
Admin
I Joined APC Because Tinubu Promised Me Anioma State – Ned Nwoko
There was a large turnout of people at your political party event in Agbor last weekend which had the APC national chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, in attendance. How significant was that gathering for your party and your people?
The most important thing is the boost the APC under the national chairman, Alh Abdullahi Ganduje, received in Agbor where thousands of PDP members decamped under what they called DUD. DUD is a social group in Delta operating within the PDP. They all decamped into the APC. So, APC is growing in strength. The national chairman was there to receive them, I was there and so was the Edo state governor.
And at that event, when the national chairman said President Bola Tinubu, himself and the APC leadership are supporting the creation of Anioma State as the sixth state for Ndigbo. So, Ndigbo have a duty to make sure that this happens. And for this to happen, they must support the APC across the board.
Look, the most important part of the story is that when the state is created, Ndigbo generally will begin to feel a sense of belonging – something they have been asking for since the Civil War ended.
Why do you think that many of our people since after the war began to deny their ‘Igboness’? Maybe you are not aware (that) many people here were massacred in Asaba, Ishiagu and other communities by the Nigerian troops. Thousands were killed in their cold blood. What was their offence? Because they were Igbos, because the Col. Nwawos, Achuzias and Nzeogwus were from this side (Anioma).
So, they easily understood that we are Igbos. But, of course, for many people to avoid being killed, they began to say, “Don’t kill us, we are not Igbo (anyi aburo Ndigbo). We are people from….’ And that has continued to date. So, let me commend Ohanaeze Ndigbo. Ohanaeze has done wonderfully well in trying to integrate the Igbos in Delta and Rivers.
As a matter of fact, as far as Ohanaeze is concerned, there are seven Igbo states. They treat Anioma as a state; they treat Ikwerre as a state. And now we have a chance to make one of those states a real state. And God knows that once Anioma becomes a state, the next attention is Ikwerre.
I hate when I remember what former President (Buhari) said when he was describing ESN (Eastern States Network) and our youths. He was angry talking about them. He said they are a ‘dot’ in a circle. You remember he said that.
But Ndigbo generally – Igbo governors, Senators and other National Assembly members – have a duty to support their brethren; their lost brothers as it were. We need that support; we need that love. We are the same – the same language, culture, food, music, attire and the same virtually everything.
Anioma is in Delta State in the South-South geopolitical zone. How would its creation redress the agitation for an additional state in the Southeast zone to enable the zone have an equal number of states with other zones including the South-South?
It (Anioma State) will be the sixth state of the Southeast. Then, there will be another state to be called “Delta” – new Delta – with the capital in Warri that will become the sixth state in the South-South.
We already have five states in the Southeast. Why do you divide the five states? Why don’t you come here and acquire another state because you will have more land. Do you understand the difference? Because if you divide any of the five states to get another state, you are wasting your time because you are not increasing in population, you are not increasing in land mass, you are not increasing in natural resources, you are not increasing in anything.
Senator Chris Adighije told me a story last year when he came to see me. He told me that after the war, he had a cook from Ogoni. One day he was hungry and told the cook to give him food. He said the cook brought the food with only one meat in the soup. He was angry. He asked the cook why he would give him food with just one piece of meat. “When did you start giving me one meat in the soup?” Senator Adighije had queried. He told me that the cook didn’t say anything but rather carried the food back to the kitchen. Five minutes later, the cook came back with the food with five pieces of meat in the soup.
He (Chris) asked the cook again, “Why did you give me one piece of meat before?” The cook replied, “Oga, you wanted five pieces of meat. So, that one piece of meat is what I cut into five pieces.” That one piece of meat that Senator Adighije rejected was what the cook cut into five pieces. So, now you have five but in real terms, it is only one meat that he ate. Do you understand Senator Adighije’s story?
So, any Igbo man or woman who is asking for any of the five states that you already have to be divided is as bad as that cook in Senator Adighije’s story.
Anioma will give you more historical justice because we have suffered; we have been denied, deprived, denigrated and for too long our people have been more like in the wilderness.
And this is a chance for restitution; a chance to support. Do you know that when the Anioma State is created, no Anioma person in the next generation will say “I’m not an Igbo man?” They would have reversed the killings done in Asaba and other neighbouring villages during the Civil War.
Will you want the Igbanke people in Delta State to join you in Anioma State?
Yes, they are part of us.
But they said that Ogbemudia sold them to….
(Cuts in): No, no, no. They came to me. And I have told them ‘Let’s face the nine local government areas first; that by the time we achieve that through boundary adjustment, I will bring them in.
You said President Tinubu and the APC national leadership support the quest for Anioma State creation, which is why you probably decamped from the PDP that gave you the platform on which you won the election to the Senate to the APC. However, this administration has only two years to go. How would you feel if at the end of this tenure, Anioma State is not created?
