The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has advised the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to increase oil production in order to take part in the $14 trillion investment opportunity in the global oil market in the nearest future.

According to the Secretary General of OPEC, Haitham Al-Ghais, around $14trillion in investments will be required by the year 2035 to fulfill global demand for energy, even in the face of increasing pushback against oil and gas across the globe.

Al-Ghais made this disclosure during a visit on Wednesday to the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Mr. Mele Kyari, at the NNPC Towers in Abuja.

A statement by the NNPCL spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, revealed that OPEC agreed with NNPCL’s view of broad-minded perspective on energy, opposing the perspective being advocated in some quarters that consider certain energy sources as adverse.

The statement read in part: “Furthermore, the Secretary General of OPEC noted that the oil bloc is striving to ensure market stability, adding that only through a stable market climate can Nigeria attract investment.

“We will continue to ensure that the market is stable. The global market has to be stable in order for Nigeria to be able to attract investors. If there’s volatility, if there’s no stability in the market, it will only create havoc for everybody, whether it’s a producer or consumer country. So, we will continue to do that in OPEC. We count on Nigeria’s support.”

On his part, Kyari said NNPCL was working very hard to recover lost production and provide the right fiscal environment to attract investments.

Despite achieving the highest figures of oil production at 1.6 million bpd earlier this year, Nigeria is still falling short of its 1.8 million bpd quota set by OPEC.

Nigerian citizens have heard promises from major stakeholders like NNPCL and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources that the country will increase its oil production to meet the quota.

However, numerous challenges continue to hinder crude oil production within the country.

One of the major problems is crude oil theft. The Federal Government is collaborating with NNPCL, security agencies, and third-party security organisations like Tantita Security Limited to combat the menace.

Despite efforts, the problem of crude oil theft persists and keeps evolving with new dimensions emerging daily.

It is crucial to note that, despite plans by the Tinubu administration to transition to natural gas for various applications such as industrialization, transportation, clean cooking, and fertilizer production, gas supply remains unavailable due to crude oil theft.

On a weekly basis, NNPCL records hundreds of crude oil theft incidents across the Niger Delta.

These incidents encompass illegal connections, illegal refineries, vessel arrests, and vessel AIS infractions.

[Leadership]

Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District and Chief Whip on the Senate, Ali Ndume on Wednesday disclosed that plans were afoot to provide strict sanction against the rejection of people living with disabilities.

This, he said, would be done through amendment of laws establishing the National Commission for Persons with Disability.

Speaking on Wednesday, when the FCT Para-soccer Team honoured him with an award in Abuja the lawmaker lamented the discrimination and refusal of some Ministries, Departments and Agencies to engage persons living with disabilities.

He said, persons living with disabilities with relevant qualifications in their field of study should be employed to contribute their quota to the system.

He said: “This is the Para-soccer team of the FCT. They want to honour me. We’ve been supporting people with disabilities. These people have families and they have made us proud. They’ve won laurels for Nigeria. This team was founded over 30 years ago.

“I want to donate N1 million to support FCT Para-soccer. I’ll arrange for you to meet the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. He will give you all the support.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu believes in his Renewed Hope Agenda. We’ll have the national event in a grandeur manner and all major political leaders will be there. We can arrange that this year. This year will be a year of Renewed Hope for every Nigerian.

“We’ll make it mandatory for every MDA of the government to employ people with disabilities. They’ll be placed in offices and respected, become chief executives of such government agencies, and permanent secretaries. We’ve had a disabled senator who was the Chief Whip.”

[DailyPost]

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has instituted two separate judicial commissions of inquiry to probe the management of the state’s resources and assets under his predecessor, Samuel Ortom’s administration.

Alia charged the two commissions of inquiry, which he inaugurated on Monday night, to scrutinize the former administration between 2015 and 2023.

