Dr. Reuben Abati’s “Remembering Mrs. Remi Oyo”, which I read online on Oct. 1, 2024, brought back a floodgate of memories regarding Mrs. Oluremi Oyo who passed to glory 10 years ago and whose remembrance her family held recently in Lagos. Remi and I were professional colleagues. Her easy-going husband, Mr. Vincent Oyo, had a big office space at the Ikeja Shopping Plaza at the time I, too, came in to occupy my own little corner there. Remi would drop in once in a while and each time we ran into each other on the corridors, we would gist.

I remember those days when she was President Olusegun Obasanjo’s spokesperson and the former president hiked fuel price again and again. Between June 1, 2000 and May 27, 2007, Obasanjo hiked pump price fuel at least seven times, bringing it from the N20 per litre he met on ground to a whopping N75 per litre on May 27, 2007, a few days before he left office! That was his parting gift for Nigerians, a “thank you” for their generosity in making him one military Head of State and two civilian presidents. Maybe it was their punishment for truncating his controversial third term agenda!

Those also were the days when fire-spitting Adams Oshiomhole was the Nigeria Labour Congress president. Oshiomhole led the battle against Obasanjo’s incessant fuel price hike; usually, the strikes were short-lived - like those of the current NLC president, Joe Ajaero. The government’s usual bait was to throw some bones at NLC’s dog in the form of a handful of so-called mass transit buses and other “tiny, tiny concessions”, to quote Britain’s “Iron Lady” Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The last authentic leader of the NLC was Ali Chiroma.

On one of such occasions, Remi came to the plaza and our paths crossed. She said, “Bola, all the things our people (the media) are writing about these strikes are not the truth”. "Iro ni Adams n pa", she would add. Adams telling lies and merely deceiving the people? That was difficult to believe in those days. But she then revealed a lot about the shenanigans of Labour - how they led strike actions in the day but hob-nobbed with Obasanjo at night. After such meetings, Obasanjo would gloat: “Adams, omo mi ni!”, meaning, “Adams is my son!” But how mistaken! According to Remi, it took many back-stabbing before Obasanjo learnt a lesson!

Space constraints will not let me print all that Reuben said about Remi. Most times that our paths crossed, I usually saluted Reuben with the title of Mongo Beti’s novel “Remember Ruben”! Enjoy this delectable writer! When we return, we shall, as usual, make some closing remarks:        

“Ten years ago, Mrs. Oyo left this earthly prison house and transited to the great beyond, to tranquil Heaven at the relatively young age of 61. Thomas Camspbell says, and he is right, that ‘to live in the heart of those we love is not to die’. Mrs. Oyo lives on, her memory endures, and her example stands out in terms of her great accomplishments. She was a journalist of the first rank. She did not want to be identified as a female journalist but as a pressman, and, indeed, a pressman she was, out there in the forefront of action, inspiring younger journalists both male and female in the process. In one of those ironies of life that no one can explain, she was born in the month of October. She died also in the same month, less than two weeks to her 62nd birthday... But hers was a life of impact, love and influence.

“She studied Mass Communication at the University of Lagos and obtained a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Kent. Journalism was her career and in this she excelled. She started as a reporter with the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) in 1973. The story out there is that she met her husband, Mr. Vincent Oyo, while working in radio and the two Oyos would in later life carve a niche for themselves in both journalism and marketing communications. Mrs. Oyo left the NBC to join the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in 1981 and rose to become the Principal Editor of NAN. She later joined the Inter Press Service (IPS) and again rose to become the Nigerian Bureau Chief and, later, the West African Bureau Chief. It was around this time that our paths crossed.

“Auntie, as we fondly called her, had become very active in the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE). Under Mr. Biodun Oduwole, NGE president, 1992 – 1994, Mrs. Oyo was a member of the standing committee but she was very influential, known by younger journalists as “Mama awon Boys” because of her generosity. The Oduwole team presided over one of the golden moments of the Guild…Even before his emergence as president, Mr. Oduwole had been friends with some of us who were members of the OSU Collective... In those days, in the early 90s, members of the OSU Collective were prolific on the pages of newspapers, generating debates and contributing to public affairs issues of the day. Three of us: Wale Olaitan, Sina Kawonise and I were close to Mr. Oduwole who took it upon himself to encourage these brilliant young lecturers from Ogun State University, as it then was... Like all young men, we thought we could change the world with our pens and lyrical prose. It was through Egbon, as we called Mr. Oduwole, that we got to know Mrs. Oyo, and she just took to us as her aburos.

“By 1994, I had left Ogun State University to join the Guardian Newspapers as a member of the Editorial Board. I recall that in September that year, I had to travel to Egypt to attend the International Conference on Population and Development (5 -13 September 1994) under the auspices of the National Council on Population and Environmental Activities, an NGO led by Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi... When we arrived in Egypt and I went to the press centre, there was Mrs. Remi Oyo manning the IPS desk. I saw her at work writing stories, casting headlines, conducting interviews. She enjoyed what she did… I casually mentioned to Auntie that I was planning to get married. She promptly asked me what I would need. I told her I brought some money to buy wedding rings. One late afternoon, she left her desk and took me somewhere inside Cairo where she said we would get original gold. When we finished buying the gold rings, she asked me to follow her again to another store. She then asked me to look for any shoe that I felt comfortable with. She paid for the pair of shoes and said ‘that is the shoe I want you to wear on your wedding day; from me to you!’

“I would later visit Auntie at her office at the National Theatre where she had become the head of IPS. In those days, the National Theatre (now Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts) was the rendezvous for artists. We went there to watch films, stage plays or simply congregate at a place called Abe Igi to socialize and enjoy an assortment of delicacies. Auntie’s office was just down the road from Abe Igi... It was not difficult to see that although she was head of IPS, she had a great rapport with the people in NAN who shared the same premises. She moved from NAN to IPS, but she had friends on both sides. She was a doyenne of wire service journalism.