It will be created. If it is not created this time, it will be created in the next government. Tinubu will still be president in the next government, I’m sure. It will be created.
Does Anioma have what it takes to survive as a state?
We have oil and gas. Six of the nine local government areas that make up Anioma are rich in oil and gas and other minerals. We have 10 major oil platforms, small refineries, gas refineries and companies operating in Anioma land.
The president promised me something before I joined the APC and he has done it. He said he would help to fund two dams in our area for pipe-borne water for home-use and irrigation. In the current budget, we have almost N30 billion for the two dams – to complete the Ogwuashi Ukwu Dam and to build another one behind there not far from here (points at an area in his community).
This wouldn’t have been possible if I had remained in the PDP. That’s why I said every Igbo man should support the APC because we can get a lot more from the federal government.
[OPINION] Enhancing Nigeria’s Agency in the Global Arena - Waziri Adio
Bolstering a country’s global stature is not just a matter of image and pride. It is much deeper than that. It is a strategic necessity for countries that want and need to be more than bit players in the global arena. As the post-World War II order continues to strain at the seams, it is imperative for Nigeria to navigate the uncharted terrain with tact and to carefully position itself as a strong voice to reckon with on the global stage. We need to do this for ourselves and for others.
Even as some countries become more inward-looking largely in response to unmet domestic expectations about globalisation, the world remains intimately and intricately connected. Decisions and actions in one far-flung corner of the globe sometimes have outsized impacts on the health and the prosperity of people across the world. The link between the global and the local is yet to be decoupled. Nigeria therefore does not have the luxury of simply minding its internal business or of joining the growing gang of the insular. It is in our enlightened self-interest not only to advocate for the evolving global order to be a fairer and more just one but also for us to actively join in shaping the structure of what is likely to emerge.
But Nigeria’s capacity to do this will not merely be a function of its current and projected population or of its past reputation or a claim to some form of manifest destiny. Nigeria’s agency will derive from the capacity to sort out its internal challenges; its appreciation of the dynamics of the evolving moment; and its readiness to make the necessary investment in time, thought and money.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, appears to instinctively get this, and maybe not surprisingly too—having had to wrestle with the theories and practice of international relations as a student and a practitioner at the highest levels. On Thursday, fresh from a fence-mending shuttle to Niger Republic, Tuggar had a two-hour, high-level engagement with the crème of the policy, academic and civil society firmament in Abuja. He spoke eloquently and passionately about the need for Nigeria to re-prioritise diplomacy and about the importance of recalibration, pragmatism, resilience and thought-leadership as the country engages with the rest of the world in this uncertain period and in the undefined days ahead.
The minister spoke at the inaugural session of the Agora Policy Forum, an initiative of Agora Policy supported by the MacArthur Foundation, which is designed to facilitate structured and frank interactions between senior government officials and informed members of the public about current and emerging public policies. The forum aims to provide policy makers the opportunity to speak about the rationale, the direction and the content of public policies and for critical policy stakeholders to provide considered feedback and inputs.
The theme of the engagement with Tuggar was: “Nigeria’s Foreign Policy at a Time of Global Uncertainty.” Tuggar, who had served as Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany, delivered an opening statement where he flagged the unfolding fragmentation of the current multilateral order. He made a case for Nigeria’s increased agency, via greater emphasis on diplomacy, in ushering in a new and more inclusive world order. “We see the existing order deconstructing,” he said. “It was an order that did not present a level-playing field for Nigeria and Africa. As that order breaks down, what follows is much less clear. It is our responsibility, as the region’s key power, to be a voice for Africa—to play our part in helping create a modern and dynamic order that reflects our national and shared interests. And that responsibility is fundamentally diplomatic”.
Tuggar went on to identify the four pillars of Nigeria’s foreign relations in these uncertain times. These are: strategic autonomy; economic diplomacy and sustainable development; security and regional stability; and Nigeria’s voice and agency in the global arena. It appears that the philosophical anchor of our foreign policy going forward will be strategic autonomy, which maintains and builds on earlier stance of neutrality or non-alignment. Roughly, this will mean that the compass of navigation will be Nigeria’s national interests, not sheepish alignment or automatic opposition to any camp.
The foreign affairs minister captured it this way: “As global power shifts toward multipolarity, Nigeria must assert greater strategic autonomy in its international engagements. We are strengthening our bilateral relations with emerging powers like China, India, and Brazil while maintaining constructive partnerships with the United States, the European Union, and traditional allies. We aim to ensure that Nigeria is not merely a passive actor in global affairs but an active shaper of outcomes that align with our national interests.”
