes.

But why do people disbelieve or become unkind in remarks on the NBS figures? First is the possible disparity between reality and data, which should not be the case if research is to be trusted. Second is the more significant problem of trust in government and its agencies, resulting from past failures and the government’s persistent inability to deliver on promises. The third is suspicion of political influence, which can hardly be the case given the body’s practices, including partnerships with global agencies. Fourth is illiteracy preventing people from appreciating the process of gathering statistics; fifth is past disappointments arising from gross misrepresentation of facts.

However, there are many more reasons why NBS should be believed. Some of these are the fact that its investigations often go through third-party validation, in addition to scientific techniques, with some being modern tools and applications for research. NBS has also improved the practice of leveraging digital tools and engendering increased transparency with public access to its methods and datasets. These should prove openness and confidence in its productions.

It should also be remembered that NBS is regularly audited, while the bourgeoning public interest in its figures should necessarily be a guardrail for right conduct. Again, the organisation’s outputs often align with those of autonomous agencies, where its benchmarks are comparative. Importantly, mistrusting the NBS data appears a recipe for chaotic planning, considering its relevance to decision-making and business planning.

The establishment is to announce a new GDP for the country. This is coming after the landmark modification in the nation’s labour force figures, which replaced the methodology for calculating it. The organisation’s helmsman, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, has argued that the Rebasing is a vital exercise that ensures our economic indicators are current and accurate reflections of the financial realities on the ground”

He continued “As economies evolve, new industries emerge, and consumption patterns shift” The outcome of all these is that statistics will capture the changes, including the expansion of the digital economy, the input from the Marine and Blue economy, Pension Funds, and addition from the creative industry.  Moreover, Prince Adeniran said “Rebasing our GDP and CPI allows us to align with these transformations, providing a more precise and relevant picture of Nigeria’s economic landscape. This process is foundational to informed policymaking, strategic planning, and effective governance”

The NBS chief is not done yet “It is one exercise the NBS conducts with significant importance and professionalism. The rebasing exercise is designed to ensure that our economic indicators accurately reflect the current structure of our economy, incorporating new and emerging sectors, updating our consumption baskets, and refining our data collection methods. This is our responsibility as the official producer of data in Nigeria.”

Well said, but how much will the populace trust this heartfelt declaration? English statistician and scientist Francis Galton once said, “Statistics are the only tools by which an opening can be cut through the formidable thicket of difficulties that bars the path of those who pursue the Science of Man.”  Statistics, a United Nations (UN) document stressed “exists to provide information to the general public, governments, business and research communities in the economic, demographic, social and environmental fields. This information is essential for evidence-based decision-making, for mutual knowledge and trade” Because of this, another sage added, statistics should not be regarded as “opinions; (but) the unbiased record of a nation’s reality.” Need I say more?

Adeniyi is a professor of mass communication and dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies, Baze University, Abuja.

Pep Guardiola said he cannot see Manchester City winning the Champions League on current form, but believes his side will be better when they face the might of either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich next month.

City needed a second-half fightback from 1-0 down to beat Club Brugge 3-1 on Wednesday to avoid crashing out before the knockout stages for the first time since 2012.

Their reward could be just a stay of execution against either the defending champions or Guardiola’s former club Bayern. 

City have also been a diminished force in the Premier League this season, where they sit fourth — 12 points behind leaders Liverpool.

But Guardiola is hopeful they will be strengthened by the return of key players from injury and new signings Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis in the coming weeks.

“Right now no. I’m so realistic,” said Guardiola when asked if the 2023 champions could win the competition again.

“Madrid is back in terms of results, Bayern played an incredible season so far with (coach) Vinny (Kompany). If we have to play tomorrow it will be difficult but in two weeks we don’t know.

“We are going to prepare well, be fit and try it and see what happens.”

Despite their struggles, City have won six and drawn one of their last eight games.

“At least lately we are getting results,” added Guardiola. “We are fourth in Premier League, not in the title race, no way, but still we are there.

“FA Cup we are there. Sometimes it is impossible today but tomorrow the mindset, the vibes change and I’m pretty sure we will try and create problems for Madrid or Bayern.”

City’s narrow escape played a central role on a dramatic final night for the first season of the Champions League’s new Swiss model format.