“In 1998, Mrs. Oyo showed interest in the Presidency of the Nigerian Guild of Editors... We the boys were, like, “Auntie Must Win!”. In short, all the boys championed her campaign. She eventually emerged as the president and ended up serving for five years (1998 – 2003). She lifted the profile of the office and was very good at getting support for the media from authority figures. She was, for record purposes, the first woman to serve as president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors since 1961 when Alhaji Lateef Jakande was its pioneer president. Mrs. Oyo performed so excellently it can be said of her legacy that she inspired other women within the profession to take a keen interest in the affairs of both the NGE and the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ). In the West, East and the North, women began to occupy key positions in the media unions…

“Mrs. Oyo’s distinction did not go unnoticed. In 2003, she was appointed Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) by President Olusegun Obasanjo. Again, she served meritoriously in that position, earning her the national honours of Officer of the Order of Niger (OON) in 2006. When President Yar’Adua assumed office in 2007, Mrs. Oyo was shortly after named the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria. It was a kind of homecoming for her, returning to her former base and reuniting with old colleagues…

“I recall vividly her advice to me when President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan appointed me as his Special Adviser – Media and Publicity in 2011. She said: “Reuben, my advice to you will be basically three things. Number one, the person you need most on this job is the President, the man who gave you the job. If you have him on your side, you are good. You will survive. This is a very tough job. The politics is heavy. She then went on to tell me about how many people would be interested in the office because of the glamour of being the spokesperson for the president. She mentioned names of persons who would go behind her to President Obasanjo just to malign her…

“No. 2, she said, ‘be very careful with our colleagues; they are the biggest threat to anyone in this office. They will bad-mouth you. They will try to pull you down. They will claim that they know how to do the job better than you. They will envy you and try to undermine you… Just hold on to your principal. Once the president believes you are doing a good job, there is nothing anybody can do to you…  

“She was right on every score! One of the first things I experienced was what became known in the Villa at the time as “The Gap Theory”. It was explained to me by a gentleman called Akachukwu Sullivan Nwakpo as follows: the Villa is a dog-eat-dog space. You have to man your space and guard it jealously. If you are off guard for a minute, someone would see that as an opportunity and try to do your job for you. He advised me to be vigilant and keep out interlopers.

“Media work was actually something everyone thought they could do, including those who could not write a successful paragraph in the English language... Our colleagues in the media, as Mrs. Oyo predicted, were not very kind either. They used to go behind to seek (an) audience with President Jonathan…”

I think we should end it there! Reuben’s sweeping generalisation is not only unkind and uncharitable, it is also not the truth and it irks me. He should simply have said “some” and not tar everyone with the same brush of unprofessional conduct, treachery and back-stabbing. He would also have done well to mention names like he said Remi did in her own characteristic candour! I, for one, never took notice Reuben was in the Villa until he left! Finding his way back into the profession, he called on me for help which, after teasing him, I rendered free of charge, as they say! I, therefore, couldn’t have been one of his “colleagues in the media… who used to go behind to seek (an) audience with President Jonathan..” In this I am also certain that I speak for many of our colleagues who are in the silent majority.

Light perpetual, continually grant Oluremi Oyo, O Lord!

 Former Editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-chief, BOLAWOLE was also the Managing Director/ Editor-in-chief of The WESTERNER newsmagazine. He writes the ON THE LORD'S DAY column in the Sunday TRIBUNE and TREASURES column in NEW TELEGRAPH newspaper on Wednesdays. He is also a public affairs analyst on radio and television.

Programme: CITY TALKS WITH REUBEN ABATI

Time: 12:00pm

Guest: HYGINUS OMEJE
(Asst. Corps Marshal Operations, FRSC)

Topic: JIGAWA FUEL TANKER EXPLOSION AND PUBLIC SAFETY

Date: 19th October, 2024
                         
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92877141732?pwd=VEJWb29OL2VVekZUTHRpdWYxK0xxZz09

Meeting ID: 928 7714 1732
Passcode: 600206

The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has disclosed that Nigeria has the highest population of people living without electricity globally.

Adeshina made this known during the 90th birthday celebration of former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon.

He revealed that approximately 86 million Nigerians lack access to electricity, positioning the country as the global leader in this regard.

Adeshina further emphasized that the lack of a reliable power supply is crippling businesses and industries nationwide.

“It has been estimated by the IMF that Nigeria loses about $29 billion annually or 5.6% of its GDP due to lack of reliable power supply. The report also indicates that Nigeria spends $14 billion per year on generators and fuel.  

“The lack of electricity is killing Nigerian industries. Today, no business can survive in Nigeria without generators. Consequently, the abnormal has become normal.  

“Nigeria has gas and crude oil in abundance, yet 86 million people live daily without electricity. Today, Nigeria is the number one country in the world in terms of the total number of people without electricity,” Adesina said. 

Plans to Power the Continent 

Adeshina also said AfDB is investing heavily in the electricity sector of Nigeria, and by extension, Africa as a whole.

He mentioned that the bank is in partnership with the World Bank to reach 300 million in electricity by the end of 2030 through robust funding and investment.

According to him, AfDB has invested over $200 million in grid transmission to help strengthen the national grid against incessant collapse.

“To support the implementation of Nigeria’s power sector recovery program, the bank provides Nigeria with $200 million for the Nigerian electrification project which is designed to fill the country’s electricity access gap. 

“ We have invested $210 million in the Nigeria transmission project to strengthen the grid -power evacuation and regional interconnection.

“The President of the World Bank and I made a decision in April that the two banks will connect 300 million Africans, including Nigeria to electricity by 2030. That’s what is called the Mission 300. The largest such effort in the world,“ he added.  

What you should know 

Nairametrics previously reported that Nigeria as well as other African countries are set to be beneficiaries of a $90 billion electricity fund backed by the from the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

• The fund is part of the plan from the global financial institution to provide electricity to 300 million African population by the year 2023.
• This initiative, part of the Mission 300 program, aims to assess and support projects, helping them secure funding if they meet the program’s criteria.
• Nigeria, an integral part of Mission 300, will also be a major beneficiary of the project through the Nigeria Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES project).
• According to the World Bank, the project will benefit over 17.5 million Nigerians, or 20% of the country’s currently unserved population, while replacing over 250,000 polluting and expensive diesel generators.

[Nairametrics]

A drone launched from Lebanon exploded near the private residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Caesarea on October 19.

According to reports from Reuters, no casualties were reported as Netanyahu and his wife were not at home during the incident.

The drone attack occurred amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, further heightening security concerns in the region.

In addition to the strike on Netanyahu’s residence, two other drones launched from Lebanon were intercepted by Israeli air defenses, triggering warning sirens in the Tel Aviv area.

The third drone successfully struck a building in Caesarea, causing a loud explosion and reported damage, although specific details on the extent of the destruction remain unclear.

Israeli media indicated that the drone had travelled approximately 70 kilometres from Lebanon before hitting the targeted building. Saudi news outlet Al-Hadath reported damage to part of the structure involved in the drone attack.

This incident follows the recent killing of Yahya Sinwar, a key figure in Hamas and the architect of the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that escalated the ongoing Gaza conflict.

According to the Israeli military, Sinwar was eliminated in an operation in southern Gaza on Wednesday after a year-long pursuit.

Netanyahu stated that Sinwar’s death marked a significant defeat for Hamas, though the conflict is far from over.

[NaijaNews]

If you’re someone who enjoys singing in the shower, you’re not alone! UK-Nigeria-based Afrosoul singer,  Uchechi Emelonye,  shares that she finds lyrical inspiration while showering.

