Nigerian sprinter, Divine Oduduru, has finally opened up on his six-year ban from athletics, noting that he still has his own side of the story to share even while he has attempted suicide four times.
Oduduru was banned in October 2023 over doping violations after the Athletics Integrity Unit said there was “overwhelming evidence” against the former world junior silver medallist.

The violations were possession of prohibited substances and attempted use of a prohibited substance or method.

Although he didn’t test positive, Oduduru’s case was linked to that of team-mate Blessing Okagbare, who was banned for 11 years for doping in 2022.

Over a year after the pronouncement, the Nigerian athlete broke his silence and promised to shed more light on the incident.

“Thanks to everyone, to my lovely fans who have been supporting me right from the beginning of my career. I know a lot of you have been waiting to hear from me about the issue that happened,” he wrote via Instagram on Friday.

“I have been quiet all this time due to my mental health. I attempted suicide four times just wanted to end everything because all these things that happened are still a shock to me.

“After all these years of sacrifice, I will be granting interviews and I am working on coming live on Instagram to tell my side of what happened,” he said.

He holds personal bests of 9.86 seconds for the 100m and 19.73 seconds for the 200m.

The 28-year-old is a two-time Nigerian national champion and also a four-time NCAA champion while running for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

[Leadership]

Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested seven suspects for allegedly killing two uber drivers in the Lekki and Ajah areas of the state.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mr Olarenwaju Ishola, confirmed this on Saturday while briefing newsmen on the recent achievements recorded by the command.

He said that the police arrested a four-gang and a three-gang syndicate for allegedly killing two drivers in separate incidents.

Ishola said that the police apprehended a four-gang syndicate: Emeka Akwara, 19; David Segun, 21; Samuel Ariori, 21; and Lukman Ariori, 19, who murdered a Uber driver.

“On Jan. 9, the suspects ordered for an Uber at Chevron in the Lekki area – en-route Obalende. On getting to Obalende in a lonely area, they robbed and killed the driver by stabbing him multiple times in the neck, unfortunately they were unable to snatch the vehicle.

“With the intervention of good Samaritan and passerby, two suspects were immediately apprehended and handed over to police and further investigation led to the arrest of other two fleeing suspects.

“The deceased corpse was deposited in the Morgue at Mainland Hospital Yaba and a Toyota Camry Big Daddy. AGL 650 HN and Knives were recovered from them, ” he said.

According to him, investigation is ongoing.

In the same vein, CP Ishola said that on Sept. 12. another three-man syndicate: Edmond Julius, 34; Abdullahi Umar, 32; and Saturday Oke, 40, was arrested for killing another Uber driver, Oluwaseyi Fowler.

“Arrested suspects confessed that they kidnapped the driver at Ajah area of Lagos, murdered and robbed him of his Toyota camry.

“They sold the robbed Toyota camry car to their criminal receiver. They led the police to recover the decomposed body of the deceased and said Toyota Camry, ” he said.

According to the police boss, the suspects have been charged to court.

He advised drivers involved in uber, taxify, Lag ride and others to be wary of their passengers.

“If possible do not carry more than one passenger at a time and insist such a fellow is searched and make him sit at the front with you.

“This is just the third of its kind reported or detected in three months. We don’t know how many that have happened, ” he said.

According to him, the command is going to summon all drivers in such activities to give them some security tips for precautionary measures.

(NAN)

The Nigerian Air Force airstrikes on Saturday mistakenly hit operatives of the Zamfara State Community Protection Guard, ZSCPG, vigilantes, and some residents of Tungar Kara community in Maradun Local Government Area, Zamfara State, following a raid by bandits in the area.

DAILY POST gathered that the incident, which claimed at least 20 lives, occurred shortly after the bandits fled the scene.

It was also learnt that local vigilantes and residents, who had mobilized to defend their community, were caught in the strike. So far, 16 bodies have been retrieved, with the final death toll still uncertain as rescue efforts continue.

The airstrike, intended to target the fleeing bandits, instead devastated the community, leaving behind a trail of grief and unanswered questions.

Residents of Tungar Kara are now calling for an investigation into the tragic error and for support to be provided to the affected families.

The military authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the incident, but the tragedy underscores the challenges of combating insecurity in Zamfara State.

[DailyPost]

Nigeria’s military personnel are now expressly prohibited from engaging in homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, cross-dressing, and other acts deemed contrary to the ethics of the armed forces.

