The last time I was approached by a television reporter to comment on the life and times of Chief Ayo Adebanjo, my initial response was that I could not think of any aspect of his public life that has not been adequately covered in the interlude between his earthly passage and the burial rites. Besides, the deceased himself had written an autobiography on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

On further reflection I recalled his unlikely rapport with President Olusegun Obasanjo in his latter years. The open secret was the lifelong mutual antipathy between the two. Following the 1979 presidential election and the alleged bias of the former President against the candidacy of Chief Obafemi Awolowo (to whom Adebanjo was fanatically committed) a prior article of faith among the followers of Awolowo was the capacity to hold Obasanjo in virulent disdain.

To nonplussed inquiries about this improbable camaraderie, Adebanjo responded with the explanation that he had nothing personal against Obasanjo. He said the latter had transcended his anti-federalist status quo ideology to embrace the policy platform of the restoration of federalism aka restructuring.

I have recalled this antecedence to illustrate the concept of ‘Politics As A Vocation’ as propounded by the German sociologist, Max Weber. He proposed that the ‘pursuit of power often requires compromises and strategic decisions that may conflict with one’s moral beliefs. He restated this conflict as amounting to the distinction between the “ethics of conviction” (principle-driven, idealistic motives) and the “ethics of responsibility” (pragmatic, outcome-oriented consideration).

Weber argued that effective politicians must balance both ethical approaches; they should adhere to their convictions while also being mindful of the consequences of their actions.

In his response to the first World War and how it impacted the distressed German society, Weber characterised the effective politician as one who is capable of striking a judicious balance between the two ethics . Such politicians are generally located in the midstream of the ideological spectrum and are spatio temporal specific. As such they are commonsensical and non- doctrinaire. I have identified three historical statesmen whose careers have met the bar that Weber has erected, namely Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela and Obafemi Awolowo. The first two, Lincoln and Mandela, are world historical figures. Localized to Nigeria, the third is of a less grandiose pedestal.

On his embrace of Democratic socialism, Awolowo, for instance,once argued. ‘In a country like Nigeria, the adoption of socialism had to be gradual. My belief in socialism as an ideal has not been based on the writings of Marx or Lenin. The methods of attaining socialism can differ from place to place. The mistake many people make is that they take the methods for the ideal itself. In Russia they had to use violence because there was no other way of supplanting those in power. Dictatorship was all right in Russia, because they had not known any democracy in all their history. The same thing evolved in China. China had these war-lords who had their own dominions and past emperors were ruthless in dealing with the masses. Now you cannot say the same of Nigeria. There are no homeless people in Nigeria.

The London Spectator said of his second Inaugural address. “We cannot read it without a renewed conviction that it is the noblest political document known to history, and should have for the nation and the statesmen he left behind something of a sacred and almost prophetic character”.

In its historical applicability, it is difficult not to suspect that Weber had Abraham Lincoln in mind when he penned the essay.

Abraham Lincoln

In the Lincoln archetype, we found a near perfect congruence between theory and practice. In his unique charismatic pedagogy, he pondered . “At this second appearing to take the oath of the presidential office, there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first. Then a statement, somewhat in detail, of a course to be pursued, seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years, little that is new could be presented”.

“One eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the Southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union, even by war; while the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war, the magnitude, or the duration, which it has already attained”.

Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with, or even before, the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has his own purposes. “Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!”

“If we shall suppose that American Slavery is one of those offences which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South, this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the offence came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a Living God always ascribe to Him?

Fondly do we hope–fervently do we pray–that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said “the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether”

Mandela

Of Nelson Mandela, Peter Pham of the New Atlanticist wrote :”It was the example he left with his broad vision and pragmatic approach that will perhaps be his lasting legacy to those who follow. In 1988, he secretly offered to open negotiations with the apartheid regime. In Mandela, the greatness of soul that dreamed large was matched by a wisdom of mind directed to political realism. That grandeur is a rare combination, one which those who would be his heirs in South Africa and elsewhere on the continent will need to aspire to if they are to ever realize the vision of Madiba. 

On the extreme right, Mandela was widely labelled a terrorist by prominent political figures in the Western world for his embrace of political violence. According to Thatcher, for instance, the ANC was “a typical terrorist organisation”.The US government’s State and Defense departments officially designated the ANC as a terrorist organisation, resulting in Mandela remaining on their terrorism watch-list until 2008.

On the left, some voices in the ANC accused him of selling out for agreeing to enter negotiations with the apartheid government and for not implementing the reforms of the Freedom Charter during his presidency.