Guardiola said he could appreciate the change has made the early stages of the competition more appealing to fans, even if it caused him far more tension.

And he believes other big clubs will face similar struggles in the future.

“As a spectator how many things (were still to be decided) is nice. The problem is we play more games in October, November, December and in the future important teams will live what we lived this season.

“We were on the verge, 45 minutes from being out. It is an incredible lesson for me, the club that nothing is (taken) for granted.

“Congratulate the team because still they have pride and we’ll see how we arrive in two weeks.”

[Vanguard]

A Gwagwalada Magistrates’ Court, Abuja on Thursday sentenced two lovers, Mohammed Nazifi, 30, and Bilkisu Ibrahim, 25, to three months imprisonment each for adultery.

The police charged the lovers with a one-count charge of adultery by man and woman, to which they pleaded guilty.

Nazifi pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, saying he was a married man with little children to take care of.

Ibrahim also begged the court for mercy, saying she had a 3-year-old child and an aged mother, who depended on her.

The Magistrate, Olatunji Oladunmoye, had previously remanded the convicts in order for them to provide a witness that would vouch for their conduct of good character.

He finally sentenced them when they could not provide any.

Oladunmoye sentenced the lovers to 3 months imprisonment each with an option of N25,000 fine each.

The magistrate said the essence of the punishment was not to ruin or destroy the convicts but to reform them.

He added that it would also serve as a deterrent to anyone who wanted to toe the same path.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Dabo Yakubu, told the court that the complainant, Mr Dayabe Abdullahi of Chibiri village, Kuje, Abuja, reported the matter at the Area Command, Gwagwalada, Abuja on Jan. 16.

Yakubu said that the convicts conspired and had sexual intercourse, and both confessed to the crime in their statements.

He said that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 387 and 388 of the Penal Code.

According to him, sections 387 and 388 refer to a man or a woman subject to customary law where extra-marital sexual intercourse is recognised as a criminal offence.

“If the man or woman has sexual intercourse with anyone other than his spouse, he/she is guilty of adultery and shall be punished with imprisonment for a term. The term may extend to two years or with fine or with both,” he said.

NAN

The West has always been fascinated with Africa’s wealth, beginning from the slave trade to the present. King Leopold and the Congo comes readily to mind.

An intriguing documentary, The Empire Pays Back, broadcast on the UK’s Channel 4 in 2005 expounded on Britain’s debt to Africa. It was a precursor, in many ways, to the now strident calls for restitution and reparation.

In a scathing piece by Richard Drayton published by The Guardian, he made the case that “Britain was the principal slaving nation of the modern world.” Des Eskin’s book, The Brutish Empire: Four Centuries of Colonial Atrocities as well as Dan Hick’s The Brutish Museums

The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution extend the conversation.

In the present century, China has entered the fray with the LSE highlighting the continuing scramble for Africa: “If we separate African countries into two groups – the resource-rich countries and the resource-poor countries – the nature of resource endowment (rich or poor) is a strong explainer of the divergent distribution of Chinese FDIs across Africa. The resource-rich countries receive an overwhelming share of Chinese FDIs in Africa.”

This introduction is important in situating the decades’ old conversation around OPL 245 and Dan Etete’s role in the matter. The overwhelming sentiment is one of corruption and self-serving opportunism but it is not new. Where resources are available, the capitalist and imperialist vultures of the West will circle above.

If you ask the average enlightened Nigerian whether he knows Dan Etete, his answer will almost certainly dwell on the reference to Malabu Oil and OPL 245. It’s quite remarkable though that if one should probe deeper, the bloke will not be able to say what exactly the issue is.

Truth is foreign interests and the Federal Government had not been up to par on the transaction in many respects. The story almost always appears to end on the note of reading that Dan Etete was found guilty in France. But of course, take a detour from the prevailing narrative and you will discover that the French granted him a full pardon.

So, why is Dan Etete always referred to in negative terms? As they would say in popular lingo, “Wetin dis Dan Etete do sef?”

What exactly happened with the Malabu Oil and the OPL 245 transaction? How come Dan Etete keeps being accused of corruption when the Federal Government, a foreign government and a respectable British bank certified the payment of the sum of $1.3bn to him and his company?