The personnel are equally barred from body piercing, tattooing, disorderly behaviour, and drunkenness on or off duty.

This directive is contained in Section 26 of the revised Harmonised Armed Forces Terms and Conditions of Service signed by President Bola Tinubu on December 16, 2024.

A copy of the document obtained by our correspondent on Saturday partly read, “An officer must not engage in homosexuality, lesbianism, and bestiality.

“He/she is not to belong to, or engage in activities of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Trans, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual or Agender, Two-Spirit (LGBTQIA2S+) group and cross-dressing, amongst others.

“An officer must not engage in body piercing and tattooing of any part of his body. An officer shall not engage in any form of disorderly behaviour, brawl, or any action of public disgrace. An officer must not at any time be drunk whether on or off duty.”

The condition of service also forbids the involvement of officers in amorous relationships with subordinates or their spouses.

 “An officer shall not engage in any amorous relationship with any soldier/rating/airman/airwoman, fellow officer’s or soldier’s/rating’s/airmen’s/air women’s spouse, “ it stated.

The military personnel are obligated to pay financial dues, including vehicle licenses and insurance on time, while they are prohibited from joining secret societies or political parties.

 “An officer shall pay all just financial obligations in a proper and timely manner, especially those imposed by law and mutual contract. It is a very serious offence for an officer to be apprehended for failure to license or insure his vehicle, and other legal financial obligations. In the same vein, the issuance of a dud cheque constitutes an offence.

The document read further, “An officer shall not hold membership of any secret society or political party. He shall not participate, in any way, in activities concerned with such societies or parties even in observatory capacities.

 “For the avoidance of doubt, since cultural or purely traditional religious societies are not normally secret by membership or in the conduct of their affairs, they are ipso-facto excluded from belonging to secret societies.”

Having a private business, and misuse of government property for personal gain are also prohibited for serving personnel.

“An officer shall not engage in private business. He shall not use or be allowed to use government property, his name, position and connection in any way with commercial enterprises outside employment or activity with or without compensation, which interfere or has the tendency of interfering with his official duty or which may be reasonably expected to bring discredit to the Service.

“An officer shall not accept gifts, favours, entertainments, etc, from officers junior to him in rank or from soldiers/ratings/airmen/airwomen,” the condition of service added.

The punishments or disciplinary measures against any personnel who violate the rules were, however, not stated.

[Punch]

Senior Pastor of the Lagos-based Daystar Christian Centre, Sam Adeyemi, has urged President Bola Tinubu to present a compelling long-term vision for Nigeria’s future to inspire the nation’s youth.

“Mr president needs to come with pictures, 3D of what Nigeria will be like in 30 years’ time,” Pastor Adeyemi said during his appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise programme on Saturday.

The cleric stressed the importance of leadership in shaping societal beliefs and driving sustainable change.

“No leader will create sustainable change if he or she cannot shift the mindset and you cannot shift the people’s culture if you cannot without shifting people’s belief and their mindset,” he stated.

Drawing from his experiences, Adeyemi shared how a former governor struggled to instill the importance of vision among his cabinet members.

“I have an ex-governor who is a friend. I went to visit him whilst he was governor. And then he said, ‘Brother Sam, my biggest problem is not infrastructure.’ They were celebrating two years in office then, and he was celebrating over two years,” Adeyemi recounted.

The former governor revealed that his primary challenge was not building physical structures but changing the mindset of his team.

“He said when I want to do a job, I get the best contractor to do the job. He said my biggest problem is mindset. He said on my own cabinet, one of the members of the state executive came to tell me that they were having a conversation somewhere and they were saying: ‘the governor will just be talking about vision. Will we eat vision?’

“He said, ‘Can you imagine that the people on my cabinet – the state executive – do not even understand vision? They don’t value vision; they are just looking for what they want to eat, talk less of the citizens.’”

Vanguard News

It was in the late hours of the night. I was scrolling through my YouTube feed, a space I rarely find myself aimlessly searching through. But this night was different; I hadn’t gone too far when I saw the familiar face on the thumbnail of one of the suggested videos. It was Olajumoke Oniburedi.

I was immediately interested. I had thought about her not too long before that fateful night and wondered what happened to her after her sudden “grass to grace story”. If you’re unfamiliar with her story, Olajumoke is the popular bread seller who stumbled into TY Bello’s photoshoot with the British Rapper, Tinie Tempah and got captured in one of the pictures.