Obafemi Awolowo

On the occasion of the 50th birthday anniversary of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, his deputy, Chief Ladoke Akintola had this to say. “To Chief Awolowo, passivity is a bane and inaction an anathema. How could it be otherwise to a life which thrives on industry and to a man with fanatical faith in hard work? That was why he made himself a terror to the demagogues and Mountebanks who, with neither a chart nor a rudder believed that they could steer the Nigerian ship of state to its destination….No pilot has a clearer vision and none a keener sense of mission than Chief Awolowo…In the political changes which took place in Nigeria from 1947 onwards, Dr. Azikiwe has been spasmodic and casual; Sir Ahmadu Bello has been leisurely and care-free; but Awolowo has been constant and calculating…

“To know Chief Awolowo as a man is to respect him. It has been my pride and pleasure to know him. He is by every standard a genius. His unimpeachable character, his faith in God, his confidence in his fellowmen, his personal devotion to duty and his

loyalty…have conspired together to make him a great pillar of strength. He never lets a friend down…As a political leader, Chief Awolowo is miles ahead of his colleagues. His sincerity of purpose, his democratic leadership and inspiring example are yet to be equaled by any of the leaders of other major political parties in the country…Awolowo is the nearest approximation to Mahatma Gandhi. He is a good blend of Gandhi’s philosophy and Nehru’s dynamism and the only hope for democracy in Africa”.

Although this eulogy was a mocking backdrop to the scorched earth intensity of the fractional struggle that ensued three years later between the two leaders. After making sufficient provision for the flattery and permissible exaggeration, there is the element of honesty and extenuating validity in Akintola’s eulogy.

In Weberian tradition, it is the case that the conception of the professional politician almost always overlaps with charismatic leadership (based on personal qualities and the ability to inspire) and can be used as cause and effect explanations of cultural and social changes.

There were also Prophet Mohammed, Buddha, Alexander, Ho chi minh, Winston Churchill, Nnamdi Azikiwe, J.F Kennedy, Barack Obama, Adolf Hitler, Martin Luther King, Oduduwa, Chairman Mao etc The greatest of them all is the Jesus archetype. who became man in order to partake of man’s imperfections and vulnerabilities. Who had to experience humanity in order to become a perfect vessel and bearer for the consequences of the fall of man.

But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. In Jesus Christ we found a perfect reconciliation of “the ethics of conviction with the ethics of responsibility”

Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, the national chairman of APC, does not see anything wrong in a one-party state and from his body language he will not mind if all parties in this country collapse their structures and move over to the APC. Addressing State House correspondents last week Friday upon emerging from a meeting with President Bola Tinubu, he waved off concerns about the country’s political drift towards one-party state and of course, inexorably to dictatorship.

When a country moves in the direction of one-party state, it is the same story, the same hollow argument, the same old hat by its advocates: “One-party system reflected the basic consensus of African society”. (Mbah, 2007: 365). He goes on: “The one-party system was a drug which exacerbated the very disease it was taken to heal even though the ‘men’ behind it in Africa argued that the system was beneficial in order to control regional or ethnic divisions and curtail factionalism. The system became, in effect, another veritable tool in the hand of pushing back the advance of democracy and entrenching dictatorship.”

Dictatorship by its nature and practice brooks no opposition and is intolerant of alternative viewpoints. In no time opposition, though, may be cowed, begins to plan the fall of the regime. The dictator, not folding its arms, seeks to infiltrate the ranks of the opposition, some seduced and some murdered in the strongman’s bid to cling to power.

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, now of blessed memory, did say: “Power is an aphrodisiac, a sort of scintillating elixir, both to the person in power and his admirers.” Consequently, long-drawn instability in all its ramifications ensues. That has been the experience everywhere there is dictatorship.

Professor Jude Chibuzo Udenkwo of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, says: “The political tendency among executives or Heads of African States is to cling to power for a long time, even throughout their life-time.” He adds: “Modern dictators have survived by surrounding themselves with elite groups that are composed mainly of allies that were involved in the initial struggle for power. Insulating oneself with the cadre of ‘yes men’ is one part as the other is keeping up with their rents. These rents can present themselves mostly in the forms of ill-acquired wealth and influential government position. Comrades of a dictator have a lot to lose if their valued leader is overthrown. Consequently, they will go out of their way to ensure that the status quo remains.”

Tendency towards one-party state is never wanting in salesmen. We are already being told that the defections to APC does not pose any danger to the Nigerian polity and by extension to Nigerians and the presentation is smooth. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele commenting on the defection by Kebbi Senators said by accommodating defectors, the Tinubu Administration is creating a government of national unity. He went on: “We will not close our doors to anyone intending to join the party and will not discriminate on the basis of religion, ethnicity or any other factor.”

Senator Adams Oshiomhole, one-time activist and for many years Labour leader before becoming a governor does not see the defection as dangerous to our democracy. He said on television that the defections do not diminish the role of debate or dissent within the National Assembly, as lawmakers typically vote on issues, not along party lines. “If you ‘ve been following debates in the Senate, sometimes you can’t even tell whether someone is from the PDP or APC based on their positions.” Oshiomhole’s response came on the heals of the increased numerical strength of APC in the Senate to 68, bringing it close to two-thirds majority. After citing examples of democratic systems in the Western world, he said, “If I see conflict between party interest and national interest, I will have no difficulty resolving it in favour of Nigeria.”