Nigeria, he said, will pursue its national interests guided by some of the following: partnerships, investments and development financing for economic growth and sustainable development; fair energy transition and climate financing to promote green industrialisation; design and enforcement of home-grown mechanisms for tackling insecurity in our immediate neighbourhood and beyond; reform and strengthening of global institutions, especially the UN Security Council; and leveraging collective action to address global challenges.
He concluded his address with an exhortation: “Nigeria must remain proactive, adaptive, and innovative in its foreign engagements as it navigates global uncertainty. Evidence-based policymaking, a long-term vision, and a commitment to national and continental advancement must underpin our strategy…Nigeria’s foreign policy during a time of global uncertainty is not merely about responding to external pressures but also about shaping our destiny within the international order. It is about ensuring that our economy is resilient, our security is safeguarded, and our voice is amplified in global decision-making. As we look to the future, I urge all stakeholders—diplomats, academics, business leaders, and civil society—to play their part in strengthening Nigeria’s global standing.”
After his opening statement, I had a fireside-style chat with him for about 30 minutes and moderated the interactive session between him and the participants for about one hour. Issues raised and discussed included: his trip to Niger and his assessment of ECOWAS at 50; the reasons for and the pathways out of the multiple crises in West Africa and the Sahel; the failure of the administration to appoint ambassadors in 18 months; the shrinking of Nigeria’s global profile; an interrogation of the concept of strategic autonomy; the gap between international relations research and foreign policy implementation; the decomposition of the nation-state and its impact on relations within and among states; the dissonance between posturing about democracy abroad and democratic realities at home; the link between foreign policy and domestic realities; the impact of limited local governance on development deficits and instability in the region; the implication of the tariff wars on Nigeria and others; regional insecurity and human trafficking; the balance between career and non-career ambassadors in diplomatic postings; and the impact of social media disinformation on foreign relations.
On the whole, the interaction was comprehensive, engaging and productive. The minister gave thoughtful answers and clearly articulated the current direction of Nigeria’s foreign policy, the most lucid I have heard in recent times about our foreign policy, and more fleshed out than the acronym of 4Ds—democracy, development, demography and diaspora. The participants offered knowledgeable comments and asked probing questions but in a respectable manner. This is refreshing: discussion of policy issues in a cerebral, not emotional and vacuous way, and devoid of the partisanship, dogmatism, antagonism and gratuitous insults that mask vacuousness and have gravely diminished the quality of public discourse in recent times. We need more discursive and deliberative platforms for more inclusive and effective public policies.
I align with Tuggar on the need to amplify Nigeria’s voice and standing in global decision-making. Some of us still remember, with great pride, the period when Nigeria was deemed the undisputed voice of Africa and of the black race. The ‘Africa Has Come of Age’ speech still remains a seminal moment in the annals of our international relations. Nigeria’s role as a frontline state in the fight against apartheid and colonialism in far-away southern Africa, even when largely unappreciated, confirmed our status as the true giant on the continent. Our leadership of ECOMOG to end civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone and to restore a democratic rule in the latter as well as our contributions to global peace missions and even our Technical Aid Corps underscored our willingness to give freely of ourselves to ensure peace and progress in our neighbourhood and beyond. We were a giant not just by size but by deeds, and we naturally commanded the respect and the influence attached to that.
But we fell off the global arena in the last decade and a half. This is partly on account of the inevitable rise of others, especially post-apartheid South Africa. But it is mostly because we have become overwhelmed by our own internal challenges, especially insecurity and because we have been attaching little seriousness to foreign relations beyond just showing up with obscene entourages at international meetings. The rigour of our positions on issues and our understanding of the politics of the international arena vis-à-vis our interests need to improve. We need to be more proactive, deliberate and strategic. For instance, on the issue of reciprocal tariffs by the United States, a more strategic approach would have been to constitute a multisectoral team to look at the different ways in which Nigeria may be impacted and devise appropriate strategies instead of ministers singing discordant tunes. In a similar vein, we should have experts studiously building scenarios and options about the evolving world order to ensure that we are not caught napping and not left scrambling to make sense of things after the fact.
It is not a vanity project for us to aspire to be a major player on the global stage. We were still under colonial rule when the expiring order was designed. Now, some of the former colonies have come of age. Nigeria is one of them, and we deserve to be rightly considered an emerging power, with the opportunity to speak for ourselves and for others. But we have to get our act together. Getting our act together will include tackling more seriously the domestic challenges (slow growth, creeping insecurity etc) holding us down. Size without strength will not suffice.