Let’s take a trip to the website of ENI, the Italian oil giant that was part of the transaction where an explanation is presented regarding the payment of $1.092 billion as compensation for the revocation of Malabu Oil’s rights to OPL 245 after years of legal wrangling and contentious back-and-forth:

“To break the deadlock, the FGN’s then Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, proposed the following solution to the parties: first, the FGN would be the sole party to the contract with Eni and Shell; and second, the FGN would settle the ongoing legal disputes with Shell and Malabu by paying the latter compensation for giving up the rights to OPL 245.

“On 29 April 2011, Eni, Shell and the FGN signed a Resolution Agreement that transferred the rights to OPL 245 to Eni and Shell. This agreement included settlements made solely between Eni and Shell and the FGN, represented by the Ministers of Petroleum, Justice, and Finance.

“As part of this agreement, Shell and Eni paid $1.3 billion (the price plus the signature bonus) to an escrow account opened by the Nigerian Government with JP Morgan in London.

“During the same period, the FGN paid Malabu $1.092 billion as compensation for revoking the rights to OPL 245. Malabu dropped its complaints against the Nigerian Government.”

In order to fully understand the story, let’s go back to the beginning, to 1998 when General Sani Abacha, the man in the dark glasses, was Head of State and Dan Etete was Petroleum Minister, pushing the vision to increase indigenous participation of Nigerians in the oil and gas industry.

It was on April 29, 1998 that the FGN under Sani Abacha awarded OPL 245 to Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd with Minister of Petroleum Dan Etete amongst the shareholders. Exploration was hindered between 1998 and 2011 due to legal disputes and international arbitrations intervolving the FGN, Shell, and Malabu.

It is noteworthy that in 1999 when the FGN revoked the licenses of 31 OPLs, Malabu’s OPL 245 was not included in the list. In fact the company was asked to commence exploration. However, political intrigues supervened when on July 2, 2001 the FGN revoked the granting of exploration rights to Malabu without providing any warning or giving a reason for its decision, and reallocated the rights to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the state oil company.

Malabu Oil reacted on September 10, 2003 by filing a lawsuit against the Nigerian Government and Shell. Then on November 30, 2006 the FGN, NNPC and Malabu entered into a settlement agreement whereby OPL 245 was again allocated to Malabu, only for Shell to respond by suing the FGN.

The almost intractable deadlock was resolved on April 29, 2011 when the FGN, Shell and Eni signed the Resolution Agreement that transferred the rights to OPL 245 to Eni and Shell. This led to the FGN paying $1.092 to Malabu as compensation for revoking the rights, and Malabu thereafter dropped its complaints against the Nigerian Government.

A report by WoodMackenzie provides some context as to why this case has continued to excite conversation: “Deepwater OPL 245 is located in the southern Niger Delta. Two large oil and gas discoveries, Etan and Zabazaba, were made in 2005 and 2006. The block is believed to contain around 1 billion barrels of oil of discovered and prospective resources.”

One billion is a huge number and its estimated value of $3.5bn makes OPL 245 one of the most lucrative basins in Nigeria and thus the interest from oil giants across Europe, and with so much at stake, the stakes, pardon the pun, will be very high with accusations of corruption flying high, and in such instance any Nigerian official involved in the process such as Dan Etete, will always be left with the short end of the stick in a business deal with foreigners.

In a 2019 story in The Africa Report, Dan Etete who rarely grants interviews to the press asked a rhetorical question of his interlocutor: “Shell and Malabu have always fought each other. How could two enemies have united to corrupt the government?”

Dan Etete’s story alongside the ensuing controversies around OPL 245 reads in many ways like fiction, and it is to a fictional tale that we will now repair for context in understanding how Africans are corrupt while those from the West are investors.

Those interested can look up British writer and politician Jeffrey Archer’s short story entitled “Clean Sweep Ignatius” to read about the West’s view of corruption among Africa’s political elite.

But ironically, the man who wrote that tongue-in-cheek story ended up being sentenced to four years imprisonment for perjury and perverting the course of justice after having served as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1985 to 1986 under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher!

There you have it; the stereotype that foreign interests must perforce find a black sheep to heap the blames on when doing business in Africa, especially Nigeria. The result is that we end up missing the essence and dwelling on the concocted accident built around the hapless black sheep.

For decades, Dan Etete has been in the eye of the storm, but to what end? The fact is OPL 245 was a very profitable block such that multiform interests wanted a piece of the pie. JP Morgan, Shell, Eni and the FGN have since sorted matters out without Dan Etete being a cog.