For Ganduje, he sees the switch by the senators in question as part of a democratic process. He said the defection is the result of extensive negotiations among stakeholders in the state “and it is part of APC’s broader strategy to strengthen its base. This is a good development in Nigeria today. Almost every week in the Senate and House of Representatives, you see members of other political parties decamping to our party.” He went on to say that his party’s strategy to expand both its members and the quality of its membership is in line with democratic principles. Referring to China as a successful one-party state, He said his party is not actively working to eliminate opposition. He said if one-party state is a wish of Nigeria, why not? He believes, come to think of it, one-party state could be a blessing to Nigeria after all. However, “if other political parties see the effect of the positive governance of our party and decide to come to our party willingly, I think there is nothing wrong with that. Too many political parties spoil governance.”

The question is: Why do we not encourage other parties to stand solidly on their feet to provide alternative platforms and sell your own party to the electors only on the superiority of programmes, rather than encouraging their collapse. The grundnorm expects a legislator to vacate his seat and report back to his constituents who may decide to keep him in the hallowed legislative chambers or elect someone else. But everywhere the provision in the constitution is disregarded and life goes on with the defector beating his chest. The party to apply the law is the beneficiary. The fixation is on 2027 and not on propriety and the sense of shame. Impunity does not gnaw at the recess of anyone’s heart.

Abuse of power is one of the results of a one-party state. Checks and balances could be in disarray. Even in a monolithic society, one-party state stifles freedom of thought and speech. Competition is not given free reign. The arbitrariness inherent in one-party state breeds revolt, parochialism and nepotism, plunging the society into chaos and confusion. And so does blurred vision.

Will a one-party state be healthy for a plural society such as Nigeria? Some City Fathers are already takimg a cue putting or imposing their children on emerging dynasties to go to legislative houses. Will a one-party state be good for Nigeria with her diverse cultures and different cognitive levels undergirded by inner maturity, the lack of which is the bane of mankind today. Everything is about power, influence and public acknowledgement.

Indeed, it is to hold the world together in peace and harmony as well as for what can make for development that viable options, even if they are tentative in the long run, are being considered. The world has been in disarray since the abuse of the age of the Divine Right of Kings. The right is observable in many cultures till this day.

The recorded claim to ecclesiastical right is said to be traceable to the coronation of Charlemagne performed by the Pope on Christmas Day 800AD. The thesis that the kings were regents of the Almighty Creator and derived their authority from Him and to Him alone they were accountable held sway until what was described as Glorious Revolution in England (1688-1689), American Revolution (1775-1783) and French Revolution (1789). The revolutions drained the contention and attendant absolutism of life and mankind then devised their own ways of governing themselves. King James 1 of England (ruled 1603-1625) was reputed to be the foremost exponent of the doctrine holding tight to the pronouncement by Apostle Paul: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (Roman 13). God removes kings and sets them up. (Daniel 2:21). But what is the ordinance of the Almighty Creator for governance mechanism?

Were Paul and Daniel right? Is it conceivable that the Almighty, perfect as He has been and will be in all eternity, would send human spirits to this earth without providing them leaders who are to lead and guide them in their development, taking them from one step of development to the other?

According to revealed Creation Knowledge on earth today, leaders are born, not made, sent and not electable. We are now in the End-Time when the gale of purification will sweep all wrongs away, including the governmental systems devised by men. Today, the seeds of instability are being sown in the world in accordance with man’s severe limitedness, but the harvests cannot be prevented; they are certain in the future. Adamant, immutable are the Laws of His Holy Will.

THESE 84 YEARS AND THOSE TO FOLLOW

The original title of this address was THESE FIFTY YEARS AND THOSE TO FOLLOW. The address was given in 1991 by Adeyemi Lawson mostly to the large and extensive circles of his associates. I am reproducing it today in his honour on the occasion of his post-humus 101th birthday yesterday. It is, of course, in view of the relevance of the speech of a foremost industrialist and spiritual leader in the sinking of the world from the storms of purification sweeping through it.

On the 6th Day of December, we recall the passing away of the Bringer of the Grail Message—known by His Work as Abd-ru-shin. To many of us who have recognized His Voice, He is much more than ‘Abd-ru-shin.’ The immensity of the need of humanity for His Message is indescribable. The Love which permitted It to be mediated to us is unfathomable. How have we humanity received the Word? How do we as ones privileged to have some inkling of the significance of His Work reflect Its values? Fifty years hence, where shall we be? What are we doing with it? What would we be doing in consequence of the blessings of having come across His Word and being permitted to work with it? These are some of the questions which should stir within the inner recesses of our being, bringing forth answers candid and true; enabling us in humble and true recognition of our weaknesses, of our faults to propel ourselves into stronger efforts and prayerful longing for help and strength that we may truly fulfil as He would wish us do.

Our fellow mankind, as indeed of old, have not awakened by millions to stretch forth their arms in joyful recognition and acknowledgement of that which comes from the Light, raising their voices in gratitude and glorious praise of the ALMIGHTY FATHER, striving to see His Will also done here on earth as it is in Heaven. That, however, applies to us as well. During the past fifty years there have been a great number, both here on earth and in finer realms who joyfully work with this great Message to make it possible for us to be severally helped to the knowledge of the Truth. We joyfully came to the state of awareness which we claim to be recognition! Recognition? In absolute conviction? Do we not need even now to strive for that?