This will also demand greater clarity about the outcomes that we seek and much better resourcing of our foreign affairs ministry. We need to also invest in domestic understanding and in building domestic support behind our foreign policy aspirations. Our citizens must understand what direction we are going and why. Even as kids, we knew why Nigeria had a role in the decolonisation of southern Africa. We also need to proactively mobilise all the assets at our disposal. Look at the global reach of our Afrobeats, Nollywood and comedy. For example, Burna Boy had a sold-out concert at Stade de France on Friday night. That is soft power right there, and it is enormous. Clearly, these sectors and artistes exploded onto the world stage and consciousness in spite of the Nigerian state. But their reach can still be creatively leveraged to enhance Nigeria’s standing and influence in the world, especially as we approach a new epoch in international relations.
[OPINION] If the Foundations of Logic Be Destroyed - Simon Kolawole
In July 2005, I was aboard an Egypt Air flight from Cairo to Lagos on my way from Saudi Arabia. As we approached the Nigerian air space, the pilot announced that we would be landing in Kano because the Lagos airport had been closed. An airplane had crash-landed and blocked the only runway at the time, leading to the diversion of flights. I found it unsettling as I had meetings to attend and I was unsure of when we would leave Kano. But as we were lamenting over the situation, one passenger said at the top of his voice: “Why will Nigeria not be like this when the country is perpetrating injustice against us in the Niger Delta? Nigeria can never develop until we have resource control!”
That was quite a jump. Some of us were shell-shocked. What is the logical link between Nigeria’s underdevelopment and closure of a runway to evacuate a damaged aircraft? Such accidents can happen anywhere in the world — resource control or not, “true” federalism or not, “fiscal” federalism or not, “restructuring” or not. On the flight, we had been discussing Nigeria’s issues in good spirit. Passengers from different parts of Nigeria agreed that we were bedevilled with serious problems — many blaming the leaders, some blaming the followers, and others attributing the situation to structural issues, but our Niger Delta compatriot completely went off the rails.
It is quite obvious that lack of logical reasoning is a major issue in Nigeria, particularly in matters of social order, public discourse and public administration. At the risk of exaggerating this, I would say it is impacting negatively on our quality of life. Have you ever seen signs of “do not urinate here” in a city where there are no public toilets? Have you ever seen someone on a flight trying to force a rectangular suitcase into a square space? Have you ever visited a website with an image showing only the tie and breast pockets of the featured person because a portrait-size picture has been placed in a landscape space? These are clear indications that something is wrong with our thinking.
My friend, David Adeoye, and I always find ourselves discussing Nigeria during our early morning exercise. We try to reason together on our root problems. I would say this article was largely influenced by his suggestion that we need to amend our elementary curriculum to start teaching logical reasoning at that level. Most students do not progress beyond elementary education. David is of the opinion that our problem-solving capability will improve if we are given to logical reasoning earlier in our lives. It may be of interest here that European countries as well as South Korea and Japan teach critical thinking and logical reasoning into their curricula. The difference is clear.
Talking about good governance, we also see that logical reasoning is critical to problem solving. It is vital to policy making. More than anything else, our leaders need to understand logic. When a governor, for instance, wakes up and says he is banning open grazing, the first question I would ask is: so, have you provided the alternative? The easiest thing for a leader to do in the world is to make a pronouncement. The harder part of the job is analysing and preparing for the consequences of the pronouncement. When you want to initiate a policy, you need to sit down, think through it, consult, calculate the costs and plan transition management. That is the logic of a smart problem solver.
How can we tackle insecurity if we do not shut the factory producing bandits, kidnappers, terrorists, robbers, etc? We can budget $10 billion to buy weapons all we like but for as long as children are not going to school and those who go to school end up jobless and idle, the production line for the crimes will remain active. Rather than address the foundations of these endemic issues by applying sound logic to policy making, we are more interested in sleazy and phoney contract awards. And in the warped logic of those milking the system, the money they have made will buy them personal security. They are not asking themselves: how come their mansions in London do not have a fence?
The Lagos house of assembly has asked the state government to enforce the tenancy law which prohibits “unreasonable” rent hikes. “Excessive increment of rents by landlords in Lagos state has led to increase in homelessness,” one member said. “Rents in my constituency have spiked by as much as 200 percent,” another added. Their ultimate solution? Enforcement of rent law in a state with massive housing deficit! Nothing about government building affordable housing estates (as Alhaji Lateef Jakande did in the 1980s), nothing about removing the heavy levies on new constructions, nothing about incentives for private investment. Let’s just enforce the law and rents will crash!
In the area of social order, when Nigerian motorists do certain things on the road — such as parking at a junction or overtaking at a bend — my instinct is to think they are selfish and reckless. But the problem may be deeper. How many motorists actually reason that parking at a junction narrows the space for others to turn? How many motorists reason that when they overtake at a bend, they are unsighted and can run into an oncoming vehicle? They may indeed be selfish or reckless but their thinking faculties also need to be inspected. Some road users just do not have the capacity to think or to anticipate danger. Only God knows how many lives are lost daily because of this poor thinking.