The Nigerian should not end up as the butt of every joke as depicted by Peter Enahoro in his book How To Be A Nigerian where an English gentleman eating chocolate in a London restaurant looked at a Nigerian who was noisily chewing on chicken bones.

Excuse me Mister, if you eat the bones, what do you feed your dogs in Nigeria?

Aware that the question was not innocent, the smart Nigerian pointed at the white man’s plate and answered: “Chocolate,”– thus countering the single story!

Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation, says President Bola Tinubu would not cede power to the younger generation without a fight. 

He added that politicians often resort to extreme measures to win elections.

The former governor of Rivers spoke in Abuja at a national conference on strengthening democracy in Nigeria, organised by the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development.

Amaechi harped on the need for political vigilance, warning that power must be fought for, urging Nigerians to always safeguard their votes if they intend to achieve a semblance of credible leadership.

“None of you here seated can defend the votes. If you have complained, complain, Nigerians have been clapping for you,” he said.

“The only way Ibrahim Shekarau became governor was because people lined up.

“It happened in Ghana before the election of the last president. Two days, a lot of us were called to intervene. But why did they do that? The people were ready to die.

“You are talking and abusing everybody. Nobody has power and will give it to you — not even me. If you want a pastor as president, go and get one.

“The politician is there in Nigeria to steal, maim, and kill to remain in power. If you think Tinubu will give it to you, you are wasting your time.”

Amaechi recounted his experience in the days leading to the 2015 presidential election — when a newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC) defeated the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He attributed APC’s success to the determination and preparedness of leaders of the party to go the extra mile.

The ex-minister noted that former President Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat only after realising that the APC was fully prepared to defend its mandate.

He asked citizens to adopt similar measures in future elections.

In October 2024, Amaechi said he is disappointed in Nigerians for their laid-back disposition to the prevailing economic hardship.

“The people should be angry. There should be protests. Not even protests against anybody but against the politicians that ‘we won’t vote’,” he had said.

The ruling APC had clapped back at Amaechi, saying he is one of those who destroyed Nigeria.

Amaechi was one of the 14 aspirants for the presidential ticket of the APC before the 2023 general election.

He polled second in the primary election with 316 votes, behind eventual winner Tinubu, who secured 1, 271 votes.

[TheCable]

I can understand if many people outside the US wish to forget about President Donald Trump and get on with their lives. However hard you try, you can’t keep up with the chaos in the White House since January 20.

It would be a defamation of the animal kingdom to call Trump a bull in a China shop. He is worse. Regrettably, Trump is inspiring copycats around the world, and it won’t be long before they start following his example, especially his anti-immigration hysteria.

Trump didn’t create the migrant crisis facing the world. He wasn’t there when the Huns, Goths, and Vandals invaded Europe, marking the first recorded significant migration and reshaping European demographics. Conquests, geography, tyranny, wars, or the sheer human desire for new frontiers have always led to different kinds of migration. Even the contemporary rise in migrations had nothing to do with Trump.

Before Trump

For example, the Syrian Civil War, the destabilisation of Central Asia, and later the conflicts in Sudan and Central Africa, all of which also had nothing to do with Trump, have been some of the biggest migration triggers in the last nearly two decades.

However, the cruelty of Trump’s approach has been different, something that otherwise civilised countries—including Britain—are surprisingly fascinated by. Deporting undocumented migrants using military planes and hunting them down in sanctuaries by executive orders that read like martial laws is, let’s put it plainly, fascist.

We saw a bit of it in his first coming, but the fragile balance in Congress restrained him. Now, there are nearly no guardrails except perhaps the courts. Under Trump, this new face of US exceptionalism may gradually gain appeal in other parts of the world, mainly Europe.

More than a report

On January 22, The Telegraph of the UK carried a story whose timing could hardly have been fortuitous. The story, published as the first batch of Mexican immigrants were being herded aboard a military aircraft at the US southern border, was entitled, “Up to one in 12 in London is an illegal migrant.” 

The story said, “Government ‘must do more on deportations’ as new estimate suggests more than one million people are illegally living in the UK,” with London, the largest haven, hosting 585,000 of these illegal immigrants.