Be that as may, even that level of awareness of the value of the Message enkindled within us a longing to serve HIM who brought the Message and help further His Work on earth. Has that awakened longing remained as it was? There was a time when we felt like proclaiming His Message from hill tops. Today, many cross our paths without hearing of the Message. We put the blame on them. We convince ourselves, if not deceive ourselves, that they are not ready for the Message; that they have not asked for it, that they are too strongly engrossed in the material! We spell out all their failings which make it difficult for them to receive the Message. Let us remember the great distance which had to be traversed that He may bring us the Message. He did not remain in His Home and simply cry out into Creation hoping we would listen. Knowing that we have become too dense to hear and comprehend from that distance. He painfully traversed world upon worlds and came to us in Love and Holy Wisdom. He painfully spent a whole life learning to know more of us and our weaknesses that He may the better be able to help us. He spent yet another life struggling under painful earthly experience to give FORM to the LIVING Word for our comprehension. In selfless LOVE and with great patience has He brought us that far.

If only with a minute fraction of the effort and pain with which the Word was brought to us, we would also strive to pass it on to our fellow human beings! From now on, let us rather look for our own faults and weaknesses which make it so difficult to reach our fellow human beings and make them awaken to the knowledge of the Message being on earth. Let us drop all inhibitions which make it appear that we are anxious to conform with the norms of the society rather than speak of His Name and His Work.

Let us be counted amongst those who truly serve Him, even if at the beginning only a few will trickle in the mighty waves will later develop. Fifty years hence, wherever we may be at that time, how shall we react to the Rays which may touch us and demand: ‘What did you really do with the opportunity of being permitted to touch the Rays of Light bearing His Message?’’

Let us fervently remember this so that we may truly serve him aright. Today for us, a span of fifty years can lose its earthly perception of space and time and be like a flash of thought. Let us patiently and lovingly strive hard, and in all earnestness, to bring our fellow human beings to awareness of the existence of the Message on earth. It is not for us to judge but only to mediate and pass on courageously and in love that which we have received.

ADEYEMI LAWSON (DECEMBER 1991).

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has applauded the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for its exceptional transparency and accountability in addressing the challenges that followed the recently concluded 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The Agency described JAMB’s open acknowledgement of its lapses as a rare and commendable act of leadership, one that reflects a deep sense of institutional responsibility.

The Director General of the NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, lauded the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, for demonstrating the kind of integrity and courage that public leadership demands. He noted that this act of forthrightness is not only a testament to Professor Oloyede’s personal values but also aligns with the principles of the National Values Charter (NVC), which enjoins all public institutions to operate with the highest standards of transparency and accountability.

Mallam Onilu, however, emphasized the need for JAMB to go a step further by initiating remedial measures that directly address the concerns of candidates, parents, and other stakeholders affected by the errors. "While recognition of mistakes is the first step, redemption and restitution are other necessary steps to be taken. Having decided to provide another opportunity to the candidates as a way of redeeming the errors, it is imperative that JAMB considers appropriate compensation to mitigate the stress and anxiety these candidates may have suffered," he said.

He stressed that the NOA remains unwavering in its commitment to promoting a governance culture anchored in trust, integrity, and mutual respect between citizens and institutions. “JAMB’s example should serve as a model for other public institutions. When institutions own their mistakes and act to correct them, they earn the respect and confidence of the people,” he stated.

Reflecting on the Citizen Codes under the National Values Charter, the DG reiterated that leadership is a collective responsibility. “Every citizen, whether in public service or private life, has a duty to uphold the core values of integrity, accountability, and transparency. These values are not optional—they are the pillars of a just and equitable society.”

Mallam Onilu reaffirmed the resolve of the agency to continue its advocacy for responsible leadership and value-driven citizenship. He noted that the Agency’s campaign to entrench the ideals of the National Values Charter across all levels of society will remain a central focus, as Nigeria strives toward a more ethical, inclusive, and responsible governance culture.

Paul Odenyi 

Deputy Director, Media & Communication

Burkinabe leader Ibrahim Traore is acting like a rock star. It’s not entirely his fault. He’s receiving a lot of help from dozens of social media users, especially TikTokers, who are desperate to anoint him as the best thing to come out of Burkina Faso since Thomas Sankara.

Traore must be enjoying it, because even though he is pretending, he knows he’s not Sankara. He is an opportunist, happy to capitalise on the current frustration in his country and the Sahel for his benefit.

A recent report by The Africa Report summarised Traore’s fictional character. “In dozens of viral TikTok edits, Traore leads imaginary armies, topples Western empires and is hailed as the ‘new Thomas Sankara.’ The captions, bold and uncompromising, include ‘Africa’s Messiah!’ ‘The People’s Captain!’ and ‘France Must Fall.’”

Traorephytes even invent videos of Rihanna and R Kelly (imprisoned since 2021) serenading the Burkinabe leader with hit songs!

Fairytale

If he were an elected president, Traore would have served three years of his first term. When he overthrew the government of President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba in September 2022 due to the rise in Islamic insurgency, and announced himself as head of the new Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (PMSR), he promised to hand over power back to civilians in two years – that was in 2024. He hasn’t said a word about any possible new date since, and if you have seen him recently, you would know why.

