Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has advised former military President and Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida to expect diverse criticism of his new literary work – “A Journey in Service”.

He disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while declaring open the public presentation of the book and fundraising for a presidential library to be built in Minna, Niger State capital.

Obasanjo, who was the chairman of the occasion commended the efforts of the former military tactician in writing the book, stressing that Babangida has not only contributed to history-making, he has contributed to documenting history.

He stated: “You have not only contributed to history, you have contributed documenting to history.

“It is an important part of our nation-building to keep accurate records. Please don’t be unduly worried about critics and put him down syndrome.

 He then advised Babangida to expect a wide range of criticism over the book.

According to him, “The book will be reviewed, read, quoted, praised and lambasted, and some will agree with you in part, and some will disagree with you in part, some may even wholly disagree with you. Why should you write the book? It is self-glorification. They will say. Controversy may even develop. It’s all good for you and good for the book and our nation-building process, the more praised and condemned the book is, the better because it means that it is being read.

 “Please don’t be unduly worried about critics and put him down syndrome. It may even be an indication of success but take note of objective criticism. You should expect a reaction galore. The reaction will be good, bad and ugly.”

[TheNation]

Former military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, on Thursday, expressed regret over the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, describing it the most difficult period of his life.

Babangida said this at the official launch of his memoir, ‘A Journey in Service,’ in Abuja.

He said, “Undoubtedly credible, free and fair elections were held in June, on June 12, 1993.

“However, the tragic irony of history remains that the administration that devised a near-perfect electoral system and conducted those near-perfect elections could not complete the process.

“That accident of history is most regrettable. The nation is entitled to expect my impression of regret.

“As a leader of the military administration, I accept full responsibility for all decisions taken under my watch.”

He added, “And June 12 happened under my watch, mistakes, oversights and missteps happened in quick succession, but I say in my book, in all matters, we acted in the supreme national interest so that Nigeria could survive.

“Our nation’s march to democracy was interrupted, a fact that I deeply regret. But Nigeria and democracy is still alive, a testament to commitment.”

Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo also rehashed Babangida’s words while reviewing the book.

“June 12 elections was the most challenging of my life. If have to do it all over again, I’ll do it differently,” Osinbajo said quoting a section from the book.

The book, which offers insights into key moments in the country’s history, also addresses other national controversies, including the 1976 coup attempt that led to the assassination of then-Head of State, Murtala Muhammed, and the 1986 letter bomb that killed investigative journalist, Dele Giwa.

Reflecting on his decision to annul the June 12 election, widely regarded as the most credible in the country’s history, Babangida admitted that if given another chance, he would have handled the situation differently.

The June 12 election, won by businessman and politician, Moshood Abiola, is considered Nigeria’s freest and fairest election.

However, Babangida annulled the results, citing concerns over national security.

This sparked widespread protests and political unrest nationwide at the time.

The annulment eventually led to Babangida’s resignation and a prolonged struggle for democracy in Nigeria, culminating in the return to civilian rule in 1999.

Thursday’s event marked the official launch of General Babangida’s official memoir, ‘A Journey in Service’.

It drew an elite gathering of past and present leaders who reflected on his legacy and the state of democracy in West Africa.

Discussions ranged from Babangida’s contributions to Nigeria’s political history to concerns over the resurgence of military coups in the region.

In his keynote address, former Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo emphasised the importance of multi-party democracy in Africa’s development.

He warned against the growing wave of military takeovers, calling them a setback to democratic progress.

“Multiple parties are good for our continent,” Akufo-Addo said, urging leaders to protect democratic institutions.

Former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd.), lauded Babangida’s rise from aide-de-camp to head of state, describing him as a “boss of bosses.”

Gowon also expressed gratitude for Babangida’s decision to restore his rank of General after it was stripped following the 1976 coup.

The former head of state said, “Thank you for restoring my rank,” reflecting on how Babangida’s leadership impacted his life.

Meanwhile, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, another former military president, shared personal anecdotes about his long-standing relationship with Babangida, which, he said, spans over 80 years.

Abdulsalami recalled a childhood prophecy that foretold Babangida’s rise to power and commended him for documenting his life’s journey.

“Your memoir will enrich the country,” Abdulsalami stated.

For his part, former President Goodluck Jonathan described Babangida as one of Nigeria’s most charismatic leaders and called for the creation of presidential libraries to preserve the country’s political history.