In a popular TV show in Lagos, Emelonye revealed that her hit song “Underwater,” which won the BBC Music Introducing ‘Record of the Year 2022’ award, was inspired during her showers.

She stated, “I get a lot of inspiration when I am under the shower. Lyrics come flooding in my head when I go underwater. I don’t know who else it happens to, but I sing a lot under the shower.”

Currently, Emelonye is promoting her newly released EP, ‘Mixed Emotions’ featuring tracks like “My Time,” “First Time,” “Foolish,” “Over You,” “Dance,” and “Margins.” The EP is released under Emelux Records, a label dedicated to providing a supportive platform for African artists to explore and enhance their talents.

[Leadership]

In this interview, a former military head of state, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) highlights some of his experiences in office, what transpired before and after the civil war, and restates his belief in a united Nigeria.

You are committed to Nigeria’s unity; how did you take it when the civil war broke out?

I grew up with other Nigerians in a little village called Wusasa. It is Hausa community, but honestly, we knew one another. We either attended church together, or if you were a Muslim, you would go to mosque together, whether you were Hausa, Yoruba, or whatever. The unity of this country is certainly something for me.

I have always said that if there’s no secession, there wouldn’t be a break out and there wouldn’t be a question of civil war because it got to the stage that the situation was getting pretty clear that a part of the country, the South-east wanted to secede.

My duty and profession at that time demanded to make sure that we kept the country together. And that was how it happened.

I had an experience of crisis in some African countries, especially the Congo. I served twice in the Congo and saw the brutality and suffering of the people, but little did I know that a few years later, one was going to face the same problem. We had to do whatever we could to keep the country together.

I can assure you that it was not done out of joy but to make sure that at least we would be able to live together after resolving the problem. That was what we did.

The soldiers were given what we called a list of dos and don’ts like all the Geneva Convention instructions in any international conflict. There were about 12 conditions, such as not permitted to fight against old people, women, children etc. It was only against those who took up arms against you; that’s all. But unfortunately, it happened.

If given another opportunity, what would you have done differently?

I don’t think I would have done anything differently. Every effort was made to make sure that the situation did not degenerate into a breakaway. I had a duty to make sure that the breakup of the country did not happen. We had to fight for two and a half years and made sure that there was no interference from outside. There was no question of allowing any nation or power to get involved in our crisis. If you remember, in the Congo you had United Nations forces made up of Nigerian troops and others from other parts of Africa to deal with the problem. 

At least we were able to deal with that problem and make sure we were able to live again as a people. So, I couldn’t have done it differently.

There are still agitations in the South-east for a Republic of Biafra. Does it mean that the three Rs that were declared after the civil war failed to make any impact? What is your message to the people of that region? 

The Rs stand for reconciliation, rehabilitation and reintegration, and of course, reconstruction.

The instruction I gave to the fighting troops after the war was, ‘having fought your brothers and sisters, I want you to be soldiers of peace. Do whatever you can to help them get back to their homes and places; and give whatever assistance to them.’ 

Despite what happened, a lot of courageous Igbo people that lived in the North went back to Kaduna, Kano, Jos etc and got back their properties, which some of their friends had kept for them. They got them back almost immediately. The troops helped to transport them to various parts of the country.

There was no question of trial. Everyone was given the opportunity to go back if they wished. But I gave a special instruction to soldiers, especially officers because they knew that they should not have gone against the government. That was where a few retirements were made.

I had Mr Ukpabi Asika, a brilliant nationalist as administrator and gave him all the assistance he needed. For example, we gave assistance to get the schools going. There was also the medical side, etc. A lot of things were done so that at least you could start getting the reconciliation and integration so that people would be able to go back to various parts of the country. 

On my message for the people of the South-east, I would say that the civil war has ended and Republic of Biafra is no more because people have accepted to be reintegrated as Nigerians. Do you want me to sort of say they should continue? No. Don’t ask that question. 

At the end of the civil war, the Newsweek magazine described you as the equivalent of Abraham Lincoln of the United States.  What do you say to that?

I remember this question of comparing me with Abraham Lincoln. I remember that during the time, somebody called Mr Martin Dent and gave me a book about the American civil war, but because of what was happening, I had no time to read it until towards the end. 

When I read that book, I said to myself that what was happening in Nigeria was very much like the American civil war. It was so uncanny.

Honestly, if I had read that book before we prosecuted the Nigerian civil war, if anybody had said that I was trying to make myself look like Abraham Lincoln, I would have found it very difficult to say there was no comparison between us.  The only difference was that at the end of it, I was able to continue with the reconciliation and getting the country through. So, sometimes I say to myself that I don’t mind being called the Abraham Lincoln of Nigeria because we had a similar situation and we were able to achieve the same result. 

I remember that one English journalist asked why I thought the war was over —what if the people continued with guerrilla warfare? But thank God there was no guerrilla.  

Let me deviate a little bit. I thank God that when the war ended, I did not capture Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu because I would have probably found it very difficult to handle with public opinion that would have encouraged me to deal with him. This is because I knew that I would have done everything to save his life. But would it be the same thing if it was the reverse?

We heard so many versions of what transpired between you and Ojukwu in Aburi, Ghana. We want to hear from the horse’s mouth. What actually happened? Did you agree to a confederation?

Well, Ojukwu used to say, “On Aburi we stand” and I would say, “From Aburi you will fall.”

The story of Aburi is that we had been trying everything to be able to meet in Nigeria to resolve all the unfortunate things that happened – the killings and all the katakata after the January 15 coup. I was to go to Ibadan the following day, but I was informed that I could not go because there was a reception for officers coming into the brigade – officers like me being posted to that brigade and others from the brigade being posted out. There was a reception by the brigade commander for officers like me and others and I had to attend on that Friday night to ensure that I did the correct thing in that unit. So, that evening I went for the reception, and when it ended, I moved to Ikeja to stay for the night. 

Unfortunately, late that night, there was commotion. I was wondering what it was, but nobody told me anything. And I was to take over the battalion the following morning. Then there was movement of troops and vehicles in the unit. After some time, it died down. But after another two to three hours, there was greater movement and commotion and I was wondering what was happening. There was a beagle calling all the troops to a master parade. I was wondering and looking through the window to see what was happening.  Luckily, I saw one of the officers, the adjutant of the unit, Captain Martin Ademo, now late. He later became a General. I saw him passing by the duplex, a temporary quarter that I was to stay since the commanding officer’s residence was not ready yet for occupation.