Apart from the adulation he has enjoyed as a social media fairytale, and dressing the part in stylish fatigues and matching neck scarves, berets, and boots, he has also talked the part.

He rallied support by giving speeches – not as many or as eloquently as he has been credited with – against Western imperialism and colonialism, vowing to create conditions at home to stem youth migration and tackle insurgency. Traore has portrayed himself as the new face of the African Renaissance. But talk is cheap.

Traore and the other delinquents

He has been in good company. The turmoil in West and Central Africa, which began in Chad, Mali, and Guinea, and later spread to Niger, has disrupted security and trade in the subregion, rupturing the 49-year-old Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Burkina Faso experienced two coups in a single year. After breaking out of ECOWAS, Traore and his fellow delinquents in the Sahel have pursued a singular mission of cutting off the noses of their Sahelian francophone ties to spite the faces of French business and political interests.

To be fair, it’s a moment of reckoning for decades of brazen French insensitivity, compounded by President Emmanuel Macron’s lack of charity when he described the relationship between France and Francophone West Africa as “part of a civilising obligation.” Which was self-interested nonsense.

Trouble speaking French

France has accumulated a notoriously poor record on the continent that it can hardly be proud of. In Niger, for example, Tom Burgis writes in his book, The Looting Machine, that French state-owned atomic energy group Areva’s profit from uranium is twice Niger’s GDP. The shameful French footprint is the same in Burkina Faso and throughout the region.

Fourteen Francophone countries, including the troubled ones – Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Chad – hold 50 percent of their reserves in the French Treasury. This arrangement has been widely criticised, but if shame is in the French dictionary, it doesn’t exist in the Macron version.

It is this background of despair and frustration, especially among the continent’s youths, that has fostered fairytale messiahs like Traore, who have managed to replace French hegemony with a mix of fussy state control and Russian suzerainty, with the Chinese just around the corner.

If it’s not Sankara…

Traoré is not Sankara, a fact that may be lost on Burkina Faso’s predominantly young population, as well as millennials and Gen Zs across the continent, whose forlorn search for role models tempts them to canonise an impostor. Of course, both are soldiers, similar in age and rank and usurpers of constitutional rule. But that’s where the similarity ends.

Like the demagogues before him, Traore and significant sections of the military and political elite from Maurice Yameogo to Blaise Compaore have been complicit in the misery of their citizens, feeding them instead on a diet of pseudo-ideological jingoism and Western bashing, but offering no genuine alternative. Africa – anglophone, francophone, or lusophone – shares a similar heritage of exploitation; a few of its people, especially the political elite after independence, collaborated with the colonialists to compound the problem.

Hard to beat

Where Traore is trading French hegemony for Russian control, for example, Sankara offered something different. In Burkina Faso: A History of Power, Protest and Revolution, Ernest Harsch said of Sankara, “In a conscious effort at nation-building, the revolutionary government also promoted a new national identity…that revolutionary project succeeded in altering the contours of the state and social and political life.”

Whereas Sankara attempted to forge a proudly African identity, deepening regional integration among ECOWAS countries, Traoré and his cohorts have, by exiting, put at risk the estimated $596.42 billion in trade within the community, excluding informal trade among citizens, which constitutes 30 per cent of the transactions, not to mention the impact on regional collaboration on security.

Sankara pursued radical economic self-sufficiency, agrarian reform, and social justice by outlawing female genital mutilation and promoting women’s rights. He rejected foreign aid, regardless of its source, even if it came without strings attached, something that Traore would be happy to overlook if it came from Russia.

What matters

I get it. With jihadists controlling about 40 percent of the country’s territory (it’s the most terrorised country), and climate shocks compounding its misery, the challenges are as different as are the times. That is why what Traore needs now is not clout-chasing or AI propaganda by Russian-backed Wagner, but sober-minded commitment to turn around the fortunes of his country, one step at a time.

For three years, Traore’s stock has risen amid algorithmic populism expressed in languages he neither understands nor speaks, with minimal institutional reforms, if any, and no prospects or commitment to return the country to civilian rule.

“His rhetoric,” The Africa Report said, “still falls short of real, measurable improvements in security and civic freedoms. There’s a gap between his message and the reality on the ground, something that will ultimately test his legitimacy and legacy.”

That’s not what the netizens want to hear. But in the end, that’s what matters.

Associate Professor of Theatre at the University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, Dr Taiwo Afolabi, has been named a 2025 3M National Teaching Fellow.

The university’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Jeff Keshen, disclosed in a statement on Tuesday that he shared the news with members of the university community with immense pride.

“It is with immense pride that I share that Dr Taiwo Afolabi, Associate Professor of Theatre and Canada Research Chair in Socially Engaged Theatre at the University of Regina, has been named 2025 3M National Teaching Fellow, Canada’s most prestigious recognition of excellence in educational leadership and teaching” for post-secondary educators.’’ the statement reads.