Suddenly, Olajumoke was a sensation. From gifts of a rented apartment to a launch into a new modelling career with local and international appearances and an opportunity for adult education, her story became a modern-day fairy tale. Many started praying for their own “God of Olajumoke” moment.

However, over the last few years, Olajumoke vanished from the public space, warranting curiosity about what had happened. That was why I couldn’t ignore the YouTube video—a City FM interview where she shared her side of the story. What I heard was heartbreaking: a mix of domestic abuse, poor decisions stemming from a lack of education and exposure, and exploitation by others had derailed her once-promising new life.

As I watched, I couldn’t help but wonder how differently things might have turned out if Olajumoke had been properly educated. It hurt to learn that she dropped out of the adult education programme she started during her rise to fame. I wondered how different some of her choices might have been if she had some form of education. Toward the end of the interview, she reflected on her experiences, acknowledging how her lack of education made her vulnerable to predators and poor decisions. Now, she’s committed to prioritising her education moving forward.

Her story reinforced to me that education is about so much more than professional or technical skills. It shapes how we see ourselves, the world, and the choices we make in every area of life. Aside from knowing this from research and observation, I also know this from personal experience. While my education certainly advanced my career, its most profound impact has been on my personal life. It’s helped protect me, guide my decisions, and expand my worldview.

In a previous article, I argued that the benefits of education go far beyond academic or industrial success. It develops personal, social, and intellectual capacities that influence every aspect of a person’s life. Education advocacy must be expanded beyond touting education only as a tool for the economic and industrial advancement of nations. Although education plays a huge role there, it also has way more implications than only equipping people to get a job.

Olajumoke’s journey is a powerful example. Although her education wouldn’t have made her stumble into Ty Bello’s photoshoot, it might have helped her sustain and fully maximise the opportunity when it came. And it might equip her with the worldview she needed to protect her from unnecessary pain. The silver lining in her story is that she’s getting a rare second chance. I love how much she now values education and is actively pursuing it.

Olajumoke’s story also highlights the growing importance of adult education, a cause that often gets overlooked in favour of advocating for young learners’ education. While that’s essential, Olajumoke reminds us why adults, too, need access to formal education—no matter their background or past experiences.

Education truly is for everyone. It’s not a scam, even for those whose careers may veer away from their academic training. It’s a tool for personal growth, second chances, and reshaping lives. My hope is that we continue advocating for education in ways that show its multidimensional contributions to human life and make it accessible to all—regardless of age, background, or the twists and turns of life. After all, Olajumoke has shown us that it’s never too late to learn, grow, and rewrite your story.

Oluwatoyin is a STEM education doctoral researcher, social impact founder and education policy advocate. She writes from Nigeria and the United States. 

Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), says Nigeria secured $7.6 billion in investment pledges during the 2024 Africa Investment Forum held in Morocco.

Speaking in a post on his X on Saturday, Adesina expressed excitement about the investment commitments to Nigeria, commending the active participation of several Nigerian state governors at the forum.

“I am delighted the Africa Investment Forum 2024 mobilised $7.6bn of investment interest for Nigeria,” the post reads.

“It was great to have several State Governors: Lagos, Kaduna, Kastina, Kwara and Plateau, and (later) Ogun. We will keep working to support & boost investments to Nigeria.”

On December 6, 2024, the Africa Investment Forum announced that it recorded a total of $29.2 billion in new investor interests.

Adesina, who is also the chair of the forum, described the achievement as “truly outstanding.”

He noted that the figure could increase as discussions and negotiations on additional investments are still going on beyond the 37 deals already prepared.

Adesina revealed that the 2024 Africa Investment Forum market days saw participation from 2,300 investors and delegates from 83 countries, a 60 percent increase compared to the previous year.

“The waves of the Africa Investment Forum are cascading investment ripples from Africa to all parts of the world…I am proud that we have achieved for Africa,” Adesina said.

“Across 41 investment boardrooms, investors and project developers gathered to review, discuss and engage on 37 investment projects. The projects varied from transport, power, energy, agribusiness, industry, mining, pharmaceuticals, private equity, tourism, urban infrastructure, water management and water and sanitation.”