The CBEX catastrophe is yet another scam in our long history of “wonder banks”. I grew up hearing about “money doublers” who would help you turn N10 to N20. The police used to warn us that if the man could truly double the money, he wouldn’t be in that business. He would just be at home doubling money for himself. This scam was modernised by fraudsters masquerading as bankers and investment managers. Is it easy to turn $1,000 to $2,000? You can blame our greed and get-rich-quick mentality for the success of the fraudsters, but we also abandon our brains and fall victim. Our decision-making is ruled by emotions rather than wisdom. Judgment is inevitably often lacking.
Finally, it is not just social order and public administration that are devoid of logical reasoning in Nigeria. Public discourse is starved of this cognitive power. Watch the TV, listen to the radio, read the newspapers and go through social media posts. Anyone who has some respect for logic will puke at the quality of debates and discussions on many of these platforms. I once read a post and comments where people were arguing that it is better to create jobs than to build infrastructure. What!!! It is not just the framing of the question (as if building infrastructure does not create jobs) that shocked me but also the arrogance with which people promoted the ignorance. We are in deep trouble!
In my first year at the University of Lagos where I studied mass communication, one of the compulsory courses was ‘Writing for the Mass Media’. The course lecturer was Professor Adidi Uyo, the greatest English teacher that I know of and one whose teaching shaped my use of language till today. He broke down the English language into atoms, taught us the mechanics and techniques, and guided us on how to apply them to journalism. He broke writing for the media into four blocks: Facts, Logic, Rhetoric and Grammar — which he gave the acronym FLORG. Part of classwork was for us to FLORG newspapers by pointing out the errors of facts, logic, rhetoric and grammar in their articles.
In regular life, we seem to pay attention to rhetoric (figures of speech, use of flowery language, etc) and grammar (parts of speech, is and was, noun/subject agreement, phrases and clauses, etc). However, in argumentation, we tend to neglect the two critical blocks: facts and logic. This happens so often that I have almost lost faith in public debate in Nigeria. We have eloquent and smart people spewing fluent gibberish on TV, radio and social media day and night. They have zeal, no doubt, but they lack knowledge. Zeal without knowledge is hazardous. An argument that is heavy on rhetoric and grammar but light on facts and logic is as dangerous as a rifle in the hand of a deranged sniper.
I read comments on social media posts in advanced societies and I get educated all the time. Yes, they have their lunatic fringe — as is to be expected in any human society — but enlightened voices are not in short supply. For instance, I have read so many arguments on the Trump tariff rampage that I am now better educated on international trade dynamics. There are people making emotional arguments, as usual, but you can see subject-matter experts exploring all the different angles even from their own biases. I am amazed at the respect for facts and logic. If you follow debates on Nigerian social media, you will be crushed by the preponderance of ill logic and twisted facts.
I’m always asked why my social media engagement is zero, even when I am constantly under attack. But how do I engage with someone who says the UN will take over a country if protests last for two weeks? Where do we even start the discussion from? How do I argue with someone who doesn’t know the difference between presidential and parliamentary systems? How do I engage with someone who is arguing authoritatively that it is “people’s constitution” that develops a country when the UK, Canada and New Zealand do not even have a constitution? How do you engage with those who don’t want to learn but would resort to insult to cover up their shallow intellect?
Indeed, can a country rise above the intellectual capacity of its leaders and its knowledge industry? Can public policy be any better when there is no rigour in the thinking behind it? Can public discourse be constructive and productive when the thought leaders — or the loudest voices — have no respect for established facts and lack the capacity to reason logically? Can the citizens live an orderly life when they do not think before they act or talk? These are interesting questions we need to ponder upon. While I do not know the possible outcomes of improving our IQ by teaching logical reasoning in secondary schools, I am fairly assured that it is an experiment worth undertaking.
AND FOUR OTHER THINGS…
SEC SCANDAL
After the horse had bolted from the stable, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) came out to say CBEX, the digital trading platform that had been scamming Nigerians for a while with promises of out-of-this-world returns, was not registered to operate in the capital market. The regulator said it was commencing investigations after “investors” had reportedly lost N1 trillion. Typical Nigerian regulator. CBEX had been advertising on social media all along, selling double-your-money schemes to vulnerable Nigerians, yet SEC claimed it did not know. This is a big indictment on its surveillance unit. It is very important for the regulator to clean up its act and become more proactive. Negligence.