I asked what was happening but he wouldn’t say anything, so I decided to go down and find out. When I met him and asked what the commotion was about, he said General Aguiyi Ironsi, who was the General Officer Commanding (GOC), came and told them that there was some crisis in town affecting the prime minister, Tafawa Balewa and Okotie Eboh, the finance minister and he had come to seek some assistance to see if he could deal with the problem. My first reaction was: Why Ironsi? Why not the brigadier because the chain of command should have come through him? Ironsi should have told the brigadier, who would have related to the battalion commander. 

However, I asked where he was and he said he was at the master parade area. So I had to change into civil clothes to see what was happening. When we got there, he briefed me, saying that he wanted some units to be prepared so that they could go and deal with the situation. When he finished, he asked if there were questions. 

I did not know that by that time, all the senior officers from my school —Maimalari, Kur Mohammed, Abo Baladinma, Yakubu Pam – had been killed. One of my good friends, Arthur Unegbe, from Ozobulu was also killed and I didn’t know.

I went and I got the Quarter Master to get me some military uniforms, boots, hat etc and I went into town. Luckily enough, we were able to deal with the coup in Lagos. But in Kaduna, they succeeded in killing the premier, his wife and other officials. They were certainly in command, but at least in Lagos, which was the headquarters, we were in charge. I was able to get all the other units to make sure that at least they did not go along with what had just happened. That was how I got involved. I tried to get things under control.

However, it got to a stage when the leadership could not do anything to put things right. But we tried to see if we could meet within the country. 

Of course, Ojukwu said that with what happened, he could not be sure of his safety. He asked if we could also go to the East or Mid-west, which was supposed to be neutral, for a meeting since the whole thing seemed to be North versus East.

We got one of the British Airways aircraft for us to meet in the air or on one of the British naval ships. Every effort was made, both by Nigerians and the British for us to meet, but in the end, we had to agree to meet in Aburi. That was where it all started.

I think we went there early January. And as far as I am concerned, we were going for that meeting so that we could agree as military officers.

When I went, I did not take my secretary to the government and officials like advisers. But of course, Ojukwu had a different intention, so he came with all his advisers and prepared a memorandum, which he wanted to be the solution to the problem, as if we were to do an agreement in a class. I said no. 

I joked with him and said he came with a pink solution paper. At our training in senior courses, students wrote on a white paper, but the staff had another green paper or something, and the solution paper was usually pink. 

It was from his paper that he was reading all the conditions, things he wanted done. We discussed them. We had two days there. The agreement was that when we got back, I would be the one to make a statement on the areas we agreed on.

Unfortunately, I was down with a very serious fever; and honestly, I could not do anything. As soon as Ojukwu got back, he made a statement on what was agreed. I had not seen the document he was using. He made a statement that we had agreed to part or something like that. And early in the morning, David Ejoor called to tell me what Ojukwu had done (I was still on a sickbed).

I asked if that was what we agreed and he said no. That was how the confusion started. Of course, when I got better, we disagreed because that was not the agreement. We were going to discuss most of these things in Nigeria; however, that did not happen. So we had to ensure that something was done. 

Ojukwu then started doing all sorts of things, disobeying federal government’s instructions, taking over government’s revenue, all the rolling stock from Port Harcourt and hijacking the Nigerian Airways’ aircraft etc.

A lot of things were happening. Security-wise, people were disappearing etc and the fault was put on northern soldiers. The information was that there were some elements among the recruitment made at that time. There were some bad eggs using the opportunity of being in the military to settle scores. 

Ojukwu said his Constituent Assembly said he could break away to form Biafra.

From some of the intelligence I was receiving, it was just a step to the next thing. That was when I created a state of emergency and 12 states to make sure that no region in Nigeria was marginalised because there was the fear of the monolithic North. And the minority group in the East, Biriye, Briggs and others did not want to go along with the agreement given to Ojukwu. They personally came to me several times. I created 12 states to make sure that no place is too big or too strong to threaten the unity of the country.

Lagos State was made up of Lagos central, Epe, Ikeja and Badagry, that was for the old colony of Lagos to become a state of its own. That was probably one of the reasons that after the civil war, the security situation made us to think of establishing a new capital in Abuja so that at least the federal government and a state would not stay in one place. We knew that Lagos was going to remain the commercial capital of the country, as well as the engineer of national activities.

Shagari was my commissioner for finance, and one of the instructions I left for him was that when they were doing the budget, he should make sure that he had some money kept for planning and building the infrastructure of the future capital of Nigeria in Abuja.

Not that I didn’t want to return the country to democracy, but when I was about to do it, politicians had started going at each other. You can remember the popular statement, “If you Tarka me, I Dabo you, if you Dabo me, I Tarka you”.

Honestly, I did not want a sort of situation reflective of what happened before the first coup. 

I don’t know what version you heard, but in the end, we had to meet in Benin, me and all the governors at the time to discuss the Aburi agreement and put it in the true context. We invited Ojukwu to be there but he did not come. The only thing I included, which probably made him not to accept it, was that there was no chance for any part of the country to secede without the agreement of two-third of the members of the group.  But as soon as we left, Ejoor told me that Ojukwu came to find out what it was.

You presided over Nigeria when the economy of the country was very good. Would you say you used the money judiciously? How do you reconcile the story that you left penniless when your government was overthrown?

I left penniless? But Mr Goodheart, the British parliamentarian, said that when I was leaving Nigeria, I took half of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Yes, we had a lot of money. During the civil war, we made sure that we did not destroy any of the facilities. We did whatever we could not to damage our oil infrastructure. So, soon after the civil war, they were able to come back and we were able to have a reasonable amount of money. And I can tell you in all honesty that there was discipline in my government. I can tell you that any fund I ever held as head of state was roughly 83,000pounds. That was before we changed to the naira for security reasons. I was forced to do it for the sake of Nigeria.

All we did was in the public interest. I know I was accused of helping certain countries like Grenada, Barbados, but we did the same thing in West Africa too. We helped as much as we could, even at home.

I can say with absolute authority that I may not have anything today, but honestly, at least I have a clear conscience. I thank Idi Amin and Eyadema for the help they gave me to have money to start off with. 

You had hints that you were going to be overthrown but you didn’t do anything about it; why?

Who said I didn’t do anything about it? When I was told by the security details that something like that was going to happen, the only two names I was given were people who were supposed to be very close to me – my commander, brigade of guards, Joe Garba and Tony Ochefu. Both of them were from my state, Benue-Plateau. Of course I had to be suspicious of those two names. They were from my state and also Christians, so I could not absolutely believe it. I tried to get Ochefu but could not despite every effort I made. And Joe Garba swore by heaven and earth.

These were people who had helped me to ensure that the country was one; those I trusted. I had to go to Kampala for a meeting. I was the one who made sure that the meeting of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was attended by most of the countries so that we could deal with the problem of Africa. As chairman of the OAU, I encouraged most leaders to come so that we could discuss the remaining colonial problem in Africa. We tried to do that and people attended. 