He urged the two panels—the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Income and Expenditure of Benue State Government (from May 29, 2015, to May 28, 2023) and the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Sale/Lease of Government Assets, Companies and Markets (both state and local government-owned markets), as well as Moribund Companies (from or before May 28, 2015, to May 28, 2023)—to do a thorough job.

The governor explained that the setting up of the two commissions of inquiry to look into the activities of the outgone administration has become necessary in response to the desire of the people of the state, who are the major stakeholders and owners of the resources.

In their separate responses, the Chairman of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Income and Expenditure of the Benue State Government 2015-2023, Justice Taiwo Taiwo (rtd), assured that they would do a thorough job within the space of time available to them in line with their terms of reference.

Also, the Chairman of the Judicial Commission on Sale/Lease of Government Assets, Companies, and Markets, Justice Apollos Paul Idi (rtd), expressed readiness to work in line with the terms of reference given to them and come up with recommendations that would help the government move the state forward.

The Commission of Inquiry on the Income and Expenditure of Government Funds from May 2015 to May 2023 has Chief John Ochoga, Henry Tor, Tom Ujah, Ode Igbade Nick, Iorpenda Tarnguhar, and Terfa Gbande as members, while Barr. Ajinge Sar and Dr. Abraham Gberindyer are to serve as government counsel and secretary, respectively.

The Commission of Inquiry on the Sale of Assets, Companies and Markets from 2015 to 2023 has Clement Nenge Beetse, John Ogah, Dr. Terungwa Adzende, and Hon. Abraham Atotse as members, while Victor Nyamtamen (Esq.) and John Edigbo serve as government council and secretary, respectively.

Meanwhile, Ortom has said he welcomed the inauguration of the two judicial commissions by his successor to probe the activities of his administration between 2015 and 2023.

The former governor, through his media aide, Terver Akase, on Tuesday expressed willingness to cooperate with the probe panels as long as the investigation is carried out in line with the law.

Ortom stressed that his administration was built on transparency, accountability, and good governance as he emphasized his readiness to provide any information or clarification as may be required, urging his former appointees to equally make themselves available whenever called upon to provide clarifications.

The Senate has constituted a nine-man committee to investigate the N30 trillion Ways and Means advances the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) extended to the federal government.

Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary, announced Senator Jibrin Isah (Kogi East) as chairman of the panel during Tuesday’s sitting.

The Red Chamber had, last week, resolved to probe how the loan was used after adopting the report of its joint Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, Finance, National Planning, Agriculture and Appropriations.

The Ways and Means is a loan facility the CBN gives the federal government to fund budget shortfalls.

The loan facility has been a subject of controversy, with experts expressing concern that CBN had exceeded its lending threshold to the federal government, against extant laws.

Barau, in his remark before announcing membership of the committee, said the excessive borrowing caused inflation in the country.

He said: ““The financial obligation to the CBN now stands at N30 trillion. It is therefore imperative to interrogate the loans of the N30 trillion Ways and Means with a possibility of recovering whatever possible.”

Other members of the ad hoc committee are: Ekpeyong Asuquo, Mohammed Tahir Monguno, Victor Umeh, Olamilekan Adeola, Sani Mohammed Musa, Aliyu Wadada, Abdul Ningi and Ipalibo Banigo Harry.

They were given four weeks to turn in their report for further legislative action.

The Senate on Wednesday, February 28, approved President Bola Tinubu’s request for the removal of Babatunde Irukera as Chief Executive/Vice-Chairman of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).

Tinubu had on Monday, January 9, sacked both the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Alex Okoh, and the Executive Vice-Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Babatunde Irukera with immediate effect.

The resolution of the red chamber followed its consideration and adoption of a motion to that effect moved by the Senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC-Ekiti Central) that “the Senate do consider the request of Mr. President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the removal of Chief Executive/Vice-Chairman of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) in accordance with Section 8(1)(bb) & (2) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission Act, 2018.

Senator Osita Ngwu (Enugu West) in his contribution, observed that Irukera had not completed his term of office before he was removed.