He added that the 3M National Teaching Fellow is awarded by the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and 3M Canada. The university’s president and vice-chancellor explained that the award recognises exceptional contributions to teaching and educational leadership. He added that Dr. Afolabi is one of just 10 educators nationwide to receive the honour in 2025.

“Among his many contributions, Dr Afolabi is a recognised leader in socially engaged theatre, with a global teaching footprint spanning five continents. He founded the Centre for Socially Engaged Theatre (C-SET), a hub for interdisciplinary learning and social transformation.

He co-created the Arts Leadership Training Program (ALTP), which empowers BIPOC artists and arts managers in Canada. Dr. Afolabi is not only shaping the future of arts education but also building bridges across cultures and disciplines, both nationally and internationally. In partnership with the University of the Free State in South Africa, he has created new opportunities for students through a joint doctoral program and in his faculty, he has developed a certificate and diploma in Arts Management and Leadership.’’ Dr Keshen said.

He stated that Afolabi inspires students to view theatre as a powerful tool for social change, adding that his impact extends far beyond the classroom, creating lasting change in the lives of his students and the broader community.

Dr Keshen also extended his warmest congratulations to Dr. Afolabi on behalf of the University of Regina,

[Guardian]

Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina has said that the injury suffered by his compatriot and teammate, Taiwo Awoniyi, would have been prevented had the assistant referee raised his flag earlier.

Awoniyi, 27, was woken from an induced coma on Wednesday after surgery to repair a serious abdominal injury.

The Nigerian international was taken to hospital on Monday, having collided with a post while attempting to get on the end of a cross from winger Anthony Elanga in the closing stages of Sunday’s 2-2 Premier League draw against Leicester City on Sunday.

Elanga was offside in the build-up to the incident, but the assistant referee did not raise his flag until the play was completed because of an offside protocol introduced in 2020.

“Anthony was miles offside. The whole world could see and so could I from where I was,” defender Aina told the Mail newspaper.

“You think ‘offside’ straight away. Surely you could just lift the flag up?

“None of this would have happened to ‘T’ if the flag had just gone up, would it?”

BBC Sport reports that Awoniyi sustained a ruptured intestine.

Having had the first part of the surgery on Monday, he spent Tuesday in an induced coma as medical staff monitored his progress.

Awoniyi had the second stage of the operation, including closing the wound, on Wednesday. He was woken from the induced coma in the early evening.

“It’s horrible seeing someone you are close with go through something like this, but I pray to God everything goes to plan and goes well and that we will be hearing from him soon,” Aina said.

Awoniyi received lengthy medical attention on the pitch after the collision and appeared to inform medics that he could continue.

It soon became clear that he was still feeling the effects of the collision, but manager Nuno Espirito Santo had used all his substitutes.

Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis came on to the pitch after the game to express his concern to Nuno over how Awoniyi’s injury was handled.

Forest are set to open an internal review into the episode and establish why Awoniyi was allowed to continue playing.

A statement released by Forest on Tuesday referred to a “shared frustration between all of us that the medical team should never have allowed the player to continue.”

A new protocol on offsides was introduced by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) for the 2020-21 Premier League season following the introduction of the video assistant referee (VAR).

While the law did not change, assistant referees were told to keep their flag down if they felt there was an immediate scoring opportunity.

[Leadership]

The Shareholders of Seplat Energy Plc yesterday approved a total dividend of US$ 16.5 cents per share (N253.33 per share) for the 2024 financial, a 10% increase on 2023. 

They gave their nods to the dividend at the energy firm’s 12th Annual General Meeting held in Lagos on Wednesday.

Speaking with newsmen shortly after the AGM, the Chairman of Seplat Energy, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, stated that the dividends reflected the outstanding performance of the firm in 2024.

Udoma said, “Yes, the performance of the business met the Board’s expectations. We delivered a year of strong production, with revenues over one billion dollars, at $1.116 billion. This was achieved through safe and reliable operations, with 11 million man hours without any lost-time injury (LTI).”

He described 2024 as a transformational year for the development of the business due to the completion of the acquisition of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPNU) on the 12th of December, 2024.

“Merging the business, which we now call Seplat Energy Producing Nigeria Unlimited (SEPNU), with Seplat Energy has created a Nigerian energy powerhouse. I am especially pleased to report that the closing cash consideration of $800 million at completion was funded entirely from cash, new and available debt facilities, with no dilution of shareholdings,” he said. 

On his part, Roger Brown, CEO, Seplat Energy Plc said, “The increased reserves and production that the Seplat Energy Producing Nigeria Unlimited (SEPNU) assets add to Seplat Energy’s operations is significant, making us to consolidate on our position as the leader, and this is a significant responsibility of stewardship of Nigeria’s natural resources, which we do not take lightly.”

Speaking on the dividends, Mrs Eleanor Adaralegbe, Chief Financial Officer, said 

“The Board approved/recommended a core dividend of US$ 3.6 cents per share (N55.27 per share) for the final quarter of 2024 subject to appropriate withholding tax (WHT). 

“This brings the total core dividend declared for 2024 to US$ 13.2 cents per share (N202.66 per share), a 10% increase on 2023.