ON YOUR OWN (OYO)
Oyo state government has decided to surcharge anyone sinking borehole. In the first place, government is supposed to provide water. It has failed so woefully that citizens are now spending their own money to provide water for themselves, despite paying taxes. That should be a shame for the government but our thinking faculty is so impeded that it has instead become a revenue-generating idea: for every meter of borehole sunk, citizens will now pay N14,000. That automatically jacks up the cost of providing water for yourself. States and LGAs, like AMAC, even charge people for using generators. Government is trying to profit from citizens’ response to its own failures. Sickening.
TINUBU IN PARIS
President Tinubu has been in Paris for over two weeks on a “short working visit”. In the meantime, Benue and Plateau states have been witnessing a bloodbath. Prof Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno state, said Boko Haram is gaining more territories. And the Lakurawa terrorists are unrelenting in their massacre of poor Nigerians in the north-west. I remember when the PDP was in power and how the APC used to take advantage of every terrorist attack to issue statements, creating the impression that it was because President Goodluck Jonathan was incompetent. I try to imagine the statements Lai Mohammed would have been issuing today if the PDP was still in power. Politics!
NO COMMENT
Rivers state is fast becoming the drama capital of Nigeria since Chief Nyesom Wike, the former governor, fell out with Sir Simi Fubara, his handpicked successor. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) moved its annual conference from Rivers to Enugu state to protest against the “illegal emergency rule”. The emergency administration retorted: “In that case, kindly return the N300 million you collected as hosting rights.” But the NBA said the N300 million is but a gift (quite some gift in these hard times). Fellow Nigerians, we would never have known of this secret “gift”. Yoruba elders say something like: may people not discover what we were cooking that set the house on fire. Hahahaha.
[PRESS RELEASE] Federal Civil Service Commission: Olaopa Pays Tribute As Writer Okediran Turns 70
The Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission ( FCSC), Prof. Tunji Olaopa on Saturday paid tribute to a former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Dr Wale Okediran, as he turned 70.
Olaopa delivered the tribute titled "Writing the Public Service into the Nigerian Consciousness" at the "70th Birthday Event/Celebration of Dr. Wale Okediran and a Reading/Writers Dialogue" held at the Mamman Vatsa Village, Abuja, by the Abuja chapter of ANA.
Okediran , a medical doctor-turned writer has equally made a foray into politics where he was at a time a member of the House of Representatives.
In his congratulatory message, Olaopa noted the role of the writer in national development. He specifically drew attention to how Okediran has used his medical, literary and political trajectories to improve the lot of Nigerians in particular and humanity in general.
As Olaopa put it, Okediran "has come a long way and has blazed many trails so consistently that at a beautiful age of seventy, he has achieved a sublime legacy that embodies existential fulfilment."
Consequently, to Olaopa, Okediran in his estimation "is Nigeria’s answer to C. P. Snow’s two-culture thesis. According to that thesis, there is a significant and unbridgeable divide between the humanities and the natural sciences in ways that ensure seeming lack of communication between the two. The literary intellectuals and the natural scientists pride themselves on their inability to understand each other, and this, Snow argues, leads to an inhibited intellectual progress. In Wale Okediran, we have a fluid and exemplary personification that firmly undermines that thesis. Dr Okediran fluidly incorporates the love for science and the humanities."
According to Olaopa, Okediran is the very embodiment of the "renaissance man—the multi-talented man imbued with a secular sensibility that draws on the human condition to articulate an Afropolitan sensibility of humaneness, compassion, strength, open-mindedness, passion and empathy.
It was almost inevitable that Dr Okediran’s love for medicine and literature would be deployed in the service of the humanity in Nigeria and on the continent. Medicine is not just physiological and psychological, at least not in Africa. Medicine ministers to the brutalized bodies of Africans. As a medical doctor therefore, Dr Okediran has the unenviable space to confront the many psychotic manifestations of governance failure in Nigeria."
Praising further Okediran's legacy, Olaopa said that his "literary interests and skills provide the opportunity to tell the postcolonial Nigerian stories as he encountered them over the course of his own personal existential and professional trajectories. And this explains Dr Okediran’s path into politics; what better way to effect significant changes than being in the corridor of power?
"One could only wonder how long a man of such literary sensibility would last within the murky space of Nigerian politics. Fortunately, public service is not restricted to being a member of the House of Representatives. Dr Okediran’s public service space encompasses the local, the national and the regional—from the National Old Student Association of Olivet Baptist High School to the Pan African Writers Association (PAWA). Dr Wale Okediran’s literary sensibility enables him to build a community of service. The Ebedi International Writers Residency at Iseyin is a unique and defining sense of the metaphor for Okediran’s enlarged sensibility that draws in people and creates possibilities."
Bauchi Deputy Gov Denies Slapping Foreign Affairs Minister
Auwal Mohammed Jatau, Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, has denied slapping the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar.