“IBB brought us here today to celebrate his book and library.

“His home has become somewhat of a pilgrimage site,” Jonathan noted.

Representing immediate-past President Muhammadu Buhari, ex-Minister of Transportation, Jaji Sambo, delivered a congratulatory message, expressing hope that Babangida would continue offering valuable counsel to Nigeria’s leadership.

Various dignitaries and businessmen such as the Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote and the Chairman of BUA Group, Abdulsamad Rabiu, launched the book with N8bn and N5bn each.

Dangote pledged to donate N2bn annually for four years for the construction of the IBB Presidential Library.

Meanwhile, Senator Sani Musa, representing Niger East Senatorial District, donated N250m; the Fidelity Bank leadership launched the book with N150m, while Businessman Arthur Eze donated N500m.

[Punch]

Sultana Nazif, the daughter-in-law of Muhammadu Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, says she doesn’t believe in women replacing their father’s name after marriage.

During a question-and-answer session on her Instagram story, a fan asked Sultana if she had changed her last name from Nazif to Sanusi after marrying Ashraf Adam, the son of Sanusi.

“Have you changed your name to Sultana Sanusi?” the fan asked.

Sultana replied, “No, I don’t believe in replacing your father’s name after marriage”.

Her stance is quite unusual, as in many cultures, women traditionally take their husband’s surname after marriage.

Some women, however, choose to hyphenate their last names or keep their maiden name for personal or professional reasons.

In August 2024, Sultana tied the knot with the Ashraf in Abuja.

She is the daughter of Suleiman Mohammed Nazif, a politician from Bauchi state.

Ashraf, on the other hand, is one of the sons of Muhammad Lamido Sanusi II.

Sanusi served as the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from 2009 to 2014. He was suspended by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan under controversial circumstances.

He would later become the Emir of Kano. However, in 2020, Sanusi was deposed by Abdullahi Ganduje, the state governor, for “disrespecting lawful instructions”.

On May 23, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf reinstated Sanusi as Emir of Kano.

[TheCable]

XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) and Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) have plenty of catalysts to support their future growth, and it's common knowledge that financial institutions around the world are adopting both coins for various reasons. But there's one new trend in particular that's driving those same financial institutions to take more interest in these two coins.

The trend might take years to play out, if it continues at all. For investors, that part could be great news, as it could lead to a new era of upwardly mobile prices borne from millions of people getting real utility from both coins. Here's what you need to know.

There's going to be a lot more physical stuff tracked on the blockchain
People trading in crypto know that Bitcoin and XRP are blockchains, and that the coins that live on those chains are associated with a myriad number of different wallet addresses. One person could have many wallets, or only one, just like they could have vast holdings of the tokens, or only a small pile.

When Bitcoin was first invented, tokens were fungible. Put differently, every token was identical to every other token, except for the address where it resided -- just like the dollar bills in your physical wallet right now.

Since then, upgrades have been made to the Bitcoin chain so that coins can include metadata that inscribes additional information. That's one of the ways that the chain can now be used to mint, send, and hold non-fungible tokens (NFTs). So far, many of the NFTs minted on the coin's chain are decidedly non-serious memes rather than anything that's useful in a financial sense or otherwise investable.

XRP has a similar capability. What's the point of a coin like XRP that's intended for serious financial applications, specifically reducing fees associated with international money transfers, having such a function? The chain isn't compatible with swapping images of meme coins or other more traditional uses of NFTs on other chains.

In short, this functionality opens the door to tracking real world assets (RWA) like properties, commodities, stocks, art, bonds, cars, and more, all on the blockchain. An NFT could contain the legal rights to a property provided that the holder could prove that they control the wallet address where the NFT resides. And that's exactly what's happening more and more on XRP and to a lesser extent on Bitcoin.

The push to track RWAs on various blockchains is just starting. As of early 2025, an estimated $7.6 billion worth of hard assets were tracked across the cryptocurrency sector. Some of the headier estimates for the growth of such tokenized assets see the total value tracked on blockchains to surpass $30 trillion by 2030.

Moving forward, at least some subset of investors looking to create a traceable record of their assets are going to use XRP or Bitcoin. In the long run, that could bring billions of dollars in value to both chains, pushing their price skyward in the process.

It's still the early days
As appealing as RWA tokenization may seem right now, there isn't any reason to rush to buy either XRP or Bitcoin on the basis of this trend alone, at least not yet.