The report said these numbers may even be underestimated and blamed illegal immigrants for the pressure on the health service, public utilities and infrastructure. The Labour government must crack down on illegal immigrants, the report said, to save Britain from imminent ruin.

Stoking the flames

Immigrant bashing is not new in Britain. That was one of the main reasons for Brexit. Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage and Co. fabricated numbers to suggest that not only foreigners from faraway places but also eastern Europeans were stealing British jobs and making the country hell when many of these immigrants were doing odd jobs that British citizens were not interested in. Farage’s Reform UK party rode on the back of this illiberal sentiment to get 14 percent of the votes in the last election. He is still stoking the flames. 

In a slight reinvention of what Abraham Lincoln did with Liberia in the 19^th century, UK Conservatives under Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak made a deal that could potentially ship off about 52,000 asylum seekers to Rwanda in a few years. As controversial as this deal remains, it’s considered better than the misery under which migrants, including children, were held indefinitely in detention camps.

The danger of the Trump model

However, if the prevailing Trump model takes hold in Britain or elsewhere in Europe, even detention camps in Manus or Nauru may soon look like redemption centres. Grabbing people from wherever they may be found, handcuffing them and herding them off to the airports to be deported on military flights like war criminals may appease right-wing sentiments in the short run. Still, it hardly addresses the root cause of the crisis: though the decision is hardly random, people will go wherever they believe they will have a better life if they can pay the price.

The other side of the argument is that governments must also take action to protect their citizens and their countries. Yet, in doing so, civilised countries recognise there are international conventions, including the Geneva Convention on Refugees, that protect migrants, especially those fleeing persecution. The current Trumpian model tears families – including children – apart, treating potential deportees like animals.

Mind the gap

It’s a model that Britain and the rest of Europe must resist. Trump is an aberration, even though the next four years may feel like a lifetime. It doesn’t matter how hard he tries; the US, a country with a significant immigrant gene (13 percent of the population is born outside), will hardly shed it in four years of a chaotic government.

One of the most iconic Republican Presidents, Ronald Reagan, once said, “Our nation is a nation of immigrants. More than any other country, our strength comes from our own immigrant heritage and our capacity to welcome those from other lands.”

Schengen countries, particularly Greece, Italy, France, Spain, and Belgium, tend to face more significant pressure due to geographical and historical ties with non-European countries. Yet, this is the more reason Europe needs to resist being Trump’s copycats because we have seen that xenophobia has far more deadly effects on the stability of these societies than it might have in the US, with a larger, better-adjusted migrant population.

Changing attitudes

It’s fair to argue that the resurgence of violent extremism, the narcotic trade, not to mention other franchises of criminal gangs trafficking in humans, have blurred the lines between genuine migrants and refugees, putting host countries at serious risk. Yet populist politicians do severe damage by exploiting the fears and magnifying the problem.

After 9/11, attitudes towards migrants, especially those from largely poor Muslim countries, have been exploited by Western politicians often to create the trope that their culture and civilisation are under siege. Yet, in a country like France, for example, with a significant Muslim population, studies have shown that people believe the number of Muslims to be four times the actual figure. At the same time, in the UK, their presence was overestimated by a factor of three.

Historically, migration has never been in one direction, even for countries that were once major destinations. Yet Trump’s recent actions evoke Idi-Amin framing Indians and Pakistanis as the problem with Uganda decades ago, after which he brutally expelled 50,000 of them or the Nigerian government in the 1980s under Shehu Shagari expelling thousands of Ghanaians, only for Nigerians to find that the real problem was an incompetent political leadership.

Migration is not a destination

Thomas Sowell’s book Migrations and Cultures: A World View, a classic on the subject, records that even though the migrations of conquerors, refugees, slaves, and sojourners have been outstripped by those of migrants going to settle permanently in new lands, “It has been estimated that, between the mid-1830s and the late 1930s, approximately 30 million people left the Indian subcontinent and nearly 24 million returned.”

Any country anxious to emulate Trump should remember that migration is a process, not always a destination. While some sojourners never leave to return to their countries of origin, some keep moving, and others, like Trump’s grandfather, who emigrated to the U.S. from Germany to avoid military service, return despite the odds.

Migration can be harmful and good, but the single narrative that frames it as the root cause of nearly all of today’s social problems is lazy populism, which denies even the personal odysseys of its propagators.