However, Senate President Godswill Akpabio in his response reminded him that it was not the duty of the Senate to question the president’s nomination or removal of persons in official positions, but to either approve or reject it.

Senators approved President Tinubu’s removal of Irukera when Akpabio put the matter to voice vote.

[TheNation]

The Nigerian Communications Commission has reiterated its directive to telecom operators to bar telephone subscribers not linked to their National Identification Numbers on or before February 28, 2024.

The Executive Vice Chairman, National Communication Commission,  Dr Aminu Maida, spoke at the NCC’s Special Day during the ongoing 45th Kaduna International Trade Fair on Wednesday.

Maida who was represented by Mr Reuben Mouka, NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, insisted that as a matter of critical national security, telecom consumers must link their NIN to their SIM.

He reaffirmed that the February 28th deadline given to telecom operators to bar subscribers who failed to link their NIN to SIM, stands. 

“To this end, the National Communication Commission has directed all telecommunication operators to bar phone lines of subscribers whose lines are not linked to their NINs on or before February 28, 2024,” he added.

This, the executive vice chairman said, was apt as the theme resonated with the principles and objectives of the commission in promoting local content development in the telecom industry.

Maida also said the NCC was committed to protecting consumers’ rights while ensuring their satisfaction and noting that the commission has created a universally acceptable environment to access “affordable and equitable service and supports the nation’s economic growth.”

For instance, he continued that the Telecom Consumer Assistance, Resolution and Enquiries (TELCARE) Desk at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Internatonal Airport Abuja The TELCARE desk was set up to further provide an additional platform to make enquiries on customer issues, receive and facilitate the resolution of telecom consumer complaints.

He explained that by “working together, we can create a more vibrant telecommunications industry that contributes significantly to the economic recovery and growth.”

According to him, as of 2023, the telecoms industry’s contribution to the nation’s GDP stood at 13.5% (Source – Nigerian Gross Domestic Product Report November 2023-A publication of the National Bureau of Statistics.

“Conversely, as we promote economic growth through the development of local content, we must also address the challenges faced by consumers and NCC is committed to protecting their rights while ensuring their satisfaction.

The NCC boss, therefore urged telecom firms to prioritize customer satisfaction and uphold the highest standards of service delivery, noting that the commission has implemented measures to safeguard the interests of consumers and businesses alike.

One such measure, he said, was the NCC’s directive on May 17, 2023, that all licensed Mobile Network Operators commence implementation of approved Harmonised Short Codes for providing services to Nigerian telecom consumers.

“The new initiative is enabling consumers using the over 224 million active mobile telephone lines in Nigeria to use the same codes to access services across all networks,” he added.

Meanwhile, the NCC boss disclosed that as of 2023, the telecoms industry’s contribution to the nation’s GDP stood at 13.5 per cent, according to the Nigerian Gross Domestic Product Report November 2023 – A publication of the National Bureau of Statistics.

[Punch]

JUSTICE Moore Abraham Aseimo Adumein is one of the eleven new Justices of the Supreme Court to be sworn-in today, February 26, 2024. Some who knew him, in his younger days, did not believe he would move to the bench, not to talk of climbing to the apex court.

This is because he was a very intelligent science student and mainly an environmentalist working in the Niger Delta, including as research assistant to his benefactor, Dr. B. Idoniboye-Obu, taking samples of polluted waters and soils, and helping villagers to build their cases for remediation and compensation.

He was a rights’ activist who wanted justice for the Nigerian nationalities, in what later became known as “resource control”. In those days, he and some of us, including Chief Alex Ekiotene and Reverend Dadikumo Odondiri, learnt at the feet of the great Niger Delta leader, Pa George Weikezie, whose home in Apapa, Lagos, was open to all.