I was discussing with the governor that accompanied me to Kampala, the commissioner of police, Farouk Usman, that if the coup happened, as far as I was concerned, it would not create any problem. As far as I was concerned, we would see what happened. My hope was that if God preserved us and we were able to make the 10th year, I would have probably done something about coups and countercoups in Nigeria. That was my prayer. 

Usually, I never attended any meeting late, but Mobutu wanted to see me. I am sure he must have heard about the coup already. I got to the conference late, and as I entered, Idi Amin, who was was the chairman, called me. Mr Mbo, a Cameroonian, the head of the education sector, United Nations education, was giving his speech.

When I went to Idi Amin, he showed me a Reuters slip and I saw the news that my government was overthrown. I said I hadn’t heard anything. My high commission had not contacted me to tell me anything, so probably that might be a rumour.  Soon after, when that was being done, I was whispering to Farouk that the issue we were discussing on the flight to Kampala and what we were afraid of had happened, but he didn’t quite get it. I didn’t seem to be worried at all, but you could see the worry in Farouk’s face. 

That event almost killed the OAU meeting because others started going back. So, I left the meeting place and went to my hotel, and later on to exercise and play some tennis. Honestly, my interest was that Nigeria should continue. 

The following day, I had to give a world press conference. I remembered that during my school days at Barewa College in Zaria, we read Shakespeare, who said, “The world is a stage and all the men and women are merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.”

I didn’t go beyond that because if I did, some of you press people would say he wanted to come back. When I got to that,I said, “Ladies and gentlemen of the press, this is my exit and all I want you to do is to give Nigeria the support you gave me in order that the country will progress. That was that.

I went to the United Kingdom to become a student, which they didn’t like because I was taking my tray to get my breakfast.

When I came back and we were going through all the crises, since I could not physically do anything, we formed an organisation called Nigeria Prays, to pray for peace, stability and well-being of Nigeria. Every Nigerian means something to me, so I thought we needed to pray to God to help us. 

What is happening in Nigeria today would make you feel sad, but let us not give up in praying and making sure we believe in God. 

If you remember, we had a development plan. We started the iron and steel company in Ajaokuta, the petrochemicals in Enugu and the LNG. I was to sign the memorandum of understanding for the LNG to start building four times the size of what was there. We had lots of development – things like Peugeot in Kaduna, and Volkswagen was supposed to be in Lagos, then of course, Steyr in Bauchi, Leylands in Ibadan; and I think Volkswagen in Enugu.

Looking at the situation in Nigeria, what is your advice to the current administration? 

Every government that comes has a responsibility to make the country good for every citizen and every part of the country.

Another international break is over.

Fans are beginning to dread the two-week lull in club football. Apart from the boring fixtures, there is the risk of injuries.

In the case of Nigerian supporters, they watched in horror, as the Super Eagles were held hostage in Libya.

The Group D second leg clash was called off by the Confederation of African Football, CAF, after Libyan authorities diverted the Eagles’ flight to a remote airport. For over 18 hours, they were denied food, water and Internet access.

All this amid the talk of the effects of the increasingly hectic schedule for footballers.

“I think the thing that makes every international break feel like too much is what has come before and will come after,” Clinton McDubus, a top football analyst and podcaster, tells DAILY POST.

“Right from the November/December World Cup in 2022, the fixture line-up has gotten crazier.

“With an expanded FIFA Club World Cup next year and an expanded FIFA World Cup in 2026 – following all the national team tournaments in different confederations this year – it just feels like too much on the players.

“With the Nations League making these breaks, which used to be merely for friendlies, more competitive, the toll on players is more.

“Teams have to play their best legs and the games themselves require more effort from players, since they are competitive games against teams of comparative strength, with consequences linked to tournament qualifications.”

Interestingly, this is not the last international break of 2024.

The third one for the new season will be between November 11 and 19 – less than a month away.

McDubus adds: “I think it’s going to keep taking a toll on players.

“All the travelling and the games are more competitive.

“Ultimately, it might lead to more injuries, a more underwhelming end to the season and forgettable summer tournaments.

“The biggest concern, though, is injuries. We can see them happening every week now. It’s going to get worse by next month’s international break.”

A few players have come out to threaten going on strike.

But McDubus feels that will not be as straightforward as it sounds.

He said: “Considering they have contracts at least at club level, I don’t see how it’s possible, legally.

“But we will see if there’s a loophole that allows them to take collective action. I think it’s unlikely.

“At best, we’ll see more pressure from them through FIFPro, possibly an individual or entirety taking FIFA to court over it.”

There has however been talk of a possible reluctance of clubs to release African players, especially, after the Super Eagles ordeal in Libya.

McDubus noted that “Per FIFA rules, they cannot hold a player back from call-ups.

“The only thing they can do is to pressure players to not honour certain call-ups, which might even affect their relationship with said players.”

[DailyPost]

•Say, many people on the streets are walking corpses
•Can’t bear the hardship for 15 years
•FG’s reforms harsh, elitist, unsustainable — Professor Uremadu
•World Bank advice misguided, insulting to millions of Nigerians — ActionAid

Last Tuesday, October 15, 2024, Nigerians got the shock of their lives even as they grappled with hunger and pains occasioned by government policies. The World Bank Senior Vice President, Indermit Gill, declared in Abuja that it would take at least 10 or 15 years for President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms to transform the economy and advised the Federal Government not to waive but continue with the reforms in the said years ahead.

In his special remarks at the Nigeria Economic Summit, the World Bank official said among others that the “oil wealth that should be used for the welfare of all Nigerians, has for too long been used to benefit just the elites. The elites are also being hurt by these reforms that started last year, but they have done very well in the past, and they have built big buffers.

The ordinary Nigerians are being hurt even more, and they were hurt much more by the policies of the past. Nigeria will need to stay the course for at least another 10 or 15 years to transform this economy. It’s very difficult to do these things but the rewards are massive.”

This advice from the World Bank has provoked many Nigerians who rejected it. Nigerians from different strata of life have therefore warned President Bola Tinubu that he would face the threat of implosion by angry citizens should the Federal Government go ahead with the World Bank’s advice to sustain the prevailing stinging reforms for the next 10 to 15 years. They urged President Tinubu to ignore the World Bank, saying there was experiential evidence worldwide, including Nigeria, that the financial institution was not delivering the sustained economic growth, prosperity, and better standards of life it promised with its package.

Nigeria on the throes of catastrophic collapse – Prof Ochonu

A Nigerian academic, historian, author, and professor of African History at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America, Prof. Moses Ochonu, asserted: “We may be on the throes of an implosion, a showdown between suffering Nigerians and their rapacious and unfeeling leaders. The 10-15-year timeline of sustained hardship suggested by the World Bank is humanly impossible to bear or adapt to.