“In addition, following a review of Seplat’s operational performance and business outlook, the Board has decided to declare an additional special dividend of US$ 3.3 cents per share (N46.06 per share) (subject to appropriate WHT).

“The 4Q 2024 and special dividends will be paid to shareholders whose names appear in the Register of Members as at the close of business on 9 May 2025 (LSE) and 12 May 2025 (NGX). This brings the total dividend declared for 2024 to US$ 16.5 cents per share (N253.33 per share), a 10% increase on 2023. The payment of the special dividend reflects the Board’s continued confidence in the outlook for the Company and is underpinned by a strong balance sheet.”

[DailyTrust]

Nigerians, particularly northerners are reeling in anguish following the recent hike in telecom tariffs.

Recall that the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has recently approved 50 percent tariffs increment for service providers amid nationwide hardship.

This development has continued to attract condemnation among Nigerians, especially some northerners whose businesses depend on telecom industry to survive.

For Zainab Idris, a single mother and food vendor in Kano, every order she takes and every payment she receives is powered by data. But since the recent 50 percent hike in telecom tariffs, staying connected now costs her more than she can afford.
“I use my phone to take orders and do mobile banking. Now I spend twice as much for half the access,” she said, frustration lining her voice.
“We’re being punished for being connected,” she said.

Zainab’s experience reflects a wider national struggle following the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) approval of a 50 percent increase in telecom tariffs in January 2025. The decision, driven by demands from telecom operators grappling with inflation, rising diesel costs, and foreign exchange instability, has left millions of Nigerians grappling with the cost of staying online.

Many have raised concerns that NCC under the current leadership has failed the Nigerian Telecom users by defending the interests of the few operators at the expense of Nigerians.

From students and small-scale vendors to office workers and rural traders, the hike has disrupted daily routines and access to essential services. The cost of 1GB of data, once around ₦300, now exceeds ₦500—a painful leap in a country where more than 60 percent of the population lives in multidimensional poverty.

Fatima Yusuf, a final-year student at Bayero University, says the increase is affecting her academic performance.

“I’m working on my final project and rely heavily on online research,” she explained.

“But since the price increased, I’ve had to cut down. Sometimes, I go days without internet. How are we supposed to learn like this?”

“We’re used to adjusting,” said Fatima.

“But this one hurts. Communication is not a luxury—it’s how we live, learn, and earn.”

Telecom providers have defended the increase, citing operational pressures, with inflation rates above 33 percent and soaring energy costs. While operators had initially sought a 100 percent tariff hike, the NCC settled on a 50 percent adjustment.

But consumer rights groups and civil society organisations say the timing couldn’t be worse. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the NCC and the Federal Government, describing the move as a violation of citizens’ rights to information, education, and communication.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) also staged protests across major cities in March, urging the government to reverse the decision. The NCC responded by defending the hike as “inevitable for service continuity,” while hinting at possible relief packages for vulnerable users.

Fadhila Nurudeen, a digital rights activist based in Kano, argues the decision undermines Nigeria’s digital development goals.

“The government should be promoting affordable access, not strangling it,” she said. “This hike widens the digital divide, especially between urban and rural populations.”

Even small-scale data resellers are not spared. “People come to buy data and when they hear the new prices, they just walk away,” said Hajara Isah, who runs a roadside airtime kiosk. “It’s affecting our own business too.”

As economic realities collide with digital needs, many Nigerians are forced to ration their internet use or fall back on SMS and traditional voice calls. But for a country where more services—education, commerce, communication—are moving online, this shift threatens to leave millions behind.

Unless urgent measures are taken, experts warn that access to data could soon become a luxury in Nigeria’s increasingly unequal digital landscape.

[DailyPost]

Pastor Bolaji Idowu of Harvesters International Christian Center (HICC) has cautioned against dating while jobless, believing that financial instability can limit one’s options and distort what they find attractive in a partner. 

Speaking to his congregation, he said relationships formed during times of financial struggle may be driven by necessity rather than genuine love.

According to him, when individuals eventually gain financial stability, they may realise that the relationship wasn’t truly fulfilling. 

Idowu attributed this to a “crumbs mentality,” where people settle for less than they deserve due to financial limitations. 

He encouraged individuals to shift their thinking towards abundance, prioritising personal growth and financial stability before entering into relationships.

He said: “Don’t date when you are jobless. There are some relationships that are attractive not because they are attractive, it’s because you have no money. 

“When you have your own money, you will be surprised how you should have not fallen in love with some people. It’s not love induced; it was hunger induced. 

“Never negotiate on an hungry stomach, youl will get a bad deal. Crumbs mentality – when you are poor, small things satisfy you easily. One of the signs of crumbs mentality is that you settle for less so easily. 

“Shift in your thinking. I’m saying you need to think in abundance. I hang around people and when I hear the things that they used to talk about – ‘if I can just travel to America’. How can traveling to America be a goal.”