Adumein was also very close to the Grand Old Man of Minority Rights in Nigeria, Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye. When the latter founded the Association of Mineral Producing Areas of Rivers State, AMPARS, to agitate for minority rights, as he had done during the 1957 Willinks Commission, Adumein was its youngest member and research officer.

The AMPARS agitation, amongst others, led to the June 25, 1992 establishment of the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission, OMPADEC, as a special intervention agency in Nigeria. OMPADEC transformed in 2000 into the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

Adumein, walking in the footsteps of his mentor, Chief Dappa-Biriye, became a national delegate of the National Republican Convention, NRC, one of the two parties decreed into existence by the Babangida regime. It was here he displayed what can be described as his ‘Audacity of Hope’.

The Babangida regime had proclaimed that it wanted to hand over to “New Breed Politicians” and a young Adumein stretched this when he decided to run for the national chairmanship of the party after it was zoned to the South. Incredibly, his candidacy gained traction. The media dubbed him ‘The Eaglet National Chairmanship Candidate’.

On the eve of the party’s national convention, the then Chief of Staff, Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, addressed the NRC caucus. Adumein was told that the regime was interested in Chief Tom Ikimi, whose candidacy had been declared. He was asked to step down and that he would be compensated. He agreed to step down but said he was not interested in any compensation. Perhaps, the regime did not believe him, because early in the morning of the convention, the secret police took over his hotel room.

They had come to ‘escort’ him to the convention venue. Three of the men remained inside his room, while he took his bath and dressed. The armed men took him straight to the convention stage where shouts of “Rivers! Rivers!! Rivers!!!”, as he was known amongst delegates, rented the air. He announced that he was stepping down, and raised the hand of Chief Ikimi, who was later elected party national chairman along with other candidates on Adumein’s list.

He was part of the movement that agitated for the creation of a new state out of Rivers State. When Bayelsa State was eventually created on October 1, 1996, he was consulted to be the pioneer Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice. But that was not to be.

In 2002, he was appointed a High Court Judge in Bayelsa State and, in 2010, elevated to the Court of Appeal where he served in several Divisions and became the Presiding Justice, first of Ibadan Division and, later, Yola Division.

The Court of Appeal, with Adumein presiding, and Justices Gyarazama Sanga Bitrus and Ganiyu Lateef Adebayo as Justices, on November 17, 2023, upheld the nullification of Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf’s election. The main basis was that Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP– the political party that purportedly sponsored him contrary to Section 177(c) of the Constitution. Adumein held that: “A person must be a member of a political party before he can be sponsored for an election. Sponsorship without membership is like putting something on nothing.”

The ruling turned controversial when the certified true copy was contrary, obviously the result of a mix up. There was an instant media trial of the Justices, even without hearing from them or giving them the benefit of the doubt. Things got as ridiculous as some lawyers petitioning the United Nations! The Court’s Chief Registrar, in reaction, explained it was a mistake and that “Order 23 Rule 4 of the Court of Appeal Hand Book” empowers the court to correct such errors.

The subsequent Supreme Court decision on the Kano State case, raised more questions than answers. It might go the way of the controversial 1979 “Twelve Two-thirds” judgement that cannot be cited as a judicial precedent.

As if he had premonition of what was to happen in his last days on the Court of Appeal bench, Adumein, in 2012, held in the case of Sijuade v. Oyewole that: “A tribunal or court is not a science laboratory where facts, issues and matters can be tried, tested and resolved with scientific certainty or exactitude…Courts only apply the test of ‘a reasonable man’ which is prone to human errors. Even in a scientific test, errors are not completely eliminated or ruled out…That Judges are fallible is a matter of ancient acclamation and acknowledgement… Judges will continue to acknowledge their fallibility, as only God is omniscient and infallible.”

Upon being called to the Bar, and after his National Youth Service, Adumein was the pioneer junior legal practitioner in the well-known law firm of E. C. Ukala & Co. (Efe Chambers), Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he was groomed under the tutelage of Emmanuel C. Ukala, SAN.