They aren't the only two chains in the running for tracking the world's assets. Many others have the same capabilities, and there is no guarantee that either of these two will win the fight for market share. In fact, because of how difficult it is to update Bitcoin, it's better to bet against its becoming the chain for tracking real world assets.

XRP may have a better chance, as it's being actively developed, and it's already in use by international banks for the purpose of processing money transfers. It wouldn't be too difficult for those financial institutions to tokenize the assets they control using XRP, and it'd likely be a lot cheaper and faster than trying to do the same with Bitcoin.

But it's unclear how much demand for XRP those efforts would actually generate at this early stage. Keep in mind that XRP's network charges fees that are a fraction of a penny for each transfer that occurs using the coin; there's simply no way that transferring assets could ever produce much in the way of revenue unless the transactions were priced differently.

Overall, the takeaway here for investors is that there may be a big addition to the investment thesis for both of these cryptocurrencies over the next few years if the RWA tokenization trend really takes off. Keep an eye on how much the major financial institutions buy into the idea. If it seems like they're all in, and if they choose either Bitcoin or XRP to be the tool for implementing the tokenization process, it'll be a strong buy signal.

Don’t miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity
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Alex Carchidi has positions in Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin and XRP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

[The Motley Fool]

Many Nigerians experience visa refusal daily. They don’t need the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, to invoke hell against any country to make the point.

Unfortunately, Ribadu’s fury after the Canadian High Commission refused visas to Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa and other officials for the winter Invictus Games in Vancouver Whistler was directed at an unlikely target. Canada can be criticised for many things, but Ottawa’s faults do not include consular meanness.

In the last five years, Canada has been the third-biggest destination for Nigerian immigrants, especially students, after the US and the UK. Multiple sources, including reports by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), suggest that Canada, New Zealand, and the United Arab Emirates have relatively friendly visa policies for Africans.

Schengen refusals

If Ribadu needs any idea of what a visa hell looks like, he should look at Europe, specifically the Schengen area. According to a BusinessDay report, Nigeria ranked among the top five countries globally for Schengen visa refusals between 2022 and 2023.

Nigerian applicants submitted 86,815 requests three years ago, with 39,189 rejected—a 45.1 percent refusal rate. By 2023, the number of applications had increased to 105,926, but 42,920 were denied, reflecting a slightly lower rejection rate of 40.8 percent. At the rate at which President Donald Trump is going, sooner than later, the US might upstage Schengen as the world’s meanest visa gateway.

There will hardly be anyone to speak up for the casualties. When ordinary citizens are denied visas, they must deserve it, right? But General Musa is not an ordinary citizen. He is the jewel of Nigeria’s military top brass and should receive full consular courtesies on a good day without a fuss.

What happened?

So, what happened? Why did the Canadian High Commission refuse to issue visas to General Musa and the delegation of military officers for the Invictus Games? Let’s dial back.

Many years ago, citizens didn’t need visas to visit other Commonwealth countries, at least for the first 60 days.

Even by 1962, when many of these countries imposed visa requirements due to immigration pressures, a few, including Canada, maintained visa-free policies longer than most. It still maintains a visa-free policy for a few Commonwealth countries, while Britain has a much longer list of visa exemptions for some Commonwealth countries, including Malawi and Botswana.

Africa talks the talk

Today, even intra-African travel is a big struggle for Nigerian passport holders, despite all the talk by AU about visas on arrival. Thanks to the shameful conduct of a few desperadoes who have elevated the risk factor of the green passport and successive irresponsible governments that have plunged the country into the current mess, travelling with a Nigerian passport is not easy.

If the country’s status has moved from visa-on-arrival up to the early 1970s in many Commonwealth (and even non-Commonwealth countries) to a status of cautious admission and even outright hostility toward ranking government officials, Ribadu does not need to invoke hell. It’s a metaphor that painfully reminds us of our odyssey.  Why was a four-star general in the Nigerian army denied a visa in a manner that has turned into a street brawl?

Cracks within

A few days after Ribadu asked the Canadian High Commission to “go to hell”—an expression that might have shocked even the hosts of hell’s consular services—it came to light that the refusal may have had more to do with the tardiness of a desk officer at the army’s protocol department than with the Canadian High Commission in Abuja.

The Nation newspaper quoted competent sources as saying that the Army failed to attach the note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that should have accompanied the visa applications.