The AfDB president also announced that the forum has secured commitments from 15 new sponsors, including banks, insurers, and export credit agencies, for its upcoming editions.

[TheCable]

Dear Presidential Economic Team,

May I humbly appeal via this Open Letter and earnestly urge the Presidential Economic Team to patriotically consider the gruesome economic hardship in the land, so as to stop derailing President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda meant to uplift millions out of poverty.

Am making this humble appeal because am not the only foundation member of the APC who wants our great party to succeed; albeit many do not want our great to go into 2027 general elections limping in the midst of widespread discontent, despondency and despair.

Secondly, one sincerely thinks that President Tinubu means well and wants to successfully consolidate the neoliberal capitalist system by taking bold decisions to bolster economic resorgimento in Nigeria via his Renewed Hope Agenda.

Luckily for us Nigerians, President Tinubu has harvested the fine tenets of classical Non-Alignment-Doctrine; consequent upon his cordial diplomatic relationship with the West and the East.

Hence Mr President inspite of the economic hardship and gross inequality has mobilised all the necessary international powers to utilise our demographic youth advantage in an aging world to consolidate the CHANGE our great party APC pledged in July 2013.

This is why am appealing to the Presidential Economic Team to reverse their gear and listen to Albeit Einstein’s admonition; that it’s illogical doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Therefore let’s assist Mr President to succeed and pull out of this adverse economic condition so that Nigerians can breathe.

Accordingly this why as a roadside political economist am crying out in pain over the inadvertent derailing of the Renewed Hope Agenda. For am yet to reconcile how the program could be successfully executed when only 25% of the 2024 Capital Budget was released; moreover when we are regrettably operating multi-budgets.

Paradoxically the derailing is going on despite huge debts, increased tariffs, excessive taxation and the fact that all revenue generating agencies - NNPC, Nigeria Customs, FIRS had exceeded their 2024 targets - N13.1trillion vs N12.3trillion, N5.352trillion vs N5.09trillion and N5.7trillion vs N4.0trillion respectively.

One recalls with nostalgia President Tinubu’s July 2023 profound broadcast statement on why he removed the fuel subsidy, quote interalia, “To be blunt, Nigeria could never become the society it was intended to be as long as such small, powerful yet unelected groups hold enormous influence over our political economy and the institutions that govern it.
“The whims of the few should never hold dominant sway over the hopes and aspirations of the many. If we are to be a democracy, the people and not the power of money must be sovereign.
“This group had amassed so much wealth and power that they became a serious threat to the fairness of our economy and the integrity of our democratic governance.”

Is it not the same train of absurd Mr President frowned at that the Presidential Economic Team is boarding by not instantly and publicly disclosing how much that accrued from Fuel Subsidy removal; when the Joint Appropriation, Budget and Finance Committees of the National Assembly demanded it last week?

The Presidential Economic Team, should kindly remember that even the late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha diligently utilsed monies which accrued from his fuel subsidy removal with social and physical infrastructure via the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), which was beneficial to Nigerians.

My humble submission is that the Presidential Economic Team should not forget that Mr President’s statement above presupposes that he wants to seamlessly win the 2027 presidential election and end up 2nd Term as a progressive statesman.

Mr Osita Okechukwu
Foundation Member APC

WHEN I asked the rhetorical question: “Are Yoruba the ‘problem’ with Nigeria?”, more responders answered “No” than “Yes”. Many said Nigeria, indeed, was – and still is – the problem of the Yoruba – a cog in the wheel of its progress! I think it is necessary to locate (who are) the problems with Nigeria because, as they say, a problem once realised is a problem half-solved. I call on two articles that I chanced upon recently on social media to help us throw some light on the matter.

The first, titled “Who are the real Northerners?”, written by Davidson Rotshak Lar (JP), ran thus:  “We have been inundated with the word North, Northern Elders, Arewa Consultative Forum, Northern Governors Forum, etc.  But really we are asking: “Who are these Northerners?” Let us borrow a bit from history.

When Obasanjo as president gave the non-Fulani sensitive positions in his regime, the Sultan of Sokoto went with some Fulani irredentists like Ango Abdullahi to confront him and make allegations that the  North was being marginalized. Baffled, Obasanjo asked them: “Are non-Fulani in the North not Northerners?” The Sultan said: “Yes, they are not!” Obasanjo nodded his head to learn what he probably had not known before!