Some years ago, Adumein told me in an emotion-laden voice that he went from the back waters of environmentally-degraded Rivers to the rough life of Ajegunle(Jungle City) in Lagos; through the hardship he endured in Warri and Port Harcourt, he found himself under the glittering lights of Hong Kong doing post-graduate studies, he could not but marvel at God’s hand in his life.

Justice Adumein is a survivalist having been knocked down many times, but each time, like a great boxer, he rises from the canvas to continue fighting; he never gives up.

In an inspiring turn of events, Super Eagles sensation, Victor Osimhen, has extended a generous gift of N2.5 million to a young boy who captured hearts by emulating the football star’s skills and appearance.

The boy, who donned a mask reminiscent of Osimhen’s, became an internet sensation after a video showcasing his football talents went viral.

The clip, which featured the young fan skillfully mimicking Osimhen’s football prowess, was initially shared by popular Instagram blogger, Tunde Ednut, on Tuesday.

It wasn’t long before the video caught the attention of Osimhen himself, who was moved by the boy’s admiration and talent.

Eager to connect with his young fan, Osimhen reached out to Ednut, requesting assistance to locate the boy.

Through the collaborative efforts of Ednut and content creator, Eriq Morak, the search extended beyond Nigeria’s borders, eventually finding the boy in Ivory Coast.

Osimhen’s generous gesture highlights the football star’s commitment to giving back to the community and supporting young talents who look up to him.

Giving an update, Ednut wrote, “I initially thought this little man was Nigerian. You won’t believe we found him in Ivory Coast.

“#eriqmorak found him. He lives in Ivory Coast. I couldn’t see his message, so he reached out to #ogb recently_ and OGB messaged me. I spoke to the family briefly to make sure it was the boy.”

Osimhen then reached out and gifted the money to the boy, eliciting gratitude from his family, who shared a video thanking the footballer for his generosity.

Watch the video below:

The house of representatives has thrown out a bill that sought to make it compulsory for presidential and governorship candidates to secure more than 50 percent of the total votes cast, to be declared winners. 

The bill seeking to change the current simple majority system of electing the president and governors, suffered a setback on the floor of the green chamber on Wednesday.

Sponsored by Awaji–Inombek Abiante, a lawmaker from Rivers, the bill sought to make it mandatory for a presidential candidate to be declared winner only if he or she scores more than half of the total votes cast, where there are more than two candidates in the contest.

WHAT THE CONSTITUTION SAYS

According to the constitution, to win the presidential election, a candidate needs to obtain 25 percent of the votes in at least two-thirds of the 36 states and the federal capital territory (FCT), along with an overall simple majority. 

If a candidate fails to meet both requirements, a run-off occurs between the candidate with the highest vote count and the candidate with the most votes across most states.

Section 134 (1) of the constitution states that a “candidate for an election to the office of President shall be deemed to have been duly elected, where, there being only two candidates for the election:

“(a) he has the majority of votes cast at the election; and

“(b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

“(2) A candidate for an election to the office of President shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being more than two candidates for the election:

“(a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and

“(b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”

Section 134 also stipulates same for governorship candidates.

THE NAYS HAD IT

But Abiante’s bill proposed that in a presidential race with more than two candidates, a candidate must secure a majority of the total votes — which constitutes over 50 percent.

The bill had not even been debated when lawmakers roundly rejected it.

Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house, called for the bill to be seconded after its presentation by Abiante.

However, as soon as the bill was seconded and put to a voice vote, it was rejected — with louder “nays” than “ayes”.

The bill’s rejection process was highly unusual, as bills are typically rejected after the general principle has been debated.

If this system had been deployed during the 2023 election, President Bola Tinubu would not have been declared winner of the election in the first ballot, as he did not secure the majority of total votes cast.