If that is correct – and the military authorities have not denied the report – how was that Canada’s fault? The question still needs to be asked: How did 14 of the 21 soldiers enrolled get visas when the officials and delegation leader could not be processed?

Calm down…

Ribadu is not just another government official. He would be justified in feeling slighted about a perceived diplomatic slight on Nigeria’s contingent, even if it was a contingent attending the Munich beer festival. But his office demands a sober and dignified response, not the sort of thing Idi-Amin might have said on the eve of evicting thousands of Asians from Uganda.

The report of official tardiness was sobering enough, but the purpose was no less puzzling. Of course, Prince Harry’s brilliant idea of the Invictus is to give wounded servicemen and veterans a chance to connect and bond with others as they remind us of their sacrifices for our safety and security and rediscover meaning in a shared humanity. But since its start in 2014, Invictus has been a summer game.

Their winter games

If the organisers decided to extend it to the winter to include adaptive sports, such as alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, skeleton and wheelchair curling, among others – hardly core Nigerian sports – that is fair enough. Yet, how any of these sports seriously concern Nigeria when only 15 African countries have participated in the Winter Olympics in 58 years between 1960 and 2022, and of this number, only seven have done so more than once, is another matter.

Winter is not our thing. The urgency of the task at home – a stubborn rise in the wave of insurgency in the Northeast and North West, despite reported gains in some areas – requires the full attention of the military’s top command. General Musa should have delegated attendance.

How not to be angry

Managing the refusal was no less scandalous. If a bunch of secondary school students on a Sudoku exhibition tour to Kathmandu was refused visas and decided to moan about it on TikTok, I can understand that.

But it defies common sense that Nigeria’s top security adviser would dramatise a matter well within his reach to investigate and take remedial steps, if necessary. Ribadu neither did himself nor General Musa any favours by his intemperate remarks. He gave ordinary folks something to jeer about and made the country look ridiculous.

Can’t stay down

Idiots may have brought the country to its knees, down from a place where Africa, the Commonwealth, and the rest of the world looked up to us and our passport ranked among the most respected. But nothing says we must stay there.

The job at hand is to dig us out of that hole, a significant point Ribadu made but sadly lost in his fit of anger. Modern consular diplomacy includes, among other things, a timely, trusted, and secure data-sharing system that gives parties to a transaction reasonable comfort. Where that fails, nasty surprises are inevitable.

Not much can get done by tantrums or by a false sense of entitlement.

Ishiekwene, Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP, is the author of the new book Writing for Media and Monetising It. 

One of the earliest University graduates to join the Nigerian Military and the first University Graduate to govern the old Western State, Brigadier-General Oluwole Rotimi turns 90 today.

A gentleman Officer and noiseless achiever General Christopher Oluwole Rotimi made remarkable achievements while he was at the helm of affairs in the Western State.

In addition to creating peaceful atmosphere in the state he devoted most of his energy on Agriculture and industrialization.

Born 20 February 1935, in Abeokuta, Rotimi attended Agooko Methodist School, Lisabi school, Olowogbowo Methodist School as well as Kings College Lagos, after which he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University College Ibadan.

General Rotimi joined the Nigerian Army in 1960 and served as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He rose to become the first African Deputy Quartermaster General and the third non-white Quartermaster General of the Nigerian Army in 1966. 

During the Nigerian Civil War Oluwole Rotimi provided logistics support for the Federal Government's war efforts. He became the commander of the Ibadan Garrison between 1969 and 1970.

After the war Oluwole Rotimi became the Military Governor of Western State in 1971, under General Yakubu Gowon in succession to Major General Adeyinka Adebayo.

The Cement Factory at Sagamu, 

the Wire and Cable Factory in Ibadan,

the Ceramic Factory in Abeokuta,

the Wood Processing Factory in Ondo and the Palm oil Mill at Okitipupa.were some of the landmark projects established by his administration.

In 1975, Oluwole Rotimi was removed from office as governor of Western Nigeria after the 1975 coup d'état. The following administration led by General Murtala Mohammed, commissioned a panel to investigate corruption amongst the immediate past governors of the previous administration. Oluwole Rotimi, together with Mobolaji Johnson-Brigadier (Lagos State Governor) were the only two governors exonerated.

in retirement, General Rotimi was appointed Nigerian Ambassador to the United States by the Obasanjo administration in succession to Professor George Obiozor 

Happy Birthday ? and many happy returns in robust health.