So we  ask: “Who really are these Northerners?” Cast your mind back to December 1979 to the very night of the primary elections of NPN. Clearly, Ambassador Maitama Sule, an erudite Hausa man, emerged as the NPN flag bearer.  Some Islamic Fulani juggernauts led by Sultan Attahiru of the Sokoto caliphate said clearly that the choice of Maitama Sule was not acceptable to the North.

A parallel meeting was held that night to substitute Maitama Sule with less-known and hardly-outspoken Shehu Shagari, a Muslim Fulani, and the said North was, after that, pacified. So we ask: “Who really is a Northerner in Nigeria?”

In 2015, the  North rallied and confronted President Goodluck Jonathan that power must shift to the North – to Muhammadu Buhari in particular, being a Fulani, in order to maintain a democracy that is supposed to be founded on justice and fairplay. After seven years of the (mis)rule by the same Buhari, the same North said that zoning the Presidency to the South was undemocratic! They condemned zoning entirely as being anti-democratic and some of them like Nasir el-Rufai told us that it is not about region but competence!

In 1953 when Aminu Kano, a Hausa man, upstaged the mysticism of the North to found the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU), Sir Ahmadu Bello, a Fulani who had founded the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC), condemned Aminu Kano, calling him an anti-North propagandist.  Until Bello died in 1966, both men were sworn enemies. So we ask: “Who really are these Northerners?”

On  October 12, 1960, just eleven days after independence, the  National Parrot newspaper quoted Ahmadu Bello, who said:  “This new nation called Nigeria is the inheritance of the Fulani given to them by their great-grandfather, Uthman dan Fodio. We shall use the Northern minorities as conquered people, and the South as willing tools until we dip the Koran into the Atlantic ocean.”

We make bold to say that the North is Fulani and Fulani is the North! Recall that when one governor of Kaduna State, a Fulani (Mohammed Namadi Sambo), was selected for the post of Vice President (by Jonathan) and his deputy (Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa) was a  Southern Kaduna Christian, it was tug of war for the Fulani to allow him (a non-Fulani) to govern the state. They could have had their way if not for the seeming immutability of the Constitution.

Recall that in the same Kaduna State in 1979, Balarabe Musa, a staunch talakawa politician and an able follower of Aminu Kano, a Hausa Muslim, was impeached on frivolous reasons to pave the way for another Muslim, this time a Fulani (Abba Musa Rimi), to become the “authentic” governor of the state. This was done to please the North.

The vexatious cloud of contortion in the whole scenario is the cultural vulnerability of Northern minority politicians to be used willy-nilly to dash the hopes of their own people to please their feudal masters – the Fulani.

The sobriquet of “One North, One Destiny, One People” is a lie from the pit of hell. Is the North monolithic? “Arewa” is Hausa, not Fulani, word for  “North”. Why? The Hausa are by far the most populous group in the entire North, but they are voiceless. The Fulani are very few but are in control politically and economically, even though they are not aboriginal Nigerians. So, a Hausa word must be used to galvanize support from the whole North so as to consolidate the Fulani hold on power. This is the racket of cultural nudity in Northern Nigeria from Uthman Dan Fodio’s time, which has served its purpose very well. And they would call all non-Muslims, including those from the North, pagans or kafiris!”

I dare to say that it is this same “North” that is threatening Armageddon over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s tax reform that is meant to foster equity, fairplay and prosperity across board through hard work and sincerity of purpose! It is this “North” that is accusing Tinubu of marginalising it, despite that an avalanche of sensitive positions have been ceded to both Northern minorities and the Fulani themselves. It seemeth the Fulani, who pride themselves as the “North”, want all the positions for themselves and themselves only. This is one of the problems with Nigeria.

Now to the second piece by Reno Omokri titled “The Historical Reasons Why I Strongly Support President Bola Tinubu”; it goes thus: “Nigeria, as it is presently constituted, is not what we agreed with the British. It was forced on us by a General named Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi after a coup staged by mostly Igbo officers… For the first six years of our existence as an independent nation, Nigeria had regions with full powers of resource control and who were free to do pretty much as they pleased, except secede. For example, two of the three regions (the West and East) had diplomatic relations with Israel while the North rejected it.