All death is bad. To die in one’s sleep does not make it any less so. If anything, it makes it even more so. For the living, those left to mourn, the shock can be paralyzing; in fact, it does paralyze – like the death of Prof. Anselm Emevwo Biakolo. A professor emeritus of Pan Atlantic University, Lekki in Lagos, Biakolo passed on in his sleep on February 8, 2024. People who saw him a few hours before he died said he spent the day in his office. That would suggest that he had no obvious physical distress, not to talk of a hint of death. But that’s the manner of such death. It slitters in and stealthily picks its prey, and let the world bleed all it can.

I knew Prof. Biakolo fairly intimately. He was not just my lecturer in the English Department of University of Ibadan, he was my friend. We were friends in the sterner, sterling sense of the word. He had an arresting personality, which was the first attraction. It was in my first year in the early 80s and he had come to the class to introduce us to poetry. “We shall be studying the poem Gerontion, written by T. S. Eliot,” he told us after introducing himself. At the time, he was assistant lecturer and working on his PhD in the department. So he was simply a “Mr.” Prof Isidore Okpewho, a luminary in oral literature, was his supervisor (he passed on in 2016). There were two other assistant lecturers in the department like him pursuing their PhD programme at the time. These were: Harry Garuba and Remy Oriaku – brilliant and ambitious individuals.

Back to the first encounter and with T. S. Eliot’s Gerontion. That first lecture, we didn’t find Biakolo accessible and his approach to the poem made it all the more esoteric. To complicate our bewilderment, Eliot was particularly not an easy poet to unravel, not even to a dilettante and obviously not to freshers like us. But he was charming, Biakolo, that is. He was slim and tall; delicate and serious, but not stern. Throughout the lecture, his face never cracked into a smile, but there was something agreeable about him, something hypnotic. His voice rang like a new bell – firm and clear. Its cadences were passionate and sure, in the manner of a rhetorician. He was your portrait of an academic and you could tell that he was an intellectual of the original mould, though without a dash of a nerd. That first day, I fell in love with him. Even though we didn’t quite understand his analysis of the poem, enough to stir our irritation and resentment, something indefinable about him was comforting and assuring. He was easy to like, too easy to like – and many of us did, from that first meeting. One more thing: From that day, we started calling him “Gerontion” – behind his back, of course!

We became closer in my second year when I started trying my hand on writing articles for newspaper publication. I would write and run the piece by him for his opinion and advice. I think he was impressed by the things I was scribbling. Once, he said to me half-jokingly and completely solemnly, “O’boy, true o, I think you can end up in The Guardian. I’m serious! But you have to work hard and get your degree first.” We just laughed about it. This time, we had become very close, intimate even. Our relationship had gone far more than that of lecturer-and-his-student’s. We usually go to eat at a buka beside the Faculty of Arts. He would eat amala, I preferred lafun, probably because it was the closest stuff to fufu. Everyone called him Biaks. Occasionally, we would stop by the Students’ Union Building (SUB) to drink some beer. He was not strong in that department. More than a bottle would knock him over. 

Sometimes, too, I’d join him with Harry Garuba, Dipo Irele (then assistant lecturer in Philosophy Department), and some other students like Chiedu Ezeanah, Nduka Otiono and Afam Akeh. In that party were also older friends like Oga Sam Loco and Oga Joe Emordi. I’m not sure now what Sam Loco’s status was, but I know that Emordi was a staff of the university, working in the Audio Visual Unit located at the basement of what is now Communication and Language Arts Department. Both men were also regular features in the university’s Arts Theatre, now Wole Soyinka Theatre.

Biakolo was residing in Agbowo, the bourgeoning settlement across the road facing the university’s gate. He lived with his wife, Margaret, and their three kids, the eldest we fondly called Okpaks. My girlfriend, Bola, slid into the mix and the relationship with the Biakolos became what you could easily say was one of “family friends.” Bola and I were in the same English Department and she was to become my wife years later. As such things go, and as women are wont, Bola and Margaret hit it off as friends too. Effectively, Biakolo was my lecturer only in my first year, but I always run to him for things academic in the remaining years of my study. 