He said this while reacting to unconfirmed reports that he attacked the the minister on the way to the palace of Emir of Bauchi for the turbaning of former Governor Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar, SAN, as Makama Babba 1 of Bauchi Emirate, and the wedding Fatiha of his daughter, Khadija Muhammad.
Speaking through Muslim Lawal, his media aide, Bauchi’s number two citizen said, “No, no, how can a deputy governor slap a minister? I don’t think such ever can happen in Bauchi because l know my principal as a responsible leader and number two citizen in Bauchi can never slap a minister or any person.”
“I am not aware about that and I am hearing it for the first time. If there is any evidence that the deputy governor did that you can speak on that. We don’t know about it. The deputy governor cannot do that and that is our position,” Lawal said.
All efforts to get the reaction of the Foreign Affairs Minister were not successful at the time of filing this report.
See pictures from the turbaning below:







[DailyTrust]
LaLiga: Sadiq rescues point for Valencia against Rayo Vallecano
Nigeria forward, Umar Sadiq rose from the bench to help Valencia draw 1-1 against Rayo Vallecano at the Estadio de Vallecas on Saturday.
Valencia went behind on the stroke of half time with Cesar Tarrega scoring an own goal.
Sadiq was introduced in the place of Andre Almeida in the 66th minute.
The 27-year-old fired home the equaliser for Los Che 16 minutes from time.
The Nigerian has now scored five goals in 10 league appearances for Valencia this season.
Carlos Corberán’s side are now unbeaten in their last seven league games, their joint longest unbeaten streak since December 2021.
[DailyPost]
Oluremi Tinubu urges compassion, unity at Easter
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has called on Nigerians to reflect on the significance of Easter and embody the values of love, sacrifice, and unity that the season represents.
In a statement shared on her official X handle on Saturday, the First Lady joined the Christian community in commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ and encouraged all Nigerians to use the occasion as a time to support one another—especially the less privileged.
“I join Christians across our beloved nation to celebrate Easter. I also extend my heartfelt wishes for a joyous and peaceful occasion,” she wrote.
Highlighting the deeper meaning of the celebration, she said, “Easter is a reminder of the enduring power of love and the selfless sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the hope His resurrection brings to all humanity.”
The First Lady further urged citizens to seize the opportunity of Easter to reach out and show compassion within their communities.
“As we come together with our loved ones, friends, neighbours and community to mark this special time, let us also remember the less privileged and extend compassion and support wherever we can,” she wrote.
She concluded her Easter message with a call for national unity and progress: “May the spirit of Easter inspire us to uplift the vulnerable, love one another, make sacrifices when necessary and work together to build a peaceful and prosperous nation for all. Happy Easter!”
[Punch]
Putin orders Easter ceasefire, cites humanitarian reasons
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday announced an Easter truce in the conflict in Ukraine starting this evening and lasting till midnight on Sunday.
The short-term ceasefire proposal from Russia comes as President Donald Trump has been pressing both Moscow and Kyiv to agree a truce, but has failed to extract any major concessions from the Kremlin.
“Today from 1800 (1500 GMT) to midnight Sunday (2100 GMT Sunday), the Russian side announces an Easter truce,” Putin said in televised comments, while speaking to Russian chief of staff Valery Gerasimov.
Easter, a major holiday for Christians, is celebrated on Sunday.
“I order for this period to stop all military action,” Putin said, calling the truce “based on humanitarian reasons”.
“We are going on the basis that the Ukrainian side will follow our example, while our troops must be ready to resist possible breaches of the truce and provocations by the enemy, any aggressive actions,” Putin said.
He said that Gerasimov had told him Ukraine “more than 100 times… breached an agreement on not striking energy infrastructure”.
Russia on Friday abandoned a moratorium on striking Ukrainian energy targets after each side accused the other of breaking a supposed deal without any formal agreement put in place.
The latest truce proposal will show “how sincere the Kyiv regime’s readiness, its desire and ability to observe agreements and participate in a process of peace talks,” Putin said.
Previous attempts at holding ceasefires for Easter in April 2022 and Orthodox Christmas in January 2023 were not implemented after both sides failed to agree on them.
AFP
10 most profitable companies in the world
The profitability of companies is typically judged by their net income, which represents total earnings after all expenses, taxes, and costs are subtracted from total revenue.
There are a few criteria which are considered when comparing the profitability of companies. These criteria include revenue, profit margin and Return on Assets (RoA) among others. Professional analysts tend to focus more on the net income and profit margin to get a clearer picture of how much the company is making. “The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits,” economist Milton Friedman wrote in 1970.