Economic competition spurred growth. At that time, the Southwest was so advanced that the Saudi royal family used to have their medicals at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. Western Nigeria had universal free basic education before many European countries and was the pacesetter for progressive policies in Nigeria. The immediate post-independence Nigeria was not a British construct. Our leaders sat down and agreed to form a loose union. We would have even gotten our independence before Ghana, but the North was not ready, and there were quarrels between Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikiwe.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo mooted the idea of a secession clause in 1954 during the Lagos Constitutional Conference, but Nnamdi Azikiwe rejected it, galvanising a majority of the conference attendees to kill the idea. Chief Awolowo again wrote to the then Governor-General of Nigeria, who rejected the clause on the grounds that the majority, led by Azikiwe, did not support it. Because of Azikiwe, section 86 was inserted into our Constitution with the proviso that if any region should secede, it would be an act of treason. We eventually gained Independence on October 1, 1960.

There was an initial nationwide celebration (of the coup of January 15, 1966) until the dust settled and the rest of the nation realised that the Igbo coup plotters did not kill their own Igbo leaders. And when an elected Northern Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa, was killed by Igbo soldiers to be replaced by an Igbo General, instead of the next ranking member of parliament from the ruling Northern Peoples Congress (which would have been Zanna Bukar Dipcharima), protests broke out. When the new ruler, Major-General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, broadcast a message and assured the nation that the plotters would be tried, things calmed down. But Ironsi surrounded himself with only Igbo advisers, including Chief Francis Nwokedi, Dr. Pius Okigbo, and Colonel Patrick Anwunah. Calls for him to appoint at least one token non-Igbo were brushed aside.

And then, rather unwisely, Ironsi promulgated Decree Number 34 on May 24, 1966, which effectively ended regionalism, took control of all resources, including oil, which had hitherto belonged to the regions, and domiciled them in his military government. Other members of the Supreme Military Council alleged that Ironsi did not consult them before promulgating the decree. It is not known if their allegation is true. However, Ironsi’s Attorney-General, Chief Gabriel Chike Michael Onyiuke, later said Ironsi did not need to consult them. If Ironsi had not sacked Taslim Olawale Elias as Attorney-General and replaced him with a fellow Igbo, Chike Onyiuke, he might have gotten a different counsel, but we will never know.

That decree ignited the counter-coup of July 29, 1966, during which Ironsi was killed and was replaced with Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon… All Military Governors accepted Gowon except Ojukwu. Eventually, the then Ghanaian military leader, General Ankrah, invited Gowon and Ojukwu for a peace meeting in Aburi, Ghana between January 4 and 5, 1967. Agreements were reached, including that Gowon would broadcast first, AFTER CONSULTATIONS, followed by Ojukwu. However, upon return, Ojukwu made his broadcast first, which shocked other regions and jeopardised Gowon, who was almost removed by those who made him Head of State. Note that Gowon… at that time, was just a titular Head of State. Real power was domiciled with Colonel Murtala Muhammed until Murtala was militarily humiliated by the Biafrans at Abagana on March 31, 1968, after which Gowon relieved him of his command…

If Ojukwu had been patient and had waited for Gowon to make his broadcast first, it is almost certain that there would not have been a civil war. The bulk of Northern soldiers, led by Murtala Muhammed, wanted outright division and if they could not get that, then, a return to status quo ante bellum. The fragile Gowon government had been working on Decree Number 8, which, when you look at that decree in hindsight, could have solved much of Nigeria’s current challenges. But after Ojukwu preempted Gowon by his March 1967 broadcast, the decree had to be reworked. In fact, if Ojukwu had proclaimed Biafra with only territories belonging to the Igbos, then, it might have still been possible to avoid war. But by seceding with the entire Eastern Region, including minorities like the Ijaw, Efik, Ibibio, Ikwere and others who were not consulted as equals before the May 30, 1967 declaration of the Republic of Biafra, Ojukwu knowingly or unknowingly made war inevitable…”

Zik who stood against the right of the regions to secede peacefully without war or violence; the young military officers who, while ending the First Republic, introduced tribalism into the polity; the first military Head of State who ended regionalism and imposed the military command structure on the country; and the overly ambitious Biafran leader who made a 30-month civil war (whose sores are yet to heal) inevitable – these men created the foundational problems the country has yet to find a way to exit. Ironically, their supporters and successors are not only adamantly unrepentant, not willing to look themselves in the mirror, but also loudest at pointing accusing fingers at others!

Let the so-called North and the East mend their ways and give peace a chance!