It may come down to a choice between predictable, defeatist death by hunger and heroic death by mass social upheaval, and I warn that it is not too late for Tinubu and his people to defuse the ticking incendiary device of hardship they have cultivated, incubated, and unleashed on Nigerians.

They can still change course and remove the impossible choice of death by hardship and death by uprising. Any people, no matter how resilient and creatively adaptable they may be, have their limits. People are not machines, even machines break down when subjected to stress and tension over a long period.

The World Bank is notorious for prescribing a self-annihilating path of economic reforms to developing countries whose leaders depend on loans to support budgets that are largely mismanaged projects. This pattern of subservience and dependence emboldens the World Bank to recommend harmful reforms to our leaders. The World Bank, we should remember, is a distant hegemonic player with no empathy for Nigerians.

Its only interest is to push for so-called reforms and adjustments that fulfil the ideological fantasies of its Western funders and principals. Past Nigerian presidents since 1999 and even before proved themselves pliable, to various degrees, to the World Bank’s manipulative influence and allowed the institution to influence some aspects of their fiscal, economic, and monetary policies. Sadly, President Tinubu has taken this to unheard-of levels. He has essentially outsourced every facet of his government’s economic policy to the World Bank and its neo-liberal agenda of stripping the poor of subsidies, cushions, and state-funded opportunities to increase the pool of revenue available to political elites and to repay dubious multilateral loans.

Tinubu is the most World Bank-compliant president we have ever had—no question about it. His devotion to the World Bank reform orthodoxy is uncritical and total, and he is blinded to the contradiction in the World Bank’s rhetoric on Nigeria. As long as the World Bank praises their action and they have access to World Bank financial facilities, Tinubu, and his economic team will continue to allow the World Bank people to have it both ways and escape the scrutiny they deserve. The duplicity of the World Bank is numbing. It advances reforms that decimate the Nigerian middle class and intensify the precariousness of the poor, while at the same time claiming that it is not the reforms that are deepening poverty and hardship.

World Bank’s advice not only unacceptable but inhumane — ActionAid

ActionAid Nigeria, AAN, in a reaction by its Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, said: “The recent statement made by the World Bank Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, Mr. Indermit Gill at the 30th Nigerian Economic Summit (NES30) in Abuja urging the Nigerian government to sustain its current economic reforms for the next 10-15 years with no clear plans on how it will cater for the people is misguided and insulting to the millions of Nigerians living through unprecedented economic hardship.

This call assumes that continuity and persistence in these policies will yield transformative results, but the evidence tells otherwise. While long-term reform is important, the strategies proposed by the World Bank seem disconnected from the immediate socio-economic realities of Nigeria, especially regarding poverty, weak institutional capacity, and structural economic deficiencies. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have been deeply involved in Nigeria’s economy for decades, pushing policies that have done far more harm than good.

The Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) introduced in the late 1980s remains one of the most devastating legacies of this relationship. It crippled our local industries, especially the textile sector, and opened the floodgates for Nigeria to become heavily dependent on imported goods. Before the SAP, Nigeria’s textile industry was a vibrant hub employing hundreds of thousands of workers.

While the World Bank celebrates the unification of Nigeria’s exchange rate as the most effective in 20 years, it has led to severe hardship for citizens, driving inflation to a 28-year high. Additionally, the sudden removal of fuel subsidies without robust compensatory mechanisms has further eroded household incomes. These reforms disproportionately affect Nigeria’s poorest, pushing the country deeper into poverty while global financial institutions and foreign investors reap the benefits of Nigeria’s open economy.
“It is not only unacceptable but inhumane to ask Nigerians to endure 15 more years of suffering in the name of reforms that have historically failed us.

Millions of Nigerians can barely afford food, fuel, or basic services today. Asking them to wait for over a decade for things to get better is an affront to their dignity and a reckless gamble with the nation’s future. The question is, how many Nigerians will be alive till then to reap the benefits of these reforms, what does the future hold for our children who are currently feeling the brunt of the hardship, will there still be hope for them in 15 years’ time?

“Nigerians cannot and will not wait for 15 years for economic policies that will continually inflict hardship. The people of this nation deserve urgent action, not promises of long-term recovery. Every passing day under the weight of these reforms pushes more citizens into extreme poverty and despair.
“We demand that the government rethinks its blind allegiance to the World Bank’s economic blueprint and starts prioritizing the welfare of its people.

“The government must reject the idea that growth must come at the expense of human lives and begin to invest meaningfully in local industries, small businesses, and sustainable economic models that empower Nigerians rather than enslave them. The government must impartially fight one of the root causes of this hardship which is corruption starting with the NNPC as they are at the middle of corruption and responsible for the mismanagement of funds from recent reports of the $300 million ‘bailout funds collected from the Federal Government. Amongst all, accountability to the people must take precedence and reforms must be people-centered.”

Scheme to hold the nation hostage – Gbemre N-Delta activist

A Niger Delta activist, Zik Gbemre, who dismissed the World Bank’s advisory, said: “I do not agree with this, it is a conspiracy aimed at keeping Nigeria perpetually in bondage, in chains and handcuffs. We were told under Ibrahim Babangida’s military administration that if Nigeria devalued her currency, that would end poverty, but since then, Nigerian currency has been worthless. Nigeria’s problems are visible and we do not need a microscope to see them.

There are too many leakages in the public treasury, appointing people without capacity, and with worthless accumulated certificates and degrees/diplomas to head government parastatals and ministries/agencies. Nigeria needs sincere people. If all these wastages are stopped, credible people elected and appointed, Nigeria will overcome inflation, hardship, and poverty. Few individuals control the public treasury.”

An assembly of impostors — Prof Muoboghare

A Niger Delta leader and former Commissioner in Delta State, Prof Patrick Muoboghare, retorted: “The World Bank is an assemblage of first-world fraudsters braying upon the third-world and having her for a success dinner.”

They have taken our govt captive —Egi, activist

An activist, Engr. Mike Egi, added: “Nigerians have no choice, an agent of the World Bank and stooge of imperialism has kidnapped their government.”

It is provocative —West, Bayelsa CLO chair

The chairman of the Civil Liberties Organization, CLO, in Bayelsa State, Mr. David West, declared: “I disagree with the World Bank on its opinion to give President Bola Tinubu administration’s reforms another 10 to 15 years or that Nigerians should continue to endure this extraneous hardship for another 10 to 15 years. It is provoking as a matter of fact.

Nigerians are tired of exercising patience on this suffering. In Europe or elsewhere, the hardship is not equitable to what we are going through here in Nigeria. If what we are passing through happens in any of the European countries, I do not think they will condone it.