The world is filled with companies making profits in millions and billions of dollars. Below, 10 of the world’s most profitable companies are revealed:
1. Saudi Arabian Oil Co.
Saudi Arabian Oil CO., also known as Saudi Aramco, is the national oil and gas company of Saudi Arabia with speciality in the production of petroleum and natural gas. The company’s history can be traced back to 1933. Saudi Aramco most notably operates the Ghawar Field (the world’s largest onshore oil field) and the Safaniya Field (the world’s largest offshore oil field). They also specialise in the production of industrial compounds from synthetic materials, with profits amounting to $300 million.
2. Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. specialises in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, utilities and energy, freight rail transportation, finance, manufacturing and retailing services. Berkshire Hathaway’s latest financial reports put its earnings at $424.23 billion, ranking it in second place amongst the world’s most profitable companies.
3. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd.
This company was founded on January 1, 1984 with its headquarters located in Beijing, China. This is a finance-based company that engages in the provision of commercial banking and financial services. As of 2024, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) reported a net income of approximately $59.6 billion for the year. This yearly revenue generation is the third highest in the world.
4. Alphabet Inc. (Google)
The net worth of Alphabet Inc. is approximately $1.91 trillion. This company works in different areas of tech, like the main Google services people use every day, its growing cloud business, and a bunch of other experimental projects. This company has over 135,000 employees worldwide with $96.47 billion in revenue generated in 2024.
5. Apple
Apple is popularly known for its iPhones, iPads, and Mac personal computers, but it has other products like the Vision Pro headset. Apple has successfully created a global community, keeping its users loyal to the brand by creating an ecosystem for users of their various products. With approximately 164,000 employees worldwide, the company ranks fifth on the list of most profitable companies with an annual net income of $36.33 billion.
6. Microsoft Corp.
This company engages in the development of licenses and supports a wide range of software, services and hardware products. Microsoft’s market cap has been on the rise in recent years as a result of the strategic moves in AI, video game systems, and other profit-yielding businesses. Microsoft is regarded as an ageing giant gradually losing its relevance but the annual operating income for 2024 was $109.433 billion.
7. Meta
Meta connects families, friends and even co-workers worldwide through its different platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Oculus, Threads, Messenger and WhatsApp. Meta’s income is primarily driven by advertising revenue from Facebook and Instagram. In 2024, advertising contributed $131.9 billion out of a total revenue of $164.50 billion. This represents 97.8% of Meta’s total revenue. The company also generated AI revenue, contributing to a total revenue increase of 22% year-on-year. Meta-owned platforms are some of the most profitable companies in the world.
8. JP Morgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase & Co. provides financial services such as personal and business banking, investment help, financial transaction processing and managing assets. The company offers these services to people, companies, organisations and governments all around the world. JP Morgan Chase made $14 billion in profits in the final quarter of 2024. Its full-year profits reached an all-time high of $58 billion, the most ever in the history of American banking.
9. China Construction Bank Corp.
China Construction Bank (CCB) is a major bank in China, with its headquarters in Beijing. It is one of the country’s top four banks and operates in many countries around the world. CCB provides a variety of financial services to both businesses and individuals. According to China Construction Bank’s latest financial reports, the company’s current revenue (TTM) is $104.14 billion.
10. Agricultural Bank of China
Established in 1951, this is a Chinese state-owned company specialising in financial service provision and multinational banking services. According to the Agricultural Bank of China, its current revenue (TTM) is $98.71 billion, with more branches in rural China than all the banks in the United States.
Kudos To The AGF, IGP & Interpol For The Extradition Of A Murder Suspect, Benjamin Best Nnayereugo Alias Kilaboi - Femi Falana SAN
On 13th July 2023, Benjamin Best Nnayereugo ((aka Kilaboi) was alleged to have brutally murdered his girlfriend, Miss
Augusta Oseodion Onuwabhagbe, a 21-year-old undergraduate of Lead City University, Ibadan, Oyo State.
After the heinous act, Benjamin escaped and left the country. but we have continued to track him with a view to having him brought to Nigeria and prosecuted for murder.
The cause of justice would surely be served by the confirmation that Benjamin was extradited from Qatar to Nigeria this morning through the combined efforts of the offices of the Attorney-General of the Federation, the InspectorGeneral of Police and the International Police National Central Bureau.
We thank the government of Nigeria for collaborating with our law firm in the successful extradition of the murder suspect.
We are particularly indebted to the mother of the deceased, Mrs Okonye Cordelia Nneji, who furnished us with vital information on the movements of the suspect since he escaped from Nigeria two years ago. This is a challenge to all Nigerians to always pursue the cause of justice in order to end impunity in the country.
Having confirmed that the Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department has completed an investigation into the cold murder of Miss Onuwabhagbe, we hereby call on the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Mr. Lawal Pedro SAN, to fast-track the prosecution of the suspect. 2023, Benjamin Best Nnayereugo ((aka Kilaboi).