Out of school and a few years later, we met again in The Guardian. He was a visiting member of the editorial board and I was writing for African Guardian magazine – the substance of his prescience, you’d say. The Editorial Board was meeting every Wednesday. Sometimes when he couldn’t make it back to his Ibadan base after his editorial meeting, he would come over to stay with Bola and me in our Aguda, Surulere abode. This time, Bola and I had married and had become man and wife. He never changed from the person we knew years prior. He was untouched, neither by the tyrannies and tinkerings of time nor by the change in his status. He had become Doctor, a PhD holder and well inveterated in the society of academia.

To know him was to be acquainted with a great soul, a man with an intellect as sharp as serpent’s teeth. You could say he was devout. A passionate Christian stewed in Catholicism, Biakolo had the staring of a mystic. In his element, he wouldn’t just look at you, he would gaze into you, peer deep into you, to your soul. And, oh yes! He had such a poisonous sense of humour. Once, we were in my room in Mellanby Hall (Block C39). I was a smoker then. I wasn’t a social smoker, I was a committed and consummate smoker. This day in my room with him, I was smoking. Now, I took a long, hard drag on the cigarette. I allowed the nicotine to do its work and then pushed a billow of smoke out through my nose. Biaks looked at me with such a sarcastic amusement. As he did that, I knew he was going to say something nasty. And he did. “So next, the smoke go dey komot from your ear and your eye. Even all your hair will turn to smoke and you’ll become Hephaestus, the Greek god of smoke!” He said that in his peculiar, acerbic manner. I almost chocked with laughter. Jokingly, I offered him the stub of the cigarette and he shot at me: “You and who? I know I have many temptations, but this is definitely not one of them!” We never forgot that episode. It became one of our fond recollections of our fraternal days in UI.

Sometime in 1993, he left Nigeria and migrated to Botswana in Southern African where he started teaching in that country’s university, a professor. We reunited at his return to Nigeria and now Dean of School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University. I called him My Teacher. In 2010 when we lost my mother in-law in Akure, he stayed out the three days with Bola and me for the burial ceremonies. The last discussion we had was some two years ago after a long time. Four years ago or so, older staff of The Guardian who worked there in the first 10 years of its founding got together into a group which they christened When the Flagship Led. I saw his name on the group’s WhatsApp platform and I sent him a direct message (DM). As though he had been waiting for it, he called and I picked. He said: “Bruce, na wa for you o! How’s that silly girl Bola?” “My Teacher,” I began with a deliberate tone, “I wish the news was different, but Bola is no more, she passed on,” He grieved, and said, “Margaret too has passed on. I’m sure you didn’t know of this.” Indeed, I didn’t know, and the information anguished me just as much. He then told me he was in the US and now that he had become Professor Emeritus and widower, he had registered for a degree programme in Family Counselling. He stressed the word, widower. I could relate with what he was going through and I figured that in the circumstances, he needed that engagement, or if you will, that distraction to be able to deal with the ennui that would certainly flood in.

Alas! It was not ennui that showed up. It was death, and it came while he was asleep. 

Prof. Biakolo’s death is not just a loss to his family, friends and the numerous quality individuals who passed through his academic tutelage and mentorship. His death is another knock, another diminution of the finer aspect of us. He was sincere and sensitive, playful and permissive. But behind these civilities was the fiercely normative man. Ethical in the Puritan’s fashion, Biakolo was a man of simple but significant dreams. “I have certain ideals and I have always striven to uphold them,” he once told me in his office during our Guardian days. What were his ideals? He didn’t elaborate, but I wager they could be summoned up in this: To be a good and consequential person. He only craved opportunities to be a good husband, a good father, a good friend, a good worker – a good man in every way. And, well, he lived up to those. 

Malogo, member of the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE), is a media and communication practitioner.