Let us not deceive ourselves, Nigerians cannot give the government another 10 years to endure further hardship. Therefore, the federal government should not rely on this postulation by the World Bank, they should abandon it and begin to see how they will bring Nigeria out from this terrible, excruciating, hunger, hardship, and poverty.”

Enemy of Nigeria – Akpan, activist

The Executive Director of COMPPART Foundation for Justice and Peace Building in Akwa Ibom State, Saviour Okon Akpan, said: “When groups like the World Bank give out such advice to countries like Nigeria, the first question I ask is: Is Nigeria an independent country? And to what extent can we exercise such independence? Secondly, from the advice of the World Bank, I have seen the institution as Nigeria’s enemy because if the World Bank is serious about reforms as it claims, it should have put its feet down and stop Nigeria from the menace of borrowing to loot and re-looting the recovered stolen funds.

The World Bank as far as I am concerned does not care about the lives of Nigerians, rather they are interested in protecting the economic interest of their owners through the weaponization of poverty at all fronts, not minding the effects. But what will be their gain by not allowing nations to operate their home-grown economic system within their needs, but based on what the World Bank wants? It is disheartening because our elected representatives, including the President, unfortunately, do not have a clear-cut blueprint and escape strategy to revive the economy.

It will be too touchy for Nigerians – Ovo, economist

Charles Oyo an economist who resides in Warri,, opined: “It is very likely those offering the advice to the federal government do so from the comfort of their air-conditioned offices and houses. They know Nigerians are going through the most severe hardship they have ever had since its creation in 1960. The eastern part of the country suffered more during the civil war no doubt, but as one entity, Nigerians have not had it this tough. The advice from the international agency could be the right step but the realities on the ground do not support it. It will be tough for Nigerians to bear.”

Ploy to keep us in perpetual penury —Professor Uremadu

Professor of Banking & Finance, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, MOUAU, Professor Sebastian Uremadu, described the advice by the World Bank Vice President as hypocritical and anti-people.

Prof. Uremadu said Tinubu’s policies are elitist, retrogressive and unsustainable, regretting that they have rather brought pain on Nigerians. He said: “God forbid such unsolicited advice. In fact, it’s no advice but a prescription of the World Bank to keep us in perpetual penury. Nigerians are already walking corpses. From May 2023 when he unilaterally removed fuel subsidy, things went awry. Fuel subsidy affects everything, once the transportation cost goes up, it can’t come down. There is insecurity everywhere, farmers can’t go to farm again and there’s hunger everywhere.

Tinubu should restore fuel subsidy, no country exists without one form of subsidy or the other. Even America subsidies for her farmers. The President’s policies on taxation are hurting and should not be sustained. Many multinationals are pulling out of Nigeria and even local companies are folding up because they can no longer cope. When you have multiple taxation you are imposing a heavy burden on the people because they are the ones that will eventually pay the tax. So, for me, the World Bank advice is bad. It’s not in the best interest of Nigerians, the people are finding life difficult, we can’t sustain Tinubu’s reforms “ .

Nothing wrong with Tinubu reforms — Ambakederimo, S-South leader

Convener of the South-South Reawakening Group, Elder Joseph Ambakederimo, who differed in his view, said: “Often, we have managed the Nigerian economy in an ad-hoc manner with no one leader willing to take some hard decisions that will pivot the country towards sustainability. The quick-fix measure that we have tried many times was to keep postponing the evil day. President Bola Tinubu’s economic elixir for the country is looking bad for the people with everyone shouting and even asking for the reversal of the reforms until the World Bank President spoke in favour of the reforms, asking us to allow it go through for another ten years or more before we begin to see the results.

We should support the reforms and allow them to take their full course, which should be a one-off pain. The fact that the oil wealth has benefited a tiny majority of Nigerians is no news, but the question is how do we turn the narrative around for the good of the people.

This is where the problem lies because mismanagement and misapplication of resources have become rife. The oil wealth is held down by a few with the majority sulking with very little or nothing, therefore, we must strive to ensure that violators of the management of our common patrimony are punished. This is the only way we can have some respite.”

World Bank not after our interest, should be ignored — COSEYL

President General of COSEYL, Comrade Goolldluck Ibem said: “The activities and advice of World Bank before now have shown that it is an organization that is not interested in the welfare of African countries but rather only interested in advancing her objectives and goals while pretending to care for the country they are advising. The World Bank is the reason the naira is on its knees today. Its advice to the former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida to implement the Structural Adjustment Programme, SAP, led to the galloping devaluation of the naira. Since then, we have not recovered from that huge mistake. President Bola Tinubu should ignore any advice from the World Bank. Any President who wants to succeed must prioritize the interest of his people above any interest from any quarters.”

Rev. Joseph John Hayab, former CAN Chairman, of Kaduna state, said

“Many visiting world Bank chiefs love making anti-people statements whenever they come to Nigeria. Nigerians have not quickly forgotten the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) of the Babangida era, which also came from advice from some international monetary organisations that pushed the country into a poor economic state. These world bodies always advise our leaders to introduce policies that will not yield any positive results. The World Bank and other international groups cannot give leaders of European countries and the USA any economic advice that will make their citizens suffer because they know every responsible government puts its citizens first in every decision and action. Some of their statements do not show respect for our citizens, instead, they are taking our patience for granted and misleading our leaders. I will therefore advise President Tinubu to know that he is the President of many hungry Nigerians and he should find an urgent solution to the acute hunger and poverty in the land. Any economic policy or international advice that will not address hunger, poverty and lift up the standard of living of the common men and women should be discarded. The World Bank and all other international monetary agencies should only advise our government on how to reduce poverty and the gap between the rich and the poor. They must not help to increase the hardship our citizens are facing already which may push the citizens to revolt”.

Suleiman Abdul-Aziz, spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), said

“I think while the World Bank’s advice to sustain the Tinubu reforms may have merit, it is essential to ensure that these reforms benefit all Nigerians and address the current hardships faced by the population. The government must prioritize the welfare of the people and implement policies that promote inclusive growth and development. Nigerians should not have to bear the burden of economic reforms alone; it is the responsibility of the government and international institutions to ensure that the benefits of these reforms are felt by all.

Anthony N Z Sani, former Secretary General of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF):

“Though I know that socioeconomic development which reduces ignorance, poverty and unemployment are not matters of a day’s job, I do not have any alternative course of action beside to suggest that Nigerians have to produce what they need and want, especially when regard is paid to the dwindling fortune of oil as our main source of revenue. Both the volume of oil we produce and the prices which enable Nigerians to consume without production are going down.

Instead of using savings from the withdrawal of subsidies for palliatives which do not go around 10% of the population, it is more productive and helpful to use it for improvement of productivity.”