You must have read the news that philanthropist Bill Gates plans to give away his wealth within the next 20 years. His charity foundation, which has been making various interventions in global public health, now has till December 31, 2045, to spend down about $200bn to facilitate health and human development. Even more fascinating is that Bill Gates wants the money to offset some of the imbalances caused by the Donald Trump administration’s abrupt cutbacks to health and development agencies, such as USAID and PEPFAR. Many of us are familiar with the Biblical narrative of a rich young ruler who came up to Jesus to ask what he needed to do to secure eternal life. He was asked to give up his wealth and follow the Saviour. We were told that the young ruler “went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions”. Few things in the world can be as hard for the truly rich to give up as their wealth. It must be relatively easier to give from little than to shrink the vast reserves of riches by as much as an inch.

Bill Gates is not only giving money to the world sorely in need of capital to develop, but it is also impressive how much he has committed to learning about issues of health and development in the world. In the interview he gave to the New York Times, he came across as having studied the scale of the problem well enough. This is a man seeking to attain eternal life by helping the most vulnerable people in the world to live.

Ordinarily, I am ambivalent about philanthropy. While I am not against charity, it appals me how the enterprise of giving can reinforce what it seeks to displace. The problem is worse in Nigeria, where faux philanthropy overtakes governance. The leaders who should provide basic amenities, public infrastructure, and a well-coordinated social safety net for the vulnerable will abjure their responsibilities and flaunt charity. You will see Governor So-and-so “empowering” this and that community by dashing them cartons of noodles or Keke Marwa or wheelbarrows! There is perhaps no word in the Nigerian lexicon that has been serially abused by our visionless leaders more than “empowerment”. What Nigerian leaders call “empowerment” is often an exhibition of the poverty of the people they have socially disenfranchised.

In the end, I took a few things away from reading about Bill Gates’ motivations for setting a 20-year clock for human development. One is his optimism that the world we live in can be better. You can see that ethic of hope in his conviction that longstanding problems like malaria can be permanently eliminated in Africa; that maternal mortality can be significantly reduced; that childhood mortality can become a thing of the past; and that the world can live far more prosperous lives. Years ago, I learned the value of hope from reading Olufemi Taiwo’s Africa Must Be Modern. In the book, he argues that hope necessarily propels society towards modernity and development.

Until then, hope was just an abstract idea for me. But reading through that book, I started to understand hope differently. Hope is what galvanises people even when the odds are demonstrably against them. From the field of science where people immerse themselves in experiments that might fail hundreds of times before they succeed to the arena of politics where leaders fight to pull their people from the brink of disaster and set them on the path of prosperity, the hope that what we are doing ultimately matters is what makes all the difference. Without hope, we cannot muster the self-discipline necessary for success. I am of the firm belief that our leaders’ lack of optimism about the ability of their country to make it is one of the reasons they imagine their actions are not consequential. Corrupt African leaders are not just mere thieves bent on despoiling their people; their wantonness expresses their deep cynicism about people’s chances. In his interview, Bill Gates seemed to express more hope for the future of poorer countries to live healthier and prosperous lives than you are likely to hear from their own leaders. He can afford to be detached from reality, but if the world changes, it is also because someone was naïve enough to be optimistic.

The second thing that struck me about Bill Gates’s commitment to alleviating poverty is his understanding of the subject, and that is why I think our renowned prosperity preacher, Pastor David Ibiyeomie, can learn something from him. Recently, a clip from a sermon he preached went viral. In the sermon, he proclaimed “God hates poverty” and “God hates poor people”. His subsequent attempts to clarify his message only further unfolded his mindset as someone who is superstitious about poverty. He proof-texts the Bible by overlooking every divine promise of reprieve for those who have been beaten by the hardships of life to select a few verses that support his prejudices. In a country where about 90 per cent (or more) of people live in the extreme conditions of multi-generational poverty and multi-dimensional poverty, it takes a lack of self-awareness to declare that even God hates poor people. If God hates poverty and the materially poor, then he must hate Africans!

Bill Gates, on the other hand, approaches poverty like a scientist. He sees the condition as a mere physiological one that can be treated if one rightly diagnoses it and applies the correct principles. One side is pessimistic and chooses to mythologise what is essentially a treatable condition; the other is optimistic enough to want to facilitate a world where capital investment and the principles of science can produce flourishing for humankind. The difference between the two is not merely the distinctions between “science” and “religion,” but about their respective moral visions. Please note that both religion and science are knowledge means that can be applied to engineer ethical solutions in the world. In the hands of a person who despairs about the fate of humans, the technologies of religion and science will produce nothing but death. The person who is invigorated with hope for humankind will apply principles from either science or religion to produce more life.

Finally, it is also ironic that the same Bill Gates, against whom some churches prayed during the COVID-19 pandemic, is also the person looking out for the good of the majority. It was funny, but churches, where pastors give annual prophecies, were blindsided by the global pandemic, while Bill Gates, who relied on scientific principles, accurately predicted its possibility years before it happened. I guess some of the preachers got envious because they gathered their ignorant flock and asked them to pray against Bill Gates as the “anti-Christ” or the “globalist”. Today, it is the same Bill Gates who is looking out for the good of the world. If Jesus were called to judge between the preachers who say we will be locked out of eternal life because of tithes and Bill Gates, who is demonstrating the ethics of generosity, empathy, and humanity, who do you think he would say practices true religion?