[]Vanguard]

I am a proud Nigerian and a proud African. I am also a philanthropist and entrepreneur—and I have seen firsthand that to effectively tackle climate change within the African context, from Egypt to Nigeria to South Africa, we must look to the people it impacts.

Too often our businesses have not created value on our continent or traded commodities for short-term profit, not long-term investment. Fostering entrepreneurship, sustaining young entrepreneurs, who will grow businesses and create sustainable employment, is a crucial pathway to achieving long-term climate solutions.

In 2010, my wife and I had an idea. Concerned with escalating poverty, we founded the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) and committed $100 million to identify, mentor, and fund young African entrepreneurs—young people with brilliant ideas and the drive to tackle the continent’s most pressing challenges. They lacked capital, connections, and mentors. They lacked luck. We wanted to change that. It was a bold bet aimed at empowering Africa’s most vulnerable and populous demographic, encouraging them to create their own wealth, rather than relying on aid. And the bet paid off.

Since its inception, the foundation has empowered 20,000 entrepreneurs across 54 African countries, who have created 400,000 direct and indirect jobs and generated over $2.3 billion in revenue. We have provided access to business training to more than 1.5 million young people.

Given the scale of the task, we partner with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the European Union (EU), and other partners to deepen our reach and impact. We provide funding, mentorship, business training, and advocacy support to entrepreneurs—specifically, in fragile regions, conflict zones, and underserved communities.

Together, we address challenges like youth unemployment, poverty, and insurgency through entrepreneurship. In 2022, we partnered with UNICEF Generation Unlimited (GenU) and IKEA Foundation, to launch a Green Entrepreneurship Program that empowers youth whose businesses address the triple planetary crisis. Of the 20,000 young men and women entrepreneurs that TEF has empowered, more than 500 are directly or indirectly solving challenges related to climate change, and over a third (35%) working in the agricultural sector.

By empowering young people, we are establishing a dynamic engine that drives economic growth and development across the continent. These entrepreneurs also become vital pillars of support within their communities. They are not only creating essential jobs and income, but also uplifting families and breaking the cycle of poverty. And now, more than ever, is the time to bring a climate-lens to this entrepreneurship.

Africa is warming more quickly than the rest of the world. By 2030, an estimated 118 million Africans are projected to face drought, and rising sea levels threaten coastal regions, potentially displacing millions. Climate change is impeding access to basic necessities: water, power, food, and education. But these challenges also offer extraordinary opportunities for those with an entrepreneurial mindset to tackle climate change, while simultaneously creating significant economic value.

For instance, how can we enhance the sustainability of smallholder farmers, which comprise 80% of all farms in sub-Saharan Africa and employ 60% of the continent’s workforce? What strategies can be employed by African nations with vast forests—such as Gabon, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, and Congo—to effectively leverage these critical carbon sinks?

To unlock the full potential of green solutions in Africa, we must nurture entrepreneurship—and this cannot be achieved by governments alone. We need to integrate government incentive schemes, with the opportunities presented by the private sector. It is imperative that we unite philanthropies, policymakers, and businesses. I refer to this movement as “Africapitalism”—a call for partnership led by the private sector, focused on fostering prosperity for all.

Global warming is not an inevitable fate. Entrepreneurs are inherently problem solvers; they possess the curiosity to explore opportunities and challenges, the creativity to devise innovative solutions, and the determination to transform obstacles into successes. Youth entrepreneurship can be a solution to averting the looming crisis of climate impact. It’s time to harness this power.

I would like to begin by referencing Edward Gibbon’s “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.” While Gibbon identified several causes, including Christianity, the key takeaway is that, in his view, the fall of Rome was not due to a single event but rather a long, gradual process involving both internal and external factors over several centuries.

On the foundation of Christianity, specifically through Catholicism, Christ promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against the Church. Over the centuries, the Church has fought valiantly against external forces that sought to destroy Christianity. The irony, however, is that today, it faces destruction from within. The Church, being led by fallible human beings subject to the sins of Adam, has experienced significant challenges throughout its history, notably the Great Schism of 1054 and the Protestant Reformation of 1517. While some may argue that these challenges, resulting in a multiplicity of faiths, introduced healthy competition, from objective and historical perspective, such divisions have inflicted considerable harm on the body of Christ.

When I write about divisions in Christianity, it is often with a heavy heart. You may not fully grasp the depth of my feelings until you readUt Unum Sint” (“That They May Be One”). “Ut Unum Sint” focuses on the importance of Christian unity and ecumenism, reaffirming the Catholic Church’s commitment to dialogue with other Christian denominations in the pursuit of unity.

Today, the Church’s major challenge is Pentecostalism. Characterised by emotional appeals that leave its followers captive and unthinking, many Pentecostal groups resort to all manner of questionable practices to sustain their growth. One pastor in Warri was seen engaging in a spiritual duel with a “Haba” priest from Agulu. The “Haba” priest later admitted to a friend that he had been paid to stage the drama. Is this what Pentecostalism offers to the body of Christ?

Perhaps the most disturbing of these practices is the staging of so-called miracles. Even figures like the comedic Odumeje have claimed to raise the dead.

When pastors boast of drinking tea with God, controlling the weather, or causing roads to widen miraculously to allow them passage, they not only display early signs of delusion but also bring Christianity into ridicule. While they may attract the gullible masses, including some captains of industry, who unfortunately form the majority, they simultaneously provoke thoughtful individuals to question the very foundation of their faith. Such deception is one of the reasons many are now preaching a return to the roots, seeing nothing but lies in what these preachers offer.

They are busy reducing Christianity to an egregious call for tithes. Rather than boast of the souls and territories they have converted, as the orthodox churches do, they boast about their fat bank accounts, perquisites, and the number of private jets they own. They are even corrupting some in orthodox churches who now see founding ministries within their churches, devoid of established controls, as an open sesame to wealth and renown. This cannot be Christianity!

The current challenges facing Christianity, particularly with the rise of manipulative practices in Pentecostal circles, serve as a stark reminder of the need for discernment and authenticity in faith. The history of the Church is one of resilience, surviving schisms, reforms, and doctrinal challenges. Yet, the core of Christianity—its truth, love, and teachings—must remain uncompromised. True faith cannot be sustained on emotional manipulation or deceit; rather, it thrives on genuine spiritual growth, intellectual engagement, and a return to the authentic teachings of Christ. As Christians, we must guard against these distortions, ensuring that our beliefs remain rooted in truth and are not swayed by the allure of sensationalism.

And what happens? The deluded, always ready to engage anyone who questions their pastors, will undoubtedly come forward like mosquitoes, to buzz irritatingly in my ears. In the face of obvious truth, meant to salvage Christianity, all they will offer in defence is accusation of fanaticism, intolerance, jealousy, and other predictable